After years of heartache, she would finally know what happened to her girls, but the grief and the questions would never end. How could they when the loss was so inexplicably cruel?

There was no way to know if her husband had ever acted on his fixation with Heather, but it was hard to look at the chain of events and not conclude that it had played a role in the behaviors that ultimately led to her oldest daughter’s death. And poor Darcy had been collateral damage.

As for Fred Gilman, he’d soon have a new demon to wrestle—himself. He’d spent the last eight years accusing Althea Moon of murder. Now he could live with the knowledge that to some extent at least, he’d been culpable in the deaths of his daughters. But then he’d probably known that all along. And maybe that was the most fitting punishment of all. Guilt was a cruel and relentless jailer.

FORTY-THREE

The sound of the mudroom door jolted Lizzy from her musings. She met Andrew’s eyes as he reappeared. “Is she gone?”

“Yeah. And Evvie and Rhanna are on their way to the market. You okay?”

“It’s just so much to wrap my head around. I’m still digesting.”

“I should have asked you before I volunteered to help Helen. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“No. I’m glad you did. I saw the look on her face yesterday at the market. She was truly terrified of him. I can’t blame her for staying quiet. I would have done the same thing if I had a little girl to protect.”

“So should we give Roger a call? I can put my phone on speaker.”

“The sooner, the better. You know this town. Word’s going to get out, and it’ll be better for Helen if she goes to the police before they come to her.”

“I agree.” Andrew pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, hit the call button, and set the phone down on the table between them. It rang three times before Roger picked up.

“Hey, it’s Andrew. Have you got a minute? I need to run something by you.”

“I do, but first, how’s Lizzy? I just got off the phone with Michael Hammond. He told me about last night. Jesus.”

“She’s here with me. She’s pretty banged up, but she’s got plenty of nurses. I think we might need another favor, though. A big one this time.”

“Okay. Let me have it.”

“Let’s say, hypothetically, that I have someone who can tell the police exactly what happened to the Gilman girls, but that someone is afraid of going to jail for not coming forward sooner. If she was afraid for her life, or the life of someone close to her—a child, for instance—is there a chance the police would cut her some slack?”

“I’m assuming we’re talking about Helen Hanley?”

Andrew caught Lizzy’s eye, brows raised. Lizzy nodded, giving him the go-ahead.

“She spilled everything, Roger. About Hollis, Dennis, even the old man. They were all there, all part of it. She’s going to the police either way, but I was hoping there might be a way to help her, maybe someone you could talk to. She didn’t come forward because Dennis was threatening her. She has a little girl, Roger.”

There was a long pause. Lizzy held her breath, waiting.

“I need to hear her story,” Roger said finally. “If I’m satisfied, I’ll ask my brother to arrange a meeting with someone in the DA’s office. She could be looking at accessory after the fact. She didn’t just protect her husband. She protected his brother and her father-in-law, and there’s no privilege for in-laws. But if she really was afraid for her life, or her daughter’s, there might be a deal to be had. Give me a couple hours to make some calls and take some temperatures. I’ll call you back when I know something. We can set a time to talk if we need to. Until then, she shouldn’t talk to anyone.”

“It sounds like there’s at least a chance,” Lizzy said when Andrew ended the call. “I’m glad. Even if she did have a legal obligation to come forward, the police can’t blame her for protecting her child. And she’s doing the right thing now.”

“I think they’ll see her as credible. All you have to do is look at her to know she was scared silly. I had to help her get Kayla in the car seat. Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t do the straps. I told her I’d call her tonight after I hear back from Roger.”

“Speaking of phones, I guess I’ll need a new cell phone.”

Andrew eyed her sternly. “No driving for you yet. I’ll take you in a day or two. Right now you need to rest.”

“I am a little worn-out,” she admitted, sensing a potentially awkward shift in topic. “Maybe I’ll try to nap while the house is quiet.”

“Can I get you anything? Jell-O? Soup?”

