CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
“Tess, put the gun down.” Declan’s voice was calm, but his hand was on his sidearm. He didn’t draw his weapon, but his body was tense.
She ignored him and raised the gun higher, zoning in on the center of my chest. “This is your fault, Spencer.” Her voice was harsh. “You couldn’t leave it alone, could you? You had to come in here, asking Gil all sorts of questions, and trying to get your little story.”
“I just wanted to know what happened to Eddie,” I said softly.
“It was an accident,” she screamed, tears streaking down her cheek. “But you just kept digging and digging until you ruined everything.” Her shoulders shook with sobs. “If you’d just minded your own business, none of this would be happening.”
“Tess, baby, put the gun down,” Gil whispered, cheeks flushed. “Please.”
She shook her head. “No. We need to get out of here, Gil. We can go somewhere where they can’t f… find us.”
“Tess.” He looked shell-shocked. “Stop this. You can’t shoot him. That’s crazy, babe.”
“I will shoot him,” she growled, her finger tightening on the trigger.
I felt lightheaded as I stared at the gun.
I believed she’d pull the trigger. I didn’t want to, but I did.
How was it possible this crazed-looking person was the same warm, friendly girl who’d helped me pick avocados?
Instinct screamed at me to dive for the floor, but I couldn’t seem to move.
She had her finger on the trigger, and I had a horrible feeling if I even moved a hair, she’d fire.
“Tess, you don’t want to do this,” Declan said quietly. “You’re not a killer.”
Her laugh was slightly hysterical. “That’s what you think. S… sometimes you have to do things to protect the people you love.” She wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. “I’m not going to let you arrest Gil for something he didn’t do.”
Declan held out a hand. “If you’ll put the gun down, we can talk about whatever you want.”
“No,” she screamed. The gun jerked in her hand and I flinched, certain for one terrible second that it was going to go off. “You’re not taking Gil anywhere.”
“Tess, calm down,” Gil said as he slowly moved to stand between me and the gun.
She didn’t like that at all. “Gil, move.” She sounded panicked. “What are you doing? Get out of the way.”
“No. I won’t move.” He shook his head. “You’re not shooting anybody. This is insane.”
She whimpered, “Gil, please move. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Why are you doing this?” he asked softly.
“I’m protecting you.” Her voice wavered.
“From what? The police?” He sounded bewildered.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she muttered. “Everything is going wrong.”
It was like a lightbulb went off in Gil’s eyes. He looked horrified, and then he said, “Did you kill Eddie?” Gil’s voice was raw. “Is that what happened? Is that why you’re so upset?”
“Gil,” she whispered. “I told you, I was protecting you.”
Gil made a sound. A small, broken sound deep in his throat. “Tess. What did you do?”
“I did it for you,” she whimpered, the gun shaking. “Everything I did was for you.”
I felt sick looking at her. Her face was a contorted canvas of love and guilt and devastation, all tangled together.
Gil braced himself on the bar. “Eddie was my best friend. He was like my brother. Why would you hurt him?”
“Because he was going to hurt you.” Her eyes were wild as she looked around the room at the few people who remained, frozen in their seats, unable to look away.
Bree was near the door with her gun drawn, probably waiting for Declan’s signal.
“Eddie was going to destroy your life,” she said angrily.
“He was going to take everything from you. I couldn’t let that happen because I love you. Don’t you understand that? I love you.”
I flinched when someone grabbed me by the back of the shirt.
“Get behind me,” Declan said near my ear.
I wasn’t sure I could even move my legs. I felt frozen in place. But when he tugged again, harder, I stepped backward and he pushed me behind his body. Now I had Declan and Gil between me and the gun. But Tess no longer seemed fixated on me. She was focused on Gil, watching him imploringly.
“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she said softly. “You have to believe me, Gil. It was an accident.”
“I don’t understand how that could happen.” Gil’s voice was colder now. “I don’t understand how you could accidentally kill Eddie.”
She licked her lips, appearing almost eager for a chance to explain. “I… I just wanted to talk to Eddie.”
“Then how did he end up dead?” Gil looked drained.
“That wasn’t planned. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
I’d overheard you guys arguing about the GPS and where you’d been fishing.
I knew he’d be out there tracking where you’d gone.
I… I took one of the skiffs and I went out looking for him.
I felt like if I could just talk to him, maybe he’d stop being so uptight. ”
“And you found him out there on the water?” Declan asked.
She glanced at him as if she’d almost forgotten he was in the bar. She nodded. “Yes. I know where the marine reserve is.” Her mouth thinned. “Sure enough, Eddie was there snooping around.”
