Chapter 6
Martin Cole was alive.
My men found him before midnight.
Not far away.
A small house outside Cedar Falls.
He had never truly retired.
He had hidden.
When he arrived, he looked at Walter first.
Then Lydia.
Then me.
“I knew this day would come.”
Walter laughed.
“Dramatic old fool.”
Martin ignored him.
I asked one question.
“What happened to Adam?”
His face broke.
Not completely.
Enough.
“I’m sorry.”
Lydia rolled her eyes.
“Here we go.”
Martin looked at her.
“You tied a child in snow today.”
“She stole from me.”
“No.”
I placed the hidden-camera footage on the television.
Heather planting the bracelet.
Martin watched.
Then looked at Lydia with disgust.
“You never changed.”
Lydia smiled.
“Neither did you. Still weak.”
I stepped between them.
“Blackwood.”
Martin nodded.
“Walter ordered me to block the lower road.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“To force Adam back toward the lodge.”
Walter snapped:
“It wasn’t dangerous.”
Martin laughed bitterly.
“It was snowing.”
“He could have stopped.”
“He was being chased.”
Heather said:
“I was only following.”
Martin looked at her.
“You hit his rear bumper.”
Heather’s face went white.
“No.”
“You hit it.”
“Barely.”
Silence.
There.
Admission.
I stared.
“You struck Adam’s car.”
“He swerved.”
“You hit him.”
“He overreacted!”
My vision narrowed.
Heather continued desperately:
“If he had slowed down—”
“Stop.”
She did.
Martin whispered:
“Adam’s car left the road.”
I already knew that part.
“What happened next?”
Walter interrupted:
“We went down.”
“Alive?”
Martin looked at me.
“Yes.”
Everything stopped.
I felt Louisa’s small hand tighten inside mine.
“How alive?”
“He was conscious.”
Lydia sighed.
“Barely.”
I looked at her.
“You were there?”
No answer.
Martin answered.
“All of them were.”
Walter.
Lydia.
Heather.
May you like
My husband had survived the crash.
And the three people in this room had reached him before I did.
