Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN ON THE BOAT
Vanessa looked different without the Malibu kitchen around her.
Hair tangled.
Face bare.
One sleeve torn.
Still dangerous.
She pointed the gun at Marcus first.
“Give me Sophie.”
Marcus laughed.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Give me the girl.”
Sophie shrank against the seat.
Ethan stepped onto the pier.
“Vanessa.”
Her eyes snapped toward him.
For half a second, something soft crossed her face.
Then it vanished.
“You did this.”
Ethan almost answered.
Didn’t.
Marcus shouted.
“He has the recorder.”
Vanessa turned.
That was enough.
Sophie blew a whistle.
Not the red one.
A second whistle Ava had hidden in her backpack weeks earlier.
The sound cut across the water.
Marcus flinched.
Sophie dropped to the deck.
Ethan ran.
Police surged from cover.
Vanessa fired.
The bullet struck a piling.
Marcus shoved her.
She fell against the rail.
The boat slammed sideways into the pier.
Ethan jumped aboard.
Marcus hit him.
Hard.
Ethan went down.
Sophie crawled beneath a bench.
Vanessa grabbed the gun again.
Ava appeared on the pier.
“Vanessa!”
Vanessa looked up.
Her face changed completely.
“Ava.”
Ava stood shaking.
“You remember me.”
Vanessa whispered.
“Of course.”
“You told everyone I was crazy.”
“You were a child.”
“I saw you push him.”
Vanessa’s jaw tightened.
Marcus yelled.
“Shut up!”
Ava kept going.
“I saw you push Dad.”
Vanessa aimed the gun at her.
Ethan moved before thinking.
He drove into Vanessa’s side.
The gun skidded across the deck.
Marcus grabbed Sophie.
Ethan heard her scream.
He turned.
Marcus had one arm around her and was backing toward the stern.
“Stay back.”
Ethan stopped.
Sophie’s face was white.
“Daddy.”
“I’m here.”
Marcus looked toward open water.
Then toward police.
No exit.
His arm tightened.
Sophie whimpered.
Ava stepped onto the boat.
“Marcus.”
He looked at her.
“You ruined everything.”
Ava shook her head.
“No.”
“My dad just recorded it.”
“You built the rest.”
Marcus blinked.
That tiny pause was enough.
Sophie bit him.
Hard.
Marcus screamed.
She dropped.
Ethan caught her.
Police tackled Marcus against the deck.
Vanessa tried to climb over the rail.
Quinn grabbed her coat and pulled her back.
Within seconds, both were cuffed.
Sophie clung to Ethan.
“I bit him.”
“I saw.”
“Am I in trouble?”
Ethan held her tighter.
“No.”
Then Sophie whispered.
“Vanessa said Mommy didn’t die because she was sick.”
Ethan stopped breathing.
“What?”
Sophie pointed at Vanessa.
May you like
“She said she made Mommy go away too.”
