Page 126 of The Killing Plains

Brenda’s eyes narrowed. Her expression didn’t change, exactly; but her features seemed to harden. “If you know all that, then you must understand why.” She was retreating along the perimeter of the snake pen, holding Satchel in front of her like a shield.

“I have a notion.” Colly advanced steadily to the pen’s plywood wall, within fifteen feet of Brenda and Satchel. She glanced quickly inside. On the sawdust floor were at least a hundred snakes. Most had gravitated to the opposite wall under the work lamp and were basking in a tangled heap. “Put Satchel down, and let’s talk. That’s the only way to help yourself now.”

Brenda stopped. “Help myself?” Her voice was sharp. “This isn’t about me.”

“Then think of Logan and Minnie.”

Brenda’s eyes flashed. “I am—I always have been. Do you think Iwantedto kill Denny?”

For a second, Satchel stopped struggling. His eyes widened, and he stared at Brenda.

“Look at me, Satch,” Colly said quickly. “Brenda, I’m sure you didn’t mean to do it.” She kept her voice soothing as she inched forward. “Remorse will go a long way with a jury—but actions speak louder than words. Let him go.”

“Remorse?” Brenda seemed puzzled. “I evaluated Denny. I saw his PET scan. When Willis was that age, no one knew what he was. But with Denny, we knew. Someone just needed the will to act.”

“You can’t play God.”

“That’s what people tell themselves to justify doing nothing,” Brenda said bitterly. “I sat through Willis’s trial in ’98, you know. The defense showed his brain scan, and it blew me away. I had no idea technology like that existed. Why wasn’t he scanned at the first sign of trouble—back when he molested that Carroway boy? I wanted to stand up in court and scream, ‘You mean you could’ve seen this coming—you could’ve stopped him murdering Adam Parker? What the hell is wrong with you people?’”

“Brenda, you didn’t just evaluate Denny. What was the point of doing therapy with him if you were planning to kill him?”

“I had to make sure I was right about him, didn’t I? There’s no room for error with something like that.”

“For God’s sake, Brenda, he was a child—you could’ve helped him. No one’s doomed to be a monster from birth.”

Brenda grimaced. “You’ve been talking to Niall, I see. I used to think that way, too. But half-measures don’t work with a psychopath. You of all people should know that.”

As Brenda spoke, Colly caught a glimpse of movement in her peripheral vision. Someone was edging cautiously along the opposite wall, keeping in the shadows and working to stay out of Brenda’s line of sight. Colly didn’t dare look to see who it was. She needed to keep Brenda’s focus firmly on her.

“You used to think like Niall? What changed your mind?”

“If a criminal’s broke, we lock him up and throw away the key. But a dangerous psychopath can have his sentence commuted if his family contributes enough to the governor’s campaign.”

“You mean Willis?”

Brenda nodded. “When he got out last year, I was stunned. My kids spend half their time at the ranch. Everyone said, ‘Don’t worry, there’s a restraining order’—like that’s supposed to reassure me. Give me a break. I realized the truth—with a psychopath, there’s only one solution.”

The figure by the wall had paused briefly during this speech but now began to move again. Colly caught the glint of dark metal. She fought the temptation to look.

“You’re talking about executing people for pre-crime. Brenda, that’s insane.”

“It’s insane to play Russian roulette with public safety. This isn’t science fiction, Colly. You saw those scans at Niall’s. We have the technology to know who’s dangerous—we’ve had it for decades. We can’t afford to dither.”

Brenda was so caught up in her argument that she had stopped moving, while Colly continued to inch towards her. Suddenly aware of this, Brenda scrambled back several feet. Now, with the slightest turn of her head, she would be staring directly at the person by the wall.

Keep her talking, no matter what, Colly thought. “If you’re so proud of killing Denny, why’d you hide it? Why bother with the intricate cover-up?”

“Do you think I’d let Lowell raise Logan and Minnie by himself? They need me.”

The shadowy figure crept closer. It was now within twenty feet of Brenda and Satchel.

“You weren’t a suspect—what was the point of framing Willis?” Colly asked.

“Haven’t you been listening? Willis was more dangerous than Denny ever was. The Rangers’ investigation was stalled. I had to do something.”

“So you planted those masks in his nightstand.”

Brenda’s face clouded. “I thought the one on Denny would be enough. But the DA’s a Newland lapdog—he wouldn’t indict Willis without more evidence.”

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