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Her so-called lies mostly centered around those types of questions.

But two stuck out for me, causing the most alarm. Geneva was asked if she knew the person who killed her friends. She answered no, but the graph indicated deception. Likewise, when asked whether she had told the police the truth, it read as deceptive.

I tossed the papers on the floor in front of me. “I don’t know what to make of that.”

“Ask her,” Dad said. “I think you’ve been handling her with kid gloves long enough.”

“I already told her I would follow through with this case, even if she didn’t like the answers.”

“I think she’s jerking you around. I think she knows something. Whether that’s as serious as having a relationship with Derrek Sidney is another matter. But I think she knows exactly who’s been sending her those voicemails. That is, if she isn’t lying about that too and sending them to herself somehow.”

“Please come with me,” I said.

“No. I’m staying here. I don’t want to talk about that anymore.”

“You shouldn’t be alone.”

He glowered at me. “I’m on an island, Mercy. You’re taking the boat to get to shore. You worried I’m gonna swim through the bay and escape?”

“This isn’t a prison.”

“I’m fine,” he said, softening his tone. “I’m just tired. Yesterday took a lot out of me. The kid in the ER told me to get some rest today. That’s what I’m going to do.”

“Okay,” I said. I got up and kissed him. “But we have to talk about it. I know you know that. And we need to make another appointment with Dr. Ricci. You know she recommended that you take that driving test. It’s time, Dad.”

He stared out the window. “I’m not taking a driving test.”

My heart deflated. Ricci was hoping Dad would do this voluntarily. After yesterday’s incident, it might be out of his hands. There was an accident report on file now. But Dad was right about one thing. We didn’t have to solve the problem today. He was also right that he needed rest.

“Okay,” I relented. “I’m coming home early. I’ll take my meeting with Geneva, then the rest of the day off. We can go fishing after lunch.”

“You haven’t touched a pole since you moved here, Mercy.”

“Then it’s the perfect time to relearn.”

He gave me a skeptical look, but seemed happy enough with the plan. I kissed him again, left his office, and grabbed the keys to the boat on my way out.

Twenty minutes after our scheduled meeting time at McClaren’s, it looked like Geneva was going to stand me up. I’d been a few minutes late myself, but the host swore she hadn’t arrived either.

I sent her three unanswered texts. After the second time my server asked if I wanted to order anyway, I decided to give up.

I scooted out of the booth and made my way to the front of the restaurant. I got as far as the lobby when I saw Geneva pull up in her red Honda Civic. She circled the lot twice before finding a spot at the end of the third row from the main entrance. McClaren’s was packed this morning.

Sliding on a pair of sunglasses, Geneva saw me waiting and lifted her hand in a wave.

Luckily, our server hadn’t reset the table, so the host just showed us right back.

When Geneva finally sat down, she still hadn’t said a word. Instead, she stared at me, studying my face. She seemed detached as we gave the server our drink and breakfast orders. I asked for avocado toast and a cup of coffee. Geneva just wanted the coffee.

After the server took our menus, I met her eyes.

“You said you wanted to tell me something. I’m assuming it was something that couldn’t be handled over the phone so here we are.”

“You charge me an hourly fee,” she said. “This will be a lucrative day for you. I would think the longer I draw this out for you, the better.”

“What’s going on?” I ignored the dig.

“Do you think I murdered Annabelle Oleson over a boy?”