Page 151 of The Secrets She Keeps

Four. There were four. Against Heather, Gunnar, and Miguel—Miguel, who was worth two cops, hands down. “Gotcha."

"Remember, big sister: none of you are doing this alone."

Heather followed the same path she had taken before. Right into the Barratts' kitchen, around the peninsula. And to the couch where she'd found Powell's mother.

She took Melissa's seat.

And waited.

Until Trey was there. Dragging Powell by one arm. His father behind him, lecturing all the way.

All three stopped.

Looked at her. In shock.

Heather smiled. Deliberately.

"Well, hello there, boys. Looks like I am just in time for a family reunion." Heather pulled Norm’s .45 into position. The irony of pointing one brother-in-law’s gun at another brother-in-law wasn’t lost on her. “Sit down, Timothy. It's time we all had a little talk. Caught up on old times. Family gossip and all that. So tell me, Tim: What have you and my nephew been up to these last twenty years? Because Ireallywant to know.”

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Powell just stared.Her mom—where was her mom? Heather just sat there, a gun pointed right at the older man. Powell just stared. “Hi, Heather. I see you got my message. Is my mom okay?”

“She is supposed to be on her way to my house now. Your brothers are…there already.”

“They didn’t come with you?” Powell’s brothers wouldn’t have just watched Heatherleave.She knew that. “Why?”

“Well, they were a bit tied up. Taped up, actually. Duct tape. That stuff works wonders at controlling your brothers, you know. You should consider investing in it. When I left, Cara was sitting on Alex, explaining to him that he is just going to have to stay right where he is. Since the girls had trussed up your brothers rather well, I don’t think he had much of a choice. They showed up just as I hung up with you earlier. I didn’t want them getting in the way. And we Coleson girls—well, we are very efficient. Especially Summer. She’s rather…good at doing what I tell her to do, you know.” Heather sent a quirky smile at her brother-in-law. It was so taunting. “Since I did mostly raise her and everything.”

“I have noticed that Summer does act very much like you at times. Very much the one in charge.” Powell was just going to take her cues from Heather here. Even though terror had her fearing she was going to wet her pants. “She’s scarily efficient, actually.”

Timothy Grundenman’s face was getting tighter as they spoke. As Heather taunted him.

“She acts, and looks, a great deal like her mother, actually. Angela could always just get things done.” Heather looked at Timothy. “Right, Tim? Angela was always just so good at doing what had to be done. I learned from her. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I loved her very much. So did Timothy. Angela…Angela would be destroyed to know what he has done.”

“Yes, she would,” Timothy said, just staring at Heather. “I have always known that. It was an accident, you know.”

“What was?” Heather asked. Heather still had her gun pointed right at Timothy Grundenman. It was probably all that was keeping the younger guy from shooting Heather. Powell had listened to him and his father argue about Trey killing Heather. She’d just listened.

“Sopalmitraln. I was doing research with some anesthetics, and I just stumbled into it. But that was what I was paid to do. By Claireson Pharm. Create anesthetics that were cleaner, more efficient. I was just doing my job.”

“It was Banks and me, Auntie Hotshit Heather, that came up with OPJ after Daddy let me into his lab one day. How is that for a legacy?” the man’s son said in that same taunting tone. “I’m really going to enjoy killing you.”

“You have tried before, Trey. Failed before, too, sweetie. You have been a very bad boy. Very bad. Auntie is going to put you in a time-out very, very soon. After you confess all your sins. A jail cell, actually. Then again, you always have been a bad boy, right?” Heather was so cool right now. Powell didn’t even thinkthe older woman had broken a sweat. “Always trying to take what you want. No matter who it hurts. Take, take, take.”

“I want what I deserve.”

“In that case, be prepared. You are going to rot in jail for the rest of your life. If you don’t get the needle.” Heather paused. “I really can’t wait to watch. Considering. I suspect you’ll twitch and scream like a dying rat. Daddy dearest right next to you. With his own matching hot shot.”

Powell tried not to grimace at the image that evoked.

“I never—” Timothy started. He sounded almost panicked. “All I have done was create Sopalmitraln, Heather. I’ve never…really hurt anyone.”

“Bull. I still have the bruises, Timmy. You had to know what your evil spawn here was doing. How someone could create both Trey and Summer, Eden, and Sam, and Emilia, I just do not understand.” Heather went silent for a moment. “Then again, maybeIcan. More than most. My children aren’t evil, but their father certainly is. Was. What exactly do you call a man in his current situation?”

“You know about Emilia,” Timothy said flatly.

“We know all about Emilia. Figured it out very recently.” Heather shifted slightly. “So tell me, boys. How do you see this really ending?”

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