“So you killed him because of that?” Gil sounded broken.
“No.” She shook her head. “I told you I was just going to talk to him. But he was angry when I tried to make him see reason. I tried to explain there was no need to turn you in. That you could both enjoy the money and no one had to know. I told him Rosa and him could live a better life if he’d just not go to the police. ”
“But he wouldn’t listen?” Declan asked.
“No, he just got angrier. I… I tried to calm him down, but he wouldn’t listen.” Her mouth hardened. “He said he couldn’t look the other way. That you were a crook and a liar. He said what you’d done went against everything he believed in. He wanted nothing to do with you anymore.”
Declan studied her. “You didn’t want to hear that, did you?”
She wiped her face again, smearing her mascara.
“I got angry. Of course I did, Gil. I couldn’t let him just talk about you like that.
I… I don’t even remember exactly what happened next.
We were arguing and I pushed him. I didn’t mean to hurt him.
I just pushed him because I was mad, and he fell backward and hit his head on the gunwale.
There was this horrible sound.” She closed her eyes.
“And then he was on the deck and there was blood and he wasn’t moving. ”
“Goddamn it, Tess,” Gil’s voice was barely a whisper. “How could you do that to Eddie?”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him. I… I tried to help him.
” She was sobbing openly now. “I tried to stop the bleeding. But there was so much blood and he wasn’t responding, and I panicked.
I wiped the GPS because Eddie had followed the coordinates that you’d been fishing.
I knew when they found Eddie, if they saw the GPS, they might figure out about the poaching. ”
“And then what?” Declan urged.
She blinked at him. “I dragged Eddie to the wheelhouse so it would look like he fell and tried to get back to port.” She winced. “I should have just left him where he was. That was dumb of me. But I was panicked and not thinking straight.”
“No, what you should have done was call for help,” Gil shouted, his shoulders shaking as tears streamed down his face. “Why didn’t you call for help? Maybe Eddie could have been saved.”
She looked stricken. “No, Gil. It was too late.”
Gil’s arms fell limply at his sides. “Put the gun down, Tess. It’s over. Please, just stop this. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “But they’ll arrest me.”
He hung his head. “We’re both going to jail, Tess. You for murder and me for poaching. It’s time to stop. I can’t take this anymore.”
She watched him, wide-eyed, face flushed and tear-stained.
Her face changed as it sank in that Gil had no intention of running away with her.
He didn’t care if she was arrested or that he was also going to jail.
Her eyes became dead. Hollow. And for one awful moment, I feared she’d just start shooting.
But she didn’t start shooting. Instead, she crumpled, dropping the gun on the bar top with a dull thunk. Declan moved fast, securing the gun and then rounding the bar to grab Tess. Bree advanced, holstering her weapon as Declan pulled Tess’s hands behind her back to cuff her, and read her rights.
Bree escorted a sobbing Tess out of the Rusty Anchor, and Declan stayed behind. The bar was empty now except for me and Gil and the mess of overturned chairs and abandoned drinks.
Gil sank onto a barstool. He looked gutted.
I felt sorry for him. Yes, he’d cheated at fishing and messed with a married woman, but he didn’t deserve the hell he was now going through.
The woman he had loved killed his best friend to protect him, and he was going to carry that for the rest of his life.
Declan walked over to me, but he didn’t touch me. “You good?”
“Yeah. I think so.” To be honest, I wasn’t good, but what was Declan going to do about that? My body ached and I was in shock. My plan was to go home and have a stiff drink. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I’d almost been killed for the second time in a week.
“I’m going to need a full statement from you, but not tonight.” He studied me. “You’re in no shape for that. I’ll come by your house tomorrow or the next day, okay?”
“Okay.”
He turned to Gil. “I’m going to need you to come to the station, Gil.” Declan’s voice was compassionate, as if he too felt sorry for Gil. “The poaching charges are separate from what Tess just confessed to. But we need to sort it out tonight.”
Gil nodded. “I know.” He stood slowly, like a man going to the gallows. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. All of it. I’m done hiding.”
Declan walked him outside. Gil didn’t resist, didn’t argue, didn’t ask for a lawyer. He just went. Once Declan had Gil in the patrol car, he came over to me as I was climbing into my Honda.
“I’m sorry I didn’t text you back about dinner.” He grimaced. “I was busy getting ready to come over here to deal with Gil.”
“It’s fine. I knew you showing up was a long shot.”
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. He gave a funny little smile and stepped back. I closed the door, started the car, and pulled out onto the road. I expected him to walk to his patrol car, but he didn’t.
Instead he stood watching me until I was out of sight.