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“Yes, you are.” He turns fully to me. His face is darkened by shadows from his hood. There’s a glint in his eye that puts me on edge.
“I made mistakes,” he says, “but so have you. You ran away, thereby allowing your mother to experience the most traumatic thing a human being can go through, simply because you felt slighted by me. You put your wounded pride over your mother’s mental and physical well-being for all these years. Now you’ve come back for no other reason than money. I don’t believe your intentions are pure, and therefore, I don’t want you in this house. I will give you the amount you request, and then I want you gone.”
I feel heat rise up the back of my neck. “I’mnot—”
“Yes, you will. Because if you don’t, I will show the police the video of you pouring Nina’s crushed Xanax into Meredith’s wine if you do not leave this house by tomorrow morning. And if you ever return, or ever ask for more money than I give you today, I will show them the evidence. You will be convicted of murder and will spend the rest of your life in prison.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Try me.”
We stare at each other, the hatred between us so thick, you could reach out and grab it.
I take a measured breath. “The thing is,Dad, I don’t want some of your money.” I catch movement in the trees in my peripheral vision. A smile crosses my lips. “I want it all.”
I surge to my feet as Nina bursts from the tree line, her face contorted with rage, her legs wobbly as she lunges toward Tristan. She’s soaked to the bone, wearing the pair of baggy sweatpants and T-shirt I’d dressed her in earlier this morning. She’s been out here as long as I have, waiting for Tristan to come—exactly as I have.
The shock on my father’s face is something I will never, ever forget.
Retribution.
I watch his eyes bulge the moment he realizes what’s happening.
My smile grows wider.
Tristan looks from me, to Nina, and back to me. “No,” he pleads, his voice cracking. “No, no—”
Nina throws her full weight into his chest, pushing him with every bit of energy she has. Off balance, she crumples to the ground.
Tristan stumbles backward, tripping over the log I strategically placed hours earlier.
His scream echoes across the ravine.
Our eyes meet one last time as his body tumbles over the edge.
26
James
Though Nina is lethargic and exhausted from dispelling the most energy she has in years, she is smiling, sitting up, leaning against the pillows I have stacked for her.
She still can’t speak, but the sparkle in her eyes says enough.
Retribution.
Nina hasn’t taken a single prescription medication for almost two weeks now. The day she attacked me (realizing my true identity), I learned that my mother was far more lucid than anyone gave her credit for. I replaced her medication with various shapes and sizes of white candy that I’d purchased after sneaking out one night.
Slowly, the haze in my mother’s eyes cleared, and we began communicating, her with simple nods and gestures. Thumbs up, thumbs down, yes, no.
The moment I suggested the plan to rid Tristan ofourlives, Nina became livelier than ever.
She was in.
We began daily physical therapy in her bedroom. A few steps at first, eventually building up to walking from one end of the room to the other. Gaining enough capacity to perform her end of the deal. She wanted to be the one to push Tristan over the edge.
We waited for a rainy day, which would make the story that Tristan must have slipped to his death more likely.
This morning, I wheeled Nina down to the cliff, hid her in a thicket of bushes, and together we waited for Tristan to arrive to meet his fate.
* * *
I crawl into bed, slip under the covers, and lean over my mother.
“You did good, Mom.” I whisper, stroking her head. “We’ll give it a few days, then call the police and report him missing. They’ll find his body in no time, and then we’ll get everything. Just a few more days.”
I lean down and kiss her cheek. “He’s gone now, Mom.” I tuck a strand of snow-white hair behind her ear. “This is our house now. It’s just you and me now. Don’t worry ...
“I’ll take care of you.”
