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“Explaining why your prints were on it.”
She wiped a tear. “A wife of a cop knows cop things.”
“Was he so drunk he thought he’d actually hit you?”
“No. He knew I was setting him up. But his lawyer said the jury would never buy it. My word against his, and I would win. He could get twenty years for attempted. They worked out a plea for the thirty-six months.
“Oh, God, I didn’t want to do it. I tried everything I could not to. I got him into therapy, into programs, but none of it worked. If Ibrought up divorce, that only made him angrier. I knew some night he was going to hurt me or Hannah, bad. Maybe accidentally, thinking we were intruders. But it was going to happen. And then there was the psychic toll on her. I could see her declining. I wasn’t going to let that happen. When he left that night I decided: I had to sacrifice my husband for my child.
“So, in answer to your question, back at the fishing lodge:that’swhy he’s after me. Every night I hear his voice as the cops led him off. Looking back at me and saying, ‘Why are you doing this to me? Why are you doing this to me?’ ”
“So, he never hurt you?”
“No.”
Shaw recalled that the only other person who’d said Jon had hurt her was her mother, Ruth. And she’d been referring to the attack he now knew was staged. “You haven’t told anyone else?”
She shook her head. “You’re easy to confess to, Colter.”
He heard that a lot.
“Hannah?” he asked.
“She suspects. It just sits there between us. It never goes away.” A sigh. “A thousand times I thought about confessing. But then I’d go to jail for perjury, and Hannah’d be raised by a dangerous, angry drunk. And my daughter would know what I did. No, I had to stick to my decision.” Her eyes looked around the parlor. “Now, Colter. One more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“If anything happens here, get Hannah out. Leave me. Promise.” Her tone said that this was inflexible.
“All right.” No point arguing at a moment like this.
“Now, the Kia, at Timberwolf Lake, the glove compartment. You’ll find an envelope. Black. Fireproof. If I’m not around, I want you to get it to my mother. There’re instructions inside.”
A will? he wondered.
“It’s got blueprints and diagrams of a dozen inventions of mine.Technical things, control systems, industrial mechanics... I did them on my own time. They’re mine, legally. Not HEP’s. They’re not all finished, but I’ve got the names of some patent lawyers who can find some people to help. I’ve left notes, explaining everything.” She glanced toward where Hannah stood, peering out the front window. “She doesn’t know about it. I’ve kept it from her. I don’t need to freak her out with endgame strategies now. She’s been through enough.”
Shaw had a sense that the girl would be fine with endgame strategies. But he said, “I’ll take care of it.”
She squeezed his hand, a weaker gesture than he’d hoped. They’d need that hospital soon.
Parker closed her eyes and lay back.
He returned to the living room and finished sharpening the second blade. Good, not great. Sharp is a function of the quality of the metal, and this knife might cut paper once or twice but would need steeling right after. How would it do on flesh?
Well enough.
Then Hannah cocked her head. Shaw heard it too, the sound of tires in brush and on gravel. He gestured her back and looked carefully through the curtain.
A dark sedan rocked over the uneven, overgrown drive. It pulled into the parking area in front of the cabin. Though dusk was descending, it was still light enough to see the driver.
Sheriff’s deputy Kristi Donahue.
Shaw called, “Our ride is here.”
“Dope!”
The deputy climbed out, hitched up her service belt and, after looking around, started toward the cabin.
