“You,” I said, staring at the masked person in front of me. My breathing roared in my ears.
“You recognize me?” Her voice was husky but definitely female. Wendy had been wrong by assuming the person who came after Joe was a man, unless there had been several masked people running around Chester Bay—a theory I highly doubted.
Between the lantern and the flashlight, there was enough light to clearly make out what I feared. Wendy’s description had been accurate. The mask covered the top of the woman’s face and part of the sides, leaving openings for her mouth and eyes. The effect was terrifying.
“Only by reputation. Who are you? And why do you have my sister?”
“She isn’t really your sister, is she?” She spoke in a clear, slow voice, as if taking her time with picking the right ones.
“Of course she is.”
“Not by blood.”
My body tensed. “You sent the adoption papers.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“You needed to know the truth.”
I glanced at Madison. The fabric against her mouth was soaked. With saliva or tears, I wasn’t sure which.
“I don’t understand,” I said, attempting to distract this woman while I thought of a plan. “Who are you?”
“Forgive my rudeness,” she said with a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I imagined our meeting a little differently.” Our meeting? “My name is Elyse Angelov.”
The name struck me. It was the same last name as that on the adoption papers. “Angelov?”
“Yes, I’ve waited years to meet you.”
I blinked, fully believing I was in the middle of a waking nightmare.
“You’re my family?”
“Your biological sister, to be exact.”
“Oh.” I was at a loss for words.
“This was the only way to get your attention.”
I scoffed. “Kidnapping someone was the only way to get my attention?”
She sighed slowly. “I’ve left you many clues that you failed to see. I wanted to show my devotion to you. To prove that I will protect you no matter the cost.”
“Protect me from what?”
“Your degenerate boyfriend for one thing. He trapped you in that relationship and it would have devastated your future.”
“You killed him?”
Madison made a sound and I shook my head slightly to calm her down. Elyse clearly had issues, but I didn’t want to force that side of her out.
“He was on that track,” Elyse added. “I sped up the process.”
If Elyse had killed him, she’d be able to offer the answers Ryan and I sought. “He left a note.”
“I forced him to write the note, but it was from me. I intended for the police to find it and rule the death as a suicide. I couldn’t very well be charged with murdering him.”
“The police know it wasn’t an accident. That drug is only found in hospitals.”
Her lips twitched into a smile. “I have reliable contacts.”
“I don’t believe this.”
“I did this for you. Why are you not seeing that? It was all for you.”
I wanted to be sick. The note I thought had come from Joe made sense now. It was Elyse’s words, not Joe’s.
“Why did you hurt Ryan?”
“He pried too much into the case, dragging you along with him. And I saw him using you to get the information he needed to tell his detective brother. I had to send a message.”
“You were spying on me?”
“I was a resident in the Chester Bay Inn for some time. You two were inseparable.” Her lip curled at the idea of Ryan and me. I wanted to cross the room and wring her neck, but I held back. I knew what Elyse was capable of and getting Madison to safety was my top priority.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“What does everyone want? To live in peace with their family.”
“I have a family.”
Her voice darkened. “Your real family.”
“Please, just let Madison go and then we can talk.”
Her chin jutted out. “Only if you promise to come with me.”
I felt the color drain from my face. “Go with you where?”
“A place to start over. To make up for the lost years.”
I didn’t even want to be within ten feet of the psycho who had murdered my boyfriend, harmed my friend and kidnapped my sister. And she expected me to go with her? She had better rethink her plan because I was getting out of there with Madison as soon as I saw my chance.
“I’m your true family,” Elyse said. “Either you come with me or I’ll force your hand.” She tucked a chunk of Madison’s hair behind my sister’s small ear and placed a hand on her shoulder. Elyse’s eyes met mine, daring me to say no.
Madison closed her eyes tightly and started crying again.
I wanted to scream at Elyse for touching Madison. She had no right. My brain scrambled for a solution. For the first time since starting the investigation, I was completely in over my head. Why hadn’t I stayed out of it? I was no match for Elyse. The only choice I had was to comply with her wishes. I couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt because of me.
“Alright,” I said, needing Elyse to get as far away from Madison as possible. “I’ll go with you. As long as you let Madison go.”
