Page 36 of This is Why We Lied

“You can, actually.” Fish had come out of nowhere. “When I was in college—”

“All right,” Papa said. “Let’s get inside for dinner, folks. It smells like the chef has prepared another one of his delicious meals.”

Mercy made her jaw relax so she didn’t break her teeth. Papa had done nothing but complain about Alejandro’s cooking from the moment the man had stepped foot in the kitchen.

She hung back while the guests followed Papa into the dining room. She caught a sympathetic smile from Will as he took up the rear. She guessed he knew what it felt like to be publicly shit on. There was no telling what kind of hell Dave had put him through at the children’s home. She was glad to see at least one person had managed to shake off his foulness.

“Merce.” Fish was leaning against the railing. He looked down at his glass, spinning the dregs of soda. “What was that about?”

The shock of confronting Bitty and pissing off Delilah had worn off. Now the panic was kicking in. “They fired me. Gave me until Sunday to leave.”

Fish didn’t look surprised, which meant that he already knew, and judging by his silence, and the entire history of their lives together, he hadn’t said a damn thing to defend her.

Mercy said, “Thanks a lot, brother.”

“Maybe it’s for the best. Aren’t you tired of this place?”

“Are you?”

He shrugged with one shoulder. “Max says they’ll keep me on.”

Mercy let her eyes close for a moment. Today was just one betrayal after the other. When she opened her eyes, Fish had knelt down to pet the cat.

“It’s a good way out for me, Mercy.” Fish looked up at her as he scratched behind the cat’s ears. “You know I’ve never had a head for business. They’re gonna close the lodge. Turn it into a family compound. Build out space for the horses. I’m going to be the land manager. I’ll finally get to use my degree.”

Mercy felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. He was talking like it was already done. “So you’re good with a bunch of rich people keeping all of this land for themselves? Making the creeks and streams private? Basically owning the Shallows?”

Fish shrugged, looking back at the cat. “Rich people are the only ones who use it now.”

She could only think of one way to get through to him. “Please, Christopher. I need you to be strong for Jon.”

“Jon’s going to be fine.”

“Do you really think so?” she asked. “You know for a fact how Dave gets around money. He’s like a shark smelling blood in the water. He’s already spun some crazy ass dream about how he’s gonna buy a house for Papa and Bitty to live in. Jon, too.”

Fish rubbed the cat’s belly too hard and got a swat in return. He stood up, but he looked over Mercy’s shoulder because he couldn’t look her in the eye. “Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. Dave loves Bitty. He’ll always take care of her. Jon’s always had a special connection with her, too. You know that she adores him. Papa can’t hurt anybody from that chair. Living together could give them a fresh start. Dave’s always wanted a family. That’s why he came up here in the first place—to be somewhere he belongs.”

Mercy wondered why her brother didn’t think she deserved that, too. “Dave can’t help himself. Look at what he’s done to me. I can’t even get a checking account. He’ll scam them all out of their money and leave them high and dry.”

“They’ll be dead before that happens.”

The truth felt more cold-blooded coming from her gentle brother. “What about Jon?”

“He’s young,” Fish said, like that made it easier. “And I need to think about myself for a change. It’d be nice to just do my job every day and not have all this family drama or the weight of the business. Plus, I can start giving back. Maybe set up a charity.”

She couldn’t listen to his hopey-dopey delusions anymore. “Are you forgetting what I said at the family meeting? I’m not going to let this place get stolen out from under me. You think I won’t testify about what I saw at the shed today with you and Chuck? I’ll have the feds come down on your ass so quick you won’t even know what’s happening until you’re sitting in a jail cell.”

“You’re not going to do that.” Fish looked her directly in the eye, which was the most chilling thing that had happened to her today. His gaze was unwavering, his mouth set. She had never seen her brother look so sure of anything in his life. “You told us that all your shit’s already out there. That you’ve got nothing to lose. We both know there’s something I could take away from you.”

“Like what?”

“The rest of your life.”

6

FIVE HOURS BEFORE THE MURDER

Sara leaned into Will as he rested his arm across the back of her chair. She looked up at his handsome face, trying not to melt like a boy-crazy teenager. She could still smell the scented bath salts on his skin. He was wearing a slate blue button-down shirt that was open at the collar. The sleeves were long and the temperature in the room was a bit warm. She saw a drop of sweat in his suprasternal notch, and the only thing that kept her from being a complete geek for referring to the indentation in his neck by its anatomical name was her desire to explore it with her tongue.

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