Back when he was little, Hunt used to bring him and Ray out here to fish. Hunt had always baited their hooks and taken the fish off the lines. He was a good big brother, and what they’d done was unforgivable.

He walked down to the edge of the water, then paused, staring out across the water and watching the sunlight sparkling on the surface. A flock of Canada geese was swimming in the middle of the lake, and there was a big, gray crane standing in the edge of the water just down shore from where Junior was standing. There was so much beauty here…and such peace. Junior squatted down at the water’s edge, picked up a couple of rocks, and gave them a toss.

The ripples spread out from the point of contact like an echo…going farther and farther…growing bigger and bigger, like the lies that had destroyed his family. If he could do it over, he would never have kept the secret. Even though the consequences would have taken them down, Hunt would not have felt so betrayed. Instead, he’d paid the price for their sins.

Junior was still watching the geese when his phone suddenly rang. When he saw it was Ray, he answered.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Hello to you, too,” Ray said. “Did you hear about Birdie?”

“Yes, I heard about Birdie, but not from any of the family. Thank you for calling,” he said, and hung up.

Ray called back.

Junior answered angrily. “What?”

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Ray asked. “Where are you?”

“Grey Goose Lake.”

There was a long pause, and then Ray asked, “What are you doing out there?”

“Remembering how Hunt used to bring us fishing when we were kids. He was a good big brother. What we did to him was bad.”

Ray sighed. “I know, but there’s no going back. What’s done is done.”

“I don’t like myself,” Junior said. “I am a loser. We failed Hunt. Then we failed ourselves. And we failed Mama. I don’t even matter enough to any of you to let me know Birdie escaped a fire today. I disgust me.”

“Come by the house,” Ray said. “We’ll talk.”

“I don’t want to talk, and I don’t want to get blind, stinking drunk again tonight,” Junior said.

“Then what do you want?” Ray asked.

“Just for all this to be over. For Hunt to leave town so I don’t have to remember what we did to him.”

“Come back into town,” Ray said.