Page 64 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
Harriet turned and stormed off.
“Why, Harriet?” Dawn had shouted after her. “So he can just disappoint and break my heart again?”
Harriet had stopped and slowly turned. Her eyes narrowed as she stalked back toward Dawn. Dawn was so startled she’d taken a step back when Harriet had advanced.
“Dawn,” Harriet had said, her voice carrying the weight of years of unspoken truths, her face hardened with a mixture of anger and sorrow. “You’ve always demanded answers from Wade, never really listening, always speaking at him rather than to him. It’s like you were waiting for him to fail, to make a mistake, just to assuage your own guilt for never being there, for never really seeing him.”
“You’re out of line,” Dawn had gasped.
Harriet hadn’t cared. Her regal gaze pierced through Dawn, making her feel each word as if it were a whip searing through her heart.
“No, I’m not the one out of line here.” Her words slipped off her tongue like a tiny dagger cutting into Dawn’s soul. “You and Scott should feel so ashamed of yourselves for always being so ready to believe the worst in Wade without question. Wade is kind, caring, protective, and honest. He loves his family with such intensity that every time he speaks of you all, he all but bursts with pride. And yet, here you are, judging him, ready to convict him on circumstantial evidence and whispers in dark corners.”
“We’ve asked Wade over and over to tell us the truth,” Dawn sneered, reacting to Harriet’s cutting remarks.
Harriet’s eyes glinted with steel, and her voice remained steady, filled with a resolute strength that Dawn knew all too well—Harriet had picked her side. “He didn’t do this, Dawn. Neither did Ben. What I want to know is why no one is even listening to them? They’ve already judged and sentenced them.” She paused, allowing the silence to fill the space between them, heavy and accusing. “Look beyond the surface, Dawn. Look at the brother who has always been there, the one who hides his hurt behind a smile because he knows the world expects him to stumble. Ask yourself if the easy narrative you’ve been fed is the truth or just a convenient lie to protect others from facing their own failings.”
This time, when Harriet had turned and walked away, she hadn’t turned back. It had taken nearly a year after the trial for Harriet to speak to Dawn or Scott again.
Dawn sipped the ginger tea that was settling her queasy stomach but didn’t do much for the turmoil in her mind. Now, it seemed that Harriet had been right about everything. The echoes of Harriet’s words bounced through the chambers of Dawn’s memories, squeezing guilt from her heart and tearing at her soul as her conscience screamed—you all ruined two people’s lives.She sucked in a breath.Three people’s lives—we can’t forget about Clem.
Her eyes met Ben’s, and she realized he was staring at her curiously.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked her, worry in his eyes. “If this was Alex’s boat, I may have been able to help you with some of my seasick pills.”
His words had her eyes widened. “This isn’t Alex’s new superyacht?”
“No.” Ben shook his head, taking another sip of his tea. “It could probably fit into Alex’s superyacht. Although it’s designed to be similar to the Black Ocean Two, it’s most definitely not, and I’ve spent weeks on that yacht. I know it like the back of my hand.” He frowned. “Are you finished your tea?”
Dawn took the final gulp and nodded. “Why?”
“Let’s explore the main cabin,” Ben said, holding out his hand for her, rolling his eyes when she hesitated. “That’s not a proposition. I think I saw something in there that reminded me of…”
“Of what?” Dawn took his hand, feeling a little more comforted being closer to someone than alone on this ghost ship.
“I don’t know,” Ben said as he skillfully navigated to the elaborate main cabin, and he snorted in disgust. “Just this cabinalone shows it’s not Alex’s. Whoever’s yacht this is, they love to show off their status.”
“I agree,” Dawn said as he dropped her hand, his eyes scanning the room. “What are we looking for?”
“That!” Ben stood staring at the mirror on the dresser.
“Your image in the mirror?” Dawn frowned, wondering if he’d become mentally ill from being in prison.He could have PTSD!
“No.” Ben shook his head. “The insignia on the mirror.”
“What is that?” Dawn said, moving closer to look at it.
“It’s a dagger,” Ben said. His jaw clenched, and his eyes shuttered again as his face became a rigid mask. “I don’t want to alarm you, Dawn.” A muscle ticked at the side of his jaw as he stood stock still and stared at the insignia. “But we need to get off this boat. This is no longer deja vu. Someone’s repeating history.”
“I don’t understand?” Dawn frowned, and before she could say anything else, Ben grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the room. “Ben!” she said. “What’s going on?” Her eyes widened. “Is it C4?”
“What?” Ben glanced at her in confusion. “Why are you so obsessed with C4?”
“Because that’s what blew up Alex’s last yacht,” Dawn told him.
Ben stopped dragging her down the passage and looked at her, pursing his lips. “No kidding?”
“For real,” Dawn answered him.
