Chapter 8 #2
I looked up from the book I was reading, feeling a keen sense of dread sink in.
Every few weeks, my parents arranged for the son of one of their well-connected friends to take me out on a date. It was always stiff and awkward. Either the boy was as unhappy about the arrangement as I was—or even worse, they thought they could get something out of it.
I was only fifteen, but I had become adept at fending off unwanted sexual advances with a smile and a laugh. I had to make sure to never offend; otherwise, it would get back to my father. I couldn’t make him look bad in front of his friends. There were some fates worse than death.
“Kyle Taylor?” I asked, unable to hide my dismay. “But he’s a total jerk!”
Kyle was a senior who liked to talk loudly about his many conquests. There were rumors he had gotten a girl pregnant and his dad had paid her off to leave the county to have it and give it up for adoption.
The thought of going out with a guy like that was petrifying.
“Greg Taylor is a candidate for the state supreme court. He’s an important connection for your father. So it’s imperative you make a good impression.”
I knew what kind of impression I would be expected to make.
My mother went to my closet and pulled out a dress with a short hemline but modestly cut. It accentuated my developing figure in all the right ways.
I was aware of what a boy like Kyle Taylor would think if I went out with him dressed like that. It didn’t matter if I said no; he’d see that stupid dress as a yes.
I felt cold inside.
“Maybe I could wear something else—”
Mom’s face hardened. “Your father and I are hoping you and Kyle hit it off. It would be nice to have a young man from such a respectable family connected to the Herbaughs.”
Then she left, leaving me no choice.
Because I never had a choice.
It was only two weeks later that I noticed Rhett in the hallway of our high school.
Sure, I knew him, but our social circles never intersected. He was goofy and sweet and the exact opposite of Kyle Taylor and his grabby hands and invasive tongue.
I thought he was different.
I thought wrong.
I liked to think that if my father knew how bad those dates were for me, he would have stopped pushing me to go on them. But I’d never know because my mother made it clear it was my duty and I would perform it with a smile on my face, so I never said a word.
I loved the look on her face the first time I brought Rhett to the house. The disapproval was instantaneous. But given all the ways she exerted control in her own life, she shouldn’t have been surprised that her daughter was watching and taking notes.
“Was it Tanya again?” I asked when he didn’t answer me right away.
“Does it matter?” Dad countered. “Everyone in this goddamn town has an opinion about Rhett and they all agree he’s not a man to be trusted.”
“Look, I thought the same thing for a while. But I was wrong. I know what I said before, but I’ve spoken to him.
He wasn’t sleeping with her, Dad. They were just friends.
” I hated lying for Rhett. Especially to my father.
But what choice did I have? “Rhett would never do that. He loves me.” I swallowed, the words bitter in my mouth.
“People are just trying to start drama. It wouldn’t be the first time rumors based on lies ruined someone’s life. ”
This time neither of us believed me.
“You’re telling me not only is Tanya Young lying, but half the town too?
” My father’s eyes flashed with something terrifying.
“I’ve heard it from my friends, Lucinda, not a bunch of ignorant teenagers with nothing better to do.
I trust these people.” My stomach dropped.
“And if they tell me your fiancé is screwing around behind your back, then I believe them.” His gaze was steady and unwavering.
“He made you look like a fool. Made all of us look like fools. I couldn’t let that slide.
” I noticed the tick in Dad’s jaw. A sign his blood pressure was rising.
“Did you say something to Rhett?” I asked my father. I watched him closely and knew he was containing a rage that would be terrifying when released. “What did you do, Dad?”
His expression was completely unreadable.
“I will always look after my family, Lucinda.” Why did the words feel so cryptic?
“People are talking. A lot of people. And yours and Rhett’s names are in their mouths.
That’s a problem. Chuck needs to find that woman’s killer, and Rhett sure has made himself look picture-perfect for the role.
Though, to be honest, you’re not looking great either. ”
Dad didn’t try to hide his distaste. If there was one thing he detested, it was sloppiness.
If Rhett had been having an affair, that was bad enough, but he hadn’t been smart about it, which made it worse.
And his daughter being implicated in a murder would push him over the edge.
He could be rational about most things, but needing to protect his family brought out a viciousness in him that was unparalleled.
People knew not to mess with Mom, Bailey, and me. Dad’s fury was legendary.
