“That was very perceptive of you, Archer,” she said quietly. “Because that’s exactly why I did it. I knew it would drive him crazy, and I wanted to hurt him for what he’d done.”
“I would have too, if I were you.” He paused. “But now it’s time to let it go, Jackie. You can’t let your hate for the man dictate the rest of your life. He’s gone now. You need to get on with living, on your own terms.”
Ernestine smiled and patted Jackie’s hand. “I’ve been telling her that ever since we got here.”
Jackie said, “But why did you really ask Marjorie all those questions on the witness stand? You could have just played what was on the recorder. That would have been enough.”
“I was lucky Tuttle had forgotten the machine was on. But sometimes people won’t believe what’s right in front of them. And Marjorie is a good liar. I wanted to lay out the reasons why she would kill your father and pin her down on the stand before I played what was on that recorder. Mr. Shaw would call that corroboration, of a sort.” He paused. “And I wanted to make that pious-looking woman squirm, after all the terrible things she’d done.”
“I can see that,” said Jackie.
“Now I got a question.”
She smiled and wearily shook her head. “You still like your questions.”
“I never figured out exactly why you needed that maid, Amy.”
“The man who ran the warehouse for Hank was sweet on her. He gave her a key to the building, so they could meet up there sometimes and be alone, and…you know.”
“Good to know I’m not the only man who got taken in by a pretty lady.”
“Trust me, Archer, you’ll never be alone in that regard.”
“Desiree tipped you off about Bobby Kent not being around to drive your father to town that night?”
Jackie nodded. “It’s why I picked that time. Desiree has always been a good friend. I gave her some of the money from my father’s repayment to Hank. I…I feel like I earned it more than he did.”
“I think you’re right about that. Now, you must’ve seen that contract that Marjorie signed that was in the safe?”
“We did. But we were moving so fast, Archer, we never looked at it. We just grabbed everything quick as we could. It took the both of us to carry each of those gold bars out. I was terrified my father was going to show up before we were finished.”
“And good thing you got out of there before Marjorie showed up with Hank’s gun.” He grew quiet and studied both. “I take it you and Ernestine were good friends back in Poca?”
Jackie said, “We were drawn together. We found that we had some…” Her voice suddenly faltered.
Ernestine finished for her. “We found that we both had some challenges in our past that drew us together.”
Archer gave each of them a searching look. “I can understand why you might not want to trust any man for the rest of your lives. But I want you to know that I wish you no ill will.” He took one of their hands in each of his. “Life can make suckers of us all. I’m a young man in years, but an old one inside after the war and prison.” He directed his gaze at Jackie and then Ernestine. “During the war, I guess we were all part of something bigger than ourselves. Then the war was over, and it just left us with what we started with, but wanting something more than what we had before. But I think to really be part of something special, you have to find something special in yourself first. Now the three of us have a second shot at something and maybe we’ll mess that up, too, I don’t know. But what I do know is I’m a lot better off for having met both of you.”
The women looked back at him, and tears clustered in not only their eyes, but in Archer’s as well. Maybe for the first time in his life.
After a few moments of silence, Jackie said quietly, “What you just said was pretty insightful, Archer. You sure you didn’t graduate from college?”
“Yeah, I did. The college of hard knocks.” He rose and drew two pieces of paper from his pocket. “I also came down here to give you these.” He handed one to Jackie and the other to Ernestine.
They were two cashier checks.
Both women gasped when they saw the enormous amounts the checks were drawn for.
“What in the world, Archer?” cried out Jackie.
“Good God,” chimed in Ernestine.
He said, “That’s your shares from what was in the safe.”
“Why did you take it from the warehouse?” Jackie asked.
He smiled in an embarrassed fashion. “After you left me high and dry, I did it partly out of anger. But maybe part of me was thinking you would have more incentive to come back if you thought I had the money.”
Jackie returned the smile. “You didn’t trust me to do the right thing for altruistic reasons?”
“I never expect more from others than I expect from myself,” Archer replied diplomatically.
“But why give it to us?” asked Ernestine.
“I considered it a debt that needed to be repaid to you both. And you know I’m really good at collecting debts.”
“But you deserve some of it,” said Jackie.
“The good folks of Poca City compensated me fairly for my troubles.” He ran his hand along his suit lapel. “How do you think I could afford these duds or the boat passage here?”
A few seconds passed, and Archer watched Ernestine reach out for Jackie’s hand. And then they hugged. And in that hug Archer saw two people who were perhaps more than friends. This made him smile. Because everyone should have someone like that in their lives.
When they had drawn apart, Jackie said, “Now I got a question for you. Where’d you hide the stuff from the safe after you took it from the warehouse?”
“You know that place you told me about? Where you used to play as a kid and imagine yourself to be anything you wanted to be when you grew up? Well, I buried it there for safekeeping under that burned-up Cadillac. Didn’t think anybody would bother looking there.”
Archer put his hat on, cocked it at an angle, and turned to the door.
Jackie quickly rose and said in a disappointed tone, “You’re leaving? Already?”
“Well, if you’re willing, I thought I might take you two ladies out to dinner and drinks before I shove off and commence wandering again. And who knows, I might make something of myself. Mr. Shaw thought I could make a decent shamus.”
“I think you can make of yourself anything you want, Aloysius Archer,” said Ernestine.
“We’ll need to change,” said Jackie, looking at her plain outfit.
Archer shook his head and said, “I think you both look fine just as you are.”
He put out an arm to each of them, which they immediately took.
The three walked out the door into the bright sunshine of a new world that held an abundance of possibilities.
