A/N: I've decided there will be another chapter after this one.

Big Swamp

Chapter Twenty-Five: Con Games

Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wake up and the bed is empty. Empty? — Well, I'm in it.

At first, the empty fact doesn't register with me. I look outside. The sky outside Noble Hall is bottomless blue. The rain cleared off last night and with it the cooler temperatures. The balcony doors are open and I can feel the Alabama heat seducing the bedroom already, even at 7 am. I throw back the sheet and prop myself up on my elbows.

Sarah's gone. It registers.

All that's left is her peach nightie, soft and creamy, on the end of the bed. And empty.

I stand and run my hand through my hair. I grab my jeans from the floor and put them on, then my t-shirt. I grab my socks and shoes and carry them out to the balcony. Noble Hall's long, manicured front lawn stretches in front of me, shrubberies and center path, Magnolia trees heavy with green leaves on them, brown leathery leaves scattered beneath them. Dew on the grass makes the green shiny. I can see horses in the distance, galloping in the field across the road.

I don't see Sarah.

One of the heavy, green steel chairs on the balcony, an odd seashell indentation in its back, allows me to sit and put on my socks, my shoes. I'm beginning to feel uneasy. I walk to the edge of the balcony and look straight down. No one's there.

Noble Hall stands silent.

Moving more quickly, I leave the balcony and enter the bathroom. I click on the light. Water's dripping in the shower and the bathroom still feels damp, warm, the air's lightly scented, a clean, floral scent. Sarah's.

I check myself in the mirror. I need a change of clothes and a shower. I wash my face and hands, dry them, run my fingers through my hair in an attempt to make it less unruly, and I go down the stairs two at a time.

I expect to see Sarah in the kitchen, or at least Wylie — I still don't know his name. But neither one is there. My pulse ticks up and then I see the note.

It's from Sarah, and it's on top of a copy of the Opelika-Auburn News. Above the fold, I see a headline.

Opelika Police Make Arrests for Two Murders

Chuck,

I woke early, nervous about breakfast with Ellie. The newspaper story mentions you and me but it's sketchy on details. I went for a walk to the pond. Join me, please.

Sarah

I leave the newspaper for later.

Outside the house, I walk the road that leads back to the wood path. Sarah's dad's Mercedes is absent but her Range Rover is present.

In a few minutes, I step from the dappled, dewy cool of the path into the sunlit warmth of the clearing. The smooth surface of the pond mirrors the sky so perfectly that the pond's shoreline seems to contain blue and clouds, not water.

I see Sarah's reflection in the water before I see her. She seems to walk among the clouds, hugging herself, pensive.

She looks up from the water and spots me. A hint of surprise accompanies her immediate smile, almost as if I am a surprise to her, though she asked me to come. We walk to each other.

"Good morning," she seems almost shy.

"Morning, Sarah. It's beautiful out here morning and night, huh?"

She nods. "Yeah, it is."

"Are you ready to talk to Ellie?"

She nods. "I am. I just needed to steel myself. I so want her to like me, to like me despite...everything."

"Would it be easier for you if we played at a neutral site?"

"What do you mean?"

I look at the water. "We could have her meet us at a coffee shop, say Well Red, I go there a lot. On a Monday morning in the summer, this early, no one will be around. We could sit outside on the rear deck."

Sarah considers that for a minute. "Okay, let's see if she's okay with that. Do you think she's already gone to some trouble, cooked?"

"No, I'm sure she's not up yet. If she is, she surely hasn't started cooking. She needs a half-a-pot of coffee before she lights the stove."

I take out my phone and send Ellie a text, asking about a change of plans. She does not immediately respond and I am not surprised. I pocket my phone and Sarah takes my hand. We walk out onto the pier, out over the water. She stares down at the water. "So much has happened in so little time, huh? So many things I hardly dared hope for."

"Yes."

"And you love me?"

Suspense sounds in her voice as if she needs to hear me say the word again. Maybe it wasn't too soon yesterday when I blurted it out, after all

I make myself face her, gently clear my throat. I don't want there to be any doubt. I take both her hands in mine. No risk, no faith. "I love you."

Her smile starts slowly but grows beyond bounds. Her eyes soften; she starts to respond then stops.

Her smile falters a little, shrinks at the corners, and I see that look in her eyes again, the one that troubled me. But I know it now. She's unhappy with herself. She turns and leads me back off the pier.

She pauses as she heads to the path, gazes at me, her eyes apologetic but her tone resolved. "Okay, then I'm ready to face the day, the gauntlet — your sister, then my dad. He's still asleep, I assume?"

"I didn't see him — but his car was gone."

She's puzzled. "He's gone? He was in bed when I came down; I checked. He's not an early riser. That's odd."

My phone buzzes and changes the subject. Ellie's just woke up. She says she'll meet us in half an hour. I tell Sarah.

She takes a deep breath. "Okay, let's walk back."

