21

Boyett Farm

Good Hollow Road, Fayetteville, 7:30 p.m.

Luna was waiting just inside the front door when Bent dropped Vera off at the house.

It s all over the news, she said, her hands wrung together in front of her as if she were praying fervently. Please tell me this awful, awful story about more remains being found isn t true.

Beyond Luna, Eve lingered, watching. When she saw that Vera was watching her, she shrugged and gestured to their younger sister.

Let s go in the kitchen and sit down to talk about this. Vera couldn t remember the last time she had felt so utterly exhausted. She had to find a way to remedy this situation that would allow what was left of her family to remain intact.

Was that even possible at this point?

Luna searched Vera s face, as if she expected some answer to be spelled out there. Finally, she nodded and turned away. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed in that direction.

She s not taking this very well, Eve said, with a lingering look after her.

Vera paused next to Eve. We have to talk. Eve looked at her. Privately. Vera gestured to the kitchen. As soon as we get Luna calmed down.

Eve nodded. Kay.

The two of them walked side by side to the kitchen. Luna had settled onto a stool, still hugging herself.

Where was her fianc ? Jerome should be here, reassuring her.

Vera took the stool on the opposite side of the table from Luna. Eve slid onto a seat at the end to Vera s left. Vera looked from one to the other and decided that putting off what had to be said wouldn t help.

A reporter, a guy Luna knew in high school, Eve said, before Vera could start, from the Elk Valley Times came to the funeral home.

Vera s stomach twisted into knots. Did you talk to him?

Eve shook her head. I did not. But then he went to the library and upset Luna.

Vera looked to their younger sister. Did you speak with him, Lu?

She wagged her head slowly side to side as if it took every ounce of strength she had to respond. Mrs. Higdon ordered him out of the library. She rolled her eyes. The idea that he and I graduated together should have made him nicer to me, under the circumstances. Instead, he treated me like a criminal, demanding answers and making accusations.

Vera didn t need to ask what sort of accusations. She could imagine. Folks will be saying a lot of things about Daddy and your mom, she said. About the farm and that cave. About us, too, probably. We have to keep in mind that people talk when something like this happens. It s not personal. They re just doing what they do. As for the reporter, there will be more. They will push hard and play all manner of dirty tricks in an effort to get the story. And when they can t get something to use, sometimes they make it up. So don t be surprised at what you hear and see-even from people you thought you knew. Just remember that it will go away eventually. Something else will happen to distract them. We just have to be strong enough to ride it out.

Luna drew in a big breath and nodded. Okay. But I would stay away from the library if I was that sort of reporter. She gave Vera a knowing look. Mrs. Higdon carries a tiny little pistol in her purse, and she insists she knows how to use it.

Vera made a face. Really? Well, I suppose-given the circumstances-that s . . . handy. She couldn t think of anything else to say, and the goal here was to calm Luna down, not tell her that her boss might be a little off her rocker.

Lots of folks carry weapons, Eve reminded her sisters. This isn t the big city.

Vera had nothing against weapons or those who owned them, as long as they were mentally balanced, properly trained, and smart about the handling and storage. It was the mentally balanced part that worried Vera where Mrs. Higdon was concerned. She was just as likely to go off half-cocked-no pun intended-as not.

I m aware, she said to Eve, before going on. We should warn Hillside not to allow anyone at all to talk to Daddy unless one of us is there. We ve already seen there s no telling what he might say. He d proved that again when Bent questioned him.

I called them, Luna said. Right after Nolan-the reporter, Nolan Baker-left the library. I was terrified he d go there next.

Vera s mouth gaped. Carl Baker s boy Nolan?

Luna nodded.

I can tell you, Vera warned, he inherited that mean streak from his mother. She was awful back in high school. She turned to Eve. You remember her? Elizabeth Bogus-Baker now. She was two years ahead of me, I think. When Mama died, she made fun of the dress I wore to the funeral. She always thought she was better than everyone else. Always winning beauty pageants. She thought she owned the world.

I remember her, and she was mean as a snake, Eve agreed, then she grinned. Her nickname was Boggie.

Vera almost snorted. That was the thing about small towns. Everyone knew everyone else. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

What did Bent tell you? Is there anything new? Luna asked, drawing her back to the more pressing conversation.

Vera studied her sister for a moment. She could lie and say there was no news. It would be a little bit before an update was issued in the media. But what was the point? It was coming. She d already told Eve. Luna might as well brace herself as well.

There are a total of four sets of remains.

Oh my God, Luna wailed. How is that even possible? You said the cave was really small. How could they not have seen the other sets of remains right at the beginning? Oh my God. I have to call Jerome.

Before Vera could explain, Luna rushed from the room in a fit of tears. Maybe ripping off the bandage so quickly hadn t been the best idea.

Jerome s parents are Baptist, Eve explained. This is not going to go over well with them. They already think Luna is not the perfect girl for their son because she might have inherited some of her mama s tendencies.

Well they re idiots, Vera grumbled. Then she listened for a few seconds to ensure their younger sister had gone upstairs. Once she heard Luna s bedroom door slam, she turned to Eve. I want you to think long and hard before you answer my next questions, Eve. I need the whole truth.

Eve s eyebrows reared up. What does that even mean? Why would I lie to you? Haven t we had this same conversation like three times already?

Vera struggled to tamp down the frustration and half a dozen other emotions welling inside her. She glanced in the direction Luna had disappeared and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. Bent thinks there are two killers. Sheree s and whoever killed the other three. The TBI is still tossing around the serial killer theory, but Bent isn t buying it.

Eve nodded slowly. I told you he s a good sheriff. Even though right now I sort of wish he wasn t.

Vera hesitated but then decided there could be no secrets between her and Eve. I m pretty sure he thinks it was Daddy who killed Sheree.

Maybe that s a good thing, Eve suggested. It s not like they would put him in jail.

Vera couldn t deny having had similar thoughts, but it was just wrong. Before she could say as much, Eve started talking again.

Has he figured out how someone who isn t part of our family would know about the cave? West isn t the only teenager who has lived close by during the time frame we re looking at. He has a thirty-year-old brother. You remember Wyman? He was a real shithead. Those two may have taken plenty of friends into that cave.

Vera struggled to draw to mind what would have been an eight- or nine-year-old kid when she left for college. Eve, that makes no sense. Wyman would have been a little kid when the first two victims were put there.

Oh. Eve frowned. Right. Then what about his daddy? He could have told someone, she insisted, her chin lifted defiantly. We should face the fact that no matter what we did, someone was doing it before us.

There was one question related to this new development Vera had to ask. Did you -her throat felt bone dry- decide to pose Sheree the way you did because you had seen the other bodies?

Eve stared blankly at her for a few seconds, then she burst out laughing. Did Bent put you up to this?

Vera clutched her hands together to keep them still. She had started down this path. Couldn t stop now. It can t be coincidence that the other female victims were posed exactly that way. Those crosses can t be coincidence. I know how you feel about the dead. It makes me wonder if you knew they were there.

Eve blinked. You re serious.

Sadly, I am.

Eve stared at her. Silent. Unflinching. Unblinking.

Vera ordered herself to inhale to feed her starved lungs, but her brain wouldn t obey.

Eve suddenly made a face that was somewhere between disappointed and irritated. I thought you were a big-time, famous crime solver. Is this how you got your reputation? Picking the easiest solution?

Anger fired in Vera, but surprisingly, she restrained it. All right then, tell me why you chose that pose.

Eve s gaze narrowed. I thought it was innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.

Vera wanted to believe her. She really did. But the problem was, if not Eve, then who? Their father? Who the hell had put that cross necklace with Sheree?

Maybe it was their father, but that still didn t explain how Eve had chosen that exact pose. Unless their father had taken her into the cave with him when he left the bodies or visited them. Eve could be protecting him.

