Chapter 23
Teslyn donned Wyatt’s sunglasses and got out of the truck, her heart racing in her chest. She had fond memories of this man from her childhood, but he was responsible for her mother’s death, and could be planning her own at that very moment.
The marina had four narrow docks that went out into the water, each with slips along both sides. She spotted five other people—three on boats and two on docks—only one of the latter who could be Will Pritchard. A wave of nausea rolled through her stomach as she headed toward the figure.
“Just don’t get on the boat, and you’ll be fine,” she whispered to herself.
She was in a public place, meeting a high-profile politician.
And while the dock seemed terribly skinny, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Gulls squawked overhead as she made her way along the dock.
It would be a beautiful day if it weren’t for the murderer she was meeting.
She reached Pritchard, the man’s sunglasses hiding his eyes just as hers did. “Will?”
One side of his mouth hitched up into a grin. “What, you’re not going to call me uncle anymore?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Almost ten years,” he said. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
She looked around, wondering if one of the boats was his, wondering if he had anyone waiting in the wings like she did with HERO Force. “I want to know why a congressman was hanging around in our trailer. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“I loved your mother.”
Teslyn balked at that, a laugh of disbelief escaping. “I find that hard to believe.”
He gestured toward the motorboat beside him. “Come for a ride with me. I’ll tell you all about it.”
She held up her hands. “I don’t do boats. I don’t know how to swim.”
“That’s what life jackets are for.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.” The dock vibrated beneath her feet, and she turned to see a man and a woman walking toward them, chatting.
“This is a very public place for a very private discussion, Teslyn.”
She crossed her arms, careful not to cover up the microphone between her breasts. “We’re staying here.”
He looked out over the river, which led to the ocean. “You’re named after my sister, you know. Theresa Lynn. She died in the sixth grade from cancer. Leukemia.”
Teslyn’s vision seemed to narrow, leaving only Pritchard’s face left in view. “Excuse me?”
“Marilyn, she wanted to name you something unique. She’d been friends with Theresa all the way through grade school, and it was important to me. It fit.”
Is this man my father?
“What are you saying?” she asked.
“I’m saying you should get in the boat. We have a lot to talk about.”
He was getting her off-track, confused. She needed to stay focused. This wasn’t about who her father was, whether it was Will Pritchard or not. What was important was clearing her name in Marilyn’s murder so she could become a guardian to Ivy. “My mother was blackmailing you.”
He leaned in close. “Keep your voice down,” he ordered.
She took a step backward. “And you didn’t want anyone to know.
You’re a politician, a big man with big goals, isn’t that right?
But Marilyn knew enough to bring you down.
She could take it all away, just like that.
” She snapped her fingers. “And you couldn’t stand a woman like her having that kind of power over you. ”
“A woman like her?” He laughed without humor. “Your mother was the love of my life, Teslyn.”
“She was not.”
“You didn’t know her like I knew her. Before the drugs, before the drinking. She was a different person. A beautiful person. I never stopped loving her, not through all of it. I never stopped loving either of you.”
Anger burned through her in a rush. “This isn’t about me. This is about Marilyn, and how you killed her because she was going to expose you for the fraud that you are.”
He acted as if she hadn’t spoken. “I couldn’t get your mother clean. I tried. I tried so hard. My parents wouldn’t let me marry a drug addict, no matter if she was pregnant with my child.”
“Stop it!”
“Get in the boat, Teslyn. I have proof. I can prove to you that I’m your father. Photos, documents. But I’m not going to show you here. You have to understand that. Please.”
Photos? Were there pictures of Marilyn and Will, maybe herself as a baby, tucked cozily in between?
Or was he trying to trick her, play on her emotions to make her do something she would regret?
She’d never known her father, had assumed Marilyn didn’t know herself.
But what if she did? What if she’d always known?
She shook her head firmly. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You killed her, or you had her killed. She was blackmailing you and you couldn’t stand it anymore. You used to be the Sheriff in town. You had the police in your pocket. She told me so herself.”
“I was happy to give her money, everything I had. She was the mother of my girls. You think that didn’t matter to me? You think I didn’t care about you? Get in the boat, Teslyn, and I’ll show you the truth. I’ll show you everything you ever wanted to know.”
“Admit it. Admit you killed my mother.”
He whipped off his sunglasses and glared at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You showed up at her trailer that night and you set the place on fire. You killed her, and you tried to kill Ivy, too.”
“I did no such thing.” He placed himself between her and the dock back to the shore. The next thing she knew, he had a gun in his hand. “Now get in the boat, Teslyn.”
Her eyes went wide. “Sunshine,” she said, her voice coming out as a squeak.
“Get in that boat!”
She stepped over the side. “Sunshine!”
He kicked her in the back, and she went tumbling into the boat. “Your friends can’t help you now.” He got in and moved to the driver’s seat, keeping the weapon trained on her as he turned the ignition, the engine roaring to life.
Teslyn squinted against the sun. Did Wyatt and the men hear her? Were they on their way to help her?
Pritchard backed out of the slip. She turned and called over her shoulder, “Sunshine!” her voice lost in the roar of the motor as they took off down the river.