The Lying Woods

by Ashley Elston

  She’s gone a few minutes and when I see her, I can tell she’s hiding something behind her back. Pippa stands in front of the hammock then swings her matching wooden sword around, stopping it right in front of me.

  “I found mine,” she says.

  I sit up in the hammock and she touches the tip to my left shoulder, then my right.

  “Sir Owen Foster, I name you the Emperor of Dogwood Drive.”

  My hands go to her waist and I pull her on top of me. She laughs and the sword falls to the ground. I kiss her slow and long, our hands moving over each other, our feet tangling together.

  “Tell me about your day. Tell me something normal,” I say while kissing her neck.

  She squirms when I get to a sensitive spot. “My mom made me take a pie to Seth’s. She said I needed to check on him and his leg. I got there right before he was leaving to go to his aunt and uncle’s house for dinner.”

  Okay so maybe hearing this isn’t what I had in mind.

  “How’d that go?” I ask, tucking her head against my shoulder while my fingers play with the ends of her hair.

  I feel her shrug. “Fine. Mad he’s out for the playoffs.”

  “Yeah, a knee injury is hard to bounce back from.”

  “His hand is worse than his knee I think. I’ve never seen a burn that bad.”

  I pull away so I can look at her. “Burn? He told me he tried to catch himself when his knee gave out and fractured it.”

  Pippa’s forehead scrunches up. “When I got there, he was in the kitchen rewrapping his hand. It was definitely a burn.”

  I lie back down next to her, moving her so she’s halfway on top of me. “That’s weird. I wonder why he would lie about that?”

  We sway back and forth for a few minutes and then I’m sitting up again, bringing Pippa with me.

  “What?” she asks.

  “He got hurt the night of the game, right? The same night someone threw a flaming bottle through our front window.”

  Pippa’s hand flies to cover her mouth. “No,” she mumbles.

  I pull my phone out of my back pocket and call Detective Hill. He answers on the first ring.

  “Hey, I think I know who’s been threatening us.”

  Noah—Spring of 2011

  I sit in a chair facing a long table full of people who will decide my fate. Gus and Detective Chris Hill are sitting against the far wall and I know I wouldn’t have half a chance of getting through this without either of them. Both of them drove down to speak on my behalf at my first parole hearing.

  If they vote in my favor, I’ll walk out of this building after almost eleven years here.

  “We’ve gone through your file,” says a man in the middle. “You’ve been a model inmate, you’ve gotten an undergraduate degree and an MBA through the program here.”

  I’m holding my breath, waiting for the but…

  He continues, “It is our recommendation that you be released as we believe you are capable of being a contributing member of society and not a danger to yourself or anyone else.”

  Gus lets out a cheer from across the room. The relief is so great I feel like I might pass out.

  It takes an hour or so to process my release, but Gus and Chris are waiting for me on the other side of the fence.

  Gus pulls me in close and hugs me.

  “This calls for a celebration,” Chris says. “Steaks are on me.”

  Even though it’s only four in the afternoon, we sit down at the nicest restaurant we can find in this small Florida town and we order damn near everything on the menu.

  “What are you going to do now that you’re out?” Chris asks.

  I push my food around on my plate. “Owen will start school at Sutton’s in the fall so I think I’ll go to New Orleans. I’d like to be close to him.”

  I was surprised when Gus told me Maggie pushed for Owen to go off to school. While it seems like Robert has been a good dad to him, I’m glad they won’t be under the same roof anymore.

  “You need to tell him who you are. You need to tell Maggie the truth,” Gus says. It’s the same thing Gus has said for the last couple of years.

  “And I told you not until I can show her proof of my innocence,” I say. “Or proof of what Robert is.”

  Gus’s land has been leased for years with the same oil and gas company out of Houston and he’s got a great relationship with the guy who runs the company, William Cooper. When Maggie told Gus she was looking around for a good school, Gus knew William’s son was about to start at Sutton’s, so he recommended it to Maggie. William made sure his son and Owen would be roommates.

