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I inhale a deep breath, and as I turn the corner into my room, I shout, “Don’t move!”
I’m squeezing the trigger, preparing to unload the magazine, when Will steps out of the closet with hands in the air. “Don’t shoot, Julia! It’s me.”
My heart leaps in my chest as I raise my arms over my head with the gun aimed at the ceiling. “My god, Will. I almost shot you. Is anyone else here?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”
“I didn’t see your truck in the driveway. Where’d you park?”
“In the bushes at the house across the street. I detected movement inside the cottage when I got here. I assume I scared them off. By the time I parked and came back, they had fled.”
I uncock the gun and shove it into the waistband of my jeans. “I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
“I came to see you. I think we need to clear the air.”
The realization that I could’ve killed him hits home, and I begin to shake all over. Will takes me in his arms. “Shh! It’s okay. I’m here now.”
I cry into his chest, “I’m in so much trouble, Will.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He kisses my hair. “But I’m here now. And we’re going to figure this thing out together.”
I look up at him. “They are framing us. But despite what Striker is saying on the news, I have no intention of testifying against you.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “We can talk about all this later. Where’s Conrad?”
“Hiding under his bed,” I say, and we hurry to my son’s room.
Will helps me pull a trembling Conrad from beneath the bed. Holding him tight, I coo, “It’s okay, Buddy. It was only Mister Will in the other room.”
Swiping at his eyes, Conrad asks, “Why did Mister Will make our house a mess?”
I look at Will over the top of my son’s head. “He didn’t sweetheart. Someone else did. But I’m not sure who.” The boogeymen are the obvious culprits. But it could just as easily have been Detective Rourke.
“We need to get you someplace safe,” Will says.
I shake my head. “There is no place safe. Rourke is watching my every move. Twice, I tried running away. Both times, he found me.”
Will presses his finger to his lips. Cupping his hand around his mouth, he whispers in my ear, “They’re probably listening to us. Let’s go outside to the porch.”
I nod, and for the benefit of the eavesdroppers, I say out loud, “Give me a minute to get a movie started for Conrad, and I’ll make us some hot tea.”
“Hot tea sounds great,” he says and points at the porch, letting me know he’ll wait for me outside.
I locate a juice box in the refrigerator, open a bag of popcorn, and get Conrad situated on the sofa in front of a movie.
I’m far from out of danger, but I feel enormously relieved having Will back in my life.
THIRTY-SIX
WILL
Julia and I stand close together on the porch. I long to take her in my arms, but I need to stay focused. “We have to assume your cottage is wired. The rain pounding the roof will help drown out our voices, but we still need to whisper.”
She leans in closer. “I understand.”
“You can stay in the Mathesons’ house for now. Until we come up with a better plan.”
Julia scrunches up her nose. “You mean the compound at the tip of the island?”
