Hannah heard the sound of the front door opening, and she answered quickly so that it would mask the sound of the door. “Oh, yes. I’ll be back. You’re right, Bonnie. It’ll only take a minute or two and then I’ll be back with you.”

And then Gil was standing in the doorway of the den, an expression of disbelief on his face as he stared at his wife with the gun in her hand. “Bonnie?” he said in the calm, friendly voice that Hannah assumed he used with his troubled students. “What are you doing, darling?”

“Don’t you see?” Bonnie responded, turning toward him. “I have to release her, Gil. She knows I killed Phyllis. And then we can go, too. Together. Isn’t that right, darling?”

“Yes, of course,” Gil said. “Just let me think for a moment, dear.” And then, when Bonnie’s arm lowered slightly, Gil rushed toward her and grabbed the gun before Bonnie could raise it again. They tussled for a moment, as Hannah stood there, frozen. The struggle seemed to last forever, and Hannah’s feet seemed glued to the spot. And then Gil forced Bonnie’s arm up so that the barrel of the gun was pointing toward the ceiling.

“Run, Hannah!” he shouted at her. “Run for help!”

Gil’s words served to release her and Hannah didn’t waste any time. She ran out of the den and into the hallway, headlong toward the front door. She didn’t stop to grab her coat, she just fled as fast as she could. She pulled the heavy inner door open, expecting to run to her truck, but she found herself engulfed in the arms of someone wearing a sheriff’s department uniform. It was Mike and she’d never been so glad to see anyone in her whole life!

“Hannah!” Mike exclaimed. “Where’s Bonnie?”

“The den!” Hannah managed to gasp out.

“Michelle’s in the cruiser. Take her and get out of here. Now!”

“Bonnie’s got a gun. Gil grabbed her arm, and . . .”

The sound of a gunshot drowned out any further explanation Hannah could give him. Mike drew his gun, motioned to Lonnie, who was standing behind him, and both men raced for the den.

Hannah knew she should go, but she couldn’t, not without finding out what had happened. She drew a deep, shaking breath and turned around to follow Mike and Lonnie to the den. She arrived at the doorway just in time to see the gun on the floor next to the rocker, and Gil cradling his wife’s body in his arms.

“I shot her,” he said to Mike and Lonnie. “She was going to kill Hannah. You have to arrest me. I killed my darling wife.”

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen