Page 136 of This is Why We Lied

“When did you notice the noise from the toilet again?”

“This morning,” she said. “We went to breakfast and—that’s when it happened, isn’t it? Somebody put that thing in our toilet. They’re trying to frame us.”

“Who else was at breakfast?”

“Uh—” She gripped her hands to her head, trying to think. “Frank and Monica were there. He tried to get her to eat something, but she couldn’t handle it. They left before we did. And the guys—the app guys. Did you know his name is Paul?”

“I did.”

“They didn’t show up until we were leaving. They’re always late. They were late to cocktails last night, too. Remember?”

“What about the family?”

“They never come to breakfast. At least not that I’ve seen.” She turned to Sara. “Please, listen to me. The doors are always unlocked. You know we had nothing to do with this. What could possibly be our motivation?”

Will said, “Mercy was twelve weeks pregnant.”

Keisha’s jaw dropped. “Who was—”

Will heard her teeth click together when she closed her mouth. She glared at Sara with a look of red-hot betrayal. “You tricked me.”

“I did,” Sara said.

“Keisha.” Will pulled the focus back his way. “Drew was convicted of assault.”

“That was twelve years ago,” Keisha said. “My ex, Vick, kept fucking with me, showing up at work, sending me texts. I told him to stop, then he shows up drunk at our house. He tried to grab my arm. Drew shoved him back and Vick fell down the stairs. Bumped his head. He was fine, but he insisted on going to the hospital, making it a thing. That was all. You can look it up.”

Will rubbed his jaw. The story sounded believable, but then Keisha was desperate to be believed. “Did Drew ever spend time alone with Mercy?”

“You want me to say yes, don’t you?” Desperation made her voice raw. “What if I saw Dave last night? He was walking on the trail, okay? I’ll swear to that on a stack of Bibles.”

Will didn’t believe her, but he said, “Okay.”

“Dave used to beat Mercy. You both know that. Whatever alibi he has, that can be broken, right? So if I saw him on the trail before she was murdered …”

Keisha stood up, so Will did, too.

She said, “Jesus Christ, I just need to move. Where would I go?”

He watched her pace the small room until Sara caught his eye. He could tell she was conflicted. He could also tell her presence was distracting him. Keisha was angry and upset. Will didn’t need to be worrying about Sara. He needed all of his attention to be placed on the possible accomplice to murder.

“Tell me what to say,” Keisha begged. “Just tell me what to say and I’ll say it.”

“Keisha.” Will waited for her to look at him. “When I brought everybody out to the compound to tell them that Mercy was dead. Do you remember what happened?”

“What?” she looked perplexed. “Of course I remember what happened. What are you talking about?”

“Drew said something to Bitty.”

Her gaze locked onto his, but she didn’t say anything.

Will said, “Drew told Bitty, ‘Forget about that other business. Do whatever you want up here. We don’t care.’”

Keisha crossed her arms. She was a textbook example of someone with something to hide.

“What did Drew mean?” Will asked. “What was that other business?”

She didn’t answer the question. She was looking for a way out. “We can make a trade, right? That’s how it works?”

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