Chapter Fifteen

Cal spends a tense day and night watching for Tommy Moynihan’s counterattack, resisting the urge to patrol with his rifle. He longs to shield Lena and Trey but stays focused on Mart’s farm, texting Lena without reply and stewing over their now-cracked steadiness.

On Saturday, Cal visits Mart in the sheep shed. As they treat a ewe’s foot scald, Mart catalogs scattered reprisals—an arsoned car, threats, falling-outs, graffiti—yet notes Tommy’s absence from any decisive move. Mart argues Tommy usually operates at scale and predicts a targeted institutional hit rather than petty vandalism.

Mart relays a new rumor: Lena allegedly poisoned Rachel with antifreeze tea before Rachel fell from the bridge, and Lena then spread lies about Tommy to deflect blame. Cal, furious, concludes Tommy aims to get Lena arrested. Mart agrees the scale fits Tommy and explains how “evidence” and witnesses can be manufactured. Cal insists facts like the postmortem and phone records should shield Lena, but Mart outlines ways rumors can still be shaped. Cal refuses the idea of killing Tommy, reaffirming the goal of turning the town against him. Mart admits risking Lena’s exposure to spread the land-grab story but promises they will protect her.

Later, Lena, drained and expecting an axe to fall, receives Garda Breege for a “chat.” Breege, citing concerns from others, probes whether Lena might harm herself and raises the rumor that Rachel had an affair with Cal and conflict with Lena. Lena stays poised, denies suicidal intent, dismisses the affair as posthumous gossip, and reiterates her innocuous last chat with Rachel about the cat.

Recognizing Breege as Tommy’s instrument forcing a choice—madness or guilt—Lena refuses both. She projects normalcy, even offering jam to explain recent visits, and Breege leaves a card, half-reassured. Lena understands she only bought time while Tommy readies heavier pressure.