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Finley went stone still. Or where she was?
“No.” Downey made a face that suggested the idea was ludicrous. “I can’t see Howard doing anything of the sort. He thought the world of Lucy and of Louise.”
Finley’s own frustration started to simmer once more. She needed to get this done, and then she intended to hunt down her father. This time, she wasn’t letting him go until she had whatever the hell he was holding back.
She held up a hand for Downey to stop with the monologue about what a great person Brewer was. Finley had no reason at this point to doubt the man’s character. “He’s a great guy. I’m with you on that one. What I need to understand is why you had lunch with my father on Wednesday.”
Downey blinked, obviously startled by the subject change. Her face blanked. “I ... I wanted to interview him regarding your run for DA, but he refused to answer my questions.”
Finley rolled her eyes. She would love for that to be the actual reason, but it wasn’t. She knew it wasn’t. Why the hell couldn’t anyone just tell the damned truth when it mattered? “I know my father was helping Lucy with her senior thesis. I know Ray Johnson threatened my father because he was afraid Lucy may have told him something.” She looked Downey dead in the eye. “Whoever you and my father believe you’re protecting by lying, trust me, you’re not helping. If Johnson had anything to do with Lucy’s death, he is going to get away with it because you two are cowards.”
Downey straightened, allowed her own frustration and no small amount of anger to show. “I am not a coward, and neither is your father. You”—she pointed a finger at Finley—“have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then, by all means, enlighten me.” The frustration that had been simmering boiled over into anger.
Downey drew back as if she realized she had talked herself into a corner.
Finley threw up her hands. “I’m all ears. Explain to me why the two of you want the bad guy to get away with murder. Who cares that Lucywas murdered and her death killed her father and maybe her mother? Why bother with justice?”
“Justice has already been served,” Downey snapped. Then her lips pressed together tightly as if she hadn’t meant to allow the words to escape. Her eyes widened in horror at her own gaffe.
“What the hell does that mean?” Finley demanded. All the little bits of truth that she’d uncovered ... all the little pieces of the story suddenly came together. “Oh my God.” She tried to shake the thought away, but it was there to stay. “Louise disappeared. Ian disappeared. Louise learned the truth and took justice into her own hands.”
Downey’s eyes told Finley she’d hit the nail on the head before she opened her mouth. “Louise, whether she’s dead or alive, deserves peace.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Finley took a breath, forced herself to calm the hell down. “But, whatever the story is, you need to start from the beginning and tell me the whole truth.”
“This is what I’ll tell you,” Downey fired back. “Louise was the bravest, most courageous woman I have ever known.” Her voice cracked as pain gained momentum on the anger. “Do you know how many times she was almost killed trying to get a story? The woman was shot—twice, no less. Once she was almost stabbed. She literally grabbed the blade of the knife in her hand and forced it away from her chest. And even when everything—everything—was taken from her, she still fought for justice. So do not,” Downey warned, “drag her name through the mud to save that piece-of-shit client of yours. If you dare, I swear to God I will ruin you and your whole damned family.”
Finley laughed a dry sound. Shook her head. “Fine. I get it. Louise Cagle—wherever she is and whatever she did—is your hero. Just tell me what my father had to do with all this.”
Downey took a breath and appeared to tamp down her emotions to a more manageable level. “Lucy had told Bart certain things about the man she was using as a source of information. After ... Bart couldn’t be sure of who did what, but he was fairly certain that the personresponsible for Lucy’s murder was one of the Johnson brothers. His conclusion was confirmed when Ray came to him and warned that if he opened his mouth about what he knew or thought he knew, he would kill you and Ruth.” Downey closed her eyes a moment, dragged in a ragged breath. “Your father and I have lived with this for all these years, but there was nothing we could do because we had no evidence. But—” Her gaze zeroed in on Finley’s, fierce and determined. “But we were able to live with it because we knew that Louise got what she wanted. She got peace.”
“How?” Finley demanded. “Where is she?” What the hell had these people been thinking? What the hell had her father done?
Downey laughed, the sound sad and weary but somehow ironic at the same time. “I truly have no idea. I’ve kept her home ready for her return, just in case. But I honestly have no idea if she’s dead or alive. No one has ever heard from her since she disappeared.”
Finley spotted not one tell. If Downey was lying about that, the woman really was a master. The need to see her father suddenly hit Finley with hurricane force. “Thank you for telling me the truth. Make sure you and your daughter watch out for each other until this is over.”
Downey squared her shoulders. “What’re you going to do?”
“What I always do.”
Downey didn’t ask what that meant. If she knew Finley at all, she would understand.
The two of them locked up the house and headed to their parked cars. Finley waited for Downey to drive away first. When her car had disappeared in the distance, Finley considered her next step. She felt torn between tracking down Brewer and showing up at her father’s door. She had a hell of a lot of questions for them both.
Pondering the best option, she turned her Subaru around and headed for the gate. After entering the code, it swung open. Finley rolled through and waited until it automatically closed behind her; then she pulled out onto Murfreesboro Road. She made the decisionto find her father first. It was possible Brewer would call her once he’d found her note. If he was the one who made that timeline or took those notes, she would figure it out later. For now, she needed to verify with her father all that Downey had said.
The idea that Ray Johnson was still waiting for the DNA results nudged her. She rolled her eyes at the thought. Had no time and certainly no desire to talk to the man just now. Instead she called Jack and asked him to take care of it while she went in search of her father. Jack was happy to do so, and he reminded her to be careful. No doubt he’d heard in her voice that she had more on her agenda than justcatching upwith her father.
As Finley reached Hillsboro Road, a black sedan popped up in her rearview mirror.
Son of a bitch.
Her fingers tightened on her steering wheel as her fury and frustration ramped up once more. She told herself there was a good amount of traffic. Didn’t have to be him. Still, sweat popped out on her skin in anticipation of a confrontation.
She focused forward, glancing into the rearview mirror from time to time. As she drove past Franklin High School, the sedan eased closer and closer. The dark glasses and the black hoodie came into view.
