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Instead of crying out, Margaret began to laugh, low and long. It was a cracked, hollow sound that held no mirth, and it was clear she was at the breaking point. “You think I care if my husband knows the truth?” she hissed. “I don’t. What Liam and I had was...” Her face began to crumple like used parchment. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing does anymore.”
When she started to chuckle again, Boyd pushed her against the banister, his face a mask of rage. His large hand squeezed her neck. She coughed, gasping for breath. “Go ahead and tell my husband,” she rasped. “Whether by you or him, I’m dead either way. I’m tired of living in this gilded cage like one of his expensive collectibles. Wasting away and gathering dust. I’m just as much a pawn in this life as you are. So go on. Kill me, if you must. But you’ll get nothing from me on the whereabouts of my husband’s fortune because I’m just a mindless dove, remember?I know nothing!”Margaret ended on a scream that seemed to snap something inside Boyd.
He drew his hand back and slapped her. She cried out, her body spinning away, as she tripped over her skirts. Flailing at the top of the stairs, she reached frantically for the railing, but missed. With a terrified scream, she tipped backward and went tumbling down the grand staircase.
Boyd bolted down the hall, not waiting to watch Margaret land like a rag doll with limbs at odd angles on the marble floor. A servant screamed and went running toward her, unaware of the intruder who was climbing out an upstairs window. Boyd swung from the window to a balcony, then scrambled over the railing and dropped into thick bushes. With a choked curse, he sprang from the thorny shrubs and began running into the woods.
He kept running until he saw Liam up ahead. Boyd quickly told Liam about his plans to run away to France with Alice. Then he said his final goodbye and surprised Liam with a hug. As they embraced, Boyd slipped one of Margaret’s necklaces into Liam’s pocket. It was a fail-proof plan. They’d blame Liam for Margaret’s death, and Boyd and Alice would be long gone by then. As Liam walked away, oblivious to the fate that awaited him, Boyd turned back to watch him disappear through the woods. A flicker of regret ghosted across Boyd’s face, but it quickly smoothed into steely determination.
A lone magpie cried out in the branch above Boyd’s head. He scowled, scooped a rock off the ground, and threw it at the harbinger of sorrow. Then he whirled and ran toward his future.
Providence Falls, present day
Liam watched the image of Boyd’s retreating figure disappear in the wall of mist until even that faded into the gloom. The cave was so dark the only things visible were the angels, Agon and Samael.
“So, Boyd betrayed me,” Liam said in a sad, hollow voice. He was surprised that it hurt as much as it did. In this world, he had no love for Boyd, but back in his old life, they’d grown up together. They’d been almost like brothers. “I wondered how that necklace ended up in my pocket. Funny how you think you know someone so well... I always knew Boyd was a hothead, but I never would’ve thought him capable of murdering poor Margaret.” Liam was suddenly overcome with guilt. “She didn’t deserve that.”
“No, she did not,” Samael said solemnly.
“Wait a minute.” A sudden thought occurred to Liam. “Why is Boyd here, then? He committed murder almost two centuries ago. Shouldn’t he be paying for his sins, you know...down there?” He pointed to the ground below them, reluctant to say the wordhellout loud in the icy darkness. If ever there was a place where evil things might be lurking, it would be there.
“Boyd Thompson did not intend to kill Margaret Brady that night. He was a thief, and a blackmailer, and he lacked many redeeming qualities, but he did not plan to commit murder. Because of that, he was given another life to make better choices—but he has proven himself unworthy. He shall be dealt with accordingly.
“Now, enough about him,” Samael said. “There’s someone else who needs you right now. Someone who could use a... What’s that word?” He glanced at Agon.
“Boost,” Agon said triumphantly.
“Yes.” Samael turned back to Liam. “There is someone who could use a boost. You said you wanted to do some good in your last moments here. Go and make yourself useful.” They began to fade in a shower of sparks until Liam was once again surrounded in darkness.
“Wait!” Liam jumped to his feet. “You can’t just say that and then disappear. I’m trapped down here, remember?” He kicked the cave wall in aggravation. Heaven, save him from infernal angels and their cryptic messages. “Why can’t you ever tell me anything straight?” he yelled, spinning in a circle. “Come back!” His shout echoed for a long time, which surprised him. The chamber he’d fallen into seemed to be much larger than he’d expected.
There was a faint sound in the distance, and for a moment, Liam thought the angels had come back to say more. But then he realized it was someone calling for help.
“Who’s there?” Liam called into the gloom. He kept his hand on the wall, carefully placing each step until it occurred to him he could use his phone light. The screen had cracked during the fall, but it still worked. Straining in the silence, he listened for another sound. For a few moments, he heard nothing, until...There.It was a faint call for help. He moved as fast as he could, following the wall of the cave until his feet splashed into water. It appeared to be a narrow underground stream. There was a crevice in the rock wall. He stepped through it, calling, “Hello? Is someone there?”
“Here,” a weak voice answered. There was a cough and sound of shoes scraping on the ground. “I’m over here.”
With a start, Liam recognized the person speaking.“Finn?”
23
CORA KEPT HER eyes on Bear’s penlight, trudging behind him for another hundred yards until suddenly his light blinked out. They were instantly engulfed in the thick, cloying darkness.
She cringed. With the stale air and the scents of dust and decay, she felt like they were entombed. “What—”
“Shh!” Bear whispered. “We’re almost there. Listen.”
At first, all she could hear was the whistling breeze and the faint sound of a stream far below. Then she heard it. The distinct echo of scuffed footsteps and something scraping along the ground. Bear inched forward, rounding a curve in the tunnel to stop just outside a large cavern illuminated by a faint glow of light.
The cave was massive, with a high, cathedral-like ceiling and stalactites looming overhead like sharp teeth. Cora shivered with apprehension. It felt like they were about to step into the mouth of a monstrous beast. In the dim light, she could see large crates stacked along the walls, and random chests strewn over the floor. A scraping sound came from the left, where a shadowed figure was dragging a large trunk away from the wall. He propped open the lid and began digging through it with frantic, jerky movements. There was a small camping lantern on the ground near his feet, and when he straightened, Cora saw Captain Thompson’s triumphant face. He was holding stacks of cash in both fists, which he began tossing into a canvas duffel bag on the ground beside him. So intent was he on his task, he didn’t notice them as they began to edge closer.
Cora scanned the cavern for places to hide as she tried to come up with a plan. Between her and Bear, they could overpower him easily, but that wasn’t the problem. Captain Thompson always carried a gun. There was no way he came here without a firearm for protection. She placed her hand on Bear’s arm to warn him, but it was too late.
Bear lurched forward to attack. In the split second it took for him to reach the circle of light, Captain Thompson jerked his head up, withdrew a gun from a holster at his back, and shot. The sound was like an explosion in the cave, amplified by the close proximity of the stone walls.
Cora’s gasp was concealed by the noise as Bear fell to one knee and roared in pain. Captain Thompson walked toward Bear, who lay writhing on the ground, holding his leg.
“You didn’t actually think you could get the jump on me, did you?” Boyd sneered as he kept his gun pointed at Bear. Lifting his lantern, he pivoted in a half circle. “Who else is with you?”
