Jon shook his head. “Jesus, Walker. You’re deluding yourself. You don’t drink because you feel guilty. You drink because you’re a drunk. Get a clue. Confessing won’t change anything.”

“You’re wrong. I know I’m a drunk and I’ll deal with it. This is something else. I want to be square with life. I want to make amends. You’ve found a way to live with what we did. I can’t. I want it off my chest.”

“Good for you. Perfect. But your so-called amends will put my ass in a sling.”

“That doesn’t necessarily follow,” Walker said.

“You’re full of shit. How can you admit what you did without implicating me?”

“I’ll handle it. This is not about you.”

Jon seemed amused. “What are you picturing? You go to the cops and turn yourself in. You tell ’em what you did; you’re now so very sorry and you want to make it right?” He stopped and studied Walker, waiting for a response. “You’re never going to make it right. There’s no way. We fucked up big time. That little girl is dead.”

Walker said, “It would have helped if you’d read the label.”

“Would you get off that shit? I did. I told you a thousand times. Everybody takes Valium. Ten-milligram tabs are no big deal.”

“Guess again.”

“Fine. You can make that part of your pitch.”

“I will.”

“So what exactly do you hope to accomplish in your feverish eagerness to unburden your soul?”

“I need to find a way to live with myself. That’s all I’m saying. I want to clean up the mess we made.”

“Live with yourself ? Well, that won’t last long. You’re talking about felony murder, for which you’ll get the death penalty. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not. If there were any other way out, don’t you think I’d jump at it?”

“How the fuck do you expect to go up against the cops? They’ll grill your sorry ass from here to next Tuesday until you tell ’em what went down. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out you didn’t act alone. They’ll want you to name names, and mine’s the only one on the list.”

“I already told you this isn’t about you.”

“Yes, it is, you asshole. It’s about me the minute you open your damn mouth, which I’m telling you not to do.”

“Maybe I can make a deal. I tell ’em what I know as long as I don’t have to talk about anyone else. Just my part.”