“In the past few years it’s become known around town that he’s something of a psychic. He won’t claim it. He just says that he knows stuff. Anyway, he came to the funeral home the night we had Mama’s viewing, said he had a message for me from Mama, and asked if I would step outside where it was quiet, so I did.”

At that point, no one was moving. No one was asking questions. They were riveted to Birdie’s story.

“Hunt, he told me that Mama wanted you to know she was sorry. That what happened to you wasn’t fair, and what our family did to you was unforgivable, but that she didn’t know the whole truth until she was shown it on the other side.”

Junior moaned, and Hunt tightened his hold on him as Birdie continued.

“Elliot said he had no idea what any of it meant, but he was just supposed to deliver Mama’s message. So here’s the message. Mama said it starts with Emma, and Daddy did it. She said Junior and Ray knew and said nothing because Daddy demanded silence from all of them.”

Hunt remembered that paper he’d found behind the picture in Junior and Ray’s room.

“He made you all sign some kind of an oath, didn’t he?” Hunt asked.

They looked at him in shock.

“What are you talking about?” Birdie asked.

“I found it behind a picture in the boys’ room,” he said, and pulled it out of his wallet and handed it to Birdie.

Birdie read it, then looked up at them, frowning.

“What does this mean?”

Emma stared off across the lake.

Ray couldn’t look at Hunt.

But Hunt felt like he’d been gut-punched.

“Birdie, you said Dad did it? Are you saying Dad took my money?”

Birdie nodded. “That’s the message Mama sent. I guess she wanted Elliot to deliver the message to me because I’d had no part in any of it and wouldn’t be inclined to continue the secret.”

Hunt’s arms dropped to his sides, but when Ava grabbed his hand, he held on and started asking questions.

“Why? Emma? What did you do that started it? Junior…how did it involve you? Damn it, Ray, what the hell did they do that was so bad that you would lie to me, too? Why did Dad steal from me?”

When no one talked, he turned loose of Ava and stepped into the middle of them, his fists doubled up in anger. And he began to talk, and the more he said, the louder he got until at the end he was shouting.