she was able to move again. The realization that her sister was evil—evil enough to kill their father—it was too much to keep to herself. Even now, Jess's mind refused to take it in.
"Why would Ally kill your father?” Maddy continued. “She doesn’t even stand to inherit anything. Right?“
“ Yeah,” Jess said, anxiously shredding a napkin between her fingers “Maybe she just hated him so much…”
“ Or hates you so much,” Maddy interrupted.
Jess nodded. “ It’s possible, I guess.”
Her mind flashed back to a time when they were six years old and her favorite doll went missing. Jess looked for it everywhere and was inconsolable. Ally had even helped her look and had been very kind about it. It was the next day when Jess went to get R uffy from his doghouse that she found the doll near his pillow. Its head had been completely ripped off. It was unrepairable.
Of course everyone had blamed it on the dog, but later that night Jess saw Ally watching her. "Too bad about the doll," Ally had s aid, a small smile on her lips. “I know how much you loved it.”
Jess knew at that moment that Ally had killed the doll.
There had been other incidents as well over the years. More subtle. More sophisticated.
But could she have actually done something as horrendous as killing her own father?
Maddy turned off the steaming kettle and brought it over to fill their cups. “ But why didn’t you tell me about your trip to Mexico, sooner? I would have understood."
"I know. I should have,” Jess shrugged. “I guess I was too embarrassed. After that whole thing with Zach, I just felt like an idiot. Plus I didn’t want to get you involved in anything illegal.”
Maddy sighed and steeped her tea. “ Well I wish you had. Told me. I never would have let you go through with it.”
“ But…”
“ But I know. You promised to do Ally a favor after she helped you with Zach. Still… smuggling drugs is too much to ask.”
“ Drugs or something,” Jess nodded. “The thing is… I promised I’d never tell a soul about it.”
"Well, too bad,” Maddy said, looking at her seriously. “Jess, you have no choice now. You have to go to the police. She's setting you up for murder."
"But how can I? They ’ll arrest me for smuggling!”
Maddy brushed the remains of the shredded napkin off the table and toss ed it in the trash. "Listen, Jess. You don’t have a choice-- smuggling's better then murder, right?"
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
The next day, Jess dressed in a hurry. The fear crowding her mind seemed to be providing her with a strange energy of its own.
She looked at her watch, calculating the time it would take her to drive to Lars ’ office for the reading of the will. With luck she would beat the lunch hour traffic. And hopefully by then, her lawyer would have called her back and advised her on what to do about Maria.
She ’d already called him twice that morning, and left him urgent messages--not that she expected much help from him anyway. He was a family lawyer handling her custody case, but she hoped he might be able to give her some basic advice or perhaps refer her to someone who could help if she needed it. If push came to shove.
Jess grabbed her keys and headed out the door, still mulling it over.
Part of her wanted to go to the police and tell them the truth as Maddy had suggested. But if she did that, even if she weren’t arrested, Lars would make sure she lost custody of Danny .She didn’t think she could live with that.
The only other option was to pay Maria off and keep quiet. Which didn ’t sit well with her either. Paying her off would be an admission of guilt. And not only that, it would allow the real killer—Ally--to get away with it.
She tried to picture herself going in and telling the truth to Sykes, but all she could imagine were his impassive brown ey es watching her. Not responding. Not believing the whole smuggling
"Why would Ally kill your father?” Maddy continued. “She doesn’t even stand to inherit anything. Right?“
“ Yeah,” Jess said, anxiously shredding a napkin between her fingers “Maybe she just hated him so much…”
“ Or hates you so much,” Maddy interrupted.
Jess nodded. “ It’s possible, I guess.”
Her mind flashed back to a time when they were six years old and her favorite doll went missing. Jess looked for it everywhere and was inconsolable. Ally had even helped her look and had been very kind about it. It was the next day when Jess went to get R uffy from his doghouse that she found the doll near his pillow. Its head had been completely ripped off. It was unrepairable.
Of course everyone had blamed it on the dog, but later that night Jess saw Ally watching her. "Too bad about the doll," Ally had s aid, a small smile on her lips. “I know how much you loved it.”
Jess knew at that moment that Ally had killed the doll.
There had been other incidents as well over the years. More subtle. More sophisticated.
But could she have actually done something as horrendous as killing her own father?
Maddy turned off the steaming kettle and brought it over to fill their cups. “ But why didn’t you tell me about your trip to Mexico, sooner? I would have understood."
"I know. I should have,” Jess shrugged. “I guess I was too embarrassed. After that whole thing with Zach, I just felt like an idiot. Plus I didn’t want to get you involved in anything illegal.”
Maddy sighed and steeped her tea. “ Well I wish you had. Told me. I never would have let you go through with it.”
“ But…”
“ But I know. You promised to do Ally a favor after she helped you with Zach. Still… smuggling drugs is too much to ask.”
“ Drugs or something,” Jess nodded. “The thing is… I promised I’d never tell a soul about it.”
"Well, too bad,” Maddy said, looking at her seriously. “Jess, you have no choice now. You have to go to the police. She's setting you up for murder."
"But how can I? They ’ll arrest me for smuggling!”
Maddy brushed the remains of the shredded napkin off the table and toss ed it in the trash. "Listen, Jess. You don’t have a choice-- smuggling's better then murder, right?"
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
The next day, Jess dressed in a hurry. The fear crowding her mind seemed to be providing her with a strange energy of its own.
She looked at her watch, calculating the time it would take her to drive to Lars ’ office for the reading of the will. With luck she would beat the lunch hour traffic. And hopefully by then, her lawyer would have called her back and advised her on what to do about Maria.
She ’d already called him twice that morning, and left him urgent messages--not that she expected much help from him anyway. He was a family lawyer handling her custody case, but she hoped he might be able to give her some basic advice or perhaps refer her to someone who could help if she needed it. If push came to shove.
Jess grabbed her keys and headed out the door, still mulling it over.
Part of her wanted to go to the police and tell them the truth as Maddy had suggested. But if she did that, even if she weren’t arrested, Lars would make sure she lost custody of Danny .She didn’t think she could live with that.
The only other option was to pay Maria off and keep quiet. Which didn ’t sit well with her either. Paying her off would be an admission of guilt. And not only that, it would allow the real killer—Ally--to get away with it.
She tried to picture herself going in and telling the truth to Sykes, but all she could imagine were his impassive brown ey es watching her. Not responding. Not believing the whole smuggling
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