Oh hell. Vera exiled the thought. Their father was not a serial killer! Eve might want to protect him if that were the case, but it could not be. Could. Not. Be.

I just need to hear you say the words, Vera urged. Tell me you didn t know about the other bodies. Tell me, she pressed, that this fascination you have with the dead isn t a symptom of a deeper issue and that whoever is leaving these messages for us doesn t know something you re not sharing with me-like maybe that Daddy or someone else we know did this.

I don t know any murderers. Eve scrubbed her hands over her makeup-free face.

She d never been one to wear makeup. Vera had always thought of her that way. Young. Innocent. Unpretentious. Was that why, until this investigation, she d missed the possibility that she was hiding something? Some secret she d kept all these years. Because she hadn t wanted to see?

Or was Vera just overreacting to what she had missed in Memphis?

How could you even think such a thing? Eve demanded, when Vera said nothing. What the hell? She turned away, shook her head. I can t believe this.

Vera nodded. Okay. Then tell me how you decided on the pose.

I just posed her the way most dead people are posed. With her arms crossed in front. Eve exhaled a big breath. How could you think I would keep something like that from you?

All the times she had noticed her sister doing odd things flashed like a bad movie reel in her brain. I don t know. With the way this investigation is building, I just have to be sure I am aware of everything, Eve.

God, now she sounded like Bent.

Eve blew out a big breath. I don t think about killing people, Vee. I think about the dead and how I can help them.

The difference was significant. Vera hated that she d even brought it up, but she d had to be certain-if that was even possible. She settled her gaze on Eve s. Did this mean there were no secrets between them? Maybe. Maybe not. But at least she had opened that dialogue.

I understand. I wasn t suggesting you killed anyone. Vera braced her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. Just please know that anything you need to talk about, I am here. You don t have to think twice about telling me anything at all. Complete transparency is the only way I can protect us.

Eve smiled sadly. I wish you still lived here.

Maybe this news would lighten the mood. If it s any consolation, I won t be going back to Memphis.

Really? Hope flared in her sister s eyes. You re staying here?

Vera shrugged. At least for the foreseeable future.

I m sorry if that means things went even further south in Memphis.

Vera worked up a smile. Thanks. Life sucks sometimes.

Eve laughed. I knew if things didn t work out, you d decide to stay here. You want another chance with Bent, don t you?

Before Vera could explain that her decision had nothing to do with Bent, the house phone started to ring.

Eve slid off her stool. I ll get it.

She crossed to the extension that hung on the wall near the back door. Vera closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. Maybe if she d been here more, she would have picked up on anything that was happening with their father. Or with Eve.

And what would you have done, Vee?

God, she didn t know. She just did not know.

Hello. Eve s face paled. I don t know who you are, but you d better not call here again. She slammed down the receiver.

Vera shot to her feet. What was that about?

Our friendly I know what you did fan. Eve s arms went around her middle. What if he s the person who did all this?

It was a he? Vera s instincts stirred.

Eve nodded. I ll bet the person who ran me off the road is the same one sending us these messages.

This thing-this person taunting them-was the unknown that worried Vera the most. We may need that protection detail after all.

Maybe so. Eve searched her face for a long moment. Seriously, Vee, I hope Bent is really on top of this. As easy as it would be to lay it all on Daddy, we know he isn t sending us these messages.

Vera considered the work Bent had done on the case. He s on it. No question.

Would he find more than she wanted him to find? Maybe. But not if she could find the missing pieces first.

11:00 p.m.

Vera lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. Her mind refused to shut down. Was it actually possible that someone in her family was a murderer? The idea was ludicrous. Wasn t it? What happened to Sheree was an accident. Clearly they had made a mistake by not calling their father and letting the whole thing play out the way it should have. But it was easy to see that now-as adults. As kids, living in the hell Sheree s entrance into their lives had launched, they had been afraid to do anything except exactly what they did.

