Page 114 of This is Why We Lied

Faith steered her away from the racism. “Can I ask you about last night?”

Bitty’s head started to shake like it didn’t matter. “We had a little argument. Nothing unusual about that. We have them all the time. Mercy is a desperately unhappy person. She can’t love anybody because she doesn’t love herself.”

Faith guessed they streamed Dr. Phil up here, too. “Did you hear anything or see anything suspicious?”

“Of course not. What a question. I helped my husband to bed. I went to sleep. There was nothing out of the ordinary.”

“You didn’t hear an animal howl?”

“Animals howl up here all the time. It’s the mountains.”

“What about the area you call the bachelor cottages. Does sound travel from there?”

“How would I know?”

Faith knew a dead end when she hit one. She looked up at the house. It was big, probably at least five or six bedrooms. She wanted to know where everyone slept. “Is that Mercy’s room?”

Bitty looked up. “That’s Christopher’s. Mercy is in the middle, then Jon on the opposite side at the back end.”

That still sounded close. “Did you hear when Christopher got in last night?”

“I took a sleeping tablet. Believe it or not, I don’t like to argue with people. I was very upset about Mercy’s behavior lately. She only ever thought of herself. She never considered what would be good for the rest of the family.”

Will had prepared Faith for their apathy, but it was still equal parts sad and alarming. Faith would be on the ground if one of her children had been murdered.

Bitty seemed to pick up on the disapproval. “Do you have children?”

Faith was always careful with her personal information. “I have a daughter.”

“Well, I’m sorry for you. Sons are much easier.” Bitty finally walked down the stairs. She was even smaller up close. “Christopher never complained. He never threw a tantrum or pouted when he didn’t get his way. Dave was an absolute angel. They let him run wild down there in Atlanta, but from the moment he stepped foot in my house, he was sweet as honey. That boy is my heart. I never wanted for anything when he was around. Took care of me when I was sick. Even washed my hair. Still to this day, he won’t let me lift a finger.”

Faith guessed Dave knew how to ingratiate himself. “Mercy wasn’t like that?”

“She was terrible,” Bitty said. “When she hit middle school, I was down at the principal’s office every other week because Mercy had stirred up trouble with the other girls. Gossiping and fighting and acting like a fool. Spreading her legs for anybody who looked her way. How old is your girl?”

Faith lied to keep her talking. “Thirteen.”

“So you already know that’s when it starts. Puberty hits and everything is about boys. Then there’s all the drama about their feelings. I tell you who had a right to complain, and that was Dave. What he went through down in Atlanta was unspeakable. They were not delicate with him, to put it politely. But he never used it as a crutch. Boys don’t whine about their feelings.”

Faith’s boy had, but only because his mother had worked very hard to make him feel safe. “How did Mercy seem to you lately?”

“Seem?” she asked. “She seemed like her usual. Full of piss and vinegar and angry at the world.”

Faith didn’t know how to broach the pregnancy. Something told her to hold back. She doubted Mercy had ever confided in her mother. “Dave was thirteen when you and your husband adopted him?”

“No, he was only eleven years old.”

Faith had been watching the woman’s face closely when she’d answered. It had to be said that Bitty was a world-class liar. “How did Mercy and Christopher respond to having an eleven-year-old brother?”

“They were overjoyed. Who wouldn’t be? Christopher had a new friend. Dave treated Mercy like a little doll. Would’ve carried her around in his arms all the time if he could’a. As it was, her feet never touched the ground.”

“It must’ve been surprising when they ended up together.”

Bitty lifted her chin in defiance. “It brought Jon into my life, and that’s all I’ll say about that.”

“Has Jon come home?”

“No, and we’re not looking. We’re gonna give him the time he asked for.” She patted her fingers to her chest. “Jon is a thoughtful boy. Kind and considerate, exactly like his daddy. He’s going to break hearts just like his daddy, too. You should see how handsome he is. All the guests go crazy at the sight of him. I watch them out the window when Jon comes down the stairs. He likes to make an entrance. Your Sara looked like she wanted to eat him up.”