She was almost to the door when Andy ran after her. “Come back for a minute. I want to ask you something.”

Jill slid into the booth. She cupped her hands around the beer bottle in front of her and waited.

“Do you remember my telling you about that time at the Judas Grove?”

“Of course I remember. I don’t think you ever got over that, Andy. You used to talk about it in your sleep. Is it still bothering you?”

“Did you tell anyone?”

Jill’s eyes never left those of her husband. “Of course not. Why would I? That was a tragic time in your life. I would never tell something like that to anyone. Has something happened?”

“Cady Jordan is back in town, and so is Boomer Ward.”

“And…”

“If it gets out, we’ll be ruined. All of us.”

“You should have fessed up, Andy. I told you something like this would happen someday. Secrets like that are a terrible burden for anyone to carry. Do you have any idea how good you would feel to get that off your chest? People are forgiving, Andy. It was a long time ago, and you were just little kids. What do the others say?”

Andy dropped his head into his hands. “Boomer doesn’t feel he has anything to confess since he was the one who went home to call the police. I thought Pete was the one who called. Pete said he was all for confessing. Amy said…Amy said…she would lie if I decided to own up.”

“I think I’ll leave right now, Andy Hollister. You just made my case for me. Be the good person I know you are and do the right thing. Good night, Andy.”

Andy leaned back in the booth and stared at the check lying on the table. Christ Almighty, how did it come to this? He felt like crying for his own stupidity. Jill is right about everything. Why didn’t I see it? What the hell is wrong with me?

Do the right thing. The right thing for whom? Himself? Cady? Pete and Boomer? Amy? Had he just been spouting words to make himself feel better, or was he man enough to stand up and tell the truth? The minute he made that decision, his life was going to change forever. Did he have the guts to face that change? Amy would cease to be a part of his life if he did the right thing. Could he handle that?

Rage unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life coursed through him. He grabbed the check off the table, slammed down a ten-dollar bill, and ran from the room out to the parking lot, where he opened the trunk and fished out his sneakers. He tossed his loafers into the trunk, put on the sneakers, and started to run, yanking at his jacket, which he tossed into some bushes. His tie sailed over his shoulder before he ripped at the buttons on his dress shirt. His arms pumped as furiously as his legs, his shirt flying through the air.