2000
“Yes, I convinced you to go back to the motel,” Tommy told Ginny. He couldn’t meet her eyes. “I admit it. I was being selfish. I knew if you went to the police, I would lose you. I would forfeit my education. I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have convinced you to go back. I mean, I probably would’ve been able to get back on track after a couple of years, but I didn’t think it would take that long to be with you. My plan was for you to see how awful and rotten Grizz was, and then want to leave him. And I did that, Ginny. I’m sorry. I did it just the one time.”
“What time?” She studied his face. “What did you do, Tommy?”
“It was a chess game for me, Ginny. I was planning and scheming to make sure you would see Grizz do something awful.” He paused, then in the quietest voice he could muster, “That time at the docks.”
She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “The docks—that time I pulled up and saw Grizz and Blue dump two bodies in the water? You’re the one who made sure I went there? Saw that?”
He blew out a long breath. “Yes, I set it up. I set you up. I knew Grizz and Blue were going there to deal with two punks who’d hijacked a dealer’s boat full of cocaine. I knew what would happen to them.”
“I cannot believe I’m hearing this. Do you remember how upset I was?” She paced the kitchen now. “I can’t even remember now what made me go there, but I never suspected it was you. If Grizz had suspected it, he probably would have hurt you. Maybe even killed you.”
“I remember how upset you were because you came to me.” He folded his arms, remembering the look on her face then, the shadows beneath her eyes. “When I saw what I had done to you, how badly it hurt you, I stopped all the game-playing. Not to mention, if they’d been caught and you’d have been there, it would’ve implicated you too. I can’t believe I put you in that kind of situation.” She just stared at him. She crossed her arms, perched now on a stool at the breakfast bar. “Gin, I could’ve continued to trick you and him, but I didn’t. I realized I couldn’t hurt you like that, I couldn’t expose you to more danger. I loved you.”
He stared at her, but she didn’t say a word. Just kept looking at him like he was a stranger. His words barreled out now; he couldn’t stop them. “I guess after that it became about protecting you. Protecting your heart from knowing the awful things he did, and protecting you physically from being put in those situations. It was the opposite of what I’d started out to do.”
“And I guess you want credit for that? You protected me? Gee, not sure how much I should believe.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm. “Aren’t you the same man who accused me of sticking my head in the sand because I didn’t want to know what he did, and yet you’re telling me your plan was to make sure I did know about it?” She held up a hand as he started to speak. “And before you jump in and tell me what a rotten person he was, let me remind you that other than tossing Willow on her back and backhanding her, the nod to Chico that time in the pit, dumping those bodies at the docks—thank you for that, by the way—and him beating up those kids who spit on me at the warehouse, I never saw Grizz do anything. I was with him for ten years, Tommy. Ten years. And I never witnessed anything beyond what I’ve just told you.”
His eyes flashed. “And because you didn’t see it, it wasn’t happening?” His voice was starting to rise now. “Okay, so you don’t believe me. Look, Gin, I never thought it would take ten years to finally be with you. I don’t know. Maybe you would have left him sooner, but there were still a lot of things I just had to keep from you. Things that would have torn you up inside. I knew you already struggled with guilt over his criminal activities.”
She stood and started to walk toward him. Arms crossed and chin raised, she gave him the coldest look possible. “One thing. Tell me one thing you hid from me, other than what I’ve discovered in the last couple of hours, which might’ve persuaded me to leave him. Not that I’m even certain leaving Grizz would’ve ever been an option as far as he was concerned.”
“If I thought you wanted to leave him, maybe I would’ve done something that could’ve gotten him arrested before Jan blew the whistle. But quite frankly, you seemed happy in your little silver-lined cocoon.”
“Are you saying you’re the reason Grizz got arrested?” Her voice was practically a scream.
“No!” Tommy was quick to add. “I’m not saying that at all. I had nothing to do with his arrest. But when it finally did happen, I was glad, Gin. I felt like I had run out of time. Have you listened to anything I said? I waited for ten years while you were with him!”
“So answer my question. What things did Grizz do that you hid from me?”
