Birds flock together, soaring over the vast cemetery. Casey wished he could just take off and abandon his home like they did when the weather got too harsh. Last night's altercation was still fresh on Casey's mind and August had texted him throughout the day to check up on him.

After making a police report yesterday, his dad helped him get his car in the auto shop downtown to fix the shattered windows. Casey had not fully recovered from the shock of being shot at. Throughout the night, he woke up sporadically to check outside, ensuring that nobody suspicious drove by their house.

The coroner had finally released his mom's body from the morgue so they could have her proper burial. Even their family from out of state drove up for the services. Most of them on their mother's side, Casey wasn't close with. They frowned upon him for having a child so young with Veronica. Their whispers didn't bother Casey, but he hoped Wyatt didn't notice their glares or hushed conversations around them.

Casey considered bringing August to their mom's funeral to keep them safe, but thought better of it. None of his family trusted any of the gang members, with good reason. With most of Mom's family already silently judging him, the last thing he needed was to bring a stranger they could gossip about.

Beside him, Wyatt held his hand tightly. His son's gaze remained on the unearthed plot, where they'd just lowered Mrs. Lockhart's casket. In his pale complexion, Casey noticed his lips quivered and eyes brimmed with tears.

"Nana's in a better place now," Casey told him. "I know she was taken from us too soon."

"Will you die?" Wyatt gazed up at him, sniffling.

"It's been scary and I know the police haven't found the person who hurt Nana, but I plan to stay here for a long time to take care of you, okay? Nobody's going to let them get to me." Casey crouched down, gently wiping the tears from his son's rosy cheeks.

What made things so difficult for Casey was how he knew his mom should still be alive. They were going to take Wyatt sledding together as a family. Come summer, they'd even made plans to take Wyatt on his first vacation. She'd never get to see Wyatt grow up and Casey would never be able to go to her when he needed her the most.

A shoulder bumped into Casey, but the wrinkled-faced prune only snubbed her nose at him. Aunt Dorthy, his mother's sister. Casey groaned, resisting the urge to argue, as if it would do anything good. He wouldn't instigate a fight at his mom's funeral. Even if some of them deserved it. Casey led Wyatt over to his father and Lani, trying to stay away from the rest of the family on his mom's side.

"Ignore them." Lani rested a hand on Casey's shoulder. "They're just bitter old bitches."

"You okay?" Mr. Lockhard asked. "If any of them said anything to you or to Wyatt-"

"I'm fine. Don't worry, they're just giving us dirty looks," Casey replied.

"If only we could've banned them from attending." Lani folded her arms across her chest, sending a glare their way. "Mom would be pissed, seeing her family act like that."

"We were the only real family she had," Mr. Lockhart choked on his words.

It wasn't a secret how their mom hadn't been in contact with her folks and siblings. They'd had a falling out when they learned Casey had gotten Veronica pregnant. None of them supported her choice to stay by Casey's side and wanted them to kick him out of the house. Let him live with those horrible gang members, they'd said. As if Casey wanted to be a part of any of that.

Veronica wasn't always a part of their gang. She changed, and so did he.

Abrasive gusts of wind rustled through the graveyard as Casey left a rose at his mom's grave. Nothing felt right about being there. She shouldn't be dead. She still had so much to live for.

As snowflakes alighted on the sides of Casey's cold face, he made a promise to his mother. "I will find your killer and make sure they get what they deserve. No matter what it takes, I'll keep my family safe."

🧁

Later that evening, Casey let Wyatt play outside in the snow. They stayed in the backyard, engirdled by a wooden fence. Footprints covered the snowy ground as Wyatt focused on building a mini snowman on the patio.

It had only been a few hours since they buried his mom. The truth settled painfully in Casey's heart, but he tried not to let his grief consume him. He needed to stay strong for Wyatt and his father, who'd locked himself away in his bedroom. Casey considered taking Wyatt out to eat for supper, letting his dad grieve and have the alone time he needed.

The screen door creaked open as Lani carefully descended down the step. She tugged her beanie over her bright red hair, zipping up her coat.

"Hey guys." A ghost of her breath wisped in the air.

"Hey." Casey rubbed at his freezing red nose. "Dad is still in his room?"

Lani nodded. "I knocked on the door earlier, seeing if he wanted us to make supper tonight and if he needed anything. He said to just order pizza and put it on his debit card. I guess he just wants to be by himself."

"Yeah, I understand. I heard him playing their song not too long after when we got back," Casey told her. "The one Mom always loves to play around Christmas. I always forget the name, but she said it played on their first date."

"I remember." Lani's smile faltered. "I can't believe she's gone. Like, I keep expecting to see her come through the door like always. Let this be a horrible nightmare, ya know?"

"Yeah, if only." Casey sighed.

Wyatt kept building his little snowman, adding sticks for the arms. He'd been quiet since they got home but he brightened up just a bit when Casey suggested they play outside in the snow.

"I'm going to find her killer," Casey said. "After those assholes tried to attack me, I can't just sit and wait around for the cops. What if they come after Wyatt or you or Dad? I just... I won't let that happen."

"No, I get how you feel." Lani stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. "I want to kill this bastard myself. Especially when I heard about what happened to your car. You're lucky you didn't get shot."

"I've got August to thank for that," Casey admitted.