Elyse cocked her head to the side. “And you’ll stay with me?”
“Yes,” I said.
Elyse lifted her long fingers from Madison’s shoulder. She untied Madison and I rushed over to my sister. Madison collapsed against me and I inspected her face, ripping the fabric away from her mouth.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
She shook her head; her fearful eyes were wide.
“Okay, get out of here.”
Madison shook her head wildly. “She grabbed me from the library. I’m not leaving you with this crazy person.”
Elyse visibly bristled at Madison’s insult. She moved to the back of the boat, where I’d come in from. If I didn’t know any better I would think she was blocking my exit.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “She won’t hurt me. We’re family.”
Elyse glanced over her shoulder, her lips turning up at the corner.
“No,” Madison moaned, clinging onto me.
“You need to get to safety.” I handed her my keys and phone. “Lock yourself in the car and call Mom. Everything will be fine.”
I wrapped her into the tightest hug I could muster, throwing all of my love into it as if she could feel it through me. “Go.”
Madison’s bottom lip trembled but she took my keys and phone and raced out of the room.
Elyse followed Madison and for a second I thought she was going to go back on her promise. I raced to the door and saw Madison running down the docks. I took a ragged breath.
In the sunlight, I was able to get the full picture of Elyse. Her almost too-thin frame moved gracefully, like a dancer’s. Her black hair was short and slicked back. I understood how Wendy had been confused about Elyse’s gender the night they met.
Elyse lifted the rope that anchored us to the dock and turned around.
I backed away from the entrance, my eyes darting around the room for any other possible escapes.
“Let’s go up to the main deck so we can be on our way,” Elyse said firmly.
She made me go first, directing me through the room and up a set of stairs. She made it clear she didn’t trust me quite yet. I tripped on the first step, slamming my hands into the stair. Elyse was close enough for me to touch. I imagined shoving her out of the way and following Madison far away from that boat. Losing my nerve, I slowly stood. If I didn’t do what she said, then she would keep coming after my family and friends with no remorse. Elyse didn’t appear to feel anything about killing, injuring, or kidnapping. But she hadn’t shown aggression toward me. She wanted me to be her family. Deep down I knew she wouldn’t hurt me. At least I hoped. Admittedly, a small part of me wanted to know more about my real family.
I’d have to find another way to get home.
When we reached the top deck, Elyse brushed past me and headed for the controls. I moved closer to the side of the boat. The drop wasn’t that far down to the water and I could easily swim to the dock. My flight instinct urged me to jump, but I quelled the impulse by once again thinking of the welfare of my loved ones.
Instead, I opened up the other part of me, the one that wanted information. I turned around, keeping my hands on the rail behind me.
“Why all of this? Why didn’t you come and meet me like a normal person?”
Elyse flinched. “Why is everyone so obsessed with normal? Do I look normal to you?”
“That’s not what I meant. Why take me away?”
“It’s the only way.”
I guessed she needed to be on the run now after murdering Joe, especially after admitting it to me. Devereaux would undoubtedly be able to trace her steps with the information Ryan gave him; though, with his homing in on me for the entire investigation, I might be long gone by the time he figured anything out.
At this distance, Elyse’s features were sharper. One of her eyes was narrower than the other; a thick red mark peeked through the mask in the corner of her eye. And her mouth moved strangely, as if I were looking at her through foggy glass. How far did the unseen damage go? My curious side almost took over, until the rumbling motor and lurch of the boat started our move away from the safety of land.
“Where are we going?” I asked, not daring to move closer to her. I still wanted to keep my options open for literally jumping ship.
“Down the coast,” she said. “We’re going to my home I share with my own adoptive father.”
“Oh.”
“I’ve taken care of everything for you. There’s a bag on the lower deck with everything you’ll need. Clothes, food, water. And, once we get settled in at home, I can get you anything you need.”
“It seems you have everything covered.” I couldn’t help the hint of sarcasm in my voice.
Her lips pinched together. “I’ve had much time to plan.”
As the boat continued on its way, I glanced over my shoulder to see any chance of escape retreating in the distance. “Tell me more about that.”
“It’s a long story.”
I opened my hands at my sides. “I think we have the time.”
She considered me. “That we do.”