Page 76 of This is Why We Lied

“I know you strangled Mercy on the trail this afternoon.”

“So what? Mercy likes being roughed up every now and then. And there ain’t no way in hell she’s gonna turn me in for it.” Dave sounded smugly confident. “Stay the fuck out of my business or you’re gonna figure out real soon what kind of man I grew up to be.”

Will wasn’t satisfied with getting Dave admitting to domestic violence. He wanted more. “Tell me what happened tonight.”

“What about tonight?”

“Where were you?”

Dave smoked his cigarette, but something had changed. He had talked to enough cops to know when one was asking him for an alibi.

Will said, “Where were you, Dave?”

“Why? What happened tonight?”

“You tell me.”

“Shit.” He sucked on the cigarette. “Something bad went down, didn’t it? You weren’t just wandering around out here like a dumbass. What are we talking about? State crime, right? Drug deal go bad? You on to some traffickers?”

Will said nothing.

“That’s why it’s you and not fucking Biscuits.” Dave sucked down to the filter. “Fucking bullshit, man.”

Will still said nothing.

“What now?” Dave said. “You think you’re gonna take me in, motherfucker? With your one hand and your bullshit story about seeing me strangle my wife?”

“Mercy isn’t your wife anymore.”

“She’s mine, you fucking piece of shit. Mercy belongs to me. I can do whatever the fuck I want to her.”

“What’d you do to her, Dave?”

“None of your goddam business. This is some bullshit.” He flicked his cigarette into the fire. He didn’t yank another beer off the pack. He didn’t rest his hand in his lap. He leaned back again, resting his elbow on the log, putting the boning knife within easy reach.

This time, the movement was clearly deliberate.

Dave tried to pretend that it wasn’t. “Get outta here with your bullshit.”

“Why don’t you get out of here with me?”

Dave snorted again. He wiped his nose with his arm, but it was only an excuse to put himself closer to the boning knife.

Will ignored the searing pain in his injured hand as he gripped it into a fist. He used his good hand to push up the leg of his pants so the handle of the bait knife was out in the open.

Dave said nothing. He just licked his lips, eager to get things started. This was what he’d been wanting from the second he’d spotted Will on the Loop Trail. In truth, maybe Will had wanted it, too.

They both stood up at the same time.

The first mistake people made in a knife fight was that they worried too much about the knife. Which was fair. Being stabbed hurt like hell. Belly wounds could put a clock over your grave. A straight shot to the heart could send you there quicker.

The second mistake people made in a knife fight was the same mistake most people made in any type of fight. They assumed it would be fair. Or at least that the other person would play fair.

Dave had been in his share of knife fights. He clearly knew the two mistakes. He kept the boning knife straight out in front of him while he reached for the switchblade in his back pocket. His plan was clever enough. Distract Will with one knife while he plunged in the other.

Fortunately, Will had his own clever plan. He knew that Dave’s primary concern was the bait knife. He wasn’t thinking about Will’s injured hand. He hadn’t noticed that Will had grabbed a handful of dirt. Which was why he was so surprised when Will slashed it into his face.

“Fuck!” Dave staggered back. He dropped the boning knife, but muscle memory kept his dominant hand in play.