Dillard and his brother had shown up late that morning in a black SUV. Now they were sitting around the kitchen table eating salami sandwiches and belching beer while Eddie gloated over the prospect of owning his own fishing camp and Larry gloated over the prospect of running it for him. To Molly's dismay, they all seemed to regard it as a done deal.

This would be a place, Eddie said, where a man could put up his feet, relax, and get away from being "pussy-whipped by his wife." This last was uttered with a wink, clearly signaling (one man to the other) that no woman pussy-whipped Eddie Dillard.

Molly wanted to throw up. Instead, she jammed a tiny bar of French-milled soap into one of the bird's-nest baskets they used in the bathrooms to hold toiletries. She didn't know whom she disliked more, Eddie or his revolting brother Larry, who planned to live upstairs in the house while he ran the fishing camp.

She glanced over at Kevin, who was leaning against the wall sipping from a longneck. He didn't burp. When Eddie had arrived, Kevin had tried to get rid of her, but she wasn't going anyplace.

"So, Larry," Eddie said to his brother, "how much you figure it'll cost to paint these frou-frou cottages?"

Molly dropped one of the tiny, frosted-glass shampoo bottles. "The cottages were just painted. And they're beautiful."

Eddie seemed to have forgotten she was there. Larry laughed and shook his head. "No offense, Maggie, but it's gonna be a fishing camp, and guys don't like fruit colors. We'll just paint everything brown."

Eddie pointed at Larry with his longneck. "We're only painting the cottages in the middle, the ones around that whadyacallit?-that Common. I'm gonna tear down the rest of them. Too much upkeep."

Molly's heart stopped. Lilies of the Field wasn't on the Common. Her pink, blue, and yellow nursery cottage would be torn down. She abandoned the toiletry baskets. "You can't tear those cottages down! They're historic! They're-"

"The fishing's real good around here," Kevin cut in, shooting her a frown. "Large- and smallmouth bass, perch, bluegill. I heard a guy in town talk about a seven-pound pike he pulled out of the lake last week."

Eddie patted his stomach and belched. "I can't wait to get out on that boat."

"This lake is too small for what you want," Molly said desperately. "There's a strict limit to how big an outboard motor you can use. You can't even water-ski."

Kevin shot her a pointed look. "I don't think Eddie plans to cater to the water-skiing crowd."

"Nah. Just fishermen. Roll out of bed in the morning, give everybody a coffee thermos, a bag of doughnuts, and some beer, then send 'em out on the lake while the mist is still on the water. Come back after a coupla hours for brats and beer, take a nap, play some pool…"

"I think we should put the pool table out there." Larry pointed toward the front of the house. "Along with a big-screen TV. Once we tear down all the walls between the rooms, everything will be together-the pool table, TV, the bar, and the bait shop."

"Bait shop! You're putting a bait shop in this house!"

"Molly." Kevin's voice sounded a warning note, and Eddie tossed him a pitying look. Kevin narrowed his eyes at her. "Maybe you'd better go check on Amy."

Ignoring him, she zeroed in on Eddie. "People have been coming here for years. The campground needs to stay the way it is, and the bed-and-breakfast, too. The house is filled with antiques, and it's in wonderful condition. It even runs at a profit." Not much of one, but at least it paid for itself.

Eddie gave an open-mouthed laugh that revealed too much of his salami sandwich. He jabbed his brother. "Hey, Larry, you want to run a bread-and-breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure." Larry snorted and reached for his beer. "As long as I can have a pool table, satellite TV, and no women."

"Molly… out. Right now." Kevin jerked his head toward the door.

Eddie chuckled as the little woman was finally put in her place.

Molly clenched her teeth, then drew her lips into a stiff smile. "I'm leaving, darling. Just make sure you clean up after your friends. And last time you washed dishes, you splashed-so don't forget to wear your apron."

Now that was pussy-whipping!

After dinner Molly pleaded an upset stomach to the munchkins and told them they'd have to sleep in their own cottage. Since it was their last night here, she felt guilty, but she didn't have any choice. She changed into jeans, turned out the lights, and curled up in the chair by the open window. Then she waited.

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."

"Yeah, well, I'd say he has."

"He's not well, Eddie. It's a mental problem. As soon as we get back to Chicago, I'll make sure he gets psychotherapy."

"Shit." He sucked in his breath. "This is gonna blow the hell out of his passing game."

"I'll find a sports psychotherapist."

Eddie wasn't a complete fool, and he asked her about the underground dump. She expanded her story to include as many buzz words from Erin Brockovich as she could still remember and made up the rest. When she was done, she dug her fingernails into her palms and waited.

"You sure about all this?" he finally said.

"I wish I weren't."

He shuffled his feet and sighed. "Thanks, Maggie. I 'predate it. You're all right."

She slowly released the breath she'd been holding. "You, too, Eddie. You, too."

The storm hit just after Molly collapsed in bed, but she was so tired she barely heard it. It wasn't until the next morning when a series of thuds on the front steps awakened her that she forced open her eyes. She blinked and looked at her clock. It was after nine! She'd forgotten to set her alarm, and no one had awakened her. Who'd fixed breakfast?

"Molly!"

Uh-oh…

Roo scampered into the room, and then Kevin appeared looking like a gorgeous storm cloud. So much for hoping the loopholes in her plan wouldn't come back to haunt her. Eddie must have confronted Kevin after all, and now there was going to be hell to pay.

She sat up in bed. Maybe she could distract him. "Just let me brush my teeth, soldier boy, and then I'll take you to paradise."

"Molly…" His voice sounded a low warning note, the same note she'd heard on Nick at Nite when Desi confronted Lucy. Molly had some 'splainin' to do.

"I have to pee!" She jumped up, flew past him to the bathroom, and shut the door.

The flat of his hand smacked the panel. "Come out here!"

"In a minute. Did you want something?"

"Yeah, I want something, all right. I want an explanation!"

"Oh?" She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the worst.

"I want you to explain why there's a frickin' tuna in my lake!"

Chapter 23

It's true. Guys don't think the same way girls do, and this can lead to trouble. "When Guys Won't Listen" for Chik

Oh, boy… Molly stalled as long as she could-brushing her teeth, splashing water on her face, straightening her tank top, and retying the drawstring on her pajama bottoms. She half expected him to charge in after her, but apparently he didn't see the need, since the window had been painted shut and the only other way out was through him.