Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
I guessed he was just really good at faking being a decent person. The thought chilled me to the bone, pushing me off my centre. In the space of a few short hours, everything I thought I knew had shifted.
I started to look back on all my interactions with Dixon in a new light. I’d always thought he didn’t like to talk about his time in the military because maybe something bad had happened to him, but that wasn’t it. He didn’t like to talk about it because his background was fake, and if he’d had to provide details, someone might’ve realised he was lying. I recalled the day when Jace and Zara had been late home from school because she’d been playing football with some of the other kids. Dixon had failed to inform me, and I’d worried over their lateness. When I’d gone outside to ask him about it, he’d pretended like he’d gotten distracted and forgot, but now I wondered if maybe he’d done it on purpose just for kicks. It definitely seemed to amuse him to inform me how the mothers at the school were always vying for Jace’s attention.
My pulse was racing like I’d just stepped off a rollercoaster. I went to search my cupboard for some camomile tea, foolishly believing it could possibly help to calm my nerves. Finding the box, I set it on the counter, then went to put the kettle on. It had just finished boiling when my doorbell rang. Okay, if this was Viola come to finish her tirade, I really didn’t care to listen.
Remembering what Jace had said about staying inside, I pulled up the app on my phone that connected to the security feed. My heart stilled when I saw Margie standing at my door. Mascara ran down her cheeks like she’d been crying.
Then Isla appeared behind her, asking a question. Margie motioned to the door, saying something, but I couldn’t read her lips. I needed to go deal with this.
Opening the door, I found Margie and Isla in a standoff. Jace had clearly given Isla a full rundown of our discovery over the phone because she was eyeing Margie with no small amount of suspicion. I also noticed a familiar car parked outside Viola’s house next door, the very same car that had almost run me down. Seeing it again had a chill running down my spine. So it really had been her. I felt sick to my stomach.
Margie gazed at me with pleading eyes. “Shannon, I know you’ve discovered things about me, but I just want a chance to explain. I value our friendship more than you know, and I hate that I lied to you.”
“You did more than that,” I said, stepping forward, my voice cold. “You tried to run me over.”
Her face went even paler than it already was. Isla swore under her breath as she turned to Margie, aghast. “That was you?”
Margie’s lip quivered. “How did you find out?”
“Aside from the fact that you just drove here in the same car? My neighbour saw you. Turns out, it can pay to have a nosy, overbearing meddler like Viola living next door when your best friend wants to make an attempt on your life.”
“Please, Shannon, I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I swear. Just let me in so we can talk. I’ll explain everything.”
“Fat chance, darling,” Isla scoffed. “The only place you’re going is jail.”
A part of me agreed, but another part saw the desperation in Margie’s eyes, and my soft heart gave a sharp pang. Whatever her reasons, she obviously wasn’t in her right mind, and especially since she was still driving around in a stolen car. I needed to know why she’d done it, why she’d been lying to me all this time, and I needed to hear it directly from her.
“Fine,” I allowed, and Isla looked at me like I was crazy. “You can come in and say your piece, but Isla stays. Whatever you want to say, you’ll have to say with her there, too.”
“Yes, yes, of course, I understand,” Margie nodded her head, her pupils blown wide like she’d taken something. Oh, God, what had she taken?
We went into my kitchen. I stood by the counter while Margie took a seat, and Isla stood in the middle between us, arms folded and eyes zeroed in on Margie’s every move.
“Are you on something?”
“Just a few anti-anxiety pills. When Samuel told me Jace had discovered everything and that I should maybe leave town, I had a bad panic attack. I needed to take something to calm myself down.”
“Samuel?” I questioned, suspicious. Who the hell was Samuel?
Margie swallowed thickly. “It’s Dixon’s real name. He … he and I … we know each other. Well, more than know. We were involved for a while before everything got out of hand.”