She was about to get her hands wet when her cell phone rang over on the counter.

Thank God, she said, leaping across the tile. Lane? Lane, can you tell me what"

Lizzie? Are you home?

{ 363 }.

Greta? There was a whirring noise over the connection, like the woman was behind the wheel of her car. Greta? Im having trouble hearing you?

" home?

Yes, yes, Im home. Are you all right?

" on my way " buzz, chirp, whrrrrr" there in ten minutes.

Okay, but I dont want to finish working on that limb now. Its nearly dark, and honestly, Im not in the mood"

" off your phone.

What?

The metaphorical seas parted and the Germans voice came through loud and clear: You need to turn off your phone.

Why? And I will not. Lane might call. Look, Im not really in the mood for company and"

There was a loud chirp and the connection cut out entirely.

Great.

Putting the phone in her pocket, she went back to the sink, washed the dishes and the silverware, dried the lot of it, and put everything away.

She was out in the living room, sitting on the sofa again, nervously thumbing through the latest issue of Garden & Gun, when headlights flashed across the front of the farmhouse and the cobblestones of her drive crackled.

Getting to her feet, she pulled her shirt down and double- checked her hair wasnt tangled. No sense looking like shed rolled out of bed with Lane.

Especially because most of the sex theyd had had been on the rug in the hall. And on the stairs. And standing up in the shower.

Opening the door, she"

As her partner got out of the Mercedes station wagon, Lizzie could see Gretas face was ashen and her shoulders bowed. And she looked like she was wiping away tears under those tortoiseshell glasses of hers.

Oh, my God, Lizzie said. Is it one of the kids?

The other woman didnt answer, just came up on the porch and walked right into the house. Lizzie followed, closing them in.

{ 364 }.

Greta?

The woman paced around. Then finally stopped. Were you with him last night?

Excuse me?

Lane. Just . . . were you with him? For the whole night?

What are you talking about?

Chantal is accusing Lane of beating her up badly enough to put her in the hospital.

WHAT.

And that was when it came out: Chantal. The hospital. The police.

The media.

Lane.

When Greta finally fell silent, Lizzie threw out a hand blindly as she backed up and fell into a chair. I . . .

That man is a lot of things, Greta said, but Ive never known him to raise a hand to a woman.

Of course not. God, no. Absolutely not.

Was he here last night?

Yes. I came home into the storm, and he was here. And he didnt leave until the morning to take Miss Aurora to church. She leaped up.

Ive got to help him! Ive got to tell the police he was with me"

Theres something else.

Can you drive me? Im so scattered, I dont think I should be"

Lizzie.

At the sound of her name, she stopped, a cold fear gripping her chest. What . . . ?

Now Gretas eyes started welling up. Im sorry.

What! Will you just get it all out before my head explodes"

Chantals pregnant. And she told the police . . . its Lanes.

Lizzie blinked as everything came to a crashing halt: her thoughts, her heart, her lungs . . . even time and the laws of physics.

She says thats why he beat her. When she told him. She says he was furious.

A wave of vicious nausea nailed her in the gut" except no. She { 365 }.

couldnt be reliving what had happened before. She couldnt possibly be in this exact same situation with Chantal and Lane again.

Ive already done this, she thought. Ive lived through this nightmare already.

God, no. Please, no.

When . . . Lizzie cleared her throat. When did she go to the police?

First thing this morning. Around nine or ten.

If you were hurt badly, you wouldnt wait to get medical attention, Lizzie thought.

If the woman was pregnant, and she told him when he got back to Easterly . . . he could very well have"

With a horrible lurch, Lizzie skidded her way down the hall" and barely made it to the bathroom before she threw up all that tenderloin.

B y the time Lane pulled up to Samuel T.s farm, he was mad enough to chew tin and spit nails.

Punching his foot into the brake, he skidded to a stop in the front of the mans mansion and nearly left the engine running as he got out.

