Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“If she saw you coming out of the house the night he was killed, I get it.”
“Well, lucky for me, I have a copy of all of the footage now.”
“Why lucky for you?”
“There’s one thing the killer doesn’t know.” Caius’s eyes narrow as he waits for me to take my phone out of my pocket and scroll to the image I’d just shown Odin. I turn the phone toward him. “When I saw Donovan’s body in the pool, I snapped a picture. It’s time stamped. It was three minutes after I got inside.”
“Oh?” He takes my phone, zooms in. “Good. This was smart. It’ll at least prove you couldn’t have done it.” He hands the phone back. “You don’t know who sent the photo?”
“No.”
“Who would have something to gain by this? If they don’t know you have the time-stamped photo of Donovan dead, who would have something to gain by sending that photo to Madelena?”
I shake my head. I’m fucking tired. Too many fucking questions.
“I can think of one family,” he says, answering his own question.
He means the Averys. “How would the Averys be involved? Why?”
“I’m sure Thiago or Bea or fuck, Camilla even, could have been having you followed. Maybe they somehow knew the plan.”
“I don’t fucking know.”
“Is it possible Thiago was going to meet with whoever has that footage?”
“I can’t see how that makes sense.”
“Or maybe give that footage to someone. De Léon maybe? I mean, he is the reason you were there in the first place.”
“De Léon is not strong enough to push Thiago off the catwalk,” I say, voice lowered. “He has no use of his dominant hand, remember?”
“Not the old man, but Odin maybe? If he had enough reason to? I mean, he could use it to blackmail you and save his sister.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
“Because you can’t imagine him being violent? Are you—you, brother—surprised to learn how far people are willing to go to protect themselves and those they love?”
“I’m well aware but it’s not him. I know because he’d never have left his sister out there. Besides, he’s not capable of murder.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“I’m getting a fucking headache.” I inhale a deep breath in. “Between that footage coming to light, Thiago, finding Madelena passed out up there, and what Camilla said today, it just got to me.”
“You really considered I was the stranger your wife was sure she saw up at the lighthouse?” I look at him for a beat too long because he shakes his head and smiles a disappointed smile. He swallows more whiskey.
“No, I don’t think that, brother,” I finally say. “But I believe there was someone there. And I don’t think Camilla was lying about Thiago’s call. He’d have no other reason to go up there. Madelena couldn’t have pushed him. She’s just not strong enough.”
“If he was off balance and she was scared…”
“No. It doesn’t fit. I know it, know it in my gut.”
“But you thought I could do it,” he asks, sounding hurt. I scrub my face. “Why did you ask me to roll up my sleeves?”
I look at him, consider, then reach into my pocket and set the stone on the table between us.
He looks at it and I look at him. I can’t believe there was a moment I gave credit to Camilla. That I believed he may have been with her sexually. That I believed he murdered Thiago.
“I’m sorry, brother. I was wrong,” I say.
Caius drags his gaze from that stone to me. One of the staff puts another log on the fire. It hisses and swells casting a shadow that obscures my brother’s features momentarily, but I see the set of his jaw well enough. “Let’s just agree to trust each other going forward.”
I nod, feeling ashamed. Without another word, I get up and leave.
10
MADELENA
I can’t stop thinking about what Caius said, can’t stop hearing his threat like it’s on repeat in my head. The way he looked at me when he spoke those words, the way his eyes went flat, I have no doubt that he would hurt me if Santos didn’t stand between us. That bullshit about him liking me, I don’t believe it, not for a second. He must think I’m completely gullible and I am, often, but not on this. Although, I also think I understand him.
The relationship between the brothers must be difficult. Santos was favored by his father. Caius was set aside once Santos came along even though Brutus Augustine had officially adopted Caius as his son. I think the brothers do love each other but there has to be jealousy too, on Caius’s part, and with Santos, guilt maybe?
The story about Santos finding the girl he loved murdered that way, though, that’s the vision I keep seeing. Why did Caius tell me that in so much detail? To pique my curiosity about that box? He has. But he also put space between Santos and I because he knows I’m not going to ask Santos about the murdered girl.