Once they had finished eating, Ryland leaned back in his seat, satisfied, full, and slightly tipsy. Nothing about his exchange with Martha that evening was different from the previous nine years. Nothing that would have given him a reason to be concerned. Conversation flowed. Humor was reciprocated. Once they had business matters out of the way, they would address issues that had arisen between the two families: run-ins, disagreements, anything that might lead to a divide. They couldn’t have that happen again. There was too much at stake.
“You know, Ryland, I’ve been thinking lately about the past.”
He smiled before taking another sip of his wine. “Yes, it lingers.”
“There was always something that didn’t add up about that night.”
His brow furrowed. Confusion spread across his face.
“Night? Can you be more specific?”
“You know… the night Skye died.”
His smile quickly faded. “Remember what we agreed. We’re not here to talk about that.”
He got up and collected the plates and took them over to the sink. His mind circling back to that night. Skye was his one and only daughter. The one good thing in his life that was pure, untainted, and untouched by the madness of the mountain.
“I know but something about it didn’t add up.” She pressed the issue, ignoring everything they had agreed. That conversation was off-limits. It was too painful. It unearthed feelings that could easily bring about a dividing line in the sand.
Without turning, Ryland looked at her reflection in the windowpane as he ran water over the dishes. “It was a tragedy. We all lost that night. But that’s why we are here today. So that something like that never happens again.”
She got up, carrying her half-filled glass to the counter, observing him as he scrubbed the dishes. “I found out that Skye wasn’t about to turn over Colby to the law.”
“I never said she would have.”
“No, you didn’t need to. You let Nancy believe it.”
They locked eyes, and he swallowed hard as he dried his hands.
“Where are you going with this, Martha?”
“After Colby left for L.A., I let it go. I had to, I believed we’d done the right thing. Then I ended up having a conversation with the deputy that pulled Skye in on the night of her death. It’s amazing what you learn when you are ready to listen.” Her fingers drummed on the counter, making him feel uncomfortable. “He had some interesting things to say. After, I decided I needed to talk to Nancy but she was in prison at the time.” She let her words linger. “Do you know, no one from your family visited her. Can you believe that?”
He could.
She continued. “So you can imagine her surprise when I visited her. Of all people, right? It’s interesting what a person is willing to share in hindsight with ten years behind them. You see, Nancy said that you approached her that night and told her that Colby was responsible for killing her boyfriend Vince, but it wasn’t Colby. You knew that. She didn’t. And you also knew Nancy would fly off the handle and do something rash. Something foolish. She knew Skye was planning to meet up with Colby to leave with him for L.A. But you already knew that.” Her eyes narrowed. He listened but said nothing as she continued. “Skye was late for that meeting with Colby because Nancy had told the cops that she knew more about Vince’s death. So she was pulled in for questioning. Of course, Skye denied knowing anything. In fact, she spoke up for Colby because he wasn’t there the night of the fight between my son Dax and Vince. Why was that?” She tapped the side of her temple. “That’s right, Skye had given Colby a reason to not go to that rumble.”
She waited for a response.
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
“How long did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That your daughter was pregnant.”
“No. She wasn’t. You’re mistaken.”
“Hmm. Strange, as the deputy was pretty clear about what the coroner discovered. That girl didn’t look it, but she was pregnant. And there is one thing that a daughter will always do first when she finds out. Tell her parents.”
He narrowed his eyes, and through gritted teeth replied, “This conversation is over, now I suggest we either get back to discussing current matters or we end this now.”
“Skye wanted to keep that baby but you didn’t want it. She was going to tell Colby that night, the night they would leave. I know she was because he told me she had something big to tell him. He didn’t know. But you did.”
Ryland laughed. He picked up his glass of wine and crossed the room to the table. “I have to admit, Martha, you really are the one that wears the pants in the family. You know, all this time I thought Bruce was the brains behind your family but it’s you.”
Just as he was about to sit down, Martha cocked a gun and he froze.
Slowly he turned to see Martha aiming the revolver at him.
He chuckled. “So is that how it’s going to be? Huh?” He stared at her. “What? You want me to admit that I knew she was pregnant? Okay. I knew. She told me. And I told her to have an abortion.”
“She was pregnant.”
“Yeah, and that child would have been an abomination and you know it. Don’t you tell me that it would have been any different had the tables been turned and she was your daughter.”
“If she was, I wouldn’t have let her die for it.”
He tossed his glass and it smashed. “You think I wanted her to die? She was my only daughter.”
“You were about to lose her to Colby. In your eyes that was as bad as death. Your family was about to learn and suffer the humiliation of knowing she was carrying Colby’s child.”
He stared back at her, disgusted by her self-righteousness.
Martha continued. “That’s why Nancy came to us. You wanted us to find
