Carlie had fallen in the salt of the earth slot for sure. She was the only girl I ever knew who didn’t try to be something she wasn’t. She didn’t care if she fit in or if she was part of the popular crowd. She’d always had her nose in a book and didn’t care who said what about her. I’d found that such an unusual quality in a girl. My poor mom always worried about what everyone thought of her. Of us. Of my dad. I couldn’t count and probably didn’t even know the full extent of the half-truths and downright lies she told her friends and coworkers about what our life was truly like. All the long sleeves and turtlenecks. The excuses about why he didn’t have a job. She sacrificed her own safety and that of her boys just to save face. She dug in even when she knew she should get us out of there. Pride was an ugly thing. It had taken Beth’s murder to get us out of here and ultimately away from my dad.
“Do you remember my sister?” Carlie asked Richards.
I looked at her, surprised. She never asked anyone that question. Now she was staring at him as though she’d like to bore a hole into his skull and discover all his secrets.
“I do, sure,” Richards said. “May she rest in peace.”
Carlie seemed to consider saying more, but instead she took my hand. “We wish you all the luck with the election.”
“Thank you both. That means a lot,” Richards said. “Carlie, your sister was very special. Her death shaped a lot things for me, including keeping our kids safe.”
“Yes, she was special,” Carlie said. “And didn’t deserve to go out the way she did. Anyway, we have to go.”
We said our goodbyes and turned to go. Carlie seemed on fire suddenly. She practically pulled me out the door of the banquet hall.
“What’s gotten into you?” I asked Carlie. “You’re acting kind of manic.”
“I’ll tell you in the car.”
As sad as Luke’s wish had been, there had been no way Richards could have been our father. He was closer to our age than Dad’s.
Carlie led me out of the banquet space and down the hall. That’s when it struck me. She was saying something about a glass of wine at home when I stopped dead in my tracks. Richards was probably twenty-two when he first started teaching here.
Moonstone had said the killer was a man in his twenties. A married man in his early twenties. Someone Beth would have had contact with. A person with deep ties and influence in the community. Why hadn’t we thought of him before? Thom Richards fit the profile exactly.
I felt sick, as if that awful dinner might come up. Had he been sleeping with Beth? Had he killed her to keep her quiet? And now Thea? Had he seduced underage girls and ruined their lives? Were there others?
Everybody said what a genuinely nice man he was. He’d devoted himself to teaching and coaching. But what if there was a sinister side no one saw? If there were two girls, there were likely to be more. How long did it go on? My mind buzzed with all of the possibilities. Had Thea come back to tell people what he’d done to her and he’d had her killed, too?
I kept my face stoic so as not to give away the fact that I was panicked. If I went to Ford with this, what would happen? There would still be no evidence. God, give me a sign if I’m onto something here. Tell me what to do next.
We were almost to the double doors when a woman’s voice called out to us. We both turned to see Shelley Lancaster striding toward us. I remembered that same determined gait as she sprinted up and down the field shouting instructions to the players. What did she want?
“Carlie, is that you?” Shelley asked.
Carlie gave her a stiff smile. “Hello, Ms. Lancaster. This is Cole Paisley. I don’t know if you two have met?”
“Right. One of the Paisley twins. You’ve moved back, I heard.” A brisk, assertive voice from a woman used to getting what she wanted. Had she raised a killer?
“That’s right, ma’am.”
“You built out on your parents’ old property? Do I have that right?” She fixed her hazel eyes on me. Loretta had mentioned what a great athlete she’d always been. It was no surprise, given how tall and imposing she was. I couldn’t help but notice what large hands and feet she had.
“Yes, correct,” I said.
“Where is your mother?” Shelley asked. “Wasn’t she supposed to join us tonight?”
“She didn’t feel well this evening,” Carlie said. “We’ve come in her place.”
“She was fine this morning on the green,” Shelley said. “The woman is a worthy golf opponent.”
“She says the same about you,” Carlie said. “Although she does go on sometimes about how she’s never able to beat you.”
“Well, that’s never going to happen.” Shelley barked out a laugh. “Just kidding. My son tells me I’m too competitive for my own good.”
“I admire how active you and my mom have stayed,” Carlie said. “Now that she was finally accepted into the country club.”
A dig, I thought. Go Carlie.
My hands were damp with sweat by the time we reached the bar. Carlie looked over at me with a concerned expression. “Are you all right? You look weird.”
“Can we go home?” I asked. “I’m not feeling too great.”
“Of course. Do you want me to drive?”
“I think that would be a good idea.”
Darkness had fallen and
