Page 50 of Beneath Still Waters

“You think I killed Bailey?” He kept his voice low.

“We know you at least tussled with him not long before he died. A short enough time that he didn’t have the opportunity to remove your blood from under his fingernails.” Duke held his gun toward the sky, ready to make use of it.

George lunged before anyone realized he'd decided to fight. Duke rushed forward to help Kevin. Heath aimed his gun at Carl. Ferd gripped the rail of the suddenly rocking boat. Carl took the opportunity to grab a small ceramic flowerpot next to him and swing it into Heath’s face. The crack echoed across the calm water like a car crash.

George clasped her tightly, whipped her around and thrust a knife to her neck. She couldn’t wiggle. Her chest tightened. Warm, wet blood seeped from a nick on the side of her throat. Duke held up a hand and stepped in front of Kevin, keeping him from aiming at them. She pled with him silently.No, don’t stop because of me . . .

“Go ahead. Shoot. You kill me and you never learn who I’m connected to. You kill her and I’ll jump overboard. Swimming isn’t an issue for me.”

He slipped out of his loafers while holding her. The movement made the blade nick her again. She sucked in her breath.

“Oh, you don’t want to play?” George said through his teeth when they made no move. “Fine. Throw your weapons over the rail. Now.” He gripped her tighter around the shoulders andpulled her back. “Right here. I want to see those guns going into the water.”

Duke tossed his first, then Kevin trudged to the edge and tossed his last. Carl grabbed Heath’s weapon where he lay on the deck and threw his over.

“Good. Now, be a good little hostage and tie them up with that rope. Good and tight. There will be a test when you’re finished. Carl here has tied a fair number of ropes in his life. Haven’t you, Carl?” He shoved her toward a pile of rope.

The old man looked away. “Fair shouldn’t ever come out of your mouth.”

George snorted. “Keep an eye on her.”

Ferd picked up the end of the coil and went for Kevin first. She did her best to make the knot look tight but leave him enough room to wiggle free. If they took her off the boat with no one to come get her, she’d be dead. They’d probably bash her head in like they did Bailey.

Next, she tied Duke. He stood still, without offering a word of advice. Odd for him. She couldn’t catch her breath beyond the knot growing in her throat.Never go to a second location . . .Her instructor’s training screamed through her memory.

“Hurry up.” He shoved her to the side and tested the knot on Duke’s wrist.

George didn’t notice, but she’d seen him slightly tug his wrists wide so the binding looked tighter than it was. George reached down to the coil of rope and cut off another length. “Carl, tie her hands behind her back. I’m not going to worry about her catching an idea.”

Carl grabbed it from him and grumbled the entire time as he tied her wrists so tightly her fingers tingled. There would be no wiggling out of this mess. Carl pushed her toward George. She lost her balance and fell forward. George gripped her shoulder and wrenched her upright.

“Oh, one last thing. Carl, find all their phones. They need to go over too. I won’t have anyone tracking their location.” He pulled her close to him again as if he still needed her as a shield.

One by one, she watched as three phones created tiny waves on the surface of the water. George dug his hand into her purse and felt around inside. She’d never thought having someone put their hands on something that wasn’t actually her would feel like such a personal assault.

He finally yanked her phone from inside her purse along with a utility knife she carried everywhere and tossed those over too. “There. Done. Carl, we’ll take their boat. It looks faster than yours. You won’t need it anymore anyway.”

He shoved her every few steps as they headed down the side of the boat, toward Kevin’s. “You really thought you’d win? You thought you’d come out here and find out everything you wanted to know.” He pushed her hard against the railing and forced her head down right over the murky water. “Any last requests?”

She couldn’t breathe. “Not the water,” the words came before she could think to stop them. Almost so quiet she wondered if she’d actually said them.

“Water?” he repeated softly. “Last request, denied,” he said against her ear before he shoved.

She screamed as her face hit the water.

THIRTY-NINE

Stomach muscles. Leg muscles. Chest muscles. All were working but none well enough to keep her afloat. Ferd held her breath and tried to relax. Maybe if she did, she would find the surface. Her body sank farther. Farther. The water darkened around her. Grit suspended in the depths floated by.

A solid hand gripped her collar and yanked her up. The force and shock released the rest of the air she’d held hostage.

If I scream now, I’m dead.

The ascent seemed to take so much longer than the descent. She tried to work with her rescuer to kick and give some momentum, but she couldn’t seem to match his movements. When she was sure her lungs would burst, her head crested the surface.

Blessed air!She breathed and choked.

Through blurry vision, Heath’s boat sailed away.