I gasped. He was right, because even now, Wyatt was doling out his information like they were precious gold nuggets. I closed my eyes. “My father played games. I refuse to do it with anyone important in my life. I need honesty. I need trust. Wyatt gives me neither of those things.” He didn’t answer. “Why am I still trying to figure him out, Marco? Why do I care what happens to him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because you saw something in him and you’re trying to save him. Maybe that’s why you’re helping him.”

“Yet you haven’t tried to stop me.”

“I’ll never tell you what to do. I might ask you to explain your reasoning, but I’ll ultimately support whatever you decide to do.” He dropped his foot to the floor. “What happened in the nursing home parking lot?”

I wasn’t proud at my outburst of temper, but I didn’t want to flinch from the truth. “He was upset I wasn’t being agreeable. I brought up the fact that he’d reneged on our deal. I asked him to move several times, and he refused.”

“There’s more to it,” he said quietly.

I took a drink of my now-cool tea. “I told him that he knew my history with men, yet he still lied and withheld information from me. That he broke me.” My voice cracked and I took another sip. “That I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to fully trust again. When he still refused to move, I sprayed him.” I paused. “I’m not proud of it, but I’m not sorry either.”

We sat in silence for a bit, and I was relieved he didn’t try to smooth it over or convince me that I’d be okay. Instead, he left me to my feelings, which was exactly what I needed, further proof he knew me well.

Finally, I asked, “Do you remember going to a summer camp with Max?”

“Survival camp?” He released a short laugh. “Emily mentioned that?”

“She told me that Bart sent Max to the camp after Rodney Bingham disappeared. He thought that Emily was hovering over the boys too much and it was making Max into a sissy. He thought the camp would toughen him up.”

He grimaced. “Sounds like Bart.”

“Emily said she went to your mother and offered to pay for your tuition if she’d send you too.”

He nodded. “I knew, and Max suspected. He’s always been pretty intuitive. Even back then. It wasn’t Max’s kind of thing. He’d much rather have had his nose in a book, but he tried for his father.”

“Did you like it?”

A smile spread across his face. “Loved it. The outdoors. Physical activity… I was in my element, and Max even liked it some.”

“You two are more different than I first thought.”

He gave me a pensive look. “I suppose, but we always had each other’s backs.”

“Until I got between you two when I was looking for Lula.”

“No,” he said, gazing out toward the thin view of the valley. “The crack started when he came home from college. He would never tell me why. Before that he told me everything.”

“When I was leaving, I asked Emily what she told Max to convince him to come home.”

His eyes widened. “She told you?”

“Kind of.” I took a breath. “She said she reminded him of his family obligations.” I leaned closer. “Do you have any idea what those could be?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

“Do you think it could have anything to do with Heather?”

He turned to look at me. “Are you suggestin’ that Emily asked him to come home and murder Heather?”

Was I? The thought had occurred to me, but only in a fleeting way, and it refused to stick. Ultimately, I just couldn’t imagine Max doing such a thing. “No, but she requested something he couldn’t refuse.”

“Agreed.”

“Bart gave Jerry a job,” I said, the new worry popping to the surface.

Marco sat up straighter. “He what?”

“It didn’t come directly from Bart—Jerry said a foreman asked him if he’d be interested in a job—but it sure sounds fishy. With all the guys who need work around here, the foreman just happens to ask a seventy-year-old man if he wants a job as a gofer?”

He frowned. “You’re right. It does sound fishy. What did you say when he told you?”

“That I was happy for him, of course. I’ve never seen him so excited and proud, and I hope it’s on the up an up…”

“But?”

“I turned to face him. “What if Bart plans to hurt him to get to me? What if he knows I’m fond of him?”

“How would he know that?” he asked.

“How did Abby Donahey know I gave Jerry a coat?” When he started to say something, I added, “Yeah, she brought it up as evidence that I was a good person.”

He laughed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not that. It’s just weird to know strangers are gossiping about me. But if Abby knew, you can bet your boots Bart knew.”

He was silent for a moment. “We’ll keep tabs on the situation, okay? We won’t let anything happen to Jerry.” Then he added, “He had our backs with Carson Purdy. We’ll certainly have his.”

“Thanks, Marco.” It took everything in me not to reach out and snag his hand.

After a few seconds, he set his mug on the porch railing and asked, “Do you have anything to look into tomorrow before you go into work?”

I yawned. “I have an appointment with Bingham tomorrow at ten.”

“Bingham?”

“Tiny told me that Heather went out with him before she got back with Wyatt the last time. I doubt he killed her, or he would have moved the body. Same with Bart.”

“So why go talk to him?”

“Because he’s an observer, and I suspect he’s always been hungry for power. Which means he likely watched everything going on in Drum, especially anything that had to do with a Drummond.”

“You think he might have information other people won’t?”

“I know you probably think it’s dangerous…”

“Maybe for someone else, but Lula just asked you to be one of her baby’s godmothers, and she’d be furious if he hurt you. Not to mention Bingham seems to treat you differently since the whole Lula and Greta mess. Make no mistake, he has no loyalty to you, but he has a new respect for you. If anyone can talk to him, it’s you.”

I stifled a yawn. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

He grinned. “Just don’t expect him to tell you much. He might be open to a trade, though.”

“A trade of information?”

“Who knows with him. Just keep it in mind. You can expect a whole lot more game playin’ with him.”

“I suspected.” The people in this town were good at it. “I have two other leads to follow after that. Dick Stinnett. Ruth thinks he was at the going-away party. The second person is May McMurphy.”

“Molly’s sister?”

“She was at the party too, and she dated Dick after Heather left. I’ll approach her after I talk to him.”

“Do you know where to find Dick?”