Page 83 of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

“What does that mean?” I asked, my head reeling. Was she suggesting Bethany played a role in her own death?

Rachel flicked a glance toward me, then leaned back in her chair and released a sigh. “Chuck found out about me and Lila, and he was determined to tell the whole town about us.Ididn’t care, but Lila did. She was terrified.”

“Chuck Petty?” Dixie asked.

Rachel nodded.

“How’d he find out?” I asked, my voice tight. I wasn’t sure I was going to like where this ended, but I was tired of hiding from the truth.

The corners of her mouth lifted, but she kept her gaze on her folded hands. “At first we weren’t sure. We thought he might have seen us together in a utility closet at school.” Her face flushed. “But like I said, we didn’t know how he knew. Not until that night.”

She fell silent, and after for a few moments, I prompted, “Go on.”

She shifted in her seat, agitated. “I haven’t told anyone about any of this. Not even my husband,” she said with an intensity in her eyes.

“He didn’t know you had a relationship with Lila?” Belinda asked softly.

Rachel shifted her gaze to her. “No. I wasn’t ashamed of lovin’ Lila, and truth be told, I never stopped lovin’ her. But I also knew that Lila could never forgive me for what happened that night. I knew I had to let her go, and the best way to keep our secret was to keep everything a secret. Even how much I loved her.”

I glanced to Colt, then turned back to Rachel. “I’ve tried keepin’ secrets and it never ends well for anyone. All it does is fester, rotting your soul from the inside out.”

I’d lived ten miserable years hiding what the serial killer had done to me. What secrets was Rachel keeping?

She studied me for a long moment. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe that’s why I’m tellin’ you now.”

I nodded slightly, encouraging her to continue.

Rachel took a deep breath. “Lila got a note from someone telling her to meet them at midnight. He didn’t sign his name, but we were sure it was from Chuck.”

“We found that note under Lila’s mattress,” Summer said, “but it was signed by T.”

Rachel released a bitter laugh. “That’s what Chuck called himself. The Terrorizer, T for short.”

“So Lila went to meet him?” Summer asked.

“She wasn’t sure what it was about, but she decided to face it head-on, which wasn’t how she usually handled things. She usually let people beat her down, but bein’ with me had done something to her. It was like she finally believed she had worth. That people like Chuck weren’t any better than her. They werejust meaner. She said she could be meaner too. So she decided to meet him.” Rachel swallowed. “But she came prepared.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Rachel held my gaze. “She brought her father’s shotgun.”

My heartbeat quickened.

“She wanted to go alone,” Rachel said with a faraway look. “But I couldn’t let her. She was supposed to meet him at the creek that separated our properties, so I hid in the brush on my side of the land. What we couldn’t figure out was how he even knew about the location.” Her chin quivered. “We were so naive.”

“Bethany,” I said barely above a whisper.

“It was our favorite meeting place. And Bethany knew it.”

“That had to have killed my mother,” I said. But it also explained why my mother was slow to trust, and quick to believe the worst about someone. Including me.

She nodded and wiped a tear. “Lila was waitin’ for him, but he wasn’t alone. Bethany was with him. The look on Lila’s face when she saw her sister with that…asshole.” She took a breath. “It broke something inside her.”

I was pretty sure my mother remained broken until the day she died. I suddenly felt determined that the same thing wouldn’t happen to me.

“Lila was sitting on a fallen tree by the creek, and she asked Chuck what he wanted, totally ignoring her sister. Her shotgun was behind the log where none of us could see it.” Her eyes drifted closed momentarily as she inhaled long and deep. “He said he wanted money. She asked him how much, and I just about hopped up from my hiding place. People like Chuck don’t go away once you pay them. They just keep asking for more.”

Her cheeks flushed. “We’d discussed why he might want to meet, and money was a consideration. Lila was inclined to pay him to keep him quiet. At least until she graduated and lefttown. I was flat-out against it. As far as I was concerned, we had nothing to be ashamed of. We loved each other. But she was adamant we couldn’t tell anyone. She said her parents would never understand and that her father would likely beat her to death. Honestly, her father was an angry man; I wouldn’t have put it past him. Still…” Regret filled her eyes.

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