He thought Ben was making eye contact with Glenda.There was something in his gaze.Something like what happened to his expression when he looked at Sam.That deep, boiling hatred.Something different than when he looked at his sons.
And what did Sam and Glenda have in common?Sure, they’d tried to stop Ben from getting away with things but so had his sons.So had the police.Dad could pretend his way around them.
But he didn’t succeed quite so well when it waswomenwho’d thwarted him.
“The way she flung herself at me, it… it must have delivered the killing blow.I didn’tdoanything, but she was… she was dead.And I knew I couldn’t let the boys know their mother had…” His word cracked, his breathing hitched.“I couldn’t let them know she’d done that to herself.”
“How can he lie like this?”Aly whispered, and she was crying.Big tears falling down her cheeks.“There’s no way this is true.”
But Ben was still talking.Still working over the jury.“I look back and realize I wasn’t thinking straight,” Ben said, sounding sokind.“I didn’t want the boys to know she’d done that to herself.That she’d harm herself in such a way, that she’d use me to do it.I realize, looking back with more time to truly deal with the trauma of it all, I shouldn’t have, but in the moment, I let everyone think it was murder because I thought that’d be better for my boys.Everything I’ve ever done is for my boys.”
It was such a lie, such a fabrication.An absolutely stunning fiction.
It was also provably wrong.All they needed was Bo’s DNA, with or without him on the stand.Dad’s reason for Mom being mad would be proven false, thelieswould be proven, and everything he was saying would fall apart.
But Cal was starting to make sense of the Bo Lake of it all.
They wanted Bo poking around in the beginning, because it lent credence to this bastard child story.People around town hadseenBo and the resemblance.They’d seen him go into Honor’s Edge.They’d wanted to ensure there was no question Bo existed.
And then make sure that existence could only be used the way they wanted it.So Dad could make up this fucking story about a kid out of wedlock.
Cal heard a noise next to him and an unease slithered up his spine, that pounding headache that often accompanied a memory he didn’t want.But no memories came.
The sound came again though, and Cal realized Glenda had gotten to her feet.The sound was coming from her.
“No,” she croaked, louder this time.
People were starting to look her way.Including Ben, who’d paled.He didn’t look so contrite or in control with Glendaspeaking.He looked furious.
And terrified.
“Liar,” Glenda growled.
The judge had taken notice now.“Quiet in the courtroom, please.”
“Liar!”Glenda said, louder this time, pointing a shaky hand at Ben.
*
Jill stared upat her grandmother in utter shock.
Glenda had spoken.
Awake.On purpose.
A bailiff came over to Grandma, who was shaking her head.No more talking now.Cal had moved forward and was talking to Mr.Vanderbilt in low, urgent tones.Everyone else was staring at Grandma.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave, ma’am,” the bailiff said.
He took Grandma’s arm.She didn’t fight him like Jill half expected, but she didn’t move at first.Her gaze was furious and on Benjamin Bennet.
Who had his head bowed, so Jill couldn’t see his expression.But Jill didn’t know how to care about what lies Ben was telling when Grandma hadspoken.
“Ma’am,” the bailiff said shortly.
Jill leapt to her feet.“I’ll take her.”She took Grandma’s arm herself, started tugging her to the aisle.
This time, Grandma finally moved.The bailiff eyed Jill, then Glenda.He gave a little nod, but he was following them out.
