Дэвид Балдаччи - One Good Deed

“It wasn’t about my freedom, Jackie. It was about yours.”

He took out the onionskin carbon copy and handed it to her. “I found this curled up inside your father’s Remington. I don’t think this went through Desiree Lankford, or else she would have told you.”

She read quickly through it and then looked up at him in shock. “My father was accusing me of killing my mother. He said he had evidence and he wanted Brooks to prosecute me for murder. He wanted to see me hang.”

“That’s about the size of it.”

“Even after everything he did, he still wasn’t done hurting me.” She handed back the letter and said quietly, “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“You left home because of what he did,” said Archer.

“I wanted to kill him. I wanted to throw him on that corn picker. But he just laughed at me. Said I was just a girl, no one would believe me.”

“He tried to make out to me that you were the crazy, violent one.”

She gazed at him with wide, probing eyes. “I guess with how I acted around you, you might have been justified in believing that.”

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, Jackie. I could see that. Nothing devious there. Your father, on the other hand, he was way too manipulative. Way too slick. Those are the ones you have to watch out for.”

“I guess your reading all those detective novels came in handy,” interjected Ernestine.

Archer said, “I wanted to put you on the stand and show Brooks that you didn’t kill your mother. I didn’t want you to have to worry about that ever again. And now you don’t. I confirmed that with him.”

Jackie looked shaken by this news and said, “Thank you, Archer. That was very kind of you.”

“But you didn’t know that was my reason. I didn’t put that in my letter to you.”

“And so I didn’t have to come back.”

“But you did, Jackie. Why’s that? It was risky for you. You had to trust me.” He paused. “And for a few seconds in the courtroom, I’m not sure you did.”

She looked away for a moment before focusing on him. “Remember I was asking you how it was in the war?”

He frowned. “You mean the killing part?”

“No, about being part of something bigger than yourself. Well, I guess that bigger something was you, Archer. I... I couldn’t leave you to fight that battle alone. That’s why I came back.”

Ernestine leaned forward and said, “We had no idea you were going to be implicated in what happened. With the evidence from the safe in the Nash and all. I had already left town, and Jackie soon followed. But we never meant to hurt you, Archer, never.”

“I believe you,” he said simply.

Jackie said, “When I was on the witness stand, my trust in you did waver at one point.”

“But?” said Archer.

“But in the end, I figured I had to count on a man at some point in my life. And it might as well be you. I think you earned that right.”

He nodded and said, “I thank you for that.”

A few moments of silence passed.

“Archer, how did you know I had seen my father kill my mother?”

“I didn’t know for sure. But in prison I hung around a lot of guilty people, so I know what that looks like. But I was innocent, so I know what that looks like, too. You loved your mother and you butted heads with her, nothing wrong with that. But Lucas Tuttle tried to convince me you had killed her, while you wouldn’t even talk about it, or got agitated when you did. And then you left home to be Pittleman’s chattel. You never struck me as the type that would do that unless you had a really good reason. And that reason was you couldn’t live with a man who had killed your mother, and you wanted to punish him in the only way you could, by being with Pittleman.”

“That was very perceptive of you, Archer,” she said quietly. “Because that’s exactly why I did it. I knew it would drive him crazy, and I wanted to hurt him for what he’d done.”

“I would have too, if I were you.” He paused. “But now it’s time to let it go, Jackie. You can’t let your hate for the man dictate the rest of your life. He’s gone now. You need to get on with living, on your own terms.”

Ernestine smiled and patted Jackie’s hand. “I’ve been telling her that ever since we got here.”

Jackie said, “But why did you really ask Marjorie all those questions on the witness stand? You could have just played what was on the recorder. That would have been enough.”

“I was lucky Tuttle had forgotten the machine was on. But sometimes people won’t believe what’s right in front of them. And Marjorie is a good liar. I wanted to lay out the reasons why she would kill your father and pin her down on the stand before I played what was on that recorder. Mr. Shaw would call that corroboration, of a sort.” He paused. “And I wanted to make that pious-looking woman squirm, after all the terrible things she’d done.”

“I can see that,” said Jackie.

“Now I got a question.”

She smiled and wearily shook her head. “You still like your questions.”

“I never figured out exactly why you needed that maid, Amy.”

“The man who ran the warehouse for Hank was sweet on her. He gave her a key to the building, so they could meet up there sometimes and be alone, and... you know.”

“Good to know I’m not the only man who got taken in by a pretty lady.”

“Trust me, Archer, you’ll never be alone in that regard.”

“Desiree tipped you off about Bobby Kent not being around to drive your father to town that night?”

Jackie nodded. “It’s why I picked that time. Desiree has always been a good friend. I gave her some of the money from my father’s repayment to Hank. I... I feel like I earned it more than he did.”

“I think you’re right about that. Now, you must’ve seen that contract that Marjorie signed that was in the safe?”

“We did. But we were moving so fast, Archer, we never looked at it. We just grabbed everything quick as we could. It took the both of us to carry each of those gold bars out. I was terrified my father was going to show up before we were finished.”

“And good thing you got out of there before Marjorie showed up with Hank’s gun.” He grew quiet and studied both. “I take it you and Ernestine were good friends back in Poca?”

Jackie said, “We were drawn together. We found that we had some...” Her voice suddenly faltered.

Ernestine finished for her. “We found that we both had some challenges in our past that drew us together.”

Archer gave each of them a searching look. “I can understand why you might not want to trust any man for the rest of your lives. But I want you to know that I wish you no ill will.” He took one of their hands in each of his. “Life can make suckers of us all. I’m a young man in years, but an old one inside after the war and prison.” He directed his gaze at Jackie and then Ernestine. “During the war, I guess we were all part of something bigger than ourselves. Then the war was over, and it just left us with what we started with, but wanting something more than what we had before. But I think to really be part of something special, you have to find something special in yourself first. Now the three of us have a second shot at something and maybe we’ll mess that up, too, I don’t know. But what I do know is I’m a lot better off for having met both of you.”

The women looked back at him, and tears clustered in not only their eyes, but in Archer’s as well. Maybe for the first time in his life.

After a few moments of silence, Jackie said quietly, “What you just said was pretty insightful, Archer. You sure you didn’t graduate from college?”