Page 157 of Trust No One

The furrows eased. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

Judson stood at the window, staring out at the front lawn. All the times I’d dated him, I’d never invited him to the front room.

His questioning look prompted me to say, “I never invited you into Hale House before because of my mother. Not you. I wasn’t ashamed of you.”

Was he dissecting my tone for a deeper motivation or lie? “I never thought about it.”

Of course he had. He’d mentioned seeing the big house once, and I’d brushed him off. He’d never brought it up again, but I sensed the exclusion nagged.

“I was worried you’d realize how sad this house was.”

“Okay.”

“How’s the investigation going?” I asked.

He turned, gaze steady. “Like all of them. Patching together a puzzle that has missing pieces.”

“What part now?”

“Your mother’s death. We never talked about her.” He let the statement dangle.

“What brought that up?”

“Curiosity.”

“There wasn’t much to say. The last year with her wasn’t great. It was her dementia.”

“What was she like?”

The last seventeen years hadn’t released me from the overwhelming emotions. “Cruel. Sometimes she lashed out physically, but mostly her attacks were verbal.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I didn’t want her or this house to ruin what we had.”

“Amy must have seen it all.”

I’d struggled to keep the secrets within these walls. But Amy had heard my mother’s rants. And there was no telling what Mom had said to her when they were alone. “She did.”

“She never told anyone.”

“I was always grateful for that.”

“How did she handle your mother?”

I wasn’t proud that I’d avoided the house and Mom. “Like a toddler. There was no emotional baggage with her.” A long breath leaked over my clenched jaw. “I never saw signs of abuse. But I think toward the end she overmedicated her.”

“Did she ever leave your mother alone?”

“I’m not sure now.”

“There’s a picture in the yearbook. Football game. Amy was standing behind you and Maria and staring at you two.”

I didn’t remember seeing Amy at a game. “So, who was with Mom?”

“County health workers?”