"Don't tell me you're still talking to that guy. He's dangerous! Casey, come on. Be sensible. You almost get shot and he happens to be around? That's no coincidence," Lani said.

"August didn't set me up. Why go through the trouble of warning me and saving me then?" Casey countered. "That's ridiculous. He wants to help us."

"The cold must be getting to your head if you really believe that. August wants to help no one but himself. You're just too blind to see that," Lani told him.

"There's something else." Casey hesitated, gazing over at Wyatt as he continued building his snowmen. "August told me that the police are considering Dad a suspect in Mom's murder."

Lani frowned. "What? No, that's absurd. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know, but I think when I got attacked last night, they might've changed their minds. Cuz it's obviously not my own dad trying to shoot me down," Casey replied. "Whoever came after me must be the ones who killed Mom. I'm sure of it."

"You need to be careful. Sticking around any of these gang members is a horrible idea. Even August. I don't care if he saved you once. That doesn't make him your friend or someone you can trust. The best thing you can do is keep a low profile and worry about keeping Wyatt safe. Let the police handle this. Maybe they'll leave you alone if you're not doing anything."

"But Lani..."

"No. Whatever excuse you have isn't worth risking your life for."

Casey sighed. "I know. You're right."

"Whatever you do, just be careful, okay? Don't be stupid and get your ass killed."

"I will, I promise."

Lani went over and crouched down in the snow beside Wyatt, helping add on to his little snowmen army. Casey joined them, collecting sticks for the arms of their snowmen and some rocks for the eyes. They used some pine needles to make the smiles, carefully bending them.

Just as they finished up their snowmen, Casey heard a car pull up in their driveway. Who could that be? They weren't expecting anyone to drop by. Curiosity urged him over to the fence. He carefully unlatched the lock, peeking his head out, stifling a gasp.

A police cruiser parked in their driveway. He recognized Detective Bailey as he climbed out of the passenger seat with his partner following close behind him. August's warning rang fresh in his mind about them coming to arrest his dad.

"Shit." Casey cursed under his breath, turning back toward Lani and Wyatt in the snow. He pressed a finger to his lips as he crept closer to them.

"What's wrong?" Lani asked, whispering.

"Cops," Casey replied.

Upon a knock at their front door, Casey tensed. What should they do? Maybe they could answer and tell them their dad hadn't gotten home yet.

"What do you think they want?" Lani asked.

"They might be here for Dad," Casey told her.

"If we wait long enough, maybe they'll leave?" Lani suggested.

Casey shook his head. "Dad will get up soon. Let's just go see what they want."

They barely made it inside through the back kitchen door when Casey spotted his father crossing the living room threshold. Before he could pull him back and warn him, it was too late.

"Can I help you, detectives?" Mr. Lockhart asked.

"We need you to come down to the station with us, sir. There's some things we need to clear up," Detective Bailey said. "We've found new evidence in your wife's case."

Dread sunk in the pit of Casey's stomach. What kind of evidence had they found? August had mentioned the gun they found that was used to kill his mom. Maybe that's what it was about.

"Dad?" Lani stepped forward, her red hair cascading over her shoulders as she removed her beanie. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing honey. These detectives just want to update me on your mom's case," Mr. Lockhart replied. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon, okay?"

Casey wanted to tell him not to trust the detectives, but with them standing right on their porch, he couldn't do anything. He kept close to his son, watching as his dad grabbed his coat and shoes. If only he'd warned him earlier, but didn't want to worry his dad about August. Not when they were still grieving after her funeral.

After his dad stepped outside with the detectives, Casey and Lani moved over to the window, peeking out behind the curtains. At least they didn't handcuff him. The window fogged from their breath as Casey stepped away, biting his lower lip. What could they do to help him?

"You don't think they're arresting him, do you?" Lani asked.

"I don't know. I hope not."

"Maybe one of us should go down to the station and check on him?" Lani suggested. "I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

Lani nodded. "Yeah, you stay here with Wyatt. I'll text you everything I find out."

When Lani left, Casey tried to keep Wyatt entertained by putting on a movie. Had August been right? The police really suspected his father killed their mom? Casey couldn't wrap his mind around it. What evidence could they have that indicated that? His dad explained how he'd been coerced into hiding that gun for those gang members and had the threatening calls saved on his phone. Wasn't that proof enough that he wasn't involved?

As the cartoon played, Casey checked his phone for updates from Lani. He found himself on August's contact, typing out how he'd been right and the detectives showed up at his house to take his dad away. Within seconds, his phone vibrated against his leg and he answered.

"Hey, I'm sorry about your dad," August told him. "Have they charged him yet?"

"No. My sister just went down to check out what's going on," Casey replied.

"Wish I'd been wrong about everything,"

"Yeah, me too." Casey sighed, snuggling closer to his son. "I've been thinking a lot lately, and I want to find who killed her. I don't want to wait for the cops."

"I see. So, are you wanting my help?" August asked.

"Well, I'm not going to come to you for help, but if you'd like to join me, I wouldn't mind the company. Again, I'm not making any deals with you or your gang. You can tell me to forget it," Casey said.

"Yeah, I'll help you," August replied. "I only ask for one thing in return."

"It depends. What?" Casey asked.

"You owe me some free cupcakes. That's my price. Take it or leave it."

Casey grinned. "I can do that."