“As tempting as that sounds, I’m not interested in money. I’m interested in the truth. Why did you lie?”
Her head tips to the side just enough.
“That’s right,” I say. “You lied so much you don’t know which half-truth I’m referring to.”
Her ruby red lips part with amusement. “Why don’t you fill me in?”
“You set that key out for Kiera to see.” I shake my head. “Of course. You were intent on setting her up. This was just a smaller part of the big picture. You didn’t have an open relationship with Parker. Everything you told me was a hand-fed lie.” I take a step toward her, and she grips the gold purse sitting at her waist as if I were about to mug her.
“Yes, well”—her lips curl at the thought—“you were so easy to feed.”
And there it is, an admission of guilt. At least as far as the lies are concerned. Now let’s see what else I can manage to wrangle out of her.
“You killed Madeline, didn’t you?” I pant out the words and watch as the look of smug superiority vanishes from her face. “You did it and your motive was greed followed by revenge. Sharing Parker wasn’t something you wanted to do. Just like making your own way in this world isn’t something you wanted to do. Your father cut you off and left you desperate for money. I bet you found out that Madeline was siphoning funds for herself and you didn’t get a cut. Is that right?”
Her chest pulsates in and out as if she just ran a lap around all of Vermont.
“So you decided to remove her,” I continue. “But why set it up to look as if Madeline gave Keira a half a million dollars? You can’t deny it. The time stamp was fudged. The software had a system to let everyone know that the transaction was backdated. You moved that money once you took over Madeline’s position. It was Kiera you wanted to pin all this on.” I don’t pose it as a question. I already know the answer.
“Yes.” Her eyes close a moment. “I wanted Kiera to sink as much as I did Madeline. And I’ll make sure Kiera and her little cheesy empire crumble under the weight of my father’s attorneys. Stealing that much money is a felony offense.” An amused smile dances on her lips. “But don’t worry, Bowie. I’ll make sure I’m there for poor, darling Kiera. I plan on visiting her in prison and documenting it for all of her ardent followers.”
“You really know how to frame someone.” A dull laugh pumps through me. “You had it all planned from every angle. There was not one friend you left out of the realm of suspicion. In fact, you pointed the finger at Madeline herself for stealing the serum. You said there was a breach of security at the Biogen lab, but Parker said that wasn’t true. He said it was an inside job. He mentioned he was the only one with the keys to the safe that housed the formula. He had no idea how Madeline could have gotten them. But you had access to anything of Parker’s. Including the keys to the youthful kingdom. Isn’t that right?”
Sophia washes her gaze over me, and you can practically see the questions spinning in her mind.
I take a breath. “You set it up to look as if Parker was so angry that he slipped the poison into Madeline’s drink that night. But Madeline didn’t steal the serum. Kiera found the key and took it. She and Lucas broke in and stole it. Kiera wanted the money, but Lucas wanted revenge on Parker for stealing Madeline.”
“It still worked beautifully for me.” She pulls something from her purse, and not until it’s pointing in my direction do I see it for what it is, the barrel of a gun. “What better way to drag Lucas into this?” She motions to my hands and I slowly raise them. “If he hadn’t tripped on his own stupidity, there wouldn’t be such a cloud of suspicion over him. I have a heart for Lucas. I’m hoping to resume things with him once the air clears.”
“You don’t have a heart for anyone,” I sputter out the words with a laugh. “You stole cyanide from Parker’s lab, didn’t you? And you sprinkled it into Madeline Swanson’s drink the night of the masquerade. You planted a peacock feather in her dress, and you watched as she writhed to her death.”
A smile hitches on her crimson lips. “I watched as she danced to her death. Madeline always wanted to be a ballerina when she was a little girl. I made sure she got her wish.” The gun lifts just enough until it’s pointed directly over my chest. “Would you like to dance before you meet your demise, Bowie? I can aim low before I aim high.” She fires off a shot near my feet, and I do my best to tap dance my way right out of my skin.
Sophia is nearly thrown to the ground with the recoil, and judging by that stunned look on her face she didn’t expect that sonic boom she just emitted.
“The gun,” I pant, trying to process what just happened. “You’ve got a silencer on it?” A dull laugh evicts from me as a series of screams comes from afar. “They still heard it. You’ll be discovered in no time. Don’t take it too hard. It’s a rookie mistake. People think a silencer means you’ll be able to fire it off without a single sound. But it’s only true in the movies.”
“Bowie?” My name echoes from somewhere in the distance, and I can tell it’s Shep shouting for me.
“Put the gun down, Sophia,” I say, just about out of breath with fear. “Your father is very wealthy. He’ll hire the best legal team for you.” I take a careful step forward. “If