Lizzy flashed back to something Evvie had asked once. Did she have someone to fix her soup? She’d said no at the time, but she did have someone now—if she wanted him. And she did want him. More than she had allowed herself to admit. But letting him stay and play nurse was a bad idea. For starters, she’d be sending mixed signals, not to mention the very real possibility that she would drop her guard again. She’d hurt him once. She wasn’t doing it again.

“Thanks, but I’m good.” She managed a smile, wincing as the butterfly closure over her top lip pulled. “You need to get back to Boston. You have a business to run, clients to keep happy.”

Andrew glanced away briefly, clearing his throat. “I’ll stay, Lizzy. All you have to do is ask.”

Be strong. Don’t falter now. Say what you need to and let him go.

“I can’t, Andrew.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Both. You’ve done so much already. I need to let you get back to your life.”

“So you can get back to yours?”

Lizzy forced herself to meet his gaze. “I had an email from the bank. The loan went through, which means I can start lining up the repairs, and Rhanna knows a real estate agent who owes her a favor. I should be able to wrap things up in about a week.”

“Right,” Andrew said, pushing to his feet. “Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out. I’ll make you a list of reputable contractors before I leave town.”

“Thank you.” She blinked against the threat of tears, afraid some part of her would break open if she tried to say more. She watched, throat aching, as he headed for the door.

Let him go, Lizzy.

FORTY-FOUR

August 26

Lizzy braced herself as she caught sight of the barn—the first time since it had burned to the ground. Seven days had passed since the fire; four since Helen Hanley had spoken to the DA in exchange for immunity; three since Andrew had left for Boston.

The concussion symptoms had finally subsided, the bruising along her jaw had mellowed to an iridescent mix of violets and greens, and her lip was healing well, thanks to the salve of comfrey and geranium Rhanna had whipped up in the shop.

Rhanna walked beside her now, her face solemn beneath her fading California tan. They’d come to say a goodbye of sorts. The demolition crew Andrew had contracted to remove the remains of the barn had called to say they’d be arriving soon.

They stood silent for a time, shoulder to shoulder, looking down from the top of the rise. There wasn’t a trace of Rhanna’s mural left. It was just a charred hull now, scorched and jagged against the bright morning sky. It had been a landmark to some, an eyesore to others, and in a few hours it would be gone, scrubbed from the landscape.

The thought rocked Lizzy more than she cared to admit. She wasn’t even gone yet, and it was already happening. Little by little, the Moons and their way of life were disappearing, the links of Althea’s precious chain beginning to give way. It shouldn’t matter. She was leaving soon. But it did, somehow. It was a piece of her past, a piece of all their pasts, and soon it would be nothing but a memory.

Lizzy and Rhanna turned in unison at the sound of gears grinding up the driveway. Another few minutes and the bulldozer was lumbering in their direction. A man in a hard hat and bright-orange vest kept pace a few steps behind, a clipboard in his hand.

Lizzy held her breath as the dozer came on, then breathed a sigh of relief when it halted just short of the barn, as if an eleventh-hour stay of execution had been granted. “I suppose I need to go down and give them the green light, or whatever it is I’m supposed to do.”

The dozer operator had climbed down and joined his counterpart. They stood with their backs to Lizzy as she approached, gesturing now and then as they worked out a plan of attack. The man with the clipboard noticed her first.

“We’re supposed to talk to Elzibeth Moon. Would that be you?”

“Yes. I’m Lizzy Moon.”

He handed her the clipboard, pointing to the signature line at the bottom of the work order. “We’ll need you to sign off—here.”

Lizzy signed and handed back the clipboard.

“Anyone currently inside the structure?”

Lizzy eyed the charred ruin dubiously, but she supposed there were policies to follow. “No. No one.”

“Good then. It shouldn’t take long. The removal truck will be by later to clean up and haul it all away. We’ll need you to move back, and stay clear until we wrap up.”