Chapter Sixty

CHAPTER SIXTY

I don't like Harriet walking behind me, out of my line of vision.

At least the tapping of her cane against the floor provides a reference point. I don't release the breath I'm holding until I reach the kitchen and duck to the side of the open doorway.

"Normally I don't drink alcohol unless it's a special occasion, but this feels like one." Harriet's voice enters the room a moment before she does.

"What do you mean?"

"Talking about Ian and Beth's possible reconciliation put me in a festive mood. I'm hoping Beth will withdraw her divorce petition soon."

Harriet's hand is in the pouch of her sweatshirt. She's holding something—a bulky object. A gun?

I glance around the kitchen. There are no butcher blocks of knives. No heavy glass bottle of olive oil on the counter, or big crystal vase of flowers on the island. Nothing I can use to defend myself.

Harriet is still standing between me and the doorway. Her genial mask is peeling away, revealing what lies beneath it: desperation.

She takes a step closer to me. I instinctively back up, keeping about three feet between us. "Oh, Stella. When did you figure it out?"

"Figure what out?"

"Don't pretend. Something changed in the living room. I slipped up, didn't I?"

If Rose is nearby, she needs to hear the truth. She has to know I believe in her. That I finally see what has been going on.

I can't sacrifice her ever again.

So I say it loudly: "I know you killed Tina."

Harriet's eyes fill with what looks like true anguish. "No, no, it was an accident. I didn't even lay a hand on her. But I was there, up in the attic, when she went through the window."

"If you knew Tina's death was an accident, why didn't you just say so?"

She shakes her head. "Who would have believed me? And there were… well, extenuating circumstances. I could easily have ended up in prison for the rest of my life. And now it's gotten even messier. I can't let you go to the police and tell them what you know. It won't end well for me. Beth and Ian and Rose will all hate me. I'll lose my family forever."

Harriet takes a forward step, and I match it with another backward one.

"Why did you have to come here tonight, Stella? This was so close to being over."

I've made a terrible mistake; I forgot to keep looking at her hands.

Her right hand rises, pointing a blocky piece of metal that resembles a gun at my chest.

With her left hand, she raises her cane. For a moment, I think she's going to jab me with it. Maybe I can wrest it from her grasp, I think frantically. It'll be hard for her to move around without it.

But Harriet uses the tip of her cane to poke the panel next to me.

It slides open, revealing the elevator.

"I have a special bottle of wine Beth gave me for my birthday. I'd like for us to drink it tonight."

Bile rises in my throat. I can't go in that tiny space again.

I shake my head. "No."

Rose must be aware that Harriet was absent during the minutes surrounding Tina's fall. That was why her leg desperately tapped at the dinner table.

But I failed my young client. I didn't heed her wordless clue.

"What is that thing?" I'm stalling, desperate to stay out of the tiny, claustrophobia-inducing place.

"Did you know you can buy Tasers online and have them shipped to you?"

Pete told me Tina wanted to buy one. Perhaps that's how Harriet got the idea.

"I'll give you to the count of three and then I'm going to fire this thing. I watched some videos on what happens. You may lose control of your bladder. You'll probably collapse. Then I'll drag you into the elevator. But please don't make me do it."

If I do as Harriet says, we'll be tucked together in a confined space. Maybe I can turn my worst fear into an advantage. I could lunge at her, wrestling the Taser out of her grasp. Or I could kick her bad knee.

"One."

I'm wearing my light puffer jacket. It's unzipped, leaving my chest exposed, but if I use it like a shield, it might dull the effects of the Taser even if Harriet gets off a shot at me.

Rose is waiting for me to help her. If I don't come through for her, she'll be consigned to a life under Harriet's reign.

"Two."

I take a step toward the elevator. The moment Harriet crosses the threshold after me, I'm going to spin around and fight.

I step into the elevator. The walls seem to buckle as my vision blurs. I dig my nails into my palms as hard as I can, the sharp burst of pain briefly distracting my brain.

I take one more step, feeling my legs weaken as terror saps my body's strength.

A low roaring noise fills my ears, signaling a panic attack is imminent.

I force myself to listen for the tap of Harriet's cane to alert me to her whereabouts. Once she's inside, I'll whip around.

I hear the tapping.

I start to spin around. Then a tremendous shock explodes, seeming to originate inside my body. My legs give out. I can't move or think. I can't even breathe.