Home is the Prisoner // The Little Lie — Jean Potts

HOME IS THE PRISONERJim Singley has served his time. Accused of killing his business partner, he left a lot of bad feelings in Athena -- but now he's back. Back to a wife who hates him, a son who has been raised to despise him, and a town full of folks who wish he were dead. But Jim has some unfinished business. There is his former partner's wife, Audrey, now married to someone else. And her daughter, Cleo, the only one who spoke up for him at the trial, corroborating his defense when no one else would. There's Matt, his only real friend, harboring a long-kept secret. And Wayne, the son who has been raised to hate, ready to explode with unanswered questions. Athena is a town that can never forgive, but Jim won't leave until he's confronted them all. THE LITTLE LIEEveryone knows that Dee and Chad will eventually get married. They're such a perfect couple. So when boarder Mr. Fly overhears them having an argument that results in Chad's moving out, he assumes that they will soon make up. But Dee knows that it's over. She just can't stand the public humiliation. So she lies about it. Just a little lie. She tells everyone that Chad has moved to the city to pursue a new job. Then she tells everyone he's headed for California, where she will no doubt soon join him. She even convinces herself that it's all true. Still, when the plane that Chad is supposedly on crashes, and someone with his last name is listed as a passenger, Dee breathes a sigh of relief. Her secret is now safe. But is it…?