Sarah decides she needs to change, and that takes a few minutes.

When she comes out of the Hall, she overwhelms me. Her blouse is the blue of the sky, the blue that surrounded her in the mirroring pond. Beneath it she has on white Capri pants and delicate white and blue interlaced sandals. With her shining blonde hair, she's the sky incarnate.

We take Sarah's Range Rover to Well Red. She drives and her eyes are intent on the road though there's little traffic and the route to the shop is almost a straight line, less than three miles. I can tell she's readying herself. I know how hard telling me about her past had been for her. Now she's going to tell Ellie. And then she has to tell her father she revealed the con.

"What is your Dad's name, Sarah?" I hope getting her to start talking may make talking to Ellie easier.

"Jack, Jack Burton."

"So, you were born Samantha Burton?"

She nods. "I was. But Sarah Walker is who I want to be. Dad paid for this legend; it's a good one, and clean. It's going to stay that way."

We park in the rear of Well Red. Ellie's already sitting on the deck. She has three cups of coffee in front of her and she's reading the newspaper. She puts it down long enough to wave to us as we get out. No one else is on the rear deck.

Ellie's dressed casually, shorts and a large t-shirt, tennis shoes. Her hair's back in a ponytail. We sit down and she gestures at the coffees. "Cinnamon rolls are on the way; they're being warmed."

Ellie hands me the paper. "You two are famous, although that article's got less in it than you told me last night. Tell me about it again. How did Sarah end up involved?"

I relate what happened to Ellie, starting with Graham's visit to my office, giving me the case. Ellie sips her coffee, nodding, as I tell the initial parts of the story. Sarah's listening too; she hasn't heard all this herself. I sip my coffee as I talk. When I get to my nocturnal visit to Noble Hall, I let Sarah take over. She tells Ellie about seeing me from the balcony, coming downstairs. About Jane Peterson and David Diamond. I take over and narrate the exhumation of Diamond. When I get to my trip to Peppers' cabin, I omit certain details. But when I let Sarah take over the story again, she tells about Peppers sneaking into the Hall, and at that point, she has to explain that she disarmed him, overpowered him, and forced him to take her to the cabin.

Ellie stares at Sarah, a strange fascination on her face, but she asks no question.

Sarah then takes her time describing the scene she discovered at the cabin, lingering on details, careful to describe my snow-white boxers and tube socks, my gun in my hand. At first, Ellie's shocked, deeply shocked, mortified, and outraged, and I feel vindicated, less silly. And then she and Sarah glance at each other, and the corners of their mouths twitch, and I see each of them begin to smile. Soon they are rolling, laughing out loud.

Ellie looks at me, breathless and teary-eyed, still laughing. "I know that must have been awful, Chuck, but it turned out okay, and the thought of you in white and that cheap hussy in red polka dots, with just your gun between the two of you…"

I sit in red-faced silence. It wasn't really funny at the time, but I admit I can see the beginnings of humor in it, although it's not going to become an anecdote I voluntarily share.

As their laughter dies down, Ellie finally asks the question. "How do you know how to do these things, Sarah? I mean, thank God you do, Chuck's never been able to take care of himself, particularly around women, but…?"

Sarah inhales and settles her eyes on me. I nod to her and take her hand. "That's a long story, Ellie…"

The coffee's done and the cinnamon rolls eaten by the time Sarah finishes.

Ellie's got her fork in her hand, and for the last few minutes, she's been moving a dollop of left-over icing around on her otherwise empty plate.

She stares at the plate but speaks to Sarah. "So, you and your dad, you knew Chuck and I would inherit a lot of money?"

"Yes, we knew. Not the exact amount, but that it would be several million dollars each. We didn't have any designs on your money, Ellie, the con wasn't going to involve you."

"And so you were going to woo Chuck, make him interested in Wylie — Jack's — imaginary scheme, and take his money."

"In brief, yes."

"But you fell for Chuck, and you told him about the con. And he believes you."

Sarah looks like she's hanging by a thread. Her voice is very soft. "Yes."

Ellie finally lifts her head. She looks at me, not Sarah. "Do you believe her, Chuck? We've both seen con movies, read books. It could be a con within a con. The longer con could be getting you to think she's not conning you so that she can con you. She exposes her father to further cover herself, to confuse you…"

Sarah sighs and frowns but does not speak. She looks at me too, waits.

"I realize all that, El. There could always be a con within a con, another deception in each revelation, but I'm going to risk it." I hold Ellie's eyes with my own. "She's worth whatever I risk. I believe her."

"You love her." Ellie gives her verdict slowly.

I nod slowly. "I do."

"Hello, folks."

We've all three been so engrossed in our conversation that we didn't notice that Uncle Wylie, Jack, has come out of the shop and is standing behind us. I have no idea how long he's been standing there. That's three times in two days someone snuck up on me. I've got to do better.

Jacks got a large cup of coffee in his hand and a slight smile on his face.