Acknowledgments
To Michelle, here we go again, this time to the 1940s. Thanks for your encouragement on this one.
To Michael Pietsch, for your vision.
To Andy Dodds, Elizabeth Kulhanek, Brian McLendon, Karen Kosztolnyik, Beth deGuzman, Albert Tang, Bob Castillo, Kristen Lemire, Anthony Goff, Michele McGonigle, Cheryl Smith, Andrew Duncan, Joseph Benincase, Tiffany Sanchez, Morgan Swift, Matthew Ballast, Daniel Modlin, Jordan Rubinstein, Alison Lazarus, Rachel Hairston, Karen Torres, Christopher Murphy, Ali Cutrone, Tracy Dowd, Martha Bucci, Rena Kornbluh, Jeff Shay, Thomas Louie, Sean Ford, Laura Eisenhard, Mary Urban, Barbara Slavin, Kirsiah McNamara, and everyone at Grand Central Publishing, for always being by my side no matter the path I take.
To Aaron and Arleen Priest, Lucy Childs, Lisa Erbach Vance, Frances Jalet-Miller, John Richmond, and Juliana Nador, for always being so supportive.
To Mitch Hoffman, for paying your dues on this one!
To Anthony Forbes Watson, Jeremy Trevathan, Trisha Jackson, Katie James, Alex Saunders, Sara Lloyd, Claire Evans, Sarah Arratoon, Stuart Dwyer, Jonathan Atkins, Anna Bond, Leanne Williams, Natalie Young, Stacey Hamilton, Laura Ricchetti, Charlo
tte Williams, and Neil Lang at Pan Macmillan, for being a great publisher, and the nicest group of people.
To Praveen Naidoo and the team at Pan Macmillan in Australia, for consistently taking me to #1!
To Caspian Dennis and Sandy Violette, for being the absolute best.
To Bob Schule, for your great insights.
To Mark Steven Long, for good copyediting.
And to Kristen White and Michelle Butler, for doing all the things I can never manage to do!
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About the Author
David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in more than forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with over 130 million sales worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.
ALSO BY DAVID BALDACCI
STANDALONES
Absolute Power
Total Control
The Winner
The Simple Truth
Saving Faith
Wish You Well
Last Man Standing
The Christmas Train
True Blue
One Summer
One Good Deed
MEMORY MAN SERIES
Memory Man
The Last Mile
The Fix
The Fallen
Redemption
ATLEE PINE SERIES
Long Road to Mercy
WILL ROBIE SERIES
The Innocent
The Hit
The Target
The Guilty
End Game
JOHN PULLER SERIES
Zero Day
The Forgotten
The Escape
No Man’s Land
KING & MAXWELL SERIES
Split Second
Hour Game
Simple Genius
First Family
The Sixth Man
King and Maxwell
THE CAMEL CLUB SERIES
The Camel Club
The Collectors
Stone Cold
Divine Justice
Hell’s Corner
THE SHAW SERIES
The Whole Truth
Deliver Us from Evil
SHORT STORIES
Waiting for Santa
No Time Left
Bullseye
ACCLAIM FOR
DAVID BALDACCI’S THRILLERS
REDEMPTION
“Baldacci turns up the suspense and surprises at a rapid pace in Redemption without sacrificing character or story. With the personal stakes and the steep learning curve that Decker must overcome to find justice, the narrative carries a heavier emotional impact. Essentially, this is another great novel from a master storyteller.”
—Associated Press
“No one will leave this story unchanged by the revelations and violent events that transpire one after another, making for a fine thriller that will please all of Baldacci’s eager readers.”
—BookReporter.com
LONG ROAD TO MERCY
“Baldacci excels as a storyteller…[and] is at the top of his game here. The final reveal is both exciting and shocking. Readers will fall in love with Atlee.”
—Associated Press
“Baldacci weaves an intricate tale full of action, adventure and intrigue…Baldacci’s latest page-turning thriller lives up to his readers’ expectations and beyond.”
—Killer Nashville
THE FALLEN
“The pace picks up considerably with each passing chapter until the inevitable ending that most surely will deliver a resolution at about the same time you are catching your breath.”
—BookReporter.com
“Amos Decker shines again…The Fallen is David Baldacci at his very best.”
—Real Book Spy
END GAME
“Baldacci is a gifted storyteller.”
—Associated Press
“Fast-paced entertainment at its best.”
—Florida Times-Union
“Does End Game make for entertaining reading? You bet.”
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
THE FIX
“A compelling puzzler…Baldacci is a truly gifted storyteller, and this novel is a perfect ‘fix’ for the thriller aficionado.”
—Associated Press
“The set-up for The Fix is one of the best this master of the thriller has ever come up with, and there is no letdown as Amos and his associates dig into an increasingly bizarre case…[Baldacci’s] plotting is more masterful than ever, and The Fix is nothing less than terrific from start to finish.”
—Connecticut News
“Crackling with tension…Reads at a breakneck pace…Bestselling author David Baldacci delivers a thrill ride, as always. Big time. Pick up The Fix, and you won’t put it down until you reach the end. Guaranteed.”
—BookReporter.com
NO MAN’S LAND
“Be prepared for an action-packed ride…Baldacci once again partners [John Puller] with Veronica Knox, making for a lethal and legendary combination. Anticipation intensifies on each page.”
—RT Book Reviews
“This thriller, featuring U.S. Army criminal investigator John Puller, has a very plausible theme with a compelling and action-packed plot…[A] riveting and heart-wrenching story…No Man’s Land is an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Readers will be hooked from page one.”
—Military Press
One Good Deed Page 38