“Someone has to take the blame,” said Sophie, shaking Lisa roughly. “It might as well be her. This isn’t what I signed up for, Graham. I’m not your personal servant. I work for the boss, not you. You can’t just show up at my house and expect me to drop everything I’m doing to babysit this stupid little—”
“I’m authorized to do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of this operation, and I’m not going to jeopardize it because of you,” said Graham, becoming venomous in his own right. “Besides, I didn’t know what else to do with her.”
“That’s what you get for going behind the boss’s back,” said Sophie. “I’d love to see what would happen to you if your unauthorized little kidnapping became common knowledge. Maybe I’ll tell.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” said Graham. “I’ve got enough dirt on you to sign your death warrant, so keep it under wraps. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Lisa won’t cause any trouble.”
“Oh, is that right?” said Sophie.
“Yes, and she’ll calm down once I explain everything to her,” said Graham. He turned his attention to Lisa, who was petrified with terror. “This isn’t about you. It’s about your father. I warned him, but he ignored me, so I had no choice. You shouldn’t be afraid. No one is going to hurt you.”
Lisa barely heard him. Sophie was holding her arms so tightly that she could feel the blood pounding in her hands. She saw genuine concern on Graham’s face. She wanted to appeal to him, but she felt like she was observing him from far away. Her vision was blurry around the edges, and her mind was racing and paralyzed at the same time. She nodded to show that she had understood.
“Sophie, why don’t you take her inside?” said Graham. “The rain’s picking up again. I’ve got to get Molly back home and convince her not to say anything. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I know. I’m hoping this won’t go on for very long, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m pretty sure Lisa’s father will cooperate once he realizes we’re not messing around.”
“What if he doesn’t?” said Sophie.
Graham hesitated.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Goodbye, Lisa. Just do what Sophie tells you, and you’ll be okay.”
He turned to leave, but Molly jumped out of the car, nearly knocking him over. He tried to stop her, but she rushed toward Sophie, who was pulling Lisa up the steps. She caught up with them as they arrived on the landing and seized Lisa’s arm.
“You can’t do this,” she said in a shrill voice.
“Molly, stop,” said Graham. “You’re getting upset about nothing.”
“Shut up, Graham!” screamed Molly. “Who do you think you are? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Look at how upset Lisa is. I’m not leaving her here.”
She tried to pull Lisa away from Sophie, but Sophie shoved her, and she stumbled against the railing. For a moment, she teetered on the edge of the landing, and then she fell, tumbling onto the concrete slab with a shriek that only stopped when her head hit the ground. As the sound died away, she lay terribly still, her body contorted in a position that was incompatible with life.
“Molly!” exclaimed Graham. He knelt beside her, shaking her by the shoulders. “Can you hear me? Come on, my dear, say something.”
Lisa watched in horror. She didn’t dare to move, even though Sophie wasn’t holding onto her anymore. Graham became more and more frantic as he tried to revive Molly with no success. As the rain poured down, he begged her to open her eyes, but she didn’t respond. At last, he looked up at Sophie.
“She’s dead,” he said.
Lisa screamed. The sound started at the bottom of her chest and rushed through her body, ripping her heart in half. It couldn’t be true. She stumbled down the steps and flung herself on top of Molly, sobbing hysterically and clinging to her until she was torn away by Sophie. The next thing she knew, she was inside the trailer, huddled against the wall while Sophie accosted her with a diatribe of abuse.
Lisa knew Sophie wanted her to stop crying, but she was too upset to control herself. She had become a helpless spectator, forced to witness the annihilation of her life, while her mind retreated to an empty place, leaving her body behind. The stupor that descended over her was absolute. In the distance, she heard Graham’s voice.
“Sophie, stop!” he said. “She’s not going to settle down if you don’t leave her alone. Just give her a break. Molly was her friend—and my wife. It doesn’t matter if it was just an excuse to hang around. We were happy together.” He ran his hands through his sparse hair, and his face wrinkled up. “Why did you have to push her?”
“She was getting in the way,” said Sophie. “I didn’t mean to kill her, so don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who brought her here in the first place. What did you think was going to happen? You couldn’t have kept her quiet anyway.”
“We can’t just leave her lying out there,” said Graham.
“She’s your problem, not mine,” said Sophie. “If you think I’m going to help you dig a grave during a thunderstorm, you can think again. You got yourself into this fix, and you can get yourself out of it. I’ll deal with the kid. You deal with the body.”
“Sophie, I don’t know how to conceal forensic evidence,” said Graham, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. “That’s not my area of expertise. If I call it an accident, there will be too many incriminating questions. I could take her to Hamilton Estate, but Owen has a weak stomach, and he can’t be trusted to keep his mouth shut.”
“That’s too bad,” said Sophie. “It looks like you’re out of luck.”
“Keep your smart remarks to yourself,” said Graham. “We’re in this together.
