One Good Deed - David Baldacci Page 0,145
it might as well be you. I think you earned that right.”
He nodded and said, “I thank you for that.”
A few moments of silence passed.
“Archer, how did you know I had seen my father kill my mother?”
“I didn’t know for sure. But in prison I hung around a lot of guilty people, so I know what that looks like. But I was innocent, so I know what that looks like, too. You loved your mother and you butted heads with her, nothing wrong with that. But Lucas Tuttle tried to convince me you had killed her, while you wouldn’t even talk about it, or got agitated when you did. And then you left home to be Pittleman’s chattel. You never struck me as the type that would do that unless you had a really good reason. And that reason was you couldn’t live with a man who had killed your mother, and you wanted to punish him in the only way you could, by being with Pittleman.”
“That was very perceptive of you, Archer,” she said quietly. “Because that’s exactly why I did it. I knew it would drive him crazy, and I wanted to hurt him for what he’d done.”
“I would have too, if I were you.” He paused. “But now it’s time to let it go, Jackie. You can’t let your hate for the man dictate the rest of your life. He’s gone now. You need to get on with living, on your own terms.”
Ernestine smiled and patted Jackie’s hand. “I’ve been telling her that ever since we got here.”
Jackie said, “But why did you really ask Marjorie all those questions on the witness stand? You could have just played what was on the recorder. That would have been enough.”
“I was lucky Tuttle had forgotten the machine was on. But sometimes people won’t believe what’s right in front of them. And Marjorie is a good liar. I wanted to lay out the reasons why she would kill your father and pin her down on the stand before I played what was on that recorder. Mr. Shaw would call that corroboration, of a sort.” He paused. “And I wanted to make that pious-looking woman squirm, after all the terrible things she’d done.”
“I can see that,” said Jackie.
“Now I got a question.”
She smiled and wearily shook her head. “You still like your questions.”
“I never figured out exactly why you needed that maid, Amy.”
“The man who ran the warehouse for Hank was sweet on her. He gave her a key to the building, so they could meet up there sometimes and be alone, and…you know.”
“Good to know I’m not the only man who got taken in by a pretty lady.”
“Trust me, Archer, you’ll never be alone in that regard.”
“Desiree tipped you off about Bobby Kent not being around to drive your father to town that night?”
Jackie nodded. “It’s why I picked that time. Desiree has always been a good friend. I gave her some of the money from my father’s repayment to Hank. I…I feel like I earned it more than he did.”
“I think you’re right about that. Now, you must’ve seen that contract that Marjorie signed that was in the safe?”
“We did. But we were moving so fast, Archer, we never looked at it. We just grabbed everything quick as we could. It took the both of us to carry each of those gold bars out. I was terrified my father was going to show up before we were finished.”
“And good thing you got out of there before Marjorie showed up with Hank’s gun.” He grew quiet and studied both. “I take it you and Ernestine were good friends back in Poca?”
Jackie said, “We were drawn together. We found that we had some…” Her voice suddenly faltered.
Ernestine finished for her. “We found that we both had some challenges in our past that drew us together.”
Archer gave each of them a searching look. “I can understand why you might not want to trust any man for the rest of your lives. But I want you to know that I wish you no ill will.” He took one of their hands in each of his. “Life can make suckers of us all. I’m a young man in years, but an old one inside after the war and prison.” He directed his gaze at Jackie and then Ernestine. “During the war, I guess we were all part of something bigger than ourselves. Then the war was over, and it just left us with what we started with, but wanting something more than what we had before. But I think to really be part of something special, you have to find something special in yourself first. Now the three of us have a second shot at something and maybe we’ll mess that up, too, I don’t know. But what I do know is I’m a lot better off for having met both of you.”
The women looked back at him, and tears clustered in not only their eyes, but in Archer’s as well. Maybe for the first time in his life.
After a few moments of silence, Jackie said quietly, “What you just said was pretty insightful, Archer. You sure you didn’t graduate from college?”
“Yeah, I did. The college of hard knocks.” He rose and drew two pieces of paper from his pocket. “I also came down here to give you these.” He handed one to Jackie and the other to Ernestine.
They were two cashier checks.
Both women gasped when they saw the enormous amounts the checks were drawn for.
“What in the world, Archer?” cried out Jackie.
“Good God,” chimed in Ernestine.
He said, “That’s your shares from what was in the safe.”
“Why did you take it from the warehouse?” Jackie asked.
He smiled in an embarrassed fashion. “After you left me high and dry, I did it partly out of anger. But maybe part of me was thinking you would have more incentive to come back if you thought I had the money.”
Jackie returned the smile. “You didn’t trust me to do the right thing for altruistic reasons?”
“I never expect more from others than I expect from myself,” Archer replied diplomatically.
“But why give it to us?” asked Ernestine.
“I considered it a debt that needed to be repaid to you both. And you know I’m really good at collecting debts.”
“But you deserve some of it,” said Jackie.
“The good folks of Poca City compensated me fairly for my troubles.” He ran his hand along his suit lapel. “How do you think I could afford these duds or the boat passage here?”
A few seconds passed, and Archer watched Ernestine reach out for Jackie’s hand. And then they hugged. And in that hug Archer saw two people who were perhaps more than friends. This made him smile. Because everyone should have someone like that in their lives.
When they had drawn apart, Jackie said, “Now I got a question for you. Where’d you hide the stuff from the safe after you took it from the warehouse?”
“You know that place you told me about? Where you used to play as a kid and imagine yourself to be anything you wanted to be when you grew up? Well, I buried it there for safekeeping under that burned-up Cadillac. Didn’t think anybody would bother looking there.”
Archer put his hat on, cocked it at an angle, and turned to the door.
Jackie quickly rose and said in a disappointed tone, “You’re leaving? Already?”
“Well, if you’re willing, I thought I might take you two ladies out to dinner and drinks before I shove off and commence wandering again. And who knows, I might make something of myself. Mr. Shaw thought I could make a decent shamus.”
“I think you can make of yourself anything you want, Aloysius Archer,” said Ernestine.
“We’ll need to change,” said Jackie, looking at her plain outfit.
Archer shook his head and said, “I think you both look fine just as you are.”
He put out an arm to each of them, which they immediately took.
The three walked out the door into the bright sunshine of a new world that held an abundance of possibilities.