Tommy sighed heavily. “Ginny, for once I’m telling you to stick your head in the sand. You don’t want to know.”
“And I’m telling you that I don’t like the accusation that that’s what I’ve done for twenty-five years. Tell me!”
“Fine. If that’s how you want it, I’ll tell you. Do you remember when you asked me how Willow and Darryl died?”
“Yes, of course I remember. It was horrible. It was torture for them.”
“Let me ask you this,” he said, looking at her. “Johnny Tillman was slowly cut to pieces for attempting to rape you. Do you honestly think Grizz calmly walked Darryl and Willow down into the empty pool and simply let them die of exposure? Keep in mind that Darryl tortured you for over two hours, and Willow is the one who planned it.”
“W-well, that’s what you told me happened. I never asked Grizz because I asked you. And that’s what you said.”
“Yes, Ginny. That’s what I said. I held it back from you because even though I loved you and wanted to be with you, I couldn’t stand the thought of you having the image of what he really did to Darryl and Willow stuck in your head forever. You had enough guilt over their deaths. And yes, they did die in that pool. But not from exposure.” He looked down. “I can tell you with certainty they were both begging for death long before they actually died.”
They were both quiet a long moment.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“You know he was obsessed with it, right? Grizz never believed it was a lucky coincidence that Darryl came to the motel that night.”
Ginny just stared at him.
“Grizz believed for a long time it was an inside job. That someone knew he wouldn’t be there that night. Whoever set it up knew Moe habitually let the dogs sleep with her. Someone knew you’d be alone that night, Gin.”
He told her almost everything then.
What Tommy didn’t tell Ginny was that it wasn’t just something Grizz had suspected. It was true. Grizz had gotten a name out of Willow. With her dying breath, Willow swore it was a woman named Wendy who’d tipped her off. The woman had a Southern accent and only communicated with Willow by telephone. Willow said Wendy had a contact at the motel, but Willow swore she didn’t know who it was.
There wasn’t any Wendy they could connect to the motel.
Worse yet, Darryl hadn’t even finished the job. He was supposed to have killed Ginny that night. He thought he had when he’d beaten her unconscious.
No. Ginny didn’t have to know all of that.
What she knew was bad enough. Shaking, Ginny made her way to one of the kitchen chairs at the opposite side of the table. She yanked it out and sat down, looking into her hands resting loosely in her lap. She couldn’t focus. She was stunned. Her stomach was churning.
“You’re right, Tommy,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t have wanted to know.” She paused before adding, “But maybe I should have. I don’t know.” She buried her face in her hands. “This is all so unexpected.”
He jumped up and went to her. Kneeling in front of her, he took her hands in his. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. I’m just so sorry. I never did see how you knowing all of this would matter.” He held her close, stroking her back as she sobbed. “It’s always been about protecting you, Gin. That’s all it’s ever been about. Please don’t leave me, Ginny. I couldn’t bear to be without you. Please don’t leave.”
What he didn’t add was that as much as his need to protect her all these years was true, he also had good reason for talking about it now. He still didn’t want to tell her certain things, but he knew he had to.
When she pulled back to look at him, she saw he had tears in his eyes.
With a very real ache in her heart, she gathered her strength. “I love you, Tommy. But I still have to leave. I just need some space. You have to understand that. This is too much of a shock, and the kids will be fine. We’ll tell them I’m staying with Carter to keep her company and help with the animals while Bill is out of town. I’ve done it before. They’ll never suspect that I’ve left for another reason.”
She paused. “When we do have some time together—” She trailed off, then collected herself. “Everything. I want to know everything. From the beginning. I want you to tell me every single thing, Tommy. Even if it’ll be difficult for me to hear.”
“I will, Gin.” His voice sounded dead, empty. “I will.”
“And I need you tell me what you talked about when you went to see him before the execution.”
He had intended on doing just that before he was blindsided by Leslie’s comment.
Tommy nodded and started to reply when he was interrupted by Jason’s voice.
“Moooommmmm! Daaaaaddd! Can you come here? I have a surprise for you!”