Edged (The Invincibles 2)

Rebel shook her head again. “I want you to hear the truth from me before Tee-Tee tells you.” She took a deep breath. “Blanca invited me over one afternoon, and when I got there, she was high on meth. I hated it when she got high, because she’d always try to pick a fight with me. It didn’t matter what it was about; I’d learned long before that regardless of what I said, she’d keep arguing. So, I left. I don’t think I even said goodbye to Tee-Tee, because I was so mad at Blanca.”

I squeezed her fingers. “Go on.”

“Early the next morning, Tee-Tee showed up at our house, demanding that my granddaddy get me out of bed. Their arguing woke me up, so I went out to see what was wrong.” Rebel took another deep breath. “She accused me of taking money. A lot of money. I don’t remember the amount, but she said she’d had it set aside to pay her rent.” Rebel turned her body so she was facing me. “I didn’t take it. I swear I didn’t.”

I brought her hand to my lips. “I believe you.”

She scrunched her eyebrows. “Why?”

“I just do.”

“You’re saying that you, who’s known me for a matter of hours, believe me.”

“That’s right.”

“Yet a woman who’d known me most of my life, didn’t.”

“Did she ever find the money?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you think happened to it?”

“I couldn’t prove it, but I have no doubt that Blanca took it.”

“Did you say so at the time?”

Rebel shook her head. “Not to Tee-Tee. She never would’ve believed me, and since I didn’t have proof, it didn’t feel right accusing her. Especially knowing how she’d react.”

“What happened after you denied taking the money?”

“She said she was going to press charges against me, but I never heard another word about it.”

“What about your granddad? Did he believe you?”

“Yeah, he did. Not long before this happened, he asked why Blanca didn’t come around anymore, why I always went to their house. I told him the truth.”

“That she was using meth?”

“Yes.” After another deep breath, she continued. “My mom was an addict.”

“He understood your frustrations with Blanca, then?”

“Yeah. I think he tried to talk to Tee-Tee about it. Not that day, but another time. I don’t know for sure, but…that’s the kind of man he was.”

“Where’s Blanca now?”

“Barton Creek Cemetery.”

Her blunt answer didn’t surprise me, but the fact that Rebel had accepted Tee-Tee’s offer to work in the kitchen, did.

“Are you sure about taking the job?”

“I don’t have any choice.”

“What do you mean?”

“Who else is going to hire me? Let’s say that you are able to prove I didn’t kill Possum; even then, there are people who are going to doubt it. I may be acquitted, but that doesn’t mean someone would take a chance on me. I don’t think even Bobby would risk it.”