  William is also helping us get an inside look at Robert’s business, Louisiana Frac, since they frack all the wells he drills in that area. I’m just waiting for the moment he makes a mistake, and I’ll be there to catch him when he does.

  “So I guess if I want to see you, I’ll have to go to New Orleans,” Gus mumbles.

  “I’m giving you another reason to leave that orchard. And what would I do if I went back there? Live in that tiny apartment with you and watch your house rot?”

  “Jail made you a smart-ass,” he says.

  “No, jail made me determined.”

  25

  I called Mom’s cell phone and she told me she was at the house in the Preacher Woods with Noah. When I pull up, they’re sitting side by side on the top step of the old front porch.

  Was it just a couple of hours ago that I found out the truth of who he really is?

  “Shit. I don’t know if I can do this,” I say to myself.

  I get out of the truck and stop a few feet from them. Before they have a chance to speak, I say, “Dad…Robert…left me a letter at that diner.”

  I dig it out of my back pocket and hand it to Mom. She reads it while Noah looks over her shoulder and I notice the copper pendant with the coordinates of the tree behind me hanging from a chain around her neck.

  “You had someone bid on Mom’s things at the auction,” I say. It’s not a question.

  Noah frowns. “Yes, but I didn’t know you planned to get this necklace back for her until it was all over. I’m sorry you didn’t get to buy it. Detective Hill had mentioned several things your mom seemed upset to part with so I decided to get them back for her.”

  I wave him off like it’s no big deal but I’m not sure how I feel about it. I was so pissed when that guy outbid me and I really wanted to be the one who got Mom something, but Noah beat me to it.

  Mom folds the letter and hands it back to me. “I’m glad he was able to tell you good-bye.”

  I nod. “I want you…both of you…to tell me everything.”

  Noah stands up and motions for me to join him. “Come inside. We’ll sit and tell you the whole story.”

  I follow them in and Mom and Noah sit on the couch while I take the small chair. There’s a small space between them and they keep glancing at each other like they still can’t believe they’re in the same room together.

  Mom fiddles with the necklace while Noah takes a deep breath and says, “I guess the best place to start is when I arrived here by bus at the beginning of the summer in 1999…”

  It takes a while to get caught up and I’m more confused than ever. Mainly because I get it. I get why he lied to Mom in the police station and why he ignored her calls and letters when she was trying to tell him she was pregnant. And then hearing her side about how scared she was and how old-fashioned her parents were. She knew they would try to force her to give me up or get rid of me if she was single. And she wasn’t confident in her ability to take care of me on her own without any money or support from her parents. It’s easy to forget that they were my age when all of this happened. But then Robert stepped in and she clung to that solution.

  “Why didn’t you contact me when you got out?” I ask Noah.

  He runs his hands through his hair. It’s been a long day for all of us and it’s starting to show on his face. “It’s not because I didn’t want to. Things were
hard when I got out, I’m not going to lie. I’d been in jail for a long time and I didn’t know how to handle everything. I was angry at what happened. For losing you, your mom. Gus told me you were at Sutton’s so I moved to New Orleans. Took me a while to find a job. Even though I had the education, no one wants to hire someone who’s been in jail. Got an apartment, tried to rebuild my life in a place where I could be nearest to you even if you didn’t know me. If your school had an event, I was there. I came to all of your lacrosse games,” he says, then looks at Mom. “I saw you there, too, from a distance. And you both looked happy. I didn’t want to come in and ruin that. At that time, I couldn’t prove Robert was anything other than what everyone thought he was.”

  Mom’s hand finds his and they’re holding on to each other and it’s hard for me to look at them like this. I can’t wrap my head around it.

  I get up from the chair and stand by the window, looking out into the darkness. “So what made you come back here when you did, especially since I was still at Sutton’s?”

