Page 75 of Deadly Waves

“Is she the former student who disappeared?” Sophie asked.

Tabitha nodded. “She betrayed Jon, too. He took care of her. That’s how I knew I could do it and get away with it.”

“That is not what happened,” Peterson protested. “Shelly isn’t dead. Granted, what happened with her could’ve ended me, but she agreed to take regular payments and move. She lives in freaking Montana.”

Tabitha worked her mouth but no sound came out.

“How did you arrange that?” Sophie asked, filling in the conversational gap. “That girl fell completely off the map. There’s a suggestion in police files that you killed her.”

“And if it ever came to it, I would’ve pointed them in Shelley’s direction to clear myself,” Jon replied. “She’s living in the same town with my mother. My mother gives her free childcare for … the kid.”

“Wow, you say that like you really care about him,” Sophie deadpanned. “How … sweet.”

“I never wanted to be a father,” Peterson spat, extending a finger. “Shelly purposely got pregnant to trap me. Then she blackmailed me to get what she wanted. I may be something other than honorable, but I am not a killer.”

“No, you just inspired one,” Sophie said, narrowing her eyes as she focused on Tabitha. “Are you the one who killed Zoe Walters? Did you do that, too?”

“Zoe?” Peterson wrinkled his nose. “That can’t be right. I didn’t have any ties to Zoe.”

“Oh, don’t play coy,” Tabitha said, finding her voice. “You liked her. You thought she was hot. I saw you the first night of the trip. You were flirting with her at the bar. Don’t bother denying it.”

“I told her she looked nice in her dress,” Peterson corrected. “That’s not the same thing as flirting.”

“That’s what you told me before we had sex for the first time,” Tabitha challenged. “Then you ripped my dress when you were taking it off. It was brand new. I didn’t mind, though. I knew that meant you were excited to see me. I knew that meant you loved me.”

“You’re … crazy,” Peterson said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t … how didn’t I see this?”

“Because she had all of the power in the relationship,” Sophie supplied. “You couldn’t do anything – including seeing her for what she really is – because you’re a disgusting piece of crap. When you do terrible things, others find ways to do terrible things right back.

“I have no sympathy for you,” she continued. “I have more sympathy for Tabitha, and she’s a murderer. She’s been warped. What’s your excuse?”

“I never asked for any of this!” Peterson exploded. “I just wanted some peace. That’s why I decided to settle down with Denise. I’m not proud of anything I’ve done, but I am not a killer.”

“You’re worse,” Sophie said, refusing to back down. “At least Tabitha was upfront with her beliefs. You lied and manipulated until you couldn’t see what was right and wrong even when the explanation was directly in front of you. You’re sick.”

“Don’t talk to him that way,” Tabitha snapped, waving the gun in Sophie’s face. She was trying to be intimidating, but Sophie wasn’t one to walk away from a fight. “He deserves some respect. He’s my … heart. I love him.”

“You don’t understand what that word means,” Sophie argued. “You think that love is something it clearly isn’t. This man isn’t capable of loving you. What happened with the captain was sick and wrong and he should pay, but he never loved you either.”

Instead of reacting out of anger, Tabitha’s lower lip quivered. The simple show of emotion was enough to remind Sophie how young and confused the girl really was.

“If they don’t love me, who does?” Tabitha asked.

Sophie opened her mouth to answer, debating how truthful she should be, but she didn’t get the chance. Will Davenport picked that moment to slip through the gate, his hands raised. His eyes were fixed on his daughter.

“I love you, Tabitha,” Will choked out. “I’ve always loved you.”

“You?” Tabitha snorted. “You’ve never paid any attention to me.”

“I’ve clearly been … remiss,” Davenport admitted. “That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I’ve simply made mistakes. I want to make up for them.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s too late for that,” Tabitha said. “If you want to help, though, I’m going to have to shoot these three and toss them overboard like I did Zoe. Her body was heavy even though she was small. You’re going to have to give me a hand if we expect to get rid of them before the storm hits.

“The good thing for us is that the rain will wash away all of the evidence,” she continued. “That’s the reason I ran into trouble with Zoe. I didn’t clean up all of the blood.”

Will was at a loss as he stared at his daughter. “Oh, sweetie … .”

Mandy risked a glance to her right and her heart soared when she saw James moving in her direction. Instead of closing the gate, Will left it open and then directed Tabitha’s attention toward him as James, Grady, and Jake moved in to cut off the girl from her intended prey. Mandy wanted to run to him, but now wasn’t the time. Instead she returned his tentative smile and remained silent.