Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates (distant reading .txt) 📗

the moment the light went into its 22.5 second dormancy, and I turned and ran up the stairs. I grabbed for the doorknob, but at that moment Fluffy dashed for safety between, of all places, my legs. The leash wrapped around my right ankle. I stumbled and then Stephen was on me, grabbing my shoulders, pulling me away from the door. I dropped the leash and kicked, but my flailing foot met nothing but air. I screamed. Fluffy barked. Stephen’s arms were tight around my chest as he dragged me away.

“What are you doing!” I yelled. “Let me go. You’re making a mistake.”

“No,” he breathed in my ear. “You’re the one who’s made a mistake. A fatal one, I’m sorry to say.”

I kept kicking and struggling. His grip around my upper chest was so tight I was having trouble breathing.

And then, suddenly, Stephen cried out in surprise and shock, and I was propelled forward. I managed, thank heavens, to keep my footing as well as my senses and whirled around. He’d slipped on the bottom step, damp from the mist, and fallen.

He wasn’t, unfortunately, knocked out, and he recovered quickly. His hand shot out and grabbed at my leg. I kicked as hard as I could, and I felt a satisfying jolt and heard him grunt. He started to stand up, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the door open and shut behind me before he was on me again. I leapt off the steps and ran for the marsh. Fast, light footsteps pounded the ground behind me. Fluffy.

I switched off my flashlight. The dog barked. I tried to hush her without making any noise. It was a warm summer’s night, and I knew my way around out here. If I had to, I could stay hidden; I’d be fine until daylight, when people began to arrive. Otherwise I could try to make my way through the marsh to the highway and flag down a passing car.

But I didn’t have much chance of staying hidden with a small hysterical dog next to me.

“Lucy!” A disembodied voice drifted toward me. “I want to talk to you, that’s all. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I couldn’t see in the dark, so I stumbled, and then I grabbed you inappropriately. I’m sorry about that.”

As the mist shifted, I could see Stephen’s light moving away from the bulk of the lighthouse, coming toward me. I tried to wave Fluffy away. She would not be discouraged, so I bent down and scooped her up. I put my hand around her muzzle, and she fell quiet. She whimpered, and I stroked the back of her neck softly. I could feel the rapid beating of her small heart. Mine was going just as fast.

“I can’t stand yappy little dogs myself,” Stephen said. “I went around to Rich’s house one day to bring him some papers to sign. Evangeline was away, and I told Rich I’d strangle the miserable mutt if he wanted me to. He said thanks but no thanks.”

I slipped to my right, keeping to the soft marsh grasses. The Maglite focused straight ahead. Fluffy yipped, and the light swung around.

“My dad told Detective Watson about you,” I called into the dark. “He knows you’ve been helping Rich embezzle money from the firm. Dad’s opening the books to the police. They’ll have all the proof they need soon. You should make a run for it while you can.”

“What can I say? I’ll admit, I fell under Rich Lewiston’s influence. I mean, he was a powerful man, right? Knows all the right people, belongs to all the right clubs, has the right politicians in his pocket. I let him convince me to help him out of a couple of jams. Poor me, boy from the wrong side of the tracks, impressed by the rich and powerful. I thought I was helping the firm. If I’d known what Rich was truly up to, I would have told the senior partners. Right away.”

“You can try that story on the police, but they won’t believe you. And even if they do, that’s not much of an excuse for killing him.”

“Me? Kill Rich? Why would I do that? I was nowhere near Nags Head on Monday night. Why would I be? I called the office and told them I’d come down with a sudden cold on the weekend so I had to stay home Monday. Rich didn’t come around to my apartment Sunday evening, drunk out of his tiny, very tiny, mind to say he was going to tell Millar everything and he wasn’t going to wait until Millar got back from his daughter’s engagement party. I didn’t try to convince him not to do anything rash. I didn’t follow him when he left my place and wait outside his house to see if he really was going to go through with it.”

Now that I was no longer panicking and Stephen was no longer threatening, Fluffy had settled down. She tried to wiggle out of my arms, but when I wouldn’t let go, she let out a contented sigh and snuggled close.

“I knew Millar was in Nags Head. That was no secret. Ricky told me his mother was determined to barge in uninvited on Millar’s daughter’s engagement party and try to get her to leave her intended and marry Ricky. You might want to know, Lucy, Ricky didn’t think that was such a great idea. He came down here with his mom to try to keep her from doing anything stupid. I wasn’t watching the Lewiston house Sunday night, and I didn’t see Rich stagger out in the early hours of Monday morning, throw his suitcase into his car, and drive out of town, heading south. And, because I didn’t see that, I didn’t head for Nags Head myself. Are you still out there, Lucy? You’re probably thinking of making your way to the highway. That’s a lot of ground to cover. In the dark. Trying to