“Tell him about us,” Kevin said.

“Oh, Kevin,” she teased, thinking he was enjoying this as much as she was, watching her, playing his part in her game.

Billy pulled back. “Tell me what?” he asked her.

“Nothing, silly,” she said, and pulled Billy to her again. He continued kissing her shoulder.

“Tell him or I will,” Kevin said, his voice deepening, pleading with her.

“Hey, Kevin,” Billy said between kisses. “Why don’t you swim back to the beach? We’re busy here.”

“Tell him!” Kevin hollered.

Billy dropped his arms from Jo’s hips and stepped back. “What’s your problem?”

Kevin kept his eyes on Jo. “Tell him or I will.” His nostrils flared.

Maybe she had taken things too far. He wasn’t messing around, playing her game, but she figured she could smooth things over by showing him a little affection. She stepped toward him and put her hand on his cheek, whispering, “It’s okay.”

Kevin grabbed her and kissed her hard. She didn’t expect it, and for a second she didn’t try to fight him off. His mouth smashed into hers. He was hurting her. She put her hands on his chest to push him away, but he wouldn’t let her go.

Billy hesitated. Confusion crossed his face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He pulled Kevin off her. “What’s gotten into you, man?” He shoved Kevin in the chest, not too hard, but hard enough to let him know he wasn’t joking around.

Jo wiped her wet mouth and neck from both boys’ kisses. The two of them fighting over her wasn’t the thrill she thought it would be. In fact, it wasn’t even close. She was overcome by an awful, horrible feeling, not wanting either one of them to be hurt. “Leave him alone,” she said to Billy, and touched his shoulder to get his attention. “It’s not his fault.”

“You’re defending him?” Billy turned on her. “What the hell is going on?”

“She’s with me now,” Kevin said.

“What do you mean, she’s with you now?” Billy asked.

“She’s with me. Tell him, Jo.” Kevin straightened up, and by the look on his face he was enjoying sticking it to Billy.

It pissed Jo off. “Shut up, Kevin,” she said.

“What is he talking about?” Billy asked her.

She couldn’t look at him, and she turned away.

“What’s going on? Wh-what are you saying?” He stuttered. “My best friend and my girl?” He shook his head. “No way.”

“It’s true,” Kevin said. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I love her.”

Billy got up in his face. Kevin tried to step away from him, but Billy moved right back in his space. His chest was puffed out and his shoulders squared.

“Are you screwing my girl? Is that what you’re telling me?” he asked, bumping him with his chest, pushing him back toward the edge of the pier.

“Stop it, Billy.” Jo had never seen this side of Billy before, and it frightened her.

“You are, aren’t you? You son of a bitch.” He cocked his arm and swung, but Kevin was quick and moved away. Billy’s fist only grazed Kevin’s jaw. Billy went to throw another punch, but Jo rushed in and grabbed his arm.

“Stop it!” she shouted. “Just stop it.”

Billy turned and shoved her. She flew backward and landed hard on her right hip.

“Oh, shit, Jo, I’m sorry,” he said, and immediately went to help her up.

Kevin lowered his shoulder and rushed Billy, hitting him in the stomach like a linebacker. Billy’s right forearm took the brunt of the fall, hitting the pier with a crack. The two of them started wrestling, their arms tangled around each other’s waists. Billy landed blow after blow to Kevin’s kidneys. Kevin tried to roll away, holding his side. Billy jumped up and kicked him. Kevin curled into a ball. Billy went to kick him again, but before his foot made contact, Jo pushed him square in the chest, sending him over the edge of the pier, his body striking the water with a splash.

“Are you hurt?” She knelt by Kevin’s side and placed her hand on his shoulder. His skin was slick and warm under her fingertips.

After a few long seconds he caught his breath. He lifted his head. “I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. Her nose was running. “I didn’t think he’d hit you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” He sat up, cradling his stomach where he had been punched and kicked.

She put both hands on his cheeks and kissed his forehead. “I’m so, so sorry.” She sat back on her heels and looked around for Billy, wanting to tell him off, and yet needing to explain she hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. She loved them both.

But Billy hadn’t surfaced.

He wasn’t climbing the ladder. He wasn’t on the pier. She looked toward the beach to see if he was swimming toward the shore. The lake was still and silent.

“Where’s Billy?” she asked, and looked over the edge where he had fallen into the water. Panic gripped her chest. “Billy!” she called, and frantically looked around, spinning in circles, searching.

He wasn’t anywhere.

Please, please, please, she silently begged. Please let this be a game.

“Billy!” she shrieked, her voice echoing across the lake.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

After Patricia’s shocking news, Dee Dee paced the kitchen, pulling at her lip, deep in thought for the rest of the afternoon. The sun was setting. Long shadows cut across the old wooden floor. Dust floated in the remaining slivers of light.

Patricia had fallen asleep again in Dee Dee’s old bedroom. Dee Dee had moved into the master bedroom not long after her folks had passed. She had taken over the cabin, the upkeep, and the bills. Although the position at the hospital didn’t pay much, she didn’t need much to make ends meet. When money was tight, the lake provided her with food and water, the cabin with shelter. And then there was Chris, the lone heir to the Hawke name. He was a good boy for the most part, growing into a fine young man. Who could ask for more?

But she did want more. If she couldn’t have her family back, then she at least wanted the truth so she could finally have some kind of closure.

The old scar pulsed with the beat of her heart. She opened a can of beer, the last in a six-pack, and lit a cigarette. She had the fractured bone, and now she had a witness. She thought about what Patricia had said, wondering how much she should believe. Patricia was clearly a woman on the edge, suffering from a traumatic loss.

Dee Dee pulled in a long drag and exhaled slowly. She could talk with Heil, make sure he was doing everything possible to find Patricia’s little girl. But knowing Heil, he wouldn’t listen. Drownings weren’t good for business. Heil was a heartless man.

She continued another lap around the kitchen table, mulling over her options. If Heil called off the search, she would step up and demand the fishermen continue. She didn’t have much faith in the recovery team. Too much time had passed for their scanners and whatever other equipment they were using to find such a small body in the expansive lake.

But what should she do about Patricia’s version of the night Billy had drowned? Patricia might have misunderstood what she saw at ten years old. It was possible. She was a kid.

But she couldn’t discard the fact that her version also made a lot of sense. There was a full moon that night. The floating pier would have been visible to anyone looking out at the water. And if anyone were on the pier under a moon that bright, they would have been recognizable.

Many times Dee Dee had peeked out the curtains and caught teenagers messing around on that very same pier. It was as though a spotlight had been turned on and the teenagers were caught in the act of being teens. She had done it herself when she was younger.

So it was possible Patricia was telling the truth. Besides, she had never known Patricia to lie. As a child, she had been honest. She wouldn’t even lie about the number of cookies she had eaten when asked. Where most kids would confess to eating two or three, Patricia would look Dee Dee in the eye and say, “I had fourteen.”