“I know you’re down here,” Piper cried. “This only makes my plan even stronger. You forced me down here at knifepoint. It was dark. In the tussle, I stabbed you. It’s perfect.”

My stomach roiled. I had no doubt she would stab me and let me bleed out if she could. She’d murdered twice. What was one more person? I picked up my pace as quietly as I could.

I used my fingers to guide my path along the wall. I had to be about halfway through now. Just be quiet for a little bit farther, I told myself, but my curiosity wasn’t having it.

“Did Javier give you the same cyanide he used on his lover to put in Dooney’s whiskey?” I asked.

Her laugh was low and sinister and much closer than I liked. “Why do you care?”

Ha! She didn’t deny it. That was it. That was how she’d managed to kill both Dooney and Quentin. She’d definitely poisoned their drinks!

“Because when I get out of here, I’m telling Detective Stewart,” I said.

“You’re not getting out of here,” she scoffed. “In fact, I have to thank you for accessing this tunnel. This is so much more dramatic than my original plan. I’ll be able to stage the death scene for premium optics.”

Great, she’d pivoted from mourning her wedding day to planning my death day without breaking a sweat. Well, not today, Piper. Even though it meant I might lose my balance, I let go of the wall. I had to get to the door at the end of the tunnel with enough time to open it before she finished me off. Death, the great motivator. I began to sprint. To heck with the type of poison. I had to get out of here.

The footsteps behind me picked up speed, but I had the advantage. I’d been in here before. I ran through a pocket of cold air and shivered. That was weird. It made me slow down, and instead of slamming into the door, I stumbled into it. I felt around for the handle and grabbed it. It turned and I pushed but it didn’t budge. Oh, no. It was stuck. Piper was going to catch me and stab me to death and no one would ever know the truth—that Piper May was the real killer.

I pushed and slapped the wood and cursed under my breath. It didn’t budge and Piper was closing in fast. I could hear her panting behind me. I wanted to cry but I didn’t have the energy. I braced myself against the door and suddenly it gave way.

Falling backward out of the tunnel, I blinked against the late-afternoon light, which seemed very bright given my last few minutes spent in the dark. A pair of strong arms caught me, and I glanced up. Harrison!