to the bathroom.”
“You have a bathroom downstairs.”
Shit. So I do.
“No toilet paper,” I lie.
“Yes, there is. I replaced it this morning.”
“You can’t put the seat down but you can replace my toilet paper? Jesus. You’re a strange, strange man.”
“Trent wants to talk to you.” His smirk grows.
I take a deep breath, begrudgingly turning away from the stairs and toward the kitchen.
“And yes,” Drake continues. “I replace toilet paper but leave the seat up. I’m a man, sweetheart. It’s one or the other.”
“I don’t care. I’m still going to put the seat up in the hopes you’ll plunge into the icy depths of the lavatory.” I sniff and walk into the kitchen, where Trent is fixing himself a coffee. “Good morning, Trent. How are you, Trent? Would you like a cup of coffee, Trent? Go ahead and make yourself a cup, Trent.”
“Morning, brat,” he replies, turning the machine off and spinning to face me. “I see you’re in a fucking delightful mood.”
“As always. What do you want?”
“For the record, I’m fine, and thank you for the coffee.” He snorts then sips. “I have to tell you something.”
“I’m assuming you didn’t find a money tree in your backyard by your expression.”
“No, but I did find a pack of Crayola crayons that Sil planted in the hopes of a crayon tree after we confiscated his for drawing on his bedroom walls.”
“Did it grow anything?” I slide back into my seat.
“It grew him a week’s grounding and a ban from his kid’s Kindle,” he responds. “But no. It isn’t good news.”
“I’m assuming Drake should sit down.”
“Lie down, put his fingers in his ears, sing ‘la la la.’” Trent shrugs a shoulder. “I figured y’all would do better hearing this from me.”
“Oh, fuck.” Drake drops onto the seat next to me and buries his hands in his hair. “I know what you’re gonna say,” he says quietly. “Just fuckin’ say it and stop assin’ around, Trent.”
“We got another report back from the lab this morning. The skin cells we found beneath Wally’s fingernails belong to—”
“Mom,” Drake finishes for him, looking up. “And let me guess. You’re going to arrest her right now.”
Trent slowly shakes his head, setting his mug down on the counter next to him. “No. I refused.”
“You...did what?” I find his eyes.
“Refused,” he repeats, looking from Drake to me. “Sheriff Bates is there right now. He wants to take her in so the town thinks she’s being questioned again to keep the gossip brigade at bay.”
Drake shoves his chair back from the table and stands. “I’m going down there.”
“Is that a—”
“Yes,” Trent interrupts me, glancing at Drake. “Make a fuss about a third questioning, will you? He’s booking her in in private until we’re ready to release the information—and so you can be there with her. I’d probably call her attorney on the way. She’s gonna need it.”
Drake nods sharply, kisses the top of my head, then disappears. The second the front door slams behind him, I slump forward on the table, barely able to look up at my brother.
“Shit,” I mutter.
“You’re not gonna yell at me?”
“What’s the point? It’s done, isn’t it? Gianna’s guilty, arrested, charged, and will be convicted. There’s nothing else I can do.” I sigh heavily. “It’s over.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“What the hell do you mean?” I sit up a little.
Trent takes the seat opposite me and pinches the bridge of his nose before he talks. “Look, Noelle,” he says in a low voice, meeting my eyes. “I know you think I think Gianna is guilty, but I don’t. Not really. I only agreed to head up this case to try to prove the evidence wrong, and I was failing until you pulled out the life insurance policies. It bought her a little time, but not much. Sheriff Bates is under immense pressure from the mayor to solve this case, and that’s why he’s taken Gianna in although there’s no concrete forensic evidence for her conviction.”
“I still don’t follow, Trent.”
“This is convincing, but it’s not enough. There isn’t enough forensic evidence to prove that she did it beyond reasonable doubt.” He leans forward. “It’s a decoy arrest. She doesn’t know it. Drake doesn’t know it. Only Sheriff Bates and I know it, and now, you.”
“A decoy? You’re hoping the real killer will do something stupid if they think they’re safe?”
When he nods, I continue.
“Then why pretend she’s being questioned?”
“Because, when Drake gets down there, he’ll be told very loudly that she’s being arrested and it’ll be through town in