She wished she could have stayed to see Heather‘s stricken face but the description John had given her was almost as good.
John suspected she had done something. He wanted to believe his mother when she told him that it was that witch, Heather.
That should have been the end of it but her hatred had gotten the better of her. She wasn’t finished with her revenge. She had waylaid Heather on the trail to Pike’s Peak the next day and tried to destroy her love for Adam. Nothing she said changed the fact that Heather would grieve for her Adam for the rest of her life. So Tricia had made sure that was a short amount of time.
She had decided to share Adam’s last words. She whispered them into Heather’s ear as she pushed her into the rocky abyss below.
No evidence, no connections, even her own son wasn’t sure she had done anything.
That was until; Tricia had overheard the conversation about the pictures. It was supposed to be a simple clean up, remove any evidence that could connect John to Adam or to her.
Now she was going to have to kill one more person. Lacey would have to die.
This would have to be an accident. She couldn’t afford another suspicious death. When it was over, she would disappear and no one would ever know the whole story.
They might wonder but they would never know.
Chapter 25
“Oh my god!” thought Lacey. She would have never figured out this convoluted tale. That would not help her now. She knew too much to be doomed to die.
“What are you going to do with me?” she asked Tricia.
“You haven’t figured it out?” countered Tricia. “You know those hot tub spas are very dangerous. People should never get into one alone. I read once that a few people drown in those every year. This year there will be one more!” she actually laughed. “Let’s go! Put those nightclothes into the hamper. I’ve got to tie up all the loose ends.”
Lacey looked into the not quite sane eyes of her captor. She had one more card to play.
“It won’t work,” she said, “I already emailed the pictures to Wyatt.”
“Oh, really?” said Tricia holding up Lacey’s smart phone. “I looked through your latest messages and emails and I already deleted the pictures you sent yourself.”
Tricia led her at gunpoint downstairs and over to the alarm system.
“Disarm it!” Tricia yelled. “And don’t try to pull anything or I will shoot you right here! I’ve got nothing to lose; I’ve already killed two people.”
Lacey did exactly what Tricia told her to do. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this. They headed to the French doors leading to the sanctuary.
Tricia leaned into the guest bathroom and pulled a big fluffy towel off the rack. Damn, thought Lacey, crazy as she was, she thought of every detail.
As they entered the dark walled in patio, Tricia pushed her in the back to hurry her up.
She made Lacey lift the protective cover off the spa, and then ordered her to get in. Lacey slowly climbed into the warm bubbling water. A small splash hit the water right next to her.
“Oh darn, look! Your cell phone fell into the water and was destroyed,” cooed Tricia. “Just in case you had any more tricks up your sleeve.”
Hopelessly Lacey looked up at Tricia.
“Please,” she said, “you don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, but I do,” Tricia said almost regretfully.
She suddenly leaned forward and forcefully pushed Lacey’s head under the steaming water.
For a second Lacey was so surprised she swallowed and choked on the hot water.
Then her survival instincts kicked in and she tried to fight. She tried to fight but Tricia was unbelievably strong and had the advantage of surprise.
Lacey tried valiantly to scratch her attacker and at least get some skin under her fingernails, create some sign of a struggle so they would know this was no accident. Try as she might she couldn’t get a hold of anything.
She was drowning. She thought of Charlotte. Would Charlotte know that she would not get into the spa by herself? No, unfortunately, Lacey had not always used caution. It was believable that she would think nothing of a moonlit soak in the spa.
Just when she couldn’t hold her breath any longer, she thought of Wyatt. She would not get the chance to see what they might have had together. Sadly, she thought he would lose another woman that he cared about. Poor Wyatt was her last conscious thought as she gave in to the inevitable and sank beneath the surface.
Chapter 26
Abruptly, Lacey felt herself pulled up into gloriously fresh air. Hungrily she gasped to pull in as much air as she could to her starving lungs.
Strong hands held her upright, face above the surface of the water. Wyatt, she thought with relief, Wyatt had come for her.
Then the voices above her head penetrated her oxygen-deprived senses.
She heard John Braverman say, “Please Mama! Enough! You can’t do this!”
Tricia began weeping.
Then she heard Wyatt’s voice, “That’s right, drop the gun and turn around!”
Wiping water from her eyes, Lacey focused on the scene around her. John Braverman was still holding on to her. He had saved her. Wyatt was holding a gun on Tricia Moore and Charlotte was standing right behind him with a worried expression on her face.
Tricia, sobbing dropped the gun and allowed Wyatt to handcuff her. John Braverman and Charlotte helped pull the weak and dazed Lacey from the spa.
Charlotte said quietly, “I’ve got her.”
She wrapped Lacey in the towel that Tricia had made sure they brought with them.
Lacey was aware that other officers were arriving as Charlotte led her shakily into the dining room to sit down at the wide worktable.
Charlotte ran to get blankets from the linen closet in the hallway. She made a hot cup of tea and then sat with her arm around Lacey while the chaos around them settled into quiet.
Lacey was warm, her teeth were no longer chattering and she had begun to absorb the reality of what had happened.
Wyatt came into the kitchen, weary lines of worry creasing his face.
“Is she okay?” he asked Charlotte.
Charlotte said quickly, “I think so. I’m going to run her a nice hot bath.”
Then she looked at the two of them and added, “I’ll probably be awhile.”
Wyatt pulled Lacey into his arms.
Lacey realized that his entire body was shuddering.
“I’m okay,” she said shakily.
“Thank God!” was his grim reply. “You wouldn’t be if your sister had not called me and told me that she thought you may have found something. And even then we would have been too late to save you!” he shuddered again and held her even tighter.
“John Braverman got here first. He was worried about what his mother might do. I don’t know if I could stand to lose you after I finally found you,” he murmured close to her ear.
Between kisses and soothing touches, Lacey filled him in on the entire story.
He assured her that Tricia Moore would not ever hurt anyone again.
They both felt sorrow for John Braverman. He had dearly loved his mother but still could not let her destroy another life.
“What am I going to do to make sure you are safe?” Wyatt asked against her lips.
“Well, for starters you are going to spend every moment you can right here with me,” answered Lacey.
She looked down at his strong hands holding her tightly. She caught her breath when she realized the thin gold band was no longer on his finger. It was time to move forward.
“I think I can handle that,” smiled Wyatt, kissing her deeply.
Lacey knew this was only the beginning. They had been lucky enough to get another chance to build a future together.
Charlotte backed away from the doorway to allow them some privacy. Let them enjoy each other she thought with a grin. It’s about time some
thing went the way it was supposed to for her sister.
Books by Sara Robbins
Death Checks Inn (Aspen Valley Inn Series #1)
Inn To The Darkness (Aspen Valley Inn Series #2)
Innvitation To Murder (Aspen Valley Inn Series #3)
Aspen Valley Inn Series Collection (Books 1-3)
The Sinister Seminar (Events To Die For Series #1)
The Poisonous Pageant (Events To Die For Series #2)
The Fatal Fundraiser (Events To Die For Series #3)
Events To Die For Series Collection (Books 1-3)
Snowed Inn (Aspen Valley Holidays Book 1)
Stalked to Death (Aspen Valley Sisters Series Book 1)
Condemn to Death (Aspen Valley Sisters Series Book 2)
Driven to Death (Aspen Valley Sisters Series Book 3)
Aspen Valley Sisters Series Collection (Book 1-3)
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