Page 87 of The Getaway

“He hit his head on the doorjamb and then kind of stumbled across the hallway and outside. He was yelling at me that I was a loser and he was going to call the cops and that me and my trash family were going to be thrown out on our asses the second the storm was over, and I just got so pissed, I shoved him.” Grant closed his eyes as his words came faster and faster, as if he was getting caught up in his story. “He fell into the pool. Knocked himself out on the way in.”

Gemma tried to control her breathing as she gripped the arms of her chair. Okay. Okay. Maybe this was okay. Everything he’d described so far had been self-defense. Lincoln had started it. Grant had fought back. Maybe there was some light at the end of the tunnel here? Surely Richard and Leyth could work with this. Spin some magic. And then she and her family would just have to go to therapy. Lots and lots of therapy.

“He was just floating there . . .” Grant continued, his eyes going glassy again.

“You didn’t think to jump in and try to save him?” Gemma asked, her heart sick as it pounded in her chest. She knew this was something the lawyers would ask. That her children would ask.

Grant shook his head absently. “Didn’t even cross my mind. Instead, I picked up the last speaker and tossed it into the pool.”

Gemma gasped. She had to cover her mouth with her hand and swallow repeatedly to keep the bile back. Her vision went prickly at the edges, and she breathed through her nose as deeply as she could. This was not the time to pass out. This was an utter nightmare. She stood up, shoving the chair so hard it hit the wall behind him.

“Oh my God, Grant. You murdered him,” she whispered harshly. “You actually murdered the man.”

“It was an accident!” He tried to throw himself forward but then groaned and flung himself back again. His breath came fast and frantic as he fought against the pain in his body or with his guilt or both.

“Did you even hear what you just said? It wasn’t an accident!” Gemma hovered over him. “You tossed an electrical appliance into a pool with a man floating in it. You did that. That was not an accident!”

“Keep your voice down!” he said, gaze darting to the door in the corner.

“Is that what you care about right now? Who hears me tell the truth?” Gemma demanded. “What about what you’ve done to us? To me? To your family? Did it ever occur to you to think of us?”

“I was thinking about you! About all of us! I was trying to get us back on our feet. And that asshole laughed in my face!”

Gemma felt cold and hot at the same time. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe he was trying to justify what he had done.

“I don’t understand. If the speaker was in the pool, how did it get back into the storage room?” she asked.

It took Grant a long time to answer. He kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. She watched his chest move up and down.

“After a second, I realized what I’d done. That if anyone found him like that with the speaker, it would look bad. So I fished it back out with the skimming net and put it inside.”

So you murdered him and then covered it up, Gemma thought.

“But someone saw me.”

“What? Who?” But even as she spoke the words, the answer came to her.

“Trevor,” he said.

“No,” Gemma said, her whole body revolting. She stood up and turned away. “Don’t.”

“I didn’t know he was there. He told me the next day. Had me meet him in the ballroom. Tried to blackmail me.”

“No, no! Just stop!” Gemma snapped, tears pouring down her face.

“I had to, Gemma. I had to protect our family.”

She turned around and looked at him, the back of her throat full, her bottom lip trembling. This man that she had loved. This man that she had created a life with. He had murdered two people in cold blood.

“I did what I had to do,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Well, I hope that makes you feel better when you’re rotting in a jail cell somewhere,” Gemma said coldly.

With that, Grant burst into tears. Huge, racking sobs. Gemma couldn’t even comfort him. She walked over to the window, bracing one hand against it while she tried to get her bearings. Outside the sun blazed, and light fluffy clouds danced across the blue sky. A couple walked toward the hospital door with a huge bouquet and teddy bear. Traffic stopped and started out on the road beyond the parking lot. It was as if the hurricane had never happened. Life just went on.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry,” Grant said over and over and over again.

Gemma turned to look at him, at his shaking shoulders as he sobbed. She thought about the couple of days after Lincoln’s death. How he had acted like everything was fine. How he had joined the search party for Trevor as if he didn’t know exactly what they would find. How he’d tried to pin both murders on Suzy.