Page 88 of The House Beyond the Dunes

“That’s about all Kyle would say. He didn’t like to talk about Jeb. He was the family black sheep. His stunt could’ve cost Kyle his college career.”

“His stunt?”

“Taking that girl, doing what he did to her. Lucky for Kyle, Jeb confessed to it all. Swore he acted alone and had never done anythinglike that before. Jeb stood before a judge, heard his sentence, and the case barely made the papers.”

“When was all this?”

“Fourteen years ago.”

The same year Stevie was attacked. Stevie had been clear that two men had taken her. It could have been Jeb and Kyle, but what about the other brother, Zeke? Or Earl? According to Stevie, she never filed a police report.

“Tell me about Jeb.”

Devon sets the bottle down, retrieves two flutes from a cabinet. She fills each with liquid bubbles. “Champagne makes one hell of a hangover, but what’s one glass, right?” She holds out a glass for me.

I accept it, and when she raises hers, I lift mine and we clink flutes. “Thank you.”

“To Kyle.” Her voice loses some of its vibrance, which I suspect is a cover for stinging grief. “May he rest in peace.”

A part of me doesn’t want to toast this man. Fragments of me are inexplicably angry. Does he deserve peace or to burn in hell? The anger behind that question throws me off.

I catch myself. There’s no evidence that proves Kyle did anything wrong. Knowing a woman does not mean he hurt her. He was a human being who died in a tragic accident and deserves the benefit of the doubt. “To Kyle.”

Our glassesclink.

I sip and savor the cool, dry bubbles. “Nice.”

Devon nods toward me and grins. “Only the best for you.”

The comment feels odd, but she’s that way, right? Super friendly. A little too well acquainted.

“Want to get in the hot tub?”

“No, I’m fine inside.”

“It’s super fun. Has all the bells and whistles.” She takes a liberal sip. “Just between us girls, when no one is here, I get in it.”

“I didn’t bring a suit.”

She grins. “Who needs a suit?”

“Thanks, but let’s stay inside.”

“Suit yourself.”

I settle on an overstuffed side chair, and she takes the couch, slipping off her shoes and tucking her feet under her. She’s right at home here.

Devon sets the bottle on the coffee table. “Jeb was the best looking of the Iverson brothers. I had a crush on him. But he was not good at looking ahead. He wanted what he wanted and didn’t consider the consequences.”

“He saw that girl, and decided he could just take her?”

She shrugs. “He wasn’t that bright, and he had a mean streak. The more successful Kyle became, the more Jeb lashed out. He and Reece were getting into a lot of fights then. The summer Jeb did what he did, Kyle was back home. It was between his sophomore and junior years of college. Kyle was the conquering hero. Everyone wanted to see Kyle and congratulate him. Jeb was seventeen, failing high school, and smoking meth. He had no plans to do anything with his life. Seeing everyone fawn over Kyle made it all worse. He got pissed, drove into Nags Head, found that poor girl, and did what he did.”

“He acted alone?”

“That’s what he said.”

“What do you think?”

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