This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars #5)(104)

She didn't worry about Kevin dropping in. He'd gone to town with the Dillards, where, if there was any justice, he'd get drunk and end up with a world-class hangover. Also they hadn't spoken all afternoon.

During tea she could see right away that he was angry with her, but she didn't care because she was angry right back. You duh man… You duh big dumb jerk! Selling the campground was bad enough, but selling it to somebody who intended to destroy it was unconscionable, and she'd never forgive herself if she didn't at least try to put a stop to it.

Lilies of the Field was too isolated for her to be able to see the men when they returned from town, but the campground was quiet enough that she knew she'd hear them. Sure enough, a little after one in the morning the sound of a car engine drifted through the window. As she straightened in the chair, she wished there weren't so many loopholes in her plan, but it was the best she had.

She pulled on her sneakers, grabbed the flashlight she'd swiped from the house, and left Roo behind so she could set to work. Forty-five minutes later she let herself inside Lamb of God, where Eddie and Larry were spending the night. She'd checked it out earlier, right after the men had left for town, to see which bedroom was Eddie's. Now it smelled like stale liquor.

Moving closer, she gazed down at the big, dumb, drunken lump under the covers. "Eddie?"

The lump didn't move.

"Eddie," she whispered again, hoping she didn't wake up Larry, too, since it would be easier dealing with only one of them. "Eddie, wake up."

Fumes came off him as he stirred. Someone this gross shouldn't be allowed in Nightingale Woods. "Yeah… yeah?" He wedged open his eyes. "Whatzu…"

"It's Molly," she whispered. "Kevin's estranged wife. I need to talk to you."

"Whadya… whatzabout?"

"About the fishing camp. It's very important."

He started to lever himself up, then fell back into the pillow.

"I wouldn't bother you if it weren't important. I'll just step outside while you put some clothes on. Oh, and you don't need to wake Larry."

"Do we hafta talk now?"

"I'm afraid so. Unless you want to make a terrible mistake." She hurried from the room, hoping he'd get up.

A few minutes later he stumbled out the front door. She put her fingers to her lips and gestured for him to follow. Sweeping her flashlight across the ground, she cut across the edge of the Common, then headed back toward Lilies of the Field. Before she got there, however, she turned into the woods and headed toward the lake.

The wind had picked up. She felt a storm brewing and hoped it didn't hit until she was done with this. He loomed next to her, a big, hulking shape.

"What's going on?"

"There's something you need to see."

"Couldn't I see it in the morning?"

"That'll be too late."

He swiped at a branch. "Shit. Does Kev know about this?"

"Kev doesn't want to know."

He stopped walking. "What do you mean by that?"

She kept her flashlight pointed at the ground. "I mean that he's not deliberately deceiving you. He's just ignored some things."

"Deceiving me? What the hell're you talking about?"

"I know you thought I was being silly today at lunch, but I was hoping you'd listen to me. Then we could have avoided this." She started walking again.

"Avoided what? You'd better tell me what's going on here, lady."

"I'll show you instead."

Eddie stumbled a few more times before they finally reached the water. The trees whipped in the wind, and she braced herself. "I hate being the one who has to show you this, but there's a… problem with the lake."

"What kind of problem?"

She slowly swept the flashlight beam along the edge of the water, just where it lapped the shore, until she found what she was looking for.

Dead fish floating in the water.

"What the hell… ?"

She played the light over the silver bellies of the fish before turning the beam back onto the bank. "Eddie, I'm so sorry. I know you have your heart set on a fishing camp, but the fish in this lake are dying."

"Dying?"

"We have an environmental disaster going on. Toxins are leaking into the water from a secret underground chemical dump. It'll cost millions to fix the problem, and the town doesn't have the money. Since the local economy depends on tourists, there's a big cover-up going on, and no one will publicly admit there's a problem."

"Fuck." He grabbed the flashlight and shone it back on the floating fish. Then he snapped it off. "I can't believe Kev would do this to me!"

This was the most glaring loophole in her plan, and she tried to overcome it with dramatic presentation. "He's in denial, Eddie. Terrible, terrible denial. This was his childhood home, his last link with his parents, and he simply can't face the fact that the lake is dying, so he's convinced himself it isn't happening."

"How does he explain the damn dead fish!"

A very good question, and she gave it her best shot. "He stays away from the water. It's so sad. His denial is so deep that—" She gripped his arm and went into full Susan Lucci. "Oh, Eddie, I know it's not fair to ask you to do this, but do you think… ? Could you just tell him you've changed your mind and not confront him about this? I swear he wasn't deliberately trying to deceive you, and it'll tear him apart if he thinks he's destroyed your friendship."