“CPS wouldn’t approve you?” Tim roared, startling baby Aaron, who began to cry. Tim picked him up and rubbed circles on his back until he quieted down again. “That’s ridiculous,” Tim said, his voice low again. “Did Serena tell you that? Because I’ll call her right now and tell her she’s crazy.”

He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and looked like he was actually going to call, so I said, “Don’t. She had nothing to do with it.” I realized then there was no way out of this, so I took a deep breath and told him the whole story.

Tim was still indignant. “You made a mistake. We all screw up sometimes. Are they going to hold it against you forever?”

“Not forever. But Janelle told me I’d need to wait at least a year.”

“I think you should apply now. Serena’s already looking for a new placement. You know, Grace, not all foster parents get into this for the right reasons. Some of the homes—”

“I know. I’m going to talk to my aunt. I promise.”

I decided the best time to broach the topic with Aunt Maddy would be over an alcohol-infused Sunday brunch. She was on her second mimosa when my phone rang. I was surprised to see Deena Gonzalez’s name in the caller ID.

“Is this a good time?” Deena asked when I picked up.

The restaurant was loud, and she must’ve heard the noise. “Actually, can I call you back?”

“I just need to know if you’re available to meet with someone from the FBI’s LA field office next week. The meeting shouldn’t take more than a couple hours.”

“Sure. Is this a friend of yours?”

“No, I don’t know him, but he works with your brother-in-law. He’s Jacob’s boss.”

I was sure I’d misheard Deena and asked her to repeat what she’d said. But I hadn’t misheard. The person Deena wanted me to meet at the FBI’s LA field office was Jake’s boss.

“You mean former boss. I told you, Jake left the FBI a few years ago. He works for a private security company now.”

“I think you’re misinformed,” Deena said. “Your brother-in-law has been an agent in the LA field office for the past seven years.”

Chapter 42

I ended the call with Deena and stared across the table at my aunt.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her fork frozen in the air above her plate. “Who were you talking to?”

“Dr. Rubenstein’s daughter-in-law. The DEA agent. And you’re not going to believe what she just told me.” I repeated the short conversation to my aunt. “Jake’s been lying to us for years.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Aunt Maddy said. “You don’t know that.”

“I do know that. She just told me.”

“Then I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. Jake wouldn’t lie to us for no reason.”

“The reason is he’s a fucking liar. And who knows what else he’s been lying about. Maybe he’s the one who killed Jonah and Amelia and he just lied about the other guy to protect himself.”

The people seated at the tables on either side of us were now openly staring at us. I didn’t care, but Aunt Maddy did. “Stop it, Grace,” she hissed. “You know that’s not true.”

“Do I?” I said, lowering my voice. “I don’t think I know anything anymore.”

We’d both lost our appetite, so I paid the bill and we left. I’d driven us to the restaurant so my aunt could drink, but she insisted on driving home and I didn’t object. It meant I could focus all my fury on Jake.

She hadn’t even pulled out of the parking lot yet when I called him. “You fucking liar!” I screamed when he picked up on the third ring.

“Let me explain,” he said quietly.

I could hear voices in the background, so I knew he wasn’t alone. “Explain what?” I yelled, hoping whoever he was with could hear me too. “Why you lied to us for years?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“In what way was it not like that, Jake? I remember when you told us you were leaving the FBI. You said you were tired of putting your life on the line every day for no money. That you could double your salary in the private sector.”

“All true,” Jake said. “Except I never left.”

“That’s kind of a big exception, don’t you think?”

“I can’t have this conversation now,” he said, lowering his voice even more. “Where are you?”

“I’m with my aunt.”

“Wait for me at your aunt’s house. I can be there in two hours and I’ll explain everything.”

He must’ve sped the entire way up the coast because it only took him an hour and a half. Or maybe he’d started from somewhere closer than LA. Wherever he left from, he definitely hadn’t showered first. His T-shirt and basketball shorts were damp with sweat and he smelled awful. Aunt Maddy got one whiff of him and suggested we talk outside. We all filed out to the back patio, but only she and Jake sat down. I paced back and forth in front of them.

“Why, Jake? Bad enough lying to me, but Jonah was your brother, your best friend. How could you lie to him?”

Jake, who was sitting on the foot of the lounge chair with his head hanging down, looked up at me. “I never lied to Jonah.”

“Liar! I was there, Jake. I heard it myself.”

Jake shook his head. “That conversation was for your benefit. Jonah made me do it.”

I stopped pacing. “Jonah asked you to lie to me?”

“Yes.”

But Jake was a proven liar, so there was no reason to think he was telling the truth now. “And why would he do that?”

“The same reason I agreed. To protect you.”

I threw my arms up. We’re back to this again? “Protect me from what, Jake?”

He sighed and hung his head down.

“Jake,” Aunt Maddy said gently, “I understand you thought you were protecting Grace. But it’s gone too far now. People have died. You have to tell the truth. It’s time.”

Jake ran his hands through his hair and blew out his breath. “Do you think I could have something to drink?”

“Sure,” Aunt Maddy said and stood up. “What can I get you? Water? Iced tea? I could make a pitcher of lemonade if you’d like.”