Dee Dee loosened her grip ever so slightly. Her cold dead eyes glared at her. “Not until you tell me what happened.”

“Okay,” she said, and coughed.

Dee Dee dropped her hands and stepped back. Jo bent over, gasping, trying to catch her breath.

“I’m waiting,” Dee Dee said.

When the air moved through her lungs and she could talk, she blurted, “It was an accident.”

Dee Dee blinked several times. “You’re going to tell Sheriff Borg my brother didn’t just slip and fall. You’re going to explain exactly what happened to him. And you’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

“No,” Jo said, shaking her head. Her body trembled. She needed Kevin here to explain how it had happened, how it was nothing but a terrible horrible accident. Where was he? She had looked for him everywhere: the Pavilion, the bar, Eddie’s. It wasn’t like him to disappear. Vanishing was her talent. Not his.

“If you won’t talk, then I will. With everything Patricia told me, you won’t stand a chance, not against the two of us,” Dee Dee said.

Jo shook her head. “I don’t think you want to do that.”

“Oh, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve been waiting a long time for this day to come.” She pushed Jo’s chest, sending her backward until she had her pressed against the edge of the countertop. Dee Dee placed both hands on either side of her. She smelled of body odor and adrenalin.

Jo was no match for Dee Dee’s strength. “You’re not going to hurt me,” she said, pleading to the kinder, softer side of Dee Dee’s temperament. It was there, buried beneath her tough exterior, but she knew it was there. Dee Dee hadn’t always been a brute. The little kids had adored her in the past, and parents at the lake used to fight over her for babysitting. Once upon a time Dee Dee had laughed and joked. She hadn’t always been the bitter woman she had turned into. Jo needed to use this to her advantage to save herself. And she had one weapon to do it. Maybe it was the real reason for keeping the secret about her son, Billy’s son. “You really don’t want Johnny to lose his mother, too, do you?”

At first Dee Dee’s brow furrowed, and then her eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying Johnny is Billy’s son.”

Dee Dee pulled back. Her face softened. The corners of her mouth turned up. She nodded. “I always wondered.” In the next instant, she brought her arm back and slapped Jo hard across the face.

Jo grunted. The table and chairs went out of focus. Her ear was ringing. She covered her stinging cheek where the skin burned hot.

“That was for not telling me I had a nephew,” Dee Dee said. “And that Chris had a cousin.”

Jo’s mouth hung open, shocked at the forcefulness of the hit. She tried shaking it off by standing up a little straighter.

“Does Johnny know?” Dee Dee asked.

She dropped her hand from her cheek, opened and closed her mouth, testing her jaw before she spoke. “He found out today.”

“How?”

“It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Where is he now?” Dee Dee asked.

“I don’t know. He needed some space, but if I had to guess, he’s with Chris.”

Dee Dee slapped her again, sending her to the floor. The pain radiated across her cheek and temple. Spots floated in front of her eyes. She thought she might black out.

“That was for Johnny,” Dee Dee said.

“Please stop,” Patricia said, and reached for Dee Dee.

“Yes,” Jo managed to say. “Please stop.” She didn’t think she could take another blow, although she was sure she had another one coming. She inched her away across the floor and put her back against the bottom cabinet for support. If she stood up, she might pass out.

“It wasn’t Jo’s fault,” Patricia said, her eyes steady on Dee Dee. “I saw her dive off the pier.”

“Yeah, after she pushed my brother into the lake,” Dee Dee said.

“Yes,” Patricia said. “That’s true.” She put her hand on Dee Dee’s shoulder. “But Billy climbed onto the pier after she left. He was with Kevin. I thought they were messing around, playing rough like boys do. It was Kevin who pushed Billy into the water.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Caroline stayed tucked in the arms of the willow tree, the swooping branches draped around her, protecting her from the outside world. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed hidden under Willow, but long enough for her butt to ache and her legs to fall asleep. She stretched them out, careful to hold onto the branch above her, and she shook her feet until they tingled. Once the sensation traveled to her thighs and she could feel her legs again, she climbed down to the ground. She brushed the dirt from her hands onto her shorts and tightened her ponytail, which was sticking out from underneath her baseball cap.

Outside the ring of drooping branches, she heard the sound of footsteps. The door to the screened-in porch creaked open and slammed closed. Her father’s deep voice came from inside calling, “Hello? Is anyone home?” She wondered if he had heard their family secret was out and she was to blame. She bet he would be mad with her like everyone else was. She wasn’t ready to face him or anyone in her stupid lying family.

She darted from her protective cocoon and ran up the dirt road toward the ballpark. She wasn’t even halfway there, not really sure where she was going, but she was breathing hard and wishing she had grabbed her bike. She slowed her pace when her lungs burned, only stopping when she reached the Meadowlark, Megan’s cabin, and found herself knocking on the door.

“It’s open!” Mrs. Roberts called from somewhere inside.

Mr. Roberts was in the family room reading a book next to an oscillating fan. Mrs. Roberts emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a tea towel. “We haven’t seen you around much, Caroline. I hope you and Megan didn’t have a fight.”

“No, ma’am,” she said. “Nothing like that.”

“Well, I’m glad. Megan’s in her bedroom. Go on back.”

Caroline crept down the narrow hall and peeked inside Megan’s room. Megan was sitting on the bed, surrounded by magazines, nail polish, and makeup. Her head was down. Her blond hair fell into her face and her scalp was pink from the sun.

“Hey,” Caroline said, and slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her.

“Where’ve you been?” Megan grabbed Caroline’s hands. She pulled her onto the bed on top of the magazines and nail polish and plastic lipstick tubes. “I’ve got news,” she said.

Caroline nodded. Her lips trembled and her nose started to run. She didn’t want to cry and look like a baby. But she wanted to tell someone what she had done. She needed to talk to someone who wasn’t in her family.

“Jeff kissed me,” Megan said. “A proper kiss.”

Caroline nodded again and wiped underneath her nose.

Megan blabbed about Jeff’s tongue in her mouth. “He tasted kind of funny,” she said. “Like spit.” She shrugged. “I thought he would’ve at least brushed his teeth or used mouthwash if he knew he was going to kiss me, but whatever. What do you think? Don’t you think he should’ve been more prepared? I mean, I made sure my breath was fresh. What?” She gave Caroline the once-over, as though she was seeing her for the first time. “What’s wrong?”

“Can you keep a secret?” Caroline asked, and looked at the bedroom door to make sure it was closed all the way.

“Of course. Tell me,” Megan said.

“Well, to start,” she said. “I got my period.”

Megan nudged her and smiled. “That’s great. Oh my God, are you crying? You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s normal.” She crinkled her nose. “But you know, now you can officially get pregnant.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “That’s never going to happen.” She wasn’t like her mother. She’d never end up a pregnant teen. “You have to swear not to tell anyone I got it. Promise me.”

“Who would I tell?”

“Promise.”

“Okay, okay, I promise. Is that it?”