Page 98 of Hiss and Make Up
"Don't you think I checked first? I made sure they were gone. The fire was just to make sure they didn't come back until I was done moving the body. Then all I had to do was get Marc’s nosy eyes out of the neighborhood for a night."
The scene from Saturday night flashed through Sierra's mind. Lynette Guidry in her robe grabbing Sierra’s shoulders and shaking until she left bruises. "But you seemed so frantic, so worried they were in that house. Why the concern if you knew they weren't home?"
Lynette flounced her hair and put a hand on her hip. "Two years of university theater before I got pregnant with Adrien. Not too shabby, huh?"
Sierra had to admit she'd been convincing. "I still don't get it. Why now? Why all this concern over the bodynow?"
Even in the dim light, Sierra could see the woman's body deflate. The exhaustion of so many years keeping this secret finally took their toll.
"I'm moving. I got a position with a firm in Dallas, and I can be a partner in five years. I can't leave him here for someone else to find, and if I'm not here to watch over him, who knows who might dig him up. Hell, Marc’s already got that nasty dog.” She waved a hand toward Puck barking across the field. “What if it digs up a finger bone and drops it right on the porch one morning?” She threw an exasperated hand in the air. “What would Chloe and Adrien think when they heardthaton the news?”
That their mother is a psychopath?
“They’d think I killed him, that’s what they’d think,” Lynette continued. “You know it, and I know it. This has gone too far to change gears now.” Lynette dropped the flashlight, flipped her shovel upright, and gripped it with both hands. “I have to finish this. Understand?”
Sierra nodded, gripping her own shovel with both hands. She understood perfectly. With all the answers she needed, there was only one thing left to do: put this woman down like the rabid animal she was.
But she didn’t make a move.
“Oh, I understand,” Sierra said. “I understand that you’re out here by yourself, still trying to save people who didn’t ask to be saved.”
“Mychildren,” Lynette corrected.
“Yourgrownchildren,” Sierra said. “But there’s something you don’t understand.”
Lynette rolled her eyes. “What don’t I understand?”
Sierra made sure she had Lynette’s full attention, then she held her gaze and gave one firm nod. “Unlike you, I’ve learned that I’m not in this by myself.”
Before Lynette could turn toward the rustling near Dale’s truck, Marc dove shoulder-first, tackling her to the ground. Her flashlight and shovel flew several feet away.
Sierra blocked the path to Lynette’s shovel and held her own over her shoulder, ready to strike.
Marc remained over Mrs. Guidry, one foot on her back pinning her to the ground, his fists poised to strike if she so much as breathed funny.
Sierra wanted to throw her arms around him, but she held her ground and her shovel. “Did you hear all of that?”
Marc looked down at Lynette as she caught her breath from the blow. "Bits and pieces,” he said. “It was kind of muffled behind that truck. Nothing I heard made sense."
"Yeah, well, it didn’t make much more sense from out here either.”
* * *
Marc lifted his foot for Mrs. Guidry to pull herself up and sit in the grass. She wasn’t going anywhere. Not with him standing over her and Sierra aiming a shovel at her head.
Sirens blared and flashing lights erupted in the dark night air. Two police cars turned onto the long, gravel driveway.
“Do me a favor,” Mrs. Guidry said.
Marc stared at her in disbelief. “A favor? You’re kidding me.” He pointed at the charred house behind him. “You want a favor? After all of this?”
“I wasn’t asking you.” She turned her head to Sierra. “Don’t tell Chloe. Adrien can handle it—he was older, and he’s always been such a suspicious boy. And he won’t tell her if you tell him I asked him to keep it a secret. Just…tell her I ran off. Like her dad.”
Marc couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Sierra stood calmly and listened to the request like she was actually considering it. Her eyes were almost sympathetic. But that couldn’t be right. It must have been the darkness or the flashing lights messing with his vision.
“Pretty sure it’s not up to me,” Sierra answered. “The cops aren’t going to cover this up like you did.”
“You’ve also missed two very important facts,” Marc added. “First, I work for the paper. No way this isn’t front and center tomorrow.”
