The Lie - Debra Webb

Chapter One

“All these years,” he said, mostly to himself, “Being caught was never a concern.”

He laughed. Not really a laugh. More a dry, rusty sound. Men like him didn’t laugh. Not really. But this was almost laughable. He had gone to great lengths to protect the work. His every tedious effort had kept him safe for more than three decades.

How many others, he mused, could claim such an astounding record?

Few, he supposed.

Now, however, his choices had been limited. A man could not outrun fate forever. Even a cat ran out of lives eventually.

He smiled at his companion who glared back at him from the keeping place.

“I can’t stop it now.” Not that he actually wanted to prevent what came next. In fact, he relished the potential interactions and reactions to come. He was protected. Though he would miss the challenge of the work he had come to love so, change was a part of life.

For a true chameleon, transformation was a necessary element of existence.

It was time for change.

As if to applaud his conclusions, the birds sang for him. Oh, how they called out to each other…a siren’s song to lure in their prey. They watched him, reacted to his voice. They were so like him in their brutality. Their beauty belied their ruthlessness.

The sheer hatred emanating from his companion reminded him that he had many preparations to make. Like the beautiful birds, his companion watched him from his cage.

He knew better than to trust either—the birds or the companion. One was as ruthless as the other.

“You shouldn’t waste your energy,” he warned. “You’ll need it for what’s coming.”

The fool dared to spit in his face.

Didn’t matter. He would, as the saying went, have the last laugh.

Tomorrow would prove interesting.

The day after, even more so.

It was time to watch his carefully orchestrated drama play out like the finale in the latest hit on Broadway.

A believable lie was far more complicated than the simple truth. He had become very, very good at creating the perfect lie. And why not?

He’d had the very best teacher.

Chapter Two

Miller’s Bend Road

Maple Ridge, Tennessee

Friday, November 27, 10:00 p.m.

That’s a wrap, folks. Until next week! May your killers be too slow to catch you!

Lara typed the final comment, ending her blog for the day. More comments would appear over the weekend. She would check back in from time to time. It was never a hardship to respond to her followers. She smiled as she closed her laptop. As long as her audience kept growing, she would answer their comments twenty-four/seven if necessary. The bigger her audience the better the sponsors and endorsements.

She stood, stretched her back and headed to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. As a teenager she never expected her fascination with true crime to turn into something that would earn her a living.

Her decision to give it a try had been greatly influenced by her mom’s constant urging that Lara should follow her passion. She reached for a stemmed glass—same one she’d used last night—rinsed it out and went to the fridge. She grabbed the bottle of white and opened it. Some connoisseurs hated screw off tops but Lara was grateful for the convenience. Especially after a long evening of answering comments on her crime blog, Killer Musings.

The first taste of the fruity Moscato was sweet on her tongue. She sighed. When she’d lived in New York most of her friends adored their reds, cabernet, merlot, pinot noir. Not Lara, she loved her whites, once in a while the occasional blush but never the deeper reds.

The notification that a new email had arrived echoed through her tiny cottage. Glass in hand she padded barefoot through the house, returning to her office. When she’d come to Maple Ridge in June to make the arrangements for her mother’s funeral, she’d had no idea how long she would stay. The heart attack had been so unexpected, Lara had needed time to pull herself together and to do what needed to be done. Maybe pack up the family home and put it on the market. No way was she leaving New York and staying in this small Tennessee town. Though it was fairly close to Nashville, Maple Ridge was basically the middle of nowhere compared to her Manhattan neighborhood.

The weeks had turned into months and by September Lara had decided that maybe she’d buy herself a small lake house for visiting when she needed to get away from the rapid-fire pace of the city. She could