I had a call to Gentry to my ear almost immediately after the door shut behind me.
Six
I think deep down inside, Scotty knew.
—Eddy’s secret thoughts
Eddy
“Are you sure you won’t stay with us, Antoinette?” our mother asked as we headed for the door.
“Not this time.” Nettie smiled. “I promised that I’d help Edith with a few things at work. We’ll be back tomorrow sometime.”
“Okay,” our mother sighed, really laying it on thick. “It’s just that you know we don’t see you all that often. We miss you.”
“I know, but it’s Edd—Edith’s turn.”
The slip of the tongue had us both wincing.
My mother and father HATED when we used a nickname instead of our full names.
They hated even more that we wouldn’t use our full names when addressing each other.
“All right,” she said. “Brunch in the morning?”
“Uhh.” Nettie hesitated. “I’m probably going to say no to that one. Maybe dinner. I’m jetlagged, Mother.”
“Okay.” My mother knew what we were doing. She always knew. She was more than aware that we couldn’t stand her. But you always had to play the part. “See you tomorrow, Antoinette.”
“You’ll see us both, Mother!” Nettie called out.
The door shut behind us, and Nettie latched onto my hand tightly.
She didn’t say a word until she was in my car with me. “You almost got caught!”
Nettie knew everything.
I’d told her about everything I’d learned the moment I left the sheriff’s department.
“You’re lucky that vacuum is ancient as fuck, or they wouldn’t have fallen for that,” Nettie continued.
“I know,” I mumbled as I drove us down the street of our parents’ pristine road.
“Let’s go to a bar,” Nettie said. “I need a drink.”
I didn’t argue with her, because she was right.
That had been close.
Too close.
“I think he must have known that I was there,” I breathed.
“You know about his abhorrence for technology,” she disagreed. “I really, truly do think it was a coincidence that he came home when he did. Good idea leaving me in the car, too. If I was in there with you, he’d have definitely been even more suspicious.”
I groaned. “I can’t believe you missed one of your games to be here.”
“I’d miss them all if it meant making sure you didn’t get caught.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t want them to be our parents.”
