Hollander said, “A lot of effort for no results.”

“You got it, mister,” Pappy said fiercely. “I couldn’t afford it no more. Misters, I tried for them. Tried for Luke’s sake. I loved my son. But…but I got a daughter and two healthy grandchildren to think about. Not to mention Earl. All my money was goin’ to Luke and Linda. It weren’t fair, and I just couldn’t do it no more.”

The old man shook his head, reached in his pocket and lit up a cigarette.

“Then she started in on Luke, trying to get him to sell my land. Getting Carla all riled up ’cause she wasn’t a partner in the land. Hell, why should she be? She didn’t do no work for it. But the worst was when Linda started sending them rich builders over to pester me. The girl was plumb crazy with the idea of trying to get herself a baby. It made us all crazy. Specially Luke. Then one day he told Granny D what they were doin’ to Linda, how the baby might not even be his…that drove Granny deep into her spells. Tell you the truth, mister, I didn’t like the idea, either. I was spendin’ all this money, and the baby weren’t even gonna be my blood. I finally said, No more, Linda, No more.”

Hollander transferred the napkin to the back of his neck. The pain from the stings on his hands had begun to subside. Decker said, “Linda didn’t like being told no, did she?”

“You got it, mister,” Pappy Darcy said. “She said she was gonna find her own way…then…dear Lord…it all fell to pieces. Just…fell to pieces.”

“She had an affair with Byron Howard,” Decker said.

“I was ready to throw her out on her butt,” Pappy Darcy said. “My wife, too! But Luke…he felt bad. Like it was all his fault ’cause he couldn’t make her a baby. And Linda was crying, carrying on so. So they stayed together. Luke said he was a believer in Jesus, and if the Lord could forgive, so would he. And he acted real nice and forgiving to Linda on the outside. But…”

“But what?” Decker said.

“But something changed him on the inside,” Pappy knitted his brow. “And it brought out the worst in Granny. Luke and my wife…late at night. Talking and whispering…I tried to pretend that it weren’t happenin’. But I knew in my heart it weren’t no good no more.”

“What were they talking about?” Decker asked.

Pappy Darcy shook his head. “It was wrong, what they was doing.” He clenched his fist. “Just wrong.”

“What were they doing?” Decker asked.

“They were makin’ plans for Linda…the two of them.”

“What plans?”