“That part was my doing, I’m afraid.” Retta’s calm assurance returned. All signs of losing it and crying disappeared. In their place, the cool, collected, scary judge. A woman every inch in control of the room. “Your brother-in-law, or boyfriend, or whatever he is to you. I don’t really care, but he is in trouble. Evidence points to him for Baines’s murder. I know because I gave approval for the planting of that evidence.”

“You bitch.”

“We’re now in Baines’s house, and this murder could easily be roped around Liam’s neck, too. You would likely be implicated as well. Unless you choose otherwise.”

Adrenaline whirled to life inside Gabby. She jumped to her feet, ready for any attack. “You’re insane.”

“Darren made plans to kill his estranged wife. He wanted to hurt Jessa. He’s not a good man, and with his family’s reach and resources he could threaten many more women in the future,” Retta explained.

“How is that relevant?”

“Those are the hard facts. I have evidence to support every statement. But there is an option where he goes to prison for Jessa’s murder. We can defuse him and clean this up at the same time.”

Jessa lay dead, and Retta only cared about how bad a guy this Darren person was. Gabby didn’t care. “Why would he be in Baines’s house? That’s ridiculous.”

“If Darren did it, Jessa didn’t die here. She died back in that parking lot where he attacked her. He threatened her earlier then came back and followed through on his threats. Under that scenario, Jessa is remembered as another tragic statistic. We will celebrate and honor her.” Retta glanced at her watch. “But time is of the essence. We need a decision from you.”

“Me?” Gabby needed Retta to say it out loud. To put her heinous plan into words so there was no confusion.

“Darren or Liam—you choose.”

“Leave Liam and Kennedy out of this.” No, more than that. “Stay away from my family, or I swear I will kill you myself.”

Retta nodded. “So you choose Darren.”

“I didn’t say—”

Retta looked past Gabby. “Make the arrangements. We need this done immediately. And take Jessa’s bag with you. Gabby won’t be needing whatever Jessa brought for her.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gabby heard his footsteps and watched him leave the room. She turned back to Retta. “What is wrong with you? How did you go so far off track? You don’t get to decide who deserves to die.”

Retta stood up. “Lucky for you, right now I do.”

Chapter Seventy-Five
Gabby

The stain wouldn’t come off. Gabby stood in the shower and scrubbed until the water turned cold. She used Liam’s soap, at his house, but all she could see was Baines’s office. The bodies piling up. Jessa’s unblinking eyes, begging her to do . . . something.