“It’s a terrible thing to fall into the grace of God.” Snake smiles strangely, and I remember all the depraved acts this preacher’s son has committed in his life. “That’s it, right there. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“You’re the one ought to be worried about meeting God,” Lincoln says.

“Let’s hear it,” I say, gesturing with my gun.

Snake clucks his tongue a couple of times, then looks at the floor. “Me and Sonny had been out there a couple weeks before Viola died. Just to remind her of the deal she made back in ’68. We told her to stop talking to Henry Sexton, and if she didn’t, well . . . we’d have to shut her up for good.

“I could see right off she wasn’t going to stop. I wanted to go ahead and finish her, but Forrest didn’t want any trouble that might get in the papers. Forrest was always more worried about the dollar than anything else. So, me and Sonny would ride out that way every day or so, see who was out there. We saw Doc Cage’s car quite a few times, sometimes his nurse. But then we saw Henry’s car again. I decided we had to finish it, no matter what Forrest said.”

Maybe Snake really is crazy. I can’t believe he’s about to confess to killing Viola in front of her son.

“So that night, we parked in the trees up above the house, where Doc testified he saw our truck—Devine’s truck, really, but we were in it. Anyway, Doc was already there when we got there that night. I figured we’d wait for him to leave, then go in and do it. Well, after about fifteen minutes, Doc comes out and drives off. But just as we was walking down there, here comes another car.” Snake looks up at me, his eyes shining brighter. “And who’s in it . . . but your mama? Mrs. Peggy Cage, mistress of the plantation.”

My face feels hot. I start to glance at Lincoln, but I can feel his gaze on me like a lamp. He wants to know if Snake is making this up.

“She was in there a while, then she come out in a hurry. Once she drove out, me and Sonny went in.”

I want to say This is bullshit, but Lincoln would hear the lie in my voice.

Snake looks at Lincoln and shrugs. “When we got in there, your mama was gone. She looked just like she did in the picture I saw from that video. There was no tape in that camera, either.”

“You’re lying,” Lincoln says. “He’s lying, right?”

“He’s lying,” I affirm.