“I did it.”

“Did what?” Decker said.

“I advise you not to let your brother answer that, Mrs. Litton,” Nixon said.

“Go ahead, Earl,” Sue Beth said. “Don’t pay no attention to…him. Just answer the policeman’s questions.”

Decker turned up the tape recorder and sneaked a sidelong glance at Nixon. His face was impassive. “What did you do, Earl?” Decker asked.

“Killed them.”

“Killed who?”

“Don’t answer that, Earl,” Nixon said.

Earl closed his mouth. Sue Beth told him to keep talking.

“But the nigger hushed me up,” Earl said.

“I don’t want him in here,” Sue Beth complained to Decker. “He’s mixing up my brother.”

Decker said, “You don’t have to listen to your lawyer. But I want him here.”

“Hear that, Earl,” Sue Beth said. “You don’t listen to the black man. Just answer the policeman’s questions.” She turned to Nixon and said, “And I’d thank you not to interrupt him.”

“He’s doing his job,” Decker said. Then, quickly, he repeated his question, “Killed who, Earl?”

“Them.”

“Who’s them?”

“Don’t answer that,” Nixon said. But this time Earl didn’t listen.

“Killed Linda,” he said.

“Linda who?”

“My sister Linda.”

“He means sister-in-law,” Sue Beth said. She played with her charm bracelet. “He don’t know the difference.”

“I understand,” Decker said. He spoke soothingly. “You killed your sister-in-law, Linda, Earl?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Nixon interjected, Earl spoke anyway.

“Shot her.”

“Why’d you shoot Linda, Earl?” Decker asked.

“She was arguing.”

“Arguing with who, Earl?”

“Luke.”

“Luke was arguing with Linda?”

“Yes.”

“What about?”

“Don’t answer that, Earl,” Sue Beth piped up. She looked at Decker. “It’s personal.”

“We need to know everything, Sue Beth,” Decker said.

“I don’t see why.”

She was getting that stubborn look in her eye. Decker said, “It may be important to the case.”

“He said he did it. Ain’t that enough?”

Decker felt his chest tighten. “No, it’s not enough. Look, you want this to be over with, let me do what I have to do.”

“You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to, Sue Beth,” Nixon said. “Of course, now it’s too late to pull your brother out. He’s already confessed to one murder. But I advise you both not to say anything else incriminating.”

“I just don’t see it being important what they were arguing about,” Sue Beth said to Decker. Her voice started to quaver.

“Were you there?” Decker said.

“Don’t answer that,” Nixon said.

“’Course not!” Sue Beth protested.