“Katie’s dropping the kids off at school and won’t never know ’bout one beer.” Peanut returned to the bacon and removed the skillet from the eye. He set it off to the side to let the cast iron cool and forked the bacon from it. Once he finished, he opened the oven to check on the biscuits. “They’re almost done.”

“Where is everybody?”

“That beer’s getting warm.” Peanut held his can but hadn’t drunk yet. I realized he was waiting on me and popped mine open. He took a big step across the kitchen, touched the rim of his can to mine, said, “Cheers.”

We drank long and hard, but Peanut chugged his and checked the biscuits one last time. He grabbed a dishtowel to take them from the stove, and we both made a plate. Peanut took a seat across from me at the table and started talking with his mouth full.

“I sent Caudell and your brother into town with your mama. They’re grabbing you some clothes and whatever else you’ll need to stay here for a while. Randy Jessup’s out searching for y’all. This’s the safest place for you.” Peanut swallowed what he’d chewed and shoveled more food into his mouth. He kept talking, “I made Deddy take the kids to school with Katie. She’s taking him to pick up his medicine and run errands. This way, we can talk.”

I took a swig of my beer, chased it with some bacon, stabbed the eggs with my fork. Peanut watched me eat and waited for me to swallow. He wouldn’t look away from me until I asked, “What do you wanna talk about, Peanut?”

“Mack, c’mon, we known each other since we was little kids.”

I stabbed the eggs so hard my fork clanked against the plate. “That goddamn money.”

Peanut sat back in his chair and looked at me the way a dog does when it can’t understand its master’s tone.

“All you and my brother are worried about is some fucking money, and there’s a girl out there that’s probably gone die.” I dropped my fork onto the plate and pushed it away from me.

Peanut reached over for my last piece of bacon. “It ain’t the money, Mack, it’s the damage it’ll do to Kendall Murdoch. I jerk that rug from underneath him, and he won’t be able to stand up to me.”

“Why do you need me and my brother, Peanut?” I asked. “You got a whole army of men that can help you get that money. Hell, Caudell could do it all by himself.”