“I don’t know… I believe she did. Your mother’s not a killer. She was just smart enough to make them believe she was.”
“So Mom kept you around…”
“She didn’t want to set anything off. She didn’t want anything suspicious.”
“But then you went into hiding and we went into protective servicessixmonths later?” I ask. “I don’t get it.”
Dad refuses to look at me.
“Here’s what I’ve learned from my own father,” Tavish says. “Men like that… men who get their kicks from the thrills. They can’t stop. They just can’t stopneedingthat thrill. My guess? While your mother and father were trying to paint a picture that everything was fine to keep Arthur from getting suspicious, your father started back into something else. When your mother found out, she went into protective services not to keep you guys safe from Arthur but to keep your father from getting her kids killed.”
Dad continues to avoid eye contact as I let this sink in. “She was running fromyou? She knew Jasmine was going to keep quiet to protect herself, especially since she had no fucking idea Mom was involved. But Mom went into hiding… to hide fromyou. Did she tell the police what you did?”
“Not that I know of. She made me leave. She forced me to disappear like I was some monster. I’m not a fucking monster, Shawn.”
“Well… you’re not my fucking father, either,” I say.
“So why Sally? Why have someone take the fall?” Tavish asks.
Arthur answers, “Because people were getting too nosy. We were afraid that if they kept looking, the police would uncover something that would tell the cartel that Jasmine was still alive. We just needed to make it out to be an accident. People don’t look too deeply into accidents.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Did they ruin Sally’s life by forcing her to live in prison for twelve years to cover their own asses? Or did they save her life?
“You said you had footage,” Arthur says. “But I didn’t kill the woman who replaced Jasmine. I hired someone. I assumed… Iassumed it was a woman who was already dead. I will pay you well for that footage.”
“Oh, that was all talk. I was just getting you to invite me here. Arthur, how can you not see the way you’ve been jerked around by your daughter?” Tavish asks.
“I amprotectingher,” he retorts. “I’m protecting her. If I don’t…”
“No one’s out to kill her. It was all fucking fake. You know that at this point, don’t you?” Tavish asks.
Arthur grits his teeth. “Until that fucking parasite returned trying to blackmail me, I thought everything was going to be okay. My daughter was safe. Then I learned about Zachary’s involvement in all of it. Before that… I thought I was protecting my child. I thought I was protecting my friend’s children. Instead, I was being dragged along. But what now? I’m in too fucking deep. If I could just… make all of you fucking disappear, things could just go back to normal.”
“Or you could admit what happened to the police,” I say.
“And ruin everything?” he asks. “You want me to take your mother down too? She not only attempted murder, she’s known about all of this for years. Hell, she could have been your father’s accomplice. You all fucking step out of my life and I’ll step out of yours and wash my hands of it.”
“You dragged me into your life. You’ve threatened to kill me. You’re the reason Nate Stewart is dead,” I say. “How do you think you’re innocent in this?”
“He was trying to ruin my life,” Dad adds.
“You were trying to ruin mine!” I snap, which he obviously doesn’t care about.
Tavish looks over at me. “Ellis. It’s your choice what happens to them.”
“I want them to be arrested. To deal with what they’ve done,” I say.
“You can try. With Arthur’s standing, he probably won’t get much. He was never the one who physically killed anyone. He probably hired someone who will never be tracked.”
“You think I’ll keep quiet about your mother’s involvement?” Arthur asks.
“You think I should just let you go?” I retort, but he’s right. I don’t want my mother to go to prison. Why couldn’t this bullshit have just stayed dead?
“Your mother did so much to protect you. You’re not going to protect her in turn?” he asks.
“Shut up. Just… shut up.”
Arthur clearly doesn’t want to shut up. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you five million dollars and walk away, and you won’t ever see me again. Sounds pretty nice, right? You’d never have to work another day in your life. Treat your mother nice.”
