position.
“Confess what?” Jason demanded.
“You killed Mr. Manning and Betsy! You set up the accident at the mill that maimed Ike. You wanted me out of Shadyside. So you attacked everyone who was kind to me.”
“I wanted you out of Shadyside,” Jason shot back. “And I threw the rock at your head—I wish now it had killed you. But that is all I did.”
“You are a liar.” Nicholas dug his knee deeper into Jason’s stomach. Jason grunted in pain. “Tell me the truth!” Nicholas demanded.
“That is the truth. I would not kill innocentpeople—even to hurt you. Especially Betsy.” Jason’s eyes filled with tears. “I loved Betsy. She never harmed anyone. Someone killed her. But it was not me.”
Nicholas stared down at Jason. Could he be telling the truth?
“Who killed her, then?” Nicholas asked. He released Jason. They both climbed to their feet, watching each other warily.
“You did!” Jason insisted.
“No! You are blinded by your hatred. Why would I kill Mr. Manning or Betsy?”
“You killed Betsy because she was a Goode.” Jason glared at Nicholas. “The Fears never needed a reason to kill the Goodes.”
“My mother was a Goode,” Nicholas protested. “A Goode who married a Fear.”
“I do not believe you,” Jason said. But the anger had gone out of his voice.
“I am going to find out who killed Betsy,” Jason vowed. “If you lied to me, if I find out you killed her, then I will come after you.”
“Fine,” Nicholas agreed. “And if I find out that you are the murderer, I will kill you.”
Nicholas and Jason stared at each other for a long moment. Then Nicholas turned to go.
Someone sprang out of the shadows beside the door and dashed toward Nicholas.
Chapter 26
R uth! What was Ruth doing here?
Ruth ran past Nicholas.
With a screech, she grabbed the poker off the floor.
“Stop!” Nicholas yelled.
But Ruth did not hesitate. She reared back and plunged the poker into Jason’s throat.
Blood spattered across the wall.
Jason fell backward onto the wooden floor.
He gasped for breath. A wet, sucking sound.
Nicholas rushed over and grabbed Ruth’s shoulder. She twisted away from him with a snarl.
Nicholas watched in horror as Ruth turned the poker back and forth. Nicholas could hear it grinding into the floor below Jason’s neck.
Ruth had stabbed Jason so hard the poker had popped through the back of his throat.
She was insane. Completely insane.
Ruth did not appear anything like the shy, awkward girl Nicholas had come to know. Had her father’s death driven her to madness? Or had she kept it hidden away inside her always?
Bright red blood bubbled from Jason’s mouth.
He stared blankly up at Nicholas. A surprised expression frozen on his face.
“Now you will have to marry me,” Ruth said. She dropped the poker and turned around. A triumphant smile on her face.
“Ruth! Why did you kill him? Why?” Nicholas cried.
Ruth’s eyes bored into his. No more staring shyly at the ground.
“I killed him so that if you do not marry me, you will hang for murder,” she announced, her voice confident. “I will swear you killed Jason. And no one will take your word—the word of a stranger and a Fear—over mine.”
“You killed Jason to force me to marry you?” Nicholas asked. He felt dizzy and sick.
She tilted her chin up defiantly. “I decided I wanted to marry you the day I ran into you on my bicycle. And I always get what I want.”
“Even if it means killing an innocent man? What kind of woman are you?” Nicholas demanded.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He could hardly believe what he had seen with his own eyes. Ruth. Weak, mousy Ruth was a brutal killer.
“Jason is not the only one I killed to win you,”Ruth said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I killed Betsy. I poisoned my father. And I arranged Ike’s accident.”
Jason’s knees felt weak. What was she saying? How could she calmly explain that she had killed her own father?
“Why?
“Confess what?” Jason demanded.
“You killed Mr. Manning and Betsy! You set up the accident at the mill that maimed Ike. You wanted me out of Shadyside. So you attacked everyone who was kind to me.”
“I wanted you out of Shadyside,” Jason shot back. “And I threw the rock at your head—I wish now it had killed you. But that is all I did.”
“You are a liar.” Nicholas dug his knee deeper into Jason’s stomach. Jason grunted in pain. “Tell me the truth!” Nicholas demanded.
“That is the truth. I would not kill innocentpeople—even to hurt you. Especially Betsy.” Jason’s eyes filled with tears. “I loved Betsy. She never harmed anyone. Someone killed her. But it was not me.”
Nicholas stared down at Jason. Could he be telling the truth?
“Who killed her, then?” Nicholas asked. He released Jason. They both climbed to their feet, watching each other warily.
“You did!” Jason insisted.
“No! You are blinded by your hatred. Why would I kill Mr. Manning or Betsy?”
“You killed Betsy because she was a Goode.” Jason glared at Nicholas. “The Fears never needed a reason to kill the Goodes.”
“My mother was a Goode,” Nicholas protested. “A Goode who married a Fear.”
“I do not believe you,” Jason said. But the anger had gone out of his voice.
“I am going to find out who killed Betsy,” Jason vowed. “If you lied to me, if I find out you killed her, then I will come after you.”
“Fine,” Nicholas agreed. “And if I find out that you are the murderer, I will kill you.”
Nicholas and Jason stared at each other for a long moment. Then Nicholas turned to go.
Someone sprang out of the shadows beside the door and dashed toward Nicholas.
Chapter 26
R uth! What was Ruth doing here?
Ruth ran past Nicholas.
With a screech, she grabbed the poker off the floor.
“Stop!” Nicholas yelled.
But Ruth did not hesitate. She reared back and plunged the poker into Jason’s throat.
Blood spattered across the wall.
Jason fell backward onto the wooden floor.
He gasped for breath. A wet, sucking sound.
Nicholas rushed over and grabbed Ruth’s shoulder. She twisted away from him with a snarl.
Nicholas watched in horror as Ruth turned the poker back and forth. Nicholas could hear it grinding into the floor below Jason’s neck.
Ruth had stabbed Jason so hard the poker had popped through the back of his throat.
She was insane. Completely insane.
Ruth did not appear anything like the shy, awkward girl Nicholas had come to know. Had her father’s death driven her to madness? Or had she kept it hidden away inside her always?
Bright red blood bubbled from Jason’s mouth.
He stared blankly up at Nicholas. A surprised expression frozen on his face.
“Now you will have to marry me,” Ruth said. She dropped the poker and turned around. A triumphant smile on her face.
“Ruth! Why did you kill him? Why?” Nicholas cried.
Ruth’s eyes bored into his. No more staring shyly at the ground.
“I killed him so that if you do not marry me, you will hang for murder,” she announced, her voice confident. “I will swear you killed Jason. And no one will take your word—the word of a stranger and a Fear—over mine.”
“You killed Jason to force me to marry you?” Nicholas asked. He felt dizzy and sick.
She tilted her chin up defiantly. “I decided I wanted to marry you the day I ran into you on my bicycle. And I always get what I want.”
“Even if it means killing an innocent man? What kind of woman are you?” Nicholas demanded.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He could hardly believe what he had seen with his own eyes. Ruth. Weak, mousy Ruth was a brutal killer.
“Jason is not the only one I killed to win you,”Ruth said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I killed Betsy. I poisoned my father. And I arranged Ike’s accident.”
Jason’s knees felt weak. What was she saying? How could she calmly explain that she had killed her own father?
“Why?
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