Then there were the other victims. The women, posed exactly like Sheree and all with cross necklaces. Those details could not be coincidence, and that was a big problem. The male victim was the odd one out. Completely different MO. Unless, of course, he was the killer-which left the identity of the revenge killer.

Damn . . . this was a mess.

Vera had called her friend again. Asked for one more favor. Friend. Eric Jones was that for sure, but-at one time-the two of them had been more. They had dated for five or six months. He d wanted to move to the next level, and Vera had not. In the end, thankfully, they had been able to retain their friendship. Considering recent events and the fact that she was no longer a part of the department, she was immensely grateful he was still willing to help.

He had assured her he could track down who had ordered the University of Alabama ring with its God inscription. Not that it was such a difficult task. Call the manufacturer, provide the details, and bam-there was the name. A member of law enforcement could get the information with little effort. But Vera wasn t part of that club anymore. She was a civilian . . . one who was a suspect in the ongoing case, whether Bent wanted to admit it or not.

Eric had promised to get back to her as quickly as possible. All things, no matter how seemingly simple, took time.

Her cell vibrated, and she flopped onto her side and reached for it.

Bent.

Hey. She braced for more trouble. Christ, would this never end?

Hey. Come to the window.

She threw the covers back and crossed to the window that overlooked the front yard and driveway. He was there. She waved to him. He leaned against the driver s side door of his truck. Judging by how he d pulled over into the parking area, he d been to the cave. It didn t take much imagination to envision all the auxiliary lights inside and uniformed personnel milling about in the area. The crime scene tape and guards in place to hold back the curious and the reporters-some of whom would camp out in the area to ensure they missed nothing.

Any news?

Nah. I was just checking to see that security was in place for the night.

Which meant he had been to the cave.

Did you call the FBI? She eased down onto the window ledge. She d forgotten how deep the window ledges were in this old house. She had loved sitting in this window reading as a kid. Later she d watched for Bent from here. Hoping and praying he would show up and she could sneak out to be with him.

I did. They ll have someone here tomorrow.

I guess that s a good thing. She sighed. Reporters are giving Eve and Luna a hard time.

If they ll let me know the names, I ll take care of it.

I m sure they ll appreciate it. One is Nolan Baker.

I will talk to Baker.

Thanks.

Seconds ticked off in silence, with him looking up at the window and her staring down at his truck-at him, really. They used to do this . . . back when this thing between them first started. At first she was too afraid of sneaking out of the house. She got over that pretty quickly, but until she did, they did this-stared at each other across the darkness. Her in the window, him braced against that old truck he drove back then. There had been cell phones at the time, but Bent couldn t have afforded one, and her daddy would never have allowed her to have one.

I m worried about this, Vee.

The deep, smooth sound of his voice made her shiver. She rolled her eyes. She was thirty-nine years old. Her high school crush should not have the power to make her shiver, particularly under the circumstances.

Yeah, me too. As desperately as she wanted to believe this couldn t be their father, she still had reservations . . . doubts. About him . . . about something Eve might know.

And, God, she hated herself for the doubts.

I say, he offered, we conduct our own parallel investigation. Off the record, of course. We know this place and the people better than the outsiders. If there s something to find, we can find it.

The idea was certainly feasible. He already had a case board-two case boards-set up in his home office. He could keep her up to date on whatever the official investigation found. She could provide input. Anticipation welled inside her. It was a good idea. A win-win situation for his case and for her protecting her family.

They could do this . . . teamwork.

Except she couldn t be a totally dedicated team player. For instance, she saw no reason to mention her calls to Eric. At least not until he got back to her.

Ignoring the tiny ping of guilt, she said, I think that s a great idea. Can we use your home office?

We can meet for breakfast in the morning, he offered. I ll pick up something from the diner and see you at, say, eight?

Sure, she agreed. See you then. Night.

Night.

The call ended. Vera watched as he climbed back into his truck and drove away. Finding the truth and closing the case would be quicker and easier with them sharing the details they discovered.

Except for the ones she had to do all in her power to ensure he never knew. Like who really put Sheree in that cave.