Page 71 of The 9th Man

“As in Robinson Crusoe?” he asked.

“That’s the one. After Hurricane Ike I found him washed up on shore, half dead. The name seemed to fit. You two hungry? No doubt you’re thirsty.”

“Both,” Jillian said.

“Come on in. Shoes off, if you please.”

They mounted the porch.

Sue opened the door and stepped aside for them to pass. A wave of cool air washed over him. If the exterior was quintessential bayou cabin, the interior was its antithesis, complete with wood walls stained a golden brown, a sectional sofa and plush recliners arranged around an open-hearth fireplace, and gleaming hardwood floors. A pair of floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves brimming with books and knickknacks flanked the fireplace. Across the room was a compact kitchen with modern appliances in brushed nickel.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you kindly. Ray loved the privacy of living in the boonies, but he also loved his creature comforts.”

“You lived here with him?” asked Jillian.

“No, but I visited a lot. Now it’s mine.”

They both removed their shoes and settled onto the leather sofa while Sue prepared two glasses of ice-cold lemonade.

Jillian downed half of hers in one gulp. “Best thing ever. Thank you.”

Sue sat down opposite them. “I was sorry to hear about your grandfather, Miss Stein.”

“Call me Jillian. And thanks. Did Ray ever talk about him?”

Sue nodded. “Enough that it was clear they were friends. How exactly, I don’t know.”

He said, “I have to say, after the welcome Elijah gave us you’re not what we expected.”

“I’m sorry about that. This close to Papa killing himself, and you not knowing he was dead, I wasn’t sure what to think.”

“No offense, but your accent isn’t as—”

“Thick as everyone else’s? I moved away when I was eighteen. Spent my time in the navy, then lived in California before coming back. I lost the drawl somewhere along the way. So tell me about what happened to Mr. Stein.”

Jillian recounted the night of the attack but, to Luke’s relief, went no further with any details about the rifle and what they found in the lamp. His gut told him Sue was genuine, and no threat, but it was always good to be careful.

“What happened to Ray?” Jillian asked.

“About a month ago he called and asked me to come out, then left a note on the door apologizing. Crusoe led me to him. He’d put a pistol to his head, but did it outside so as not to mess the place up. That was like him.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jillian said.

“It’s awful. The worst.” And he meant it.

Sue stood, opened one of the kitchen drawers, then handed him a piece of paper.

I’m so sorry but everything eventually catches up, no matter how hard you try and avoid it.

I love you

“He left that for me,” Sue said. “Ray was beloved around here. People would do anything for him. Being his granddaughter I guess that extended to me too. That’s how Elijah knew to call me when you showed up at Ken’s. We look after each other. But Papa had a lot of baggage that he kept to himself. People around here never knew, but he was mighty troubled. Like he said, it eventually caught up to him.”

“You know about that baggage?” he asked.

She nodded. “He had a lot of guilt about my grandmother. He was selfish with her. Treated her badly at times. Took advantage of her. And she died too early for him to make amends.”