“You’re lying. You always lie. Mary and I were pawns in your sick world. Home was never happy. Your only goal was to tear us down, make us dependent on you. We were always afraid, always wrong and never sure why. I knew you never loved us, especially me. But I never imagined you’d be capable of this.” Betsy shakes as David wraps his arm around her shoulders.

David blurts, “My God, I’m so sorry. I should have moved out sooner, taken you with me.” He looks like his heart may be seizing up again, he’s gray, shaking.

“You are pathetic. Both of you. I’m the only one who really loved Mary. I knew what was best for her.” Even if what was best meant pushing her over the edge of that cliff. I look into Betsy’s eyes. I whisper, “You’re my only daughter now, my only focus. But you’re such a disappointment. Maybe you should join Mary? I’ll help.”

Betsy screams. A sound much more appropriate for a horror film, not in this claustrophobic conference room. She needs to learn a bit about acting. I glare at her.

“Take her away,” Branson says as I shake my head yes in agreement.

“Goodbye, Betsy. I hope you make friends in there. I’ll visit.” I look at the detective. “It will be good for her. She always was such a difficult child, hard to love. Not almost perfect like Mary.”

Something isn’t right. I look around and everyone is staring at me. Perhaps I got my lines wrong? I never do that. “What?”

Detective Branson’s eyes are steely, dark. “I really can’t believe you’d kill your own daughter. Only a monster would do such a thing.”

I meet his eyes. I flutter my eyelashes, then rethink that and start to cry. Someone yanks me to standing and now I’m weeping loudly as they force handcuffs on my wrists.

“Of course I wouldn’t do something like that, Detective, you know me. No one loved Mary more than I did. My husband cheats on me and my daughter is about to run away with a teacher and she tells lies about me. I’ve suffered so much. Don’t you see what they’ve done to me? I’m innocent. I demand to talk to my lawyer.”

They’re leading me down a dingy hall, but I’m not worried. I know I’ll get out of this mess in no time. Mark my words. I’m smarter than all of them. Besides, I still have so much more to do. I need to visit Elizabeth, put her in her place. Find Mr. Gray Hair and flirt. Take all of David’s money through divorce, among other things. My new head shots are going to be great.

This isn’t the end.

EPILOGUE

I’d do anything for Mary but share her.