“It was crazy, sitting there one room over from a murderer. You should’ve seen the way the detective was looking at me. It was horrible—”

“Paula,” he said, cutting me off. “Did you tell them about the money? I mean, did you tell them everything?”

“I—”

“Did you tell them that it wasn’t Hooks who broke in and stole the money?” he pressed. “Did you tell them what I did?”

I sighed and took a deep breath. I thought back to his words the previous night: Stop talking, my turn. I thought about the way he’d broken down and told me the truth.

I thought about my confession, and his.

And then I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “I didn’t tell them.”

I was a good person.

Keith had told me that he was the one responsible for the break-in. He’d seen me storing the money the night I’d gotten it from Hooks and had arranged to steal it. The temptation for someone who’d struggled with gambling addiction had been too strong; he’d hired a kid from the swim team to do it, one who hadn’t traveled with them to Indianapolis.

“You told me you were going to be at the diner until seven that morning,” he’d said, his voice cracking. “I’d been thinking about the money ever since I saw it, and I couldn’t think of another way to take it. I’d talked to Jimmy about it, just in passing, but didn’t really decide to act on it until you told me you had to work late that day. I texted him from the bus and told him to take some treats for Shelby, to tear the place up a bit before taking the money out of the bathroom. He didn’t want to hurt you. He didn’t even know you were there! He was just coming to the bedroom to try to calm Shelby down. I never would’ve put you in that situation. I’m so, so sorry.”

Then, he opened up with one more confession.

“I’ve already gambled half of it away.”

He’d stared at me, sadness, embarrassment, and disappointment in his eyes. I could tell he was holding his breath as he waited for my reaction. I knew I should scream, cry, or storm out of the room, the memory of the fear I’d felt that night washing over me in a wave of sickness.

But I reminded myself, it was just that.

A memory.

It was time we started to move forward.

“Half of it?” I’d asked levelly. “What about the rest? Do you still have it?”

Keith had stared at me for a moment, understanding settling on his face, and he’d nodded.

We’d have to be careful about how we used it, since Detective Puhl would be watching.

With or without the money, we would get past this.