I hopped off the boat and, grabbing hold of the mooring rope, tugged it toward the pier. As I tied it to a seaweed-covered post, I took a moment to catch my breath. In the darkness, I could make out the winding hill path that led up to the tiny collection of houses that constituted the island’s only residents. Jamal came out of the cabin and stood on the deck.
“You sure about this?” he asked, wiping the sleet off his glasses.
“It’s two in the morning and I’m about to break into a really spooky-looking old church to confront a murderer,” I said. “What could go wrong?”
Jamal looked toward the church, which sat ominously at the top of the hill, and shivered.
“Should I come with you?”
“No,” I said. “Stay here with Rocco. I’m going to need a lift back. Hopefully.”
I left him and made my way up the path until I reached the refurbished eighteenth-century building that Sarah and Richard had chosen for their wedding venue. I pushed on the big wooden doors.
Locked.
Taking my hoodie off, I wrapped it around my fist and, gritting my teeth, slammed it into the small glass pane beside the door, again and again, until it shattered. Then I carefully reached inside and unlocked the door. Shaking the loose glass off the hoodie, I pulled it back on and slowly peered inside.
I steadied myself. This was it: the moment I walked through this door, I was going to come face-to-face with Parker. This person, who I thought would always be there for me, protecting me, was just the opposite. A killer. We’d cried on each other’s shoulders, shared losses and victories. I never dreamed they’d be capable of hurting anyone, but I’d forgotten: there was nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.
The drafty hall was barely any warmer than it was outside, and it had that peculiar, musty smell that every old church in the country seemed to have by law. The only light was the strains of moonlight breaking through the broken glass behind me. In other circumstances, it might have been quite beautiful. Every step I took seemed to reverberate through the building, breaking the eerie silence, but I forced myself to keep going. I couldn’t hide from what I’d done any longer.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw the brightly colored bunting and decorations that were spread across the walls, as if they were mocking me. Past the pews, I could just about make out a person.
I squinted, not quite believing what I was seeing. Slowly, their features came into focus, and when they did, it felt like someone had punched me hard in the stomach.
It was Noah.