  “William Cooper was hearing from some vendors that they were having trouble collecting from Robert. And then got wind of some of the environmental issues at some of the wells. So we started looking into his business. It didn’t take long to figure out what he was up to and it wasn’t good. It’s not very noble but I’ve been waiting for a chance to prove who he really is for years. I came back so that I could figure out what was going on and how bad it was, but I was shocked when I got here to find Gus was sick. Really sick. He used to visit me all the time when I was in New Orleans, but I hadn’t seen him for several months. He’d kept making excuses why he couldn’t come down. I should’ve known something was going on.”

  I turn around and I can tell by Mom’s expression that she’s already heard this part, but it still upsets her hearing it.

  “He refused to go to the doctor so I called one in from Alexandria. It was one helluva home visit but turns out it was too late to do anything for him even if I could get him to agree to treatments. He had cancer and it had spread all over.”

  I shouldn’t feel the loss of someone I didn’t know, but I do.

  Noah wipes a hand across his face. “I moved into that small apartment with him and stayed there until he was gone, which was just a few weeks later. He didn’t want a funeral or even a death notice to run in the paper. All he wanted was to be put in the ground, next to Abby, so that’s what I did.”

  “When was this?” I ask.

  “Gus passed away on June sixteenth. After he was gone, I was more determined than ever to find out what Robert was doing. I was still in contact with William and there were more and more signs that Robert wasn’t just a bad businessman but probably a thief as well. I told him I wanted to wait until you left for school before we did anything.”

  Moving back to the chair, I say, “He knew you were back. Mr. Blackwell overheard him on the phone with someone and he was pissed you were back in town.”

  “I’m not surprised. Even back then, he was one step ahead of me.”

  Mom looks shell-shocked. Throughout all of this she always kept her composure, but this is obviously more than she can manage.

  Noah gets back to where he left off. “So once you were back at school, we got to work. We gathered as much as we could on how he was running things and were just about ready to turn everything over to the Feds but he skipped town on us. He must have gotten wind of what was happening and left before he could be taken in.”

  “So he did steal all of that money.” It’s not a question but Noah answers it anyway.

  “Yes. He did.”

  “Why has Mr. Cooper been in town so much lately? And why did he buy our house?”

  “William is buying Louisiana Frac. It’ll take some time but hopefully he can get it close to where it once was. He bought the house so he’ll have somewhere to stay when he’s in town but he’ll hire someone to handle day-to-day operations.”

  Mom’s head pops up. I guess this part is news to her.

  Noah looks at her and says, “He’d have you back there if that’s what you want. He didn’t want to go public until we knew it was a sure thing. It’s going to be tricky because he can’t rehire everyone right away, but at least it’s a start. Once the environmental stuff gets worked out he’s hoping to bring more back. He’s also hoping to expand the business to include other oil-field services.”

  I’m floored. And from Mom’s expression, she is, too.

  “What are you going to do now?” I ask him. “Are you staying here?”

  “I might. If I do, I guess I’ll finish cleaning those pecans and see if I can fetch a good price for them. Gus was good to me in every way possible so I’m thankful I can call this place home and have the means to relax and catch up on all the things I missed. And maybe if your mom wants to try her hand at being a caterer, I can get a job working for her.” He looks at her. “Do you plan to stay here when this is all settled?”

  “I’m not sure either,” she answers in a quiet voice.

  They stare at each other and I realize how weird this must be for them. If he hadn’t been arrested, there’s a good chance they would have gotten married since she was pregnant with me. They didn’t leave each other by choice, but it’s been almost eighteen years since they were together.

  Noah gets up from the couch and grabs a stack of papers off the small counter near the sink. This must be something he brought with him since they weren’t here earlier.

  He hands them to Mom and says, “First, you need to look through these and decide what to do about it.”

  Her eyes get bigger and bigger as she scans through each page.

