“Will pumping it help?”

The guy shrugs. “It might? It should. But not if the tank itself is failing. To be honest, ma’am, we don’t see many septic tanks in this plat anymore. Most everyone’s hooked up to the city sewer line. Have you considered that?”

So much money.

“I can’t afford that right now.” I can’t afford the fee to have them pump the tank, much less anything else. “Do I have to pay you today for pumping it?”

“We can send you a bill. But honestly, ma’am,” he says, apologetic, “it’s only a short-term fix. You really need to get a new tank or hook up to the city.”

I pull my phone from my pocket. No messages from Ken, so there’s nothing to send to the detectives, and for the first time since they showed up, I have a second or two to allow myself to wonder what they want with him. I check my bank app. No withdrawals, but also, no deposit.

Stabbing the screen with my fingertips, I call Ken’s home office. I’m expecting to get the voice mail, but a female voice answers. I’m so stunned that at first, I don’t even speak.

“Hello?”

“Sorry. I’m trying to get in touch with Ken Jordan.” I step back from the men. One goes back toward the truck.

“Who’s calling?”

“This is his wife.”

The man has a shovel. He pokes it into a spot at the end of the patch, turning up the earth there. I see a white garlic clove come to the surface. I take the phone away from my face.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to find the access cover.”

“Not in my garlic you won’t! Get out of there!” Into the phone I say, “Sorry, there are some men here trying to dig up my garden.”

“I’m sorry, did you say you were Ken Jordan’s wife?”

The men are out of the garden, hands on their hips, shaking their heads. I can see them thinking I’m a crazy woman. I feel like one.

“Yes. And I have a question about his paycheck. He said there’d been a changeover with the accounting system, but this is the third time his check hasn’t come in on time. I’m just trying to figure it out.” My laugh is fake. I’m gesturing at the men to get out of the garden.

“Mrs. Jordan …” A sigh.

I turn away from the septic guys. I close my eyes. I focus. “I really just need to be sure his check is going to be deposited soon. Can you please find out about it for me?”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but Ken doesn’t work for us anymore. He was let go.”

I stagger forward a step or two and almost drop the phone. “What? When?”

“Right before Labor Day.”

CHAPTER
34

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND.”

“During the restructuring, I guess there were some performance reviews and … look, it’s not my place to say. You should really talk to Kenny about this.”