When Robie and Reel started to move forward, Decker called out, “Wait. Just . . . wait.”
The two women moved in front of the Honda.
“Put the gun down, now,” barked Robie. Both his and Reel’s weapons were pointed directly at Southern’s head.
“Don’t think so,” said Southern. “Now, you’re going to let us pass, we’re getting in Caroline’s Porsche, and then we’re getting the hell out of this godforsaken place.”
“Liz, please,” said Dawson. “Let me go.”
“It’s going to be okay, Caroline. Just trust me. You’ve always trusted me. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“You’re holding a gun to her head,” Decker pointed out.
“Well, you sort of forced my hand on that.”
Dawson looked over at where Jamison was kneeling next to Kelly. “I hope Joe is all right. I tried to stop Liz from hitting him.”
“You should have known better, Caroline. But that’s okay. I’ll be strong for both of us. I’ll take care of you.”
“Put the gun down, Liz,” said Decker, watching her every movement, while Robie and Reel did likewise. “You are not leaving here.”
“Well, then we have a very big problem, because I have no intention of going to prison.”
“Did you really have to kill Cramer?” said Decker.
“I kidnapped her and brought her here. I had the idea that I could get some money from Caroline to make her go away and leave us alone.”
“She moved from Dawson Towers and was planning to leave town. I don’t think she was doing anything to try to hurt the two of you. I think you’re paranoid and you read way too much into the situation.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong, Decker. My love for Caroline is absolute. But there are others, so many others, who will do anything to keep us apart. Caroline understands that. She knows I had to do what I did.”
Dawson flinched at this but remained slient.
“How did Cramer end up dead and butchered, then?” asked Decker grimly.
“I was taking her some food when she broke free. There was a struggle. My ring came off. And . . . Cramer just swallowed it. I couldn’t believe she did that. So . . . I stabbed her and then dumped the body. I never expected the FBI to come here and investigate.”
“You didn’t know about Cramer’s past,” said Decker.
“And then Hal Parker appeared one day and threatened me. You were right about the tires. He had taken photos. He wanted money.”
“What about Ames?”
“At the same time she came around and started asking questions. About Cramer. She seemed to know about me and Liz. Ames knew Cramer from the Colony. I thought she might have told Ames what she had seen. I got scared. If Hugh found out, he’d cut Caroline out of the money.”
“So it was just about the money then?” said Dawson bitterly.
“I loved you,” shouted Southern, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Like I have never loved anyone ever. I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you.”
“Liz, you were very special to me. So kind and supportive. But . . . killing people and saying you did it for me? That’s . . . you can’t do that. It’s wrong. You know that.”
Southern tightened her grip around Dawson’s throat. “I loved you. That’s why I did it. It was all for you! You!”
“Okay, put the gun down now, Liz,” said a nervous Decker as Southern grew more and more out of control.
She shook her head. “That won’t be happening, Decker.”
“Why not?”
“Caroline and I were meant to be together. And nothing will stop that from happening.”
Southern took a deep breath. Her gaze grew rigid and her expression determined. Her finger slipped to the trigger. “We will be together. If not in this life, then the next.”
Decker shouted, “Don’t!”
The shot rang out.
It was like a frozen instant in time. No one moved, no one breathed.
The round passed right through Southern’s head and out the back. She stood there, dead, for less than a second. And then she toppled to the dirt.
Dawson screamed and ran toward them.
They all looked around to see the source of the shot.
From a hundred yards behind them, Shane rose from a prone position on the ground, his rifle and scope in hand.
“I was a sniper in the Army,” he said quietly.
Robie looked at Southern’s body.
“And a good one,” he said.
“THEY SAY YOU’RE GOING to make a pretty full recovery,” said Jamison.
She and Decker were looking down at Joe Kelly, who was lying in a hospital bed.
He had undergone surgery for a broken arm, leg, and hip, and the removal of some grenade shrapnel.
He looked up at them with a weary, troubled expression.
“I . . . I still can’t believe it about Liz.”
“It saved her a lifetime in prison,” said Jamison.
Decker kept his gaze on Kelly. “What are you going to do now?”
“What else? Soon as I get all healed up, going back to being a cop.”
“You might have other options,” said a voice.
They all turned to see Shane walk in the door.
He came to stand next to the bed.
Kelly looked up at him, his eyes growing watery. “I was hoping you’d come by.”
Shane put a hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “You’ve been through hell and back, Joe.”
“We both have, Shane.”
“And we’ll get through it, together.”
“You never said why you were out at Liz’s that night,” said Decker.
“I was out driving. Saw Caroline pass by. Decided to follow her. I hadn’t talked to her alone for a while. I just wanted to see how she was doing. Then she got to Liz’s and all hell broke loose. I grabbed my rifle. When you shouted ‘Don’t!’ I took the shot.” He shook his head, and his expression was one of misery. “Took shots like that a lot overseas. Never thought I’d have to do it here. I knew Liz . . . I liked her.”
Jamison said, “What did you mean by ‘other options’?”
“I’m a rich dude,” said Shane, now grinning weakly. “Need somebody to help me run the business. Too much for just me.”
“Hell, I’m not a businessman, Shane,” said Kelly.
“Anybody can learn to be a businessman. Look at me.” His tone became more serious. “The thing is, Joe, I trust you. That matters more to me than you know.”
Kelly shook his head. “High school was a long time ago. Haven’t thrown a touchdown pass to you in over a decade.”
“And so maybe it’s time we reconnected,” said Shane. “And maybe now would be a good time to do it.”
“So you’ll keep running the businesses?” said Jamison.
“The town needs it. Hell, I need it.”
“What about the restaurant?” asked Kelly. “What about Maddie’s?”
“I’ve got some ideas about that,” said another voice.
They turned to see Dawson walk into the room. Her haunted look and unsteady gait indicated that she had not fully recovered from her ordeal.