the fact you’re no longer with Pittleman is a good thing. Your daddy might pay based on that. Hell, Marjorie might need the money now.”
“Five thousand plus interest,” she said. “That would come in handy.”
“You been giving this some thought, I see.”
“What else do I have to do?” she shot back, but then smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“But your daddy made it pretty clear that the only way he’ll pay the debt, and me, is if you come back home, Jackie. And you’ve made it just as clear that you’re not gonna do that.”
She fingered his lapel. “But what if I agreed to…to meet with him?”
Archer glanced sharply at her. “Why would you do that?”
“He is my father. And you do need the money.”
He held her at arm’s length. “Jackie, don’t base this on me getting paid.”
“But I could meet with him. In fact, it might be best.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know, Archer, but I think I have to try. Me almost getting killed? Well, it makes a person think, you know.”
“Look, you don’t have to worry about it now. You just need to stay here and rest and, well, just get right in the head. Somebody trying to kill you takes time to get over.”
“No, I think I need to get this resolved, Archer.”
“Okay, but how? Would you go out there to meet with him?”
He saw her perceptibly shudder.
“No, I can’t go out there. But…but you could tell him that I can meet him at my house.”
“You sure about that?”
“I am. Can you go tomorrow and tell him?”
“If that’s what you want. What time do you want him to meet you?”
“Say around nine o’clock tomorrow night.”
“Fine. I’ll be right there with you.”
“No, Archer, I don’t want you there.”
“But why? Why meet with the man alone?”
“I won’t have to. Ernestine can come with me.”
“But she doesn’t know anything about this.”
“Which is why I think she’s the right person to be there. She won’t have to be with us while we’re meeting, just in the house.”
Archer thought about Ernestine’s skill with a gun, which might come in handy. But if Tuttle brought his shotgun…
“Look, if he has his shotgun, you don’t let him in.”
“He won’t have his shotgun, Archer. Good Lord, he’s my father.”
Archer studied her for a moment. “Look, you’re not thinking of doing anything to him, are you?”
She suddenly glared at him. “Why do you ask that?” she snapped.
“No…no reason.”
“You do have a reason. What else did he tell you when you were in the car with him?”
“I already told you.”
“Not everything.”
“Jackie, you don’t need to hear this now.”
“Yes, I do,” she snapped. “I’m tired of you keeping things from me, Archer.”
“He said that you and your ma were a lot alike. Beautiful, but…”
“But what?”
“I guess you two butted heads a lot.”
“We didn’t see eye to eye on everything. There is nothing wrong with that.”
“No, sure there’s not.”
“What else did he say?”
“Look, Jackie, I’m not…”
“Did he say we were unstable?” She grabbed his jacket. “Did he?”
He looked at her, searching the woman’s eyes for what was really inside her head right now. What he saw was a person who was starting to unsettle him. “He didn’t use that word. But, like you just said, he told me you were both strong women. And that he was—”
“He said we were violent, didn’t he? That he was afraid of us?”
“Look here, Jackie, won’t you tell me how your mother died? Desiree said it was an accident, but she wouldn’t say how.”
“Did my father talk about it?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“What did he say?”
“That…that maybe it wasn’t an accident.”
“Tell me exactly what he said. Now!”
Archer blurted out, “He said something about the truth destroying people and maybe it was better not knowing it, something like that.”
“And what did you say to that?”
“I guess I come down on the side of knowing the truth is better than not knowing it.”
Jackie said nothing for several long moments. She simply stared off.
“She fell.”
“Fell? How?”
“From the barn, the second story where they winch the bales up to the hayloft. She died from the fall.”
“Good Lord.”
“I found her,” said Jackie quietly. “I found her body.”
Archer held her tight. “I’m really sorry, Jackie.”
She abruptly pushed away from him. “I’ve gotten over it.”
“I doubt you ever get over something like that.”
“You’re wrong, because I have. I’m…I’m going to lie down now. I’m tired.” She rose, picked up her purse from the side table, and tossed him a set of keys. “For the Nash. Just leave them in the glove