“If you’re lying to me . . .”

“What? You’ll kill me?”

“Yeah,” Gibson said, surprised by the certainty of it.

Billy smiled. “Good. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“You really took her?”

“Jeez, man, I didn’t ‘take’ her. It wasn’t like that. It’s more complicated than that.”

“Care to uncomplicate it?”

“Yeah, I do. Care to take a drive?”

“Where?”

“I’ll show you. I’m not going to tell you, so don’t ask. Can’t have you telling your partners where I am.”

“I thought you trusted me, and anyway, they’re not my partners anymore.”

“Screw you. I told you my name. Where I work. Maybe that’s all you get right now.” Billy flashed angry. “Maybe you show me a little reciprocity, huh? You don’t know what they’re capable of.”

“Yeah, actually, I do.”

“No, actually, you don’t,” Billy said.

Gibson drove them north out of Somerset. Billy seemed to relax as soon as they were away from the library.

“I have a gun. I guess I should tell you that,” Billy said.

Gibson gave him a sidelong glance.

“Look, I’m not going to use it or anything. Not unless you cross me. Deal?”

“Just don’t point it at me otherwise. Deal?”

“You got one? In your bag or somewhere?”

“I don’t. Don’t really like guns.”

“What? You were in the Marines, man.”

“Not by choice.”

“Truth,” Billy said simply. He looked out the window and smiled.

Gibson glanced over at him again. “What are you grinning about?”

“Just a relief, you know? You don’t know what it’s like to have to carry this kind of secret around for ten years. It eats at you. There are days you just want to bust. You don’t know how many times I thought about posting her photo to Reddit. Sit back and watch everyone lose their shit.” Billy pointed off to the right. “Turn here at the light.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t I what?”

“Post it. Come forward anonymously.”

“Because of Mr. Musgrove.”

“Who the hell is Mr. Musgrove?”

“My neighbor growing up.”

Gibson waited for him to elaborate, but Billy withdrew under a dark cloud of brooding.

They drove north in silence. Gibson kept prodding him, but Billy said he’d rather just show him. Billy asked if he could smoke. Gibson said it wasn’t his car, but Billy cracked a window anyway and carefully blew his smoke away from him.

Whatever else Billy Casper might be—kidnapper, compulsive liar, schizophrenic—he seemed like a decent kid. Gibson could see why Bear trusted Billy enough to meet him in Breezewood. Enough to get into his car. Gibson liked Billy Casper. But that wouldn’t save him if he’d done something to Bear.