Sarah jumps up. "Uncle Wylie!"

He pulls a chair to our table. Although a few patrons have gone by us, gone inside, we are still the only ones seated on the deck. Sarah's dad, Jack, must've gone in the front and then found us out here.

I don't know how he found us.

He sits down and grins at Sarah. "Just call me 'Jack', Sarah — everyone, call me 'Jack' . The jig's up."

Sarah stares at her dad. She suddenly looks small, young — someone's daughter. "Dad, I'm sorry...I couldn't do it. I just couldn't."

Jack's face hardens, his slight smile vanishes. "Why's that, little girl?"

Sarah blinks and winces at Jack's tone. "Because he's not, Chuck's not, who you told me he was. He's a good man; the best I've ever known."

Jack leans toward his daughter. "But that's not why, is it, little girl?"

"Don't call me that, Dad." Her blue eyes flash. "Chuck doesn't deserve what you had planned. You don't need what he has. You need to stop."

Jack's face becomes intense; he leans further forward. "But, why, little girl?"

"Because I love him!" Sarah's balls her fists and glares at her dad. Then she looks at me, her eyes go wide. I smile; I can't help it. I've never smiled with my whole body and soul before.

"I love you, Chuck." She says the words to no one as if they were mere sounds, but then she repeats them meaningfully, says them to me. "I love you, Chuck."

I take Sarah's hand in mine as Jack leans back. He sips his coffee and then he begins to laugh, his laugh growing in volume and in the amount of his body it involves. Soon, he is rolling as Sarah and Ellie were rolling earlier.

The three of us look at each other, lost.

He winks at his daughter. "Con within a con, little girl. Don't you know, I knew who Chuck was all along? I knew he was a good man. Don't forget that my only real talent is reading people, and I read him the first time I saw him. He's all Boy Scout, all good guy. White hat."

He stops laughing and gives Sarah a serious, searching look. "And I can read you. Always could. I know what you want, have really always wanted, and I know it's not conning, despite all my attempts to get you to want it. You're your mom's little girl. And I've always known the kind of man you could love.

"But you've loved me too much, and you've never been given a strong enough motive before, a motive to quit once and for all, quit for good. Quit me. It was never the life you couldn't quit; it was me. That made me a lucky man but it was unlucky for you. — Look, you'd have never come here, have never given Chuck a chance if you thought I thought he was the man for you. So, I conned you. From the beginning. I was never conning Chuck, never going to con Chuck. I just pretended to do what you expected so you'd think I was.

"I told you about him, and told you all wrong, because it was a backward con, little girl. I let you discover for yourself who and what Chuck is, and you were so pleased by him you never suspected I wanted you to discover him."

Sarah's mouth has dropped open.

Ellie's head is swiveling from Sarah to Jack to me and back to Sarah.

Sarah turns red. She jumps up from her chair and runs off the deck, down the ramp, to the parking lot. I start to go after her but Jack grabs my hand, shakes his head when I look at him.

Sarah stops running and stands, back to us, in the parking lot. Jack lets go of me and sips his coffee, his eyes on his daughter. I sit down, watching Sarah.

Sarah turns around slowly. "So, all this was about conning me, not Chuck?"

"I wanted to deceive you into the truth, into the truth of what you've always wanted, little girl. The life you've secretly dreamed of." His use of 'little girl' is sweet now, not challenging. "I'm tired of this life, too." He grins in self-congratulation. "And I believe Sherry Louden likes me. I like it here."

"But Bryce, you brought him here? I thought you brought him here."

"No, I didn't. He just showed up. But a good con knows how to turn a situation to his advantage. I used him to motivate Chuck. To motivate you. He worried each of you about the other. All to the good. — Although I admit, I thought he'd screwed everything up when he went to visit Chuck. He told me what he did when he came back, that he'd let his jealousy get in the way of my con. But he misunderstood the con he'd gotten in the way of. I ran him off, sent the clotheshorse packing. I know things about him he doesn't want anyone, including his current employer, to know. He made me so angry and frustrated, I went to the Club and got drunk. But then I came home and found out he hadn't ruined my con. You two were in the kitchen, together. Maybe Bryce even helped it, without knowing it."

Sarah folds her arms and tilts her head. She glares at her dad.

"You can be a real bastard. Making your own daughter your mark."

He laughs again. "Don't I know it?"

Sarah walks back up the ramp. She assesses me carefully. I shake my head and reach out for her hand. She gives it to me, sits down on my lap. She kisses me hard, then hugs me.

When she sits back, she laughs a little. "I guess there are some kind cons, Chuck." She hugs me again and whispers the words, trembling as she does. "I love you."

I hug her to me as Jack laughs and Ellie joins in.

It occurs to me as I l hold the only woman I've ever loved that the problem with my new Burney Lennox novel, with Do I Not Bleed?, isn't that Burney needs a brush with a Femme Fatales, but rather that Burney needs a partner.

A/N: Final chapter soon