“We need to figure out where he’s going.” Tessa pointed to the trees. “What’s on the other side of these woods?”
Logan pulled out his phone and opened his map app. “The harbor.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket.
Tessa nodded. “There are only two ways off the island: boat or plane. The next ferry doesn’t leave until five a.m., and Ian has to know we’ll call the ferry operators.”
“If I were in his shoes, I’d steal a boat,” Logan said.
“We can’t let him get to the harbor. There’s nothing to stop Ian from killing Trevor and dumping his body overboard.” Tessa pulled out her phone. “I’m calling the harbormaster and putting him on alert.”
“I’ll head them off.” Logan turned to the trees.
“Go!” Tessa said. “I’ll stay on their trail in case Ian decides to double back. We’ll sandwich them between us.”
Logan went into the woods, striking a line parallel to the direction that Ian had taken. Every few minutes, Logan stopped and listened. He could hear Ian and Trevor crashing through the underbrush. Clearly, neither of the boys were outdoorsmen. They sounded like a pair of buffalo.
A game trail cut off to the left. Logan took it and broke into a run. The woods weren’t deep. He burst from the trees and put on the brakes. Just ahead, the earth disappeared. His boots stopped inches before the trail dropped off. With his arms spread wide for balance, Logan looked down. Just ahead of his boots, the earth sheared away in a rocky wall and dropped twenty feet straight down. Now what?
The crashing sound approached. Shit. No time to backtrack. Logan needed a place to hide.
Tessa picked her way through the darkness. She could hear the boys ahead of her, and occasionally, she caught a flash of the light Trevor carried. But she didn’t move faster than she could safely navigate. Above, light from a nearly full moon filtered through the trees. She slowed her pace as she passed through a dark patch. Then branches overhead thinned, and she picked up her pace again. She couldn’t risk using her own flashlight.
She was close. About fifty feet ahead, she spotted two shadows moving through the trees. She’d increased her pace until she’d nearly caught up.
They emerged from the trees. The boys stopped short. The ground dropped off at their feet. Ian spun, forcing Trevor in front of him again.
They were trapped.
“Stay away!” Ian yelled, waving the gun.
Tessa stopped. “You can’t get away.”
“Don’t come any closer!” Ian shouted. “I’ll kill him. I want to anyway. I can’t stand the constant crying.”
Tears poured from Trevor’s eyes. He shuddered and tried to suppress a sob, but it slipped out.
Ian shook his shoulder. “Shut the fuck up. You’re so annoying.” Ian tapped the gun on Trevor’s head.
“Put the gun down, Ian,” Tessa said.
“Fuck you.” Ian was red faced, his eyes narrowed with meanness and wild with desperation. He knew he was trapped. Like a feral animal, he’d lash out.
He wanted to kill Trevor. Tessa could see it in his eyes. He would do it to punish her for solving Gavin’s murder, for catching him, for ruining his plan.
She had to stop Ian. But how? She couldn’t shoot him, not without risking Trevor’s life.
Where are you, Logan?
“I’ll do whatever I want,” Ian snarled. “I always do.”
“You don’t want to kill him. You’ll go to prison for the rest of your life.”
Ian shook his head. “I won’t! I’d rather die.” He shook Trevor again. “And I’ll take him with me.”
Tessa said, “Leave Trevor here, and I’ll let you go.”
“Do you think I’m stupid?” Ian yelled, his voice dripping with disdain. “I’m smarter than you. I’m smarter than all of you.”
“You left a witness to Gavin’s murder,” Tessa said. “That wasn’t very smart.”
“I did not.” Ian sounded indignant.
“You did. I know exactly how you shot him in the head, then dragged his body into the basement of that house on Mimosa Street. There are photos.” Tessa gambled with a lie. “There’s trace evidence too. You left DNA behind. We have plenty of evidence. You’re going to prison forever—unless you release Trevor.”
“You’re lying.” But Ian’s voice lacked conviction. “You drop your gun and back away.”
“I can’t do that, Ian. I can’t let you hurt him, and you know it,” Tessa said. “I’ll give you one more chance. Let Trevor go, and I won’t chase you,” Tessa lied. Once Trevor was safe, she was taking Ian down.
Ian’s feet were inches from the cliff’s edge. How far was the fall?
Logan hung from a tree root on the cliff’s face.
Just above him, Ian argued with Tessa. “Fuck you.”
Logan pulled himself up until he was peering over the edge of the cliff.
“Where are you going, Ian?” Tessa yelled. “We’re on an island. You can’t get away.”
“I can.” Ian took the gun from Trevor’s head and pointed it at Tessa. “I have a plan.”
Logan reached up and struck Ian in the back of the knee. His legs buckled. He went down on one knee, losing his grip on Trevor. Ian’s arms splayed in the air as he sought his balance. Once he regained his footing, he started bringing the gun back around toward Tessa.
Hell no.
Logan grabbed the back of Ian’s shirt and yanked hard. Ian fell sideways. The edge of the cliff crumbled under Ian’s feet. He threw his hands in front of his body as a counterbalance, but it wasn’t enough.
Ian tipped backward in slow motion. As he fell, he reached forward, took a handful of Trevor’s sweatshirt, and tried to drag the younger boy over with him.
Trevor cried out. He swung the flashlight over his head and struck Ian in the face. Ian’s head snapped back. More earth under his feet gave way, dirt and rocks tumbling to the ground below. He slipped over the edge.
Trevor windmilled his arms, trying to save his balance, but the ground crumbled under him. He slid downward. Logan grabbed his arm as he passed. For a couple of seconds, Trevor dangled in Logan’s grip. Then the boy took hold of a tree root and clung to it.
Logan reached for the cliff edge, but the earth continued to break away. There was no way to climb back up. He yelled to Trevor, “We have to go down.”
Tessa’s face appeared over his head. “Shit!” More of the cliff face gave way. Tessa moved twenty feet along the edge, to a place where the footing was more solid. She swung her legs over the side and began a careful descent.
Logan helped Trevor scramble down. Their feet hit the ground, and he released Trevor. The boy limped a few feet away.
At the base of the cliff, Ian was sprawled on his back, moaning. Tessa dropped the last few feet and turned to Ian. Ian’s eyes were closed. She moved closer, drawing her weapon again.
Logan moved in front of Trevor and scanned the ground for Ian’s gun. Where did it go?
Ian rolled and snatched at something on the ground. The gun! It had been under his body. Logan couldn’t react fast enough. There was nothing he could do except watch Ian lift the weapon, aim it at Tessa, and fire.