She said, “Ledge said that when the group split up, Rusty had the money. How did Dad get it from him?”

Lisa divided a look between them. “I can only tell you what Dad told me, which was that Brian Foster called him with a warning. Rusty was going to use Dad as a scapegoat. Foster told him that you,” she said, looking over a Ledge, “had been arrested for possession of marijuana, and Rusty feared that you would barter what you knew about the burglary in exchange for getting a walk on the drug charge.”

Arden held up a hand to signal a timeout. “So, all this time, not only did you know that Rusty was in on the burglary, you knew that Ledge was.”

He said, “She told you I was bad news.”

Lisa jerked her head around to look at him. “You always have been and continue to be. If you had stayed away from Arden, she wouldn’t have drawn Rusty’s attention.”

“If I’d stayed away from her, God knows what would have happened to her.”

“Stop it, you two,” Arden said. “Go back to that night, Lisa. To the phone call. What else did Foster tell Dad?”

“According to Dad, Foster was falling apart. Foster had agreed to meet Rusty and hide the money, but then he got cold feet. Dad persuaded him to keep that meeting so Rusty wouldn’t be tipped off to his betrayal.

“Hoping to prevent a bad situation from getting worse, Dad sneaked out of the house, walked to the cypress grove, and used that old boat of his to get to their meeting spot. But he didn’t make it in time. They were there ahead of him. Rusty was in a canoe. Foster was standing at the waterline.

“Dad overheard Foster—stupidly—inform Rusty that he’d told Dad everything, that basically the cat was out of the bag. With that, and just like that,” she said, snapping her fingers, “Rusty hit Foster with a paddle. Dad told me he thought that Rusty had killed him right then. Apparently Rusty thought so, too.”

She told them about Foster’s rising up out of the water and pulling Rusty out of his canoe. “Dad said their fight was brutal. Foster held out for as long as he could, but he never really stood a chance.” Softly she added, “Certainly not against the alligators.”

None of them said anything for a moment; then Lisa continued. “During the fight, Rusty’s canoe had drifted close to where Dad was hiding in his boat. He spotted the bag lying in the bottom of the canoe. He snatched it and rowed away.”

“Rusty didn’t see him?” Ledge asked.

“There was no indication that he did. Dad said he didn’t go across open water, but stayed close to the shoreline, in the shadows, under trees. He knew every square foot of this lake, all the bayous. Even pickled, he could find his way.”

For a ponderous time, no one said anything. Arden didn’t stir, then she got up suddenly and rounded her chair, placing her hands on the back of it as though to keep a grip on her temper. She was seething.

“Why have you kept this from me, Lisa? As recently as this week, when I came to your office and asked if you thought Dad was capable of committing the crimes, you talked around it, you dodged. You surmised. Conjectured.”

“Arden despises liars,” Ledge said.

“If I’ve lied,” Lisa shouted at him, “it was to protect my sister from the ugly truth.”

“It’s a lot uglier than you’re telling it,” he said.

“You’re a son of a bitch.”

“And you’re a liar.”

Arden divided a frustrated look between them. To Ledge, she said, “What is she lying about?”

He looked hard at Lisa.

She sucked in a harsh breath, wheezing as she exhaled and said to Arden, “Dad wasn’t the burglar. I was.”

Chapter 38

That night in 2000—Lisa

Hey, Ledge, why do you think it is that Joe doesn’t do his drinking here? Why doesn’t he give your uncle Henry his business? Do you reckon he thinks nobody knows he’s an alky?”

Rusty’s taunt was the last straw.

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of her coming back with an angry retort, Lisa opened the door behind the passenger seat where he sat. After getting out, she slammed the door hard, hoping that the impact would shake loose his teeth.

She resented like hell having that prick lording it over her. She figured he knew how much she hated it, which was why he never passed on an opportunity to rile her.

But really, what had she expected when she agreed to participate in this misadventure? Courtesy and respect? She’d sunk to the level of Rusty Dyle, that witless accountant, and a juvenile delinquent. If she hadn’t been desperate…

But she had. Her father had become increasingly inept and unreliable. He hadn’t held a job since being fired from Welch’s store. Judging by the number of calls and mailed notices from bill collectors, she knew their financial situation was rocky, but she hadn’t known the extent of their indebtedness until Rusty had enlightened her. With insufferable smugness, he had disclosed exactly how dire her family’s situation was.

He’d approached her on a windy weekday afternoon. After picking Arden up from school, she had dropped her at the public library to browse under the librarian’s watchful eye while she ran some errands. She’d been returning for her when Rusty had materialized out of nowhere directly in front of her, blocking her path on the sidewalk.

“Hey, hotshot.”

She hadn’t seen much of him since she had graduated high school, but of course she recognized him. One couldn’t miss that ridiculous haircut, and it was impossible to ignore someone as obnoxious as he. He wouldn’t allow anyone to ignore him.

“Hello, Rusty.”

She’d gone around him, but he’d fallen into step beside her. “How’s college?”

“Fine.”

“Gee, you’re almost halfway through already.”

“After this semester.”

“I’ll bet you’re making straight A’s.”

“I’m holding my own.”

“Must be tough, keeping up your grades and making that commute every day.”

How he’d known that she commuted was a mystery, but she hadn’t wanted to prolong the conversation by asking him for an explanation. “Nice seeing you, but I’ve got to dash.” She’d lengthened her stride in an attempt to outdistance him, but he’d kept pace.

“Heard your old man got canned again.”

That brought her to a halt. “What do you know about it, and what’s it to you?”

“Ouch! The claws come out.” He’d curled his fingers and pawed the air like a scratching cat.

“You always were and always will be an asshole, Rusty.”

She’d tried to continue on her way, but he’d caught her by the elbow. “Don’t turn your back on me, smarty pants.”

She’d yanked her arm free. “I don’t care if your daddy is the damn governor, I’ll scream this town down if you ever touch me again.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He’d made an elaborate show of taking several steps back. “I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with you. Not since we’re going to be business partners and all.”

“Business partners?”

“That’s right. We’ve got a lot to talk about, you and me.”

“Guess again.”

“Your first meeting with me is tonight.”

“Are you out of your mind? I’m not meeting you tonight or at any other time.”

“Oh, you will. You will tonight. You can’t afford to miss this meeting.” He’d leaned to one side to look beyond her toward the library. “You must’ve kept her waiting too long. I made note of the time when you dropped her off.”

Lisa had turned to see Arden standing just outside the entrance to the building, the librarian watching from behind the glass. Arden had been holding a stack of books against her chest. She’d waved. Lisa had waved back, but it had been a conditioned reflex. She was thinking about Rusty’s last statement. When she’d turned back to face him, he’d given her an insolent smile.

“Nine o’clock tonight. On the bleachers of the football field. That should be a nice and nostalgic spot for you, Miss Homecoming Queen.” He’d moved in closer and whispered, “Your little sister is gonna be a looker. She’s already as cute as all get-out.”

Then he’d turned away and sauntered off down the sidewalk.

The inflection in his voice when he’d referred to Arden had turned Lisa’s stomach. For the rest of that afternoon, she’d tried to dismiss the comment and chided herself for paying any heed to it. Like father, like son, Rusty was reputed to be crafty and manipulative. He knew which buttons to push. She wasn’t about to let him bend her to his will.

Nevertheless, at nine o’clock sharp, she had joined him on the bleachers.

He’d begun with irrelevant chitchat. “When Joe worked at Welch’s, you were in and out of there quite a lot, right? You must’ve learned your way around, saw the operation of the store from behind the scenes.”

“What is this about, Rusty?”

“It’s about a lot of coin.” He winked.

Then he’d told her his plan.