I close my eyes and go back to that night, thinking of the police swarming the beach, searching for someone who was never lost, the stories we had been told about her drowning. “And then you forced me to lie to the police, even though you knew that Sadie had not disappeared. All the while you knew the truth.”
Gabriel nods and slumps back, looking small and weak. The strong, powerful lawyer is nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly I’m hit with a wave of revulsion. Not just at what he did to Sadie, to Judy, and to me, but I’m disgusted with myself. For having been so wrong about him. For letting myself believe he was a man worth breaking my own morals for. And theseconflicts war inside me. They mingle with the anger that swirls in the pit of my stomach like hot acid.
“You have no idea what I went through, Scarlett. Knowing, hoping, that my daughter was still in that camp…it ate me alive. For the past six months, I tried to find anything I could use against Megan Hale and the camp. I believed it was the only way to get Sadie out and make sure that woman faced consequences for taking my daughter. When Judy started looking into things, I panicked. I was afraid she would find out and put Sadie in danger. Megan had made it clear she would be.”
Megan Hale. I remember her. She welcomed us to the camp. How could I have known she would kidnap Sadie?
“How do you even know she was telling the truth, that she had proof of what you did when you were a teenager? She probably just read what was in the papers, available to everyone, and she?—”
“No,” Gabriel says, defeated. “I don’t know how, but she tracked down the witness my family paid off.”
He doesn’t need to say more. The truth is written all over his face.
Gabriel is a murderer. He killed someone. But I can’t process that right now, not when we need to focus on Sadie and Judy. I need to find them. Even if it kills me.
Unlike Gabriel, I would sacrifice everything for the people I love.
“You’ve made a mistake in the past and now it’s time for you to correct that mistake. We need to get Sadie and Judy out of there.”
“You don’t understand, Scarlett. That woman is dangerous.” His head slumps on his chest and he closes his eyes.
I sit down and face him, placing a hand under his chin to force him to look at me. “I don’t care how dangerous she or the camp is. Your wife and child are in there and you are going tohelp me get them out.” I walk away from him. “I need to call Alice.”
FORTY
“I just spoke to Alice to ask if there’s a way into the camp,” I tell Gabriel, fifteen minutes later, when I’m back on the balcony with Coco in my arms. “She said she’ll call someone and call me back.”
“Did you tell her why we want to get inside?”
“I just said that Judy might be in danger and she immediately wanted to help. You know how much she cares for her. I didn’t say anything about Sadie.” The phone suddenly rings and Coco wiggles from my arms and runs to jump on Gabriel’s lap. “It’s Alice,” I mouth at Gabriel and pick up.
“Hi, Scarlett, there might be a way,” Alice says on the other end. “You could try sneaking into one of the Townstead Wholesale store delivery trucks that deliver food and supplies there. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”
“Thank you, Alice. I really appreciate this.” After Alice gives me more information about the logistics, I hang up, my heart feeling a little lighter.
“What did she say?” Gabriel looks up and Coco immediately takes the opportunity to lick him under his chin.
“There are delivery trucks that go in there two days a week. One of those days is tomorrow.”
“And you think they’ll be able to get us in? How do you figure we will convince them?”
“We don’t need to convince anyone. We are going to have to sneak into one of the trucks without anyone seeing us.”
“It will never work.” In slow motion he shakes his head from side to side. “That camp is heavily guarded. They will never let us through.”
“I have to try, Gabriel.” I clench and unclench my fists. “This could be our only chance.”
He peers at me through half closed eyes. “What do you meanyou?”
“I’m the one who’s going.”
“You can’t do that.” He reaches out, trying to touch my hand, but I pull it away.
He lowers his hand on top of Coco’s head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Scarlett. It’s too dangerous.”
“Listen, Gabriel. Sadie and Judy are inside there with a kidnapper. I’m going to do everything I can, even if it’s dangerous.”
