Deceit

I sank upon my bed and scooted up to lean against the headboard. Checked the clock. Five after eight. We had over an hour to wait for Perry.

THIRTY-EIGHT

JULY 2004

When to dive off a sinking ship? And where to go, except back to the shark-infested waters of Social Services? Did Melissa really think another foster home would be better than living with the Jacksons?

Maybe the ship wouldn’t totally sink after all, she told herself in the volatile days following July Fourth. Maybe only one end would, while her end tipped higher and safer than ever.

Besides, where would Melissa be without Baxter Jackson? Sure, the man had his faults. But he was her ticket to a career, a better, solid life. A magnificent life. And there was more. He’d gotten under her skin, piercing like a long, fine sliver. There was no pulling him out, not now. They worked together well; they understood each other. Melissa recognized the need for power and control in him and knew he saw the same in her. She had one thing Linda lacked—backbone. Baxter admired Melissa for that. She was sure of it. Instead of trying to dominate her, he now seemed to revel in displaying his domination of Linda in her presence.

The more their bond grew, the harsher Baxter treated his wife.

Melissa did nothing to stop him. How could she? When he lashed out at Linda, Melissa somehow managed to fade from the scene. But she walked a balance beam. It was not in her best interest to lose Linda’s trust, even as Melissa built her loyalty to Baxter. When she and Linda were alone, Melissa oozed sympathy for the woman. As a result Linda began to lean on Melissa as the one person she could talk to, while she kept up appearances with everyone else.

Clever Baxter made his wife’s charade easy. Melissa soon saw his strategy: never punch where someone would see a bruise. It was always in the head, or Linda’s side or back. If he slapped her face it was a controlled hit, leaving red fingerprints that didn’t last long.

July roiled on.

The temperature was hot—high nineties. Sunny day after sunny day, beating down on Vonita. Melissa thrived in it. The days energized her, the sizzling outside matching her sizzling inside. She lay out in a bikini in the backyard on weekends, her skin turning a deep brown. Feeling Baxter’s eyes on her body.

Linda stayed out of the heat.

She didn’t see her friends much anymore, as far as Melissa knew. Linda had even drawn away from Joanne Weeks. Instead she read a lot. Found projects to do in the house. She remodeled the guestroom and bought expensive new drapes and a Persian rug for the dining area. She potted plants and set them around the kitchen and den, throwing out the old ones. Linda took Melissa shopping for clothes, both of them buying lavishly. Spending was the one way Linda could get back at her husband.

Not that Melissa could complain about that. By now she had a designer wardrobe to die for. Shoes and handbags to match. Her skin looked perfect, thanks to the expensive moisturizers and toners. Her makeup was all MAC, with just about every eye shadow color the company made. Linda had even bought her professional lessons on how to apply makeup. Melissa had never looked better in her life.

Baxter didn’t miss that fact either. He didn’t say it but Melissa knew.

“You know why he’ll never complain about my spending?” Linda told Melissa as they drove home from the mall one Saturday. Melissa was behind the wheel. She loved driving the BMW. “His own ego. How could Baxter Jackson ever admit he didn’t make enough to keep his family happy?”

Melissa nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She focused on the road, picturing Baxter, how he looked at her. The man was being eaten alive inside. What a dupe Linda was. Baxter paid the bills out of sheer guilt.

At the real estate office Melissa’s job remained busy. She arranged open houses, answered phone calls, learned all she could. But Baxter’s sales were way down for the month, even as the other realtors did well in the booming housing market. No reason the streak of bad luck should last. Baxter kept telling her this was the way business went. You had your good months and your bad months. He’d been through the cycle plenty of times. Sales would start going up; he was convinced of that.

Better start going up fast, Melissa thought. Bills rising and income falling. Not a good combination.

Besides, Melissa knew better than to think rising sales would calm Baxter down.

And so the three of them played their game. Baxter walked his unsteady line between wife and foster daughter. Melissa trod her own between husband and wife. And Linda pretended to the outside world more than ever.

Melissa tried hard to keep her mind focused—and succeeded most of the time. But in her moments of doubt she told herself this house of cards couldn’t last.

One day it was bound to come tumbling down.

THIRTY-NINE

FEBRUARY 2010

By 8:40 Melissa and I had been waiting for Perry for over half an hour. We’d said little, ears attuned to any sound in the hallway. Melissa had resumed pacing. Her nervous movements were about to drive me crazy. I slumped on my bed, nerves humming.

Melissa turned to me abruptly. “I thought you called yourself a Christian.”

I blinked. “I am a Christian.”

“Then why do you lie?”

“I don’t.”

“You lied to me.”

“Well, I…Sometimes in my work I have to.”

“Uh-huh.” She shifted her weight, hands on her hips. “Is that what the Bible says—don’t lie except when you ‘have to’?”

I surveyed her, my tongue stuck out against my top lip. “I had to find you, Melissa.”

“Don’t rationalize. I hate that. People rationalized to me my entire life. My mother had a reason to drink. She beat me for good reason—I was in her way. My stepfather raped me with good reason—I was there. Baxter hit Linda with good reason—she took it.”

“But you’re talking about lifestyles. I don’t make a habit of lying. It’s only once in a while. To locate someone. For a good cause.”

“So the end justifies the means.”

Her sarcastic words dug into me. “How dare you put me in the same category as Baxter! Don’t forget he wants us dead. Do you know he came to my house today, with Pastor Steve as a witness, to try to make amends, like a good Christian man? He played his part to the hilt. He’s nothing but a total hypocrite.”

“Not total. He does help people in the church. He does help the town. And I worked with him, so I know how honest he is with his clients.”

What was this? What happened to Baxter ruining her life? “You’re forgetting the part about beating his wife. Hard enough one night that he killed her. At least I’m assuming that’s what happened.”

“He did hit Linda. I saw him. You can bet he hit his second wife too.”

“Then—”

“That’s his weakness. Control. And yes, he lies about it to the world. And Linda lied by covering up for him. So in the end she was no better. And you lie too.”

My spine wrenched straight. “And what exactly have you done for six years? Lied by your silence. You’ve let a cold-blooded killer get away with Linda’s death!”

Melissa’s eyes grew hard. “There’s one difference, Joanne. Between you and Baxter and Linda—and me. I don’t call myself a Christian.”

Her accusation stung me to the core. I stared at her, open-mouthed, wanting to defend myself. No words would come.

Melissa watched the emotions play across my face, her mouth twisting in grim satisfaction. With a shake of