Page 160 of This is Why We Lied

Paul said, “I think tonight would be a great night for all of us to hear the truth.”

Sara caught Faith shutting him down with a look.

“Or not.” Paul returned his glass to the table.

Faith said, “The coroner scraped under Mercy’s fingernails. She found pieces of skin, which means that Mercy scratched whoever attacked her. We’re going to need DNA from every person in here.”

Dave laughed. “Good fucking luck, lady. You need a warrant for that.”

“Judge Framingham is signing off on it right now.” Faith spoke with such authority that Sara almost believed her. “You know the judge, don’t you, Dave? He presided over a couple of your DUIs, right? He’s the one who pulled your driver’s license.”

Dave traced his finger along the fork beside his plate. “You’re just gonna take everybody’s DNA here?”

“That’s right,” Faith said. “Every single person.”

Drew said, “You can’t do that. There’s no reason to suspect—”

“You don’t need my fucking DNA,” Cecil said. “I’m her goddam father.”

Sara flinched at the explosion of rage. Her mind immediately went to Gabbie, then Mercy.

“Mr. McAlpine.” Faith kept her voice calm. “There’s something called touch-DNA, which means that anybody who came into physical contact with Mercy, whether it was Bitty or Delilah or you or Jon or even one of the guests, left some of their genetic material on her body. We have to establish profiles on everyone so we can isolate the killer’s. The kitchen staff and Penny have already given samples. It’s really not that big a deal.”

“Okay.” Delilah surprised everyone by speaking first. “I held Mercy’s hand. It was before dinner, but sign me up. How do we do this? Spit? Swab?”

“Fuck. No.” Keisha slapped the table. “I’m not keeping your secret anymore. This is bullshit.”

“What secret?” Delilah asked.

Faith provided, “Mercy was twelve weeks pregnant.”

Bitty gasped. Her eyes went straight to Dave.

Sara looked at Dave, too. The news had clearly unsettled him.

Faith said, “We know that Mercy had sex with some of the guests.”

There was cross-talk at the end of the table, but Sara could only watch Bitty place a calming hand on Dave’s arm. His jaw was tight. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist.

He said, “What are you saying about my wife?”

Will chose now to jump in. “Mercy wasn’t your wife.”

Dave’s fist clenched tight. He ignored Will, training all his rage on Faith. “What bullshit just came out of your fucking mouth?”

Will said, “It wasn’t just the guests. Mercy was fucking Alejandro on the regular.”

Dave stood up so fast that his chair fell over. He was looking at Will now. “Shut your fucking mouth.”

Sara tensed along with everyone else at the table. The two men were facing off, both ready to kill each other.

“Dave.” Bitty tugged at the back of his shirt. “Sit down, baby. If they had a warrant, they’d be showing it to you.”

Dave’s mouth twisted into a vulgar grin. “She’s right. Show me the paper, Trashcan.”

“You think I can’t get your DNA?” Will asked. “You’re gonna toss out a cigarette or throw away a bottle of Coke or smear your ass on a toilet seat and I’m gonna be right there collecting it. You can’t help yourself. You leave your stink on everything you touch.”

“I don’t smoke,” Frank weighed in, always trying to make peace. “But there’s no need to follow me around. I’m happy to give a spit or a swab, too.”