  26

  We ring the doorbell and it only takes a few minutes before it’s answered.

  “Maggie, I’m surprised to see you here,” Peter Blackwell says when he opens the door. His eyes bounce from Mom to me and back again. I’m sure he’s wondering why we’re on his front porch this late.

  “Hey, Peter. Can we come in a minute?” she asks.

  “Sure, sure,” he says. “Come on in.”

  He leads us to a room right off the foyer that looks like one of those home offices that never get used. Mr. Blackwell goes behind the desk while Mom and I sit in the two chairs in front of it.

  Mr. Blackwell looks at me and says, “Owen, it’s good to see you again so soon.”

  I nod and say, “You, too.” I can’t believe we’re here. I can’t believe we’re doing this.

  “Peter,” Maggie says. “I know you’re wondering why we’re here.”

  His eyes are back on her. “Yeah, I have to admit this is unexpected.”

  Maggie takes a deep breath, then says, “I have some papers of Robert’s. It looks like bank account information. Actually account info from several different banks in foreign countries. One of the accounts is in my name. But I don’t know how to access it without the police finding out.”

  Shock is the only way to describe his expression. “So the rumors were true,” he says, leaning forward on the desk. “You know where the money is.”

  Mom shrugs, unable to look him in the eye.

  “I have to say, Maggie, this is surprising. I was one of the few who defended you but it seems like the joke is on me.”

  She shakes her head, staring at her hands in her lap. “I haven’t always known. I just discovered these accounts recently.”

  “Let me get this straight. You found out where he stashed the cash and now you want it.”

  She shakes her head. “Not all of it. Just enough for Owen and me to start over somewhere else.” She lets out a jagged breath. “I can’t stay in this town. And things will get better here. I heard…someone…has plans to reopen Louisiana Frac. It won’t always be so bad here. But it will be for us. I just want what’s in that account with my name on it and I’ll turn the rest of it in.”

  Mr. Blackwell leans back in his chair, his disgust for us evident. His forehead scrunches up and his eyes dart between the two of us. “So w
hy are you here to see me?”

  She hesitates a second or two then finally looks at him. “Because one of the other accounts is in your name.”

  “That son of a bitch,” he mutters.

  But before he can say anything else, Mom says, “He told me a few years ago to come to you if there was trouble. That if I ever found myself in need of anything, that you would always help me. That was the deal. I didn’t understand what he meant back then but I do now. Well, I’m in trouble. I need you to help me. I need you to honor the deal.”

  Mr. Blackwell stands up, sending his chair flying behind him.

  “If he wants me to honor the deal, he shouldn’t have fucked me over the way he did! That son of a bitch could have never pulled it off on his own. He would have gone bankrupt years ago if it wasn’t for me, but when he got scared, he skipped town with every last penny, leaving me with nothing. And now you’re showing up here wanting me to help you?”

  He’s completely lost it. We hear a thumping noise coming from the hall and we all turn in that direction to see what it is.

  “Is everything okay in here?”

  Leaning on the crutches, hand and knee bandaged, is Seth Sullivan. He looks at me and I stare at him before dropping my gaze to the burned hand I know is hiding under that bandage. I’m not done with him yet.

  “Everything’s fine, Seth,” he says. There’s a knock on the front door and Mr. Blackwell motions for Seth to open it. He hobbles into the foyer and it’s only a few seconds before Detective Hill and half a dozen uniformed officers fill the room. Noah is just a few steps behind them.

  I dig my phone out of my pocket and disconnect the call that allowed Detective Hill to listen in from outside.

  Detective Hill flips out his badge and says, “Peter Blackwell, you have the right to remain silent….”

  • • •

  Peter Blackwell was stuffed into the back of a patrol car while screaming at his wife, Sheila, to get their lawyer to meet him at the police station. As Seth Sullivan stumbles between two uniformed officers to another waiting patrol car, I step close and say, “Looks like it’s over now.”