Chapter 13 - THE CONFESSION
Helena moved before she thought.
She slammed the shed door into Bell’s arm.
The gun fired.
The bullet tore into the wall.
Daniel tackled Ray despite his wounded shoulder.
Anna dragged Evelyn behind a tractor.
Bell hit Helena across the face with the pistol.
She fell hard.
“You Crawford women never know when to shut up.”
Helena tasted blood.
“My mother didn’t either.”
Bell raised the gun.
Evelyn shouted, “Silas!”
Bell looked at her.
She held her phone.
Camera pointed directly at him.
“You want to explain Caleb?”
Bell laughed.
“You think I care about some dead kid after nineteen years?”
Evelyn’s hand shook.
“You were drunk.”
“So was half the county.”
“You rammed the truck.”
“Your father told me to.”
There.
The words hung in the air.
Helena smiled from the ground.
Bell realized it too late.
Evelyn’s phone was streaming live.
Bell rushed her.
Anna threw a metal wrench.
It struck his wrist.
The gun skidded beneath the tractor.
Helena kicked Bell behind the knee.
He went down.
But Ray broke free from Daniel.
He grabbed Anna around the throat.
“Back off!”
Everyone froze.
Ray held a knife against her neck.
Daniel’s face changed.
Not rage.
Terror.
“Let her go.”
“Move and I cut her.”
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Take me.”
“Mom, no.”
Evelyn kept moving.
“This started with me.”
Daniel said quietly, “No, Evie.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“This started with your brother.”
Something cracked in Daniel.
“Don’t.”
She turned to Ray.
“Let Anna go.”
Ray pulled the knife tighter.
A drop of blood appeared at Anna’s throat.
Then headlights flooded the quarry.
Sirens.
Ray panicked.
Anna stomped on his foot and drove her elbow backward.
Daniel charged.
They hit the ground.
State troopers poured from vehicles.
“DROP IT!”
Bell crawled toward the pistol.
Helena saw him.
“Gun!”
Bell grabbed it.
Before he could turn, a trooper fired.
The bullet hit Bell’s leg.
He screamed.
The gun fell.
Within seconds, both men were in handcuffs.
Anna ran to Daniel.
His shirt was soaked with blood.
“Dad?”
The word escaped before she could stop it.
Daniel looked up.
Even through the pain, he smiled.
“You can call me Daniel.”
Anna shook her head.
“No.”
She pressed both hands against his wound.
“I don’t think I can.”
Evelyn heard it.
Her face crumpled.
Paramedics rushed in.
Helena sat on the wet gravel beside her sister.
For the first time in nineteen years, Evelyn reached for her hand.
“Lena.”
Helena looked at her.
“That was Mom’s name for me.”
“I know.”
“You don’t get to come back and act like nineteen years didn’t happen.”
“I know.”
“I buried Mom without you.”
Evelyn cried silently.
“I know.”
“I hated you.”
“I know.”
Helena tightened her grip on her sister’s hand.
“And I missed you every damn day.”
Evelyn leaned against her.
Then she whispered something Helena wasn’t ready for.
“Dad came to see me the night Mom died.”
Helena turned.
“What?”
May you like
Evelyn’s face went pale.
“He told me exactly what he had done.”
