Page 132 of Not a Word

But Holden was calling out to me. “Hey,” he said.

Diana and I and Gage walked to within a few feet of the pond, where Holden had been huddled close to Mom. He moved away from her long enough to pull me into his arms. Then he turned to Diana, who for a second didn’t look as ready for an embrace, but she took him into her arms just the same.

My mother had turned to observe us standing there, a group of four, all the family she had left, and there was a sadness in her eyes.

She said, “You all need to go.”

“He’s coming,” Gage said.

“Who’s coming?” I asked.

My mother looked at Holden, as if to say, Over to you.

Holden put a hand on my shoulder. “Brother, I know you think I was in the dark about some things, but the one who really needs to be brought up to speed is you.”

I looked from him to our mother and back again. It was Mom who spoke: “All the things I did, they were to protect this family. Some of them a long time ago . . . some more recent. But I’ve only ended up putting you all in harm’s way.” The words I’m sorry seemed on the tip of her tongue, but what came out next was, “Leave. Leave now.”

Diana wasn’t ready to be ordered off the property without being given a reason. “I want to know what Gage has to do with this. I want to know—”

Holden said, “It’s got nothing to do with Gage.” He looked toward his mother. “It’s got everything to do with her.”

Gage said, “Mom, Grandma’s right. We gotta go.” He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, like a five-year-old who needed to find a bathroom.

What the hell were they intimating? Who was coming? What had happened that would put us at risk? Diana and I were supposed to just believe this? Without any explanation? I’d reached my limit.

“No!” I shouted.

Everyone was, for a moment, stunned into silence.

I said, “Diana and I demand to know what’s going on here.” I glanced over at her, got a look of support, but not what I would call wholehearted. She was nervous. I could see it in her eyes.

Holden said, “You’re closer than you know. Look, you remember what I told you about Alicia.”

When we were having our phone conversation only a short time ago. That his friend from rehab was Evelyn Corby’s niece.

“I remember.”

“She’s dead.”

“What?”

“We found her,” Gage said, barely able to get the words out. “She’d been shot. By the guy who’s probably on his way here.”

That left me momentarily stunned. Slowly, I formed a question: “How the hell does she fit into all this?”

“She wanted revenge,” Holden said. “Her aunt was murdered. Evelyn Corby died right here, right where we’re standing. I saw it all from there.” He looked up at the window that was once his bedroom.

“I did it,” Mom whispered. “I shot her. She was going to ruin us. All of us. Everything your father had worked for.”

I had no words. I looked at Diana, who was equally shell-shocked. Gage didn’t look surprised by this revelation at all.

“Evelyn’s niece was blackmailing me,” Mom said. “There was a man, someone who helped your father and me . . . hide what happened here. And I asked for his help again. I left the money for her in a dumpster. When she picked it up, he followed her, and . . .”

The man in the parking lot.

I was digging into my pocket for the card Detective McCabe had given me the day before. “I’m calling the—”

“There’s not time,” Holden said.