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“Huh?” My lips part.
“I didn’t know what they would do. Or, maybe I did, but I didn’t believe they would…” Payne shakes his head before closing his eyes. His hands grip the edge of the table. “They did something to Lucy, and I’m here forcing a child to live amongst them…”
Lucy Barnes. The mystery woman who Payne had accused my brother of also murdering…
Until meeting the professor, I’d never even heard of Lucy Barnes. Cole certainly hadn’t been charged with her murder, and according to Arthur Willsberg, the two were even dating.
“Who is she? Lucy Barnes.” He’s never answered this question before… not that I’m expecting him to now.
Payne opens his eyes and resumes staring at me. Then he glances around the room as though it’s his first time in it, eyeing the worn wood and scuffed work surfaces like I had.
“I bought this house just before I moved here, but I don’t actually live here.”
My nose wrinkles from my confusion. I pinch the sweatshirt I’m wearing. “Your clothes are here.”
“I grew up in the next town. It’s too small for a high school, so I went to Keyingham High School. That’s where I met Alec. We were instant friends. I got an academic scholarship to Penn, and he joined the ROTC at St. Joseph’s. After we graduated, he moved a lot, depending on where he was stationed, and I eventually took a job in California.”
He goes quiet. I’m not sure what this has to do with anything, but I don’t want to say anything in case he changes his mind about sharing.
Payne pushes his chair back and stands, picking up his unfinished breakfast and my empty plate, to take them over to the sink. Then he turns his attention to the coffee machine, adding fresh grounds, a filter and water. As the machine starts to brew, he returns to the table, only to collect our empty mugs.
“I don’t live here, but I spent more time here than my own place while we were in high school. Alec lived here with his mom and sister.”
“Lucy?”
He doesn’t respond, instead, waits for the machine to finish. He pours two cups and returns to the table, setting one down in front of me. He passes me the creamer, then leans back against the side, nursing his drink.
“She was a baby when I met Alec. His dad had split, not long after he was born, and his mom never had much luck with men. Lucy’s father sure as hell didn’t stick around, either. Me and Alec raised her. Surprised the hell out of me when I graduated with my Ph.D. and came to visit when Alec had leave, only to find this toddler was in high school.”
“You fell in love?” I ask.
Instantly, Payne wrinkles his face in disgust. “She was a high school sophomore and a kid I practically raised. Of course not.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, reaching for the creamer so I can focus on something else.
“Their mom died the summer after she graduated high school. Covid. Alec was stationed in the Middle East, and I was in California. We did the best we could for her, but she ended up not going to college. Said she was going to take a year off and re-enroll the following year. There was a pandemic and…” he sighs. “Then just before Christmas, Alec was killed. His body was returned home to be laid to rest. And the only person who wasn’t there was Lucy.”
Abruptly, he sets his untouched drink down, picks up the pan he had cooked the eggs in, and then marches over to the sink where he starts running water.
With the pad of my finger, I tap the side of my mug, chewing at my lip. Payne hasn’t mentioned his own family, but from the sounds of things, Lucy, Alec, and their mother might as well have been his own blood.
I get up and walk across the room, watching Payne as he scrubs at the pan. “You really think she’s dead? That my brother murdered her?”
Payne’s hands stop moving as he turns to look at me. “There isn’t a single reason I can come up with as to why she wouldn’t go to Alec’s funeral—not without her saying something.” He sighs and shuts off the water. “Your brother was dating her. He’s already in prison for murdering someone. If he didn’t, he sure as hell knows something about it.”
“My brother didn’t kill anybody.” My response is automatic, because I’ve told Dr. Wright this a hundred times already.
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know anything.” He turns to me. “Unless you’ve been lying all this time, and you knew they were dating.”
“The first time I heard her name was when you accused my brother of killing her. And the only person who said they were dating was Arthur. We can go visit my brother next weekend—”
“Your brother won’t see me.”
I don’t know why I’m surprised to learn Payne’s tried to visit him. If he thought Cole had killed Lucy, of course he would.
“Then I can go see him. But surely, if she’s missing, you’ve spoken to the police. I bet the police would love to throw another murder charge at him, and yet, nothing.”
Payne stares at the dirty dishes.
