Sam snorted.“And he’ll have spent some time with Keane bythen and will buy it himself.You just watch.”
That wasn’t the point.The point was Jack needed to makeKeane feel welcome, and oddly, putting his broke-down truck through a compactorand then displaying it like a trophy would do the trick.
“All right, let’s give them some time and I’ll tell youeverything I know about what’s happened since we got to Willow Fork.”Garrettsat back down.It was time to figure out what was going on.“I have somesuspicions.This is either about one person being incredibly jealous.Or it’sabout money.A lot of money.”
Jack sat across from him, and Abby and Sam joined them.
“Maybe this is something I should sit in on.”Deputy Morganstood in the doorway.“I was wrong about your friend.I’ve got a call in to thebartender.Apparently he’s out with some friends, but he’ll come in tomorrowand make a statement.I’m doing the paperwork to let Keane out.I want to solvethis.I need to know.”
Garrett nodded, and Deputy Morgan took the last availablechair.Garrett leaned in and began to speak.
He wasn’t the only one with a lot to say.Olivia was makingher play.He hoped that somewhere in a jail cell, Keane would listen.
ChapterFifteen
Keane heard the door lock behind him and felt bilerise in his throat.He wasn’t going to embarrass himself here.Here, anyweakness was taken advantage of and harshly punished.Here, the world was adark and desperate place.
He thought this place might be his real home, the one he wasalways going to come back to.As if being there the first time stained him in away he could never recover from.The last few years had been the dream, andthis was the reality.
“Hey, buddy.I heard someone say you have a lawyer.Like areal live attorney person,” a man from the next cell said.He was obviouslydrunk, though sobering up a bit.He wore a Rangers jersey.
“Ain’t no attorneys in Willow Fork,” his friend countered.He sported an Astros jersey and a pretty shiny black eye.“You gotta go toTyler to find one, and those city slickers always look down on us.”
Like Tyler was a big city.It was not.
“I don’t have an attorney,” Keane muttered.He wasn’tletting Garrett get stained by this, too.
From what he could tell the men had been watching a game ata sports bar and gotten into a hell of a brawl and were shoved in here to sleepit off.
He wished they were still sleeping.
The fact that these two morons were here pointed out thereality that while Willow Fork holding cells were mostly for drunks and peoplewith unpaid parking tickets, this wasn’t where he would stay.There would be nojail door opening and polite “don’t do it again” speeches for him.There wouldbe a prison transport right back to Huntsville.
“Nah, there’s one who comes in every now and then.He worksfor Jack Barnes,” Ranger said.“He’s like Jack’s brother.”
“Lucas?Lucas ain’t going to take your case,” Astroinsisted.“Besides, why the hell would you be the one to sue?I’m the one withthe black eye.”
“Which you would not have gotten if that ump had made theright call,” Ranger shot back.“Which is why we should both sue.”
He wasn’t sure who they were going to sue, but they startedtalking about what they would do with all the money they were going to win.
Keane forced himself to sit on the bench, to keep his headup and not let it drop to his hands.
He’d always known this day would come, and here it was.Hewouldn’t be allowed to have his happy life.Olivia thought he was a damnmonster.The idea killed him.She was sitting in a hospital room thinking hewas the one who put her there.She was likely cursing his name.Garrett wouldgo down with him if he didn’t do something about it.If this went to trial,they might try to bring him in, too.They would say he had to be in on it.Theywould eventually find something to use against Garrett, and he would go down.
He could feel his blood pressure rising.Garrett worked sohard, and he would lose everything because he had the misfortune to care abouta cursed soul.That was what he was.
He’d already lost Olivia.He couldn’t drag Garrett down withhim too.If he let them both go, they might be able to find happiness together.If Olivia believed Garrett had nothing to do with it.
It made him physically ill, but he was going to have to doit.He was going to have to sit there and lie.
He was going to confess and save them all so much trouble.
He had to become the villain to be the hero, and they couldnever know.It would be better for them to hate him and get on with theirlives.They would forget him over time, and he would be nothing but a badmemory.Garrett was the one who belonged in that family, not him.
Keane stood before he could lose his bravery.He stepped upto the bars.“Guard!Guard!I want to confess.”
“Confess?”Astro was standing up now.“Are you an idjit?Youain’t supposed to confess.You need a lawyer person because they would tell younot to confess.”
