The Perfect Liar Read Free Page B

over. He died five weeks ago. Lil y was so grief-stricken she didn't think to call me. She apologized profusely, but..."
    "Why didn't Phil's wife get in touch? She had to realize you'd want to know. The three of you were inseparable in high school."
    He was the last person Marissa would call. About a year after she married Phil, she'd told Luke she'd made a mistake, that he was the one she really wanted. It had nearly kil ed him to do it, but he'd turned her away and insisted she never contact him again--for any reason. He wasn't about to let their love triangle end in tragedy, the way so many did. As much as he cared about her, as tormented with jealousy as he'd been every time he saw them together, he'd wanted them to be happy. Phil had gotten with Marissa first; Luke was the one who had to suck it up and move on. "I guess she didn't think of it, either."
    "So you didn't get a chance to say goodbye," his mother said.
    "No." Even worse, he and Phil had argued the last time they'd talked.
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    About Marissa. As usual. Phil shouldn't have volunteered for that second tour. Luke had tried to tell him to go home and take care of his family. That Marissa needed a husband and their son needed a father, but Phil wouldn't hear of it. He was too pumped up on the war and patriotism. Before slamming down the phone, Luke had told his friend that he didn't deserve Marissa. But he hadn't meant it. He regretted that statement even more than he regretted going home with Kalyna.
    "How does his death relate to this...Sergeant--what's her name?" his dad asked.
    "Kalyna Harter. I went to a local bar that night to get my mind off the fact that I'l never see Phil again, and she showed up."
    "Go on..."
    "She kept hitting on me and..." Guilt bit deep. He hadn't raped Kalyna, but he'd made himself vulnerable to her. Now her accusations would reflect on his entire family. "I...It was a mistake."
    "So you slept with her," his father said.
    "I slept with her, but I didn't force her."
    "Why would she lie?"
    "That's what I can't figure out. I mean, I know she was angry that I wouldn't stay the whole night. When I left, she made some pretty ugly statements, but--"
    "For example..."
    Luke didn't want to repeat them. He hadn't been with her because he wanted to pursue a relationship, which was the only honorable reason to get that intimate with a woman. But then, he'd thought she understood it was strictly casual. If he'd been interested in her, he would've asked her out on one of the many occasions she'd hinted that she wanted him to do so.
    "She accused me of using her, that sort of thing."
    Edward sighed loudly. "Sex means something to a woman. You can't sleep with her and expect it to be taken in stride. I taught you better than that."
    His mother rushed to his defense. "Ed, he'd just heard about Phil! He was grieving, looking for a diversion."
    "That doesn't give him the right to hurt others."
    "This is the first call we've ever received like this!" she argued. "You 24

    know Luke's not a womanizer."
    The last thing Luke wanted was for his mother to fight his battles.
    "Dad, I didn't think it would hurt anything, least of all her. She was the aggressor. Once we got to her place, she offered to..." He considered trying to explain what a three-way was and decided against it. Old-fashioned, religious and disciplined, his father would never unders tand a woman like Kalyna. "Never mind. She's unbalanced, okay? That's what I'm trying to tell you."
    "You're going to need a top-notch lawyer," he said.
    "I already have one."
    "What can we do to help?" his mother chimed in. "Would you like us to come up there and be with you?"
    "No, Mom. This is Jenny's last summer at home. She'l be miserable if you pull her away from her friends, and Lord knows you can't leave her there alone." Jenny hadn't been hanging with the best crowd. Beach bums, all of them, his father said. Luke thought she was too pretty for her own good.
    "It might not be convenient, but we can make