Samuel T. opened the door before he even made it around the car. I called Mitch. Hes going to be here in forty- five minutes with an un- marked. They dont want to wait to take you in, but were going to go in through the impound entrance. No one with a camera can get back there, so youll be all right.

Lane brushed past the guy. This is a total fucking lie! Shes batshit crazy and is going to" He stopped and frowned at his old friend.

What? Why are you looking at me like that.

By way of answer, Samuel T. reached out and took Lanes arm. How did you get these scratches all over your hands. Your arms. Your neck and face.

Lane glanced down at himself. Jesus Christ, Sam, these are from last night. I went out to Lizzies and this limb fell on her car. When his friend just stared at him, he snapped, Shell testify in court if she has to. I pulled her out of her goddamn Yaris. I thought she was dead.

Are you seeing her again?

{ 366 }.

Yes, I am.

And you think shes going to want to help you when she finds out Chantals having your baby? Again? Didnt you two try this drama out a couple of years ago?

Lane felt ninety percent of his blood leave his head. Its not mine, Sam. I told you when I signed those papers" I havent been with Chan- tal since I left.

Not what shes telling the police. She says that shes been back and forth to Manhattan for the last year, working on your relationship.

Its not mine. He lowered his voice, even though there was no one around. Its my fathers.

Now it was Samuel T.s turn to be stunned. Your . . . fathers.

You heard me.

Are you sure?

Yeah, Ive spoken to both of them about it.

Samuel T. coughed into his fist. You know, your family is some- thing else.

Thats what people tell me. Lane crossed his arms over his chest.

Ill take a lie detector test. Ill swear on a Bible" hell, they should check under her fingernails. They wont find any part of me on her" or in her. I didnt touch her, Sam.

She says she has a witness.

Ha! In her dreams. Hell, she must have done it to herself"

Its a maid? Someone named Tiffany?

Lane recoiled. Maid? Tiff" wait, you mean, with a p- h- a- n- i-i?

He pictured the one with the towels, whod introduced herself to him with that look in her eye.

Samuel T. shrugged. I dont know how she spells it. Im getting this on the QT from Mitch. But the woman says she overheard you and Chantal fighting, and you were threatening to, and I quote, beat the shit out of her.

I never said that!

You were standing in the second- floor hallway, and the maid walked in on the conversation.

{ 367 }.

Shes lying" Lane stopped and shook his head, the memory com- ing back. Wait, no, no. Not about" no, I said that because Chantal disrespected Miss Aurora. I was pissed off at her. I didnt mean it literally.

Samuel T. looked down at the cuts on his arms. Im going to be honest here. You seem to have a lot of convenient answers"

Its the truth! Im not making this shit up!

Listen, I dont want to fight with you"

Samuel T., he said in a level voice. Have you ever known me to get violent. Especially toward a woman?

Samuel T. stared at him for a long time. Then the guy put his palms out. No, no, I havent known you to be like that" and I want to believe you, I really do. But even if everything youre telling me is the Gods honest, we have two problems here, a legal one and a PR one. The legal- ity stuff will take care of itself assuming Lizzie will vouch for you, and theres no forensic proof on Chantals body or yours. The PR problem?

That is going to be so much harder to handle. This is big news, Lane"

especially if youre right and your father is having a kid with your wife.

Hell, this is nationwide news" and youve got to know that the press never lets the truth get in the way of a good story. And even though it shouldnt, this kind of scandal will have an effect on things like stock prices and the perceived value of the products your familys company sells. Im not saying this is right, but it is reality. You are the Bradford Bourbon Company. Your family is the Bradford Bourbon Company. I might have been able to erase your sisters trip through the system, but this one . . . I cant un-ring this bell. Its already on the local news.

Lane paced around the mans front hall. Then he looked over at his buddy. Speaking of my family, do you have any bourbon in this house?

Always. And I only serve the best so its Bradford.

Lane thought of Mack and the fact that the stills had been shut down. And then of his father . . . and everything the man had done.