“He wasn’t sleeping with her.” I said it firmly, the fire in the pit of my stomach searing my insides. “They were friends. He was being nice.” I swallowed again, my mouth dry. “I trust Rhett, Dad. We’re getting married.” Even though the man in question didn’t deserve my loyalty.
Dad watched me closely. I knew he was analyzing me the way he analyzed people in his courtroom. Looking for holes in my story. Weaknesses.
“Then you’re an idiot, Lucinda. A man is never just friends with a woman.” He shook his head in disappointment at my perceived naivety.
Humiliation clawed at me. And when I thought things were bad enough, he dug even deeper.
“Where were you last Saturday night?”
I tried to laugh, but it was without humor. “I can’t remember where I was yesterday, let alone last Saturday.”
Dad didn’t appreciate the joke. “You need an alibi, Lucinda. Where the hell were you?”
I looked out the window again, my eyes searching for the man I had pinned my future on. “Rhett and I were together. At his house.”
There was a loaded moment of silence as I felt my father weighing up my words. “Together? Are you sure about that? This is very important. So think long and hard before you answer.”
I drew myself upright in indignation. “Of course I’m sure! Are you calling me a liar, Dad?”
Yes. Yes, he was. And he was right.
I was a liar.
We stared at each other, locked in a battle of wills I usually lost. But this time, I had something on the line. My gruff father softened ever so slightly. “It would be much better if you weren’t with him,” he reasoned.
I frowned but didn’t say anything. Too scared to open my mouth, to spew more dishonesty.
“You don’t need to be his alibi.” Dad spoke to me as if I were a toddler.
“The police are already looking at him. It’s easy enough to keep you out of the conversation.
No sense sweeping up the mess of a man who was quick to hop into bed with a woman that wasn’t his fiancée.
He’s quite literally made his bed. Let him lie in it. ”
“Stop talking about him like that. We’re getting married, and nothing will stop us!” Hot tears poured down my cheeks. I inwardly cringed at how immature I sounded.
But for better or for worse, I would stick by Rhett. I had stubbornly made my choice. It was bad enough that I looked like a betrayed woman. I’d be damned if I’d be a jilted one as well.
The town needed to see that my faith in Rhett was warranted. That we would stand by each other no matter what.
“We were together, Dad. All night.” I gritted my teeth and willed him to believe me.
Dad finally looked away as if he couldn’t take the sight of me a moment longer.
“Well, if you’re sticking by him, then we’ll have to make sure the police look elsewhere.” He sounded resigned.
I knew he would do whatever it took to keep his family’s name out of this potential storm. It was what made him so reliable.
“I’m sure Chuck will be by at some point to chat with you two about all this. Better here in our home than people seeing you and Rhett at the station.”
“Chuck wants to talk to Rhett and me?”
My father looked at me like I was an imbecile.
“Of course he does. This is a murder investigation, Lucinda, and there are rumors going around about the two of you and that girl. Sounds like both of you made a spectacle of yourselves. If it were me, I’d let Rhett deal with this on his own, see how far he gets without the Herbaugh name behind him. ”
“Please, Dad,” I begged, the words exploding from me automatically.
“You’re my daughter and I’ll do what I can.
For you. Now, Chuck’s a good policeman, so he’s got to follow the general order of things.
People know there’s a connection, so Chuck knows there’s a connection.
But I’ll make sure all he sees is a dead end.
You and Rhett were together that night. You can vouch for each other.
End of story. Just make sure that man of yours knows his part to play.
” Dad met my eyes. He was good at surmising a person’s character.
It’s why he was a judge. A well-respected one at that.
He knew people. He could read them like an open book.
But did he really know me?
Could he read me?
I was better than most at keeping secrets, but not from him. It all depended on how much he wanted to know.
And for whatever reason, I had a feeling he didn’t want to dig too deeply. Maybe he was scared of what he’d find.
With a final look that was more loaded than I wanted it to be, Dad left me alone.
I wrung my hands together nervously, a bad habit from my anxious beauty pageant days.
Were Rhett and I suspects?
That was a problem.
A huge, gigantic problem.
In a pique of rage, I picked up a crystal vase from the table and threw it against the wall, watching it shatter into a thousand tiny shards. They tinkled as they fell to the floor and I could only watch, numb, as the anger abated and was replaced with a cold nothingness.
At that moment I hated Rhett.
More than I ever hated her.