Page 97 of The Women of Wild Hill
“They weren’t jellyfish, you moron,” Brigid said.
The sound of another slap made Phoebe wince. She peeked back into the room in time to see the senator look up from his phone and smile. “The property’s security cameras were off for the night. But an environmental organization had positioned a camera just up the beach to monitor a batch of sea turtle eggs. It captured Senator Jacobs with a female companion. Both were nude. As you can see from the enhanced image in the file you received, that woman was Brigid Laguerre.”
“Just because I fucked him doesn’t mean I killed him,” Brigid said.
“And I thought you loved me,” Liam joked. Laughter shook the room.
“Two days later, at the gathering following Senator Jacobs’s funeral, Dan Wallace was killed by a falling branch. The entire event was captured by one of the attendees. In the moments before the tragedy, thirty-six crows came to perch on the same dead limb.”
“Ravens,” Brigid corrected.
“Pardon me.Ravens,” he said. “If you look at the film included in your file, you’ll find a photo that shows Ms. Laguerre standing a few yards away. Of all the people at the memorial, she is the only one with her eyes on the ravens.”
Phoebe knew the picture would show herself walking away from the scene.
“And finally, just yesterday, Vernon Cage succumbed to anaphylactic shock after consuming a cocktail that contained egg whites. As you can see in the third photo provided, Ms. Laguerre was also present at that death.”
“There’s nothing in this file that provides conclusive proof,” said someone. “She was at the scene of each death, but so were several of us.”
The justice stepped in. “You must be new here. We use a different standard than the American justice system. Unless innocence can be proven beyond all doubt, the defendant must be removed as a potential threat.”
“Who is the other woman in the third picture?” someone in the crowd asked.
“The caterer,” the senator replied.
“How did Vernon get his hands on a drink with egg whites? The caterer must have been given a list of allergies,” another man said.
“We should find her!” someone else called out.
Phoebe thought of her daughter, assembling hors d’oeuvres while her fate was being decided by the men in the next room.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I ordered the cocktail,” Brigid said. “I thought it would be fun to watch him gag on the tongue that’s been talking assholes like you out of trouble for the past thirty years.”
The room went silent. If they’d been expecting their prisoner to cower before them, Brigid refused to provide satisfaction. “Guess what I had in store for that motherfucker?” Phoebe peeked out and saw her point at Liam, who grimaced theatrically before winking back at her.
SOMEONE IN THE CROWD WASN’Tamused. “However grateful I am to Liam for bringing this evidence to our attention, does he not bear some guilt of his own? Ms. Laguerre would not have had the opportunity to kill anyone if not for him.”
Wriggle out of that one, you traitor, Phoebe thought.
Then Brigid began to cackle. “You fucking idiots think I needed a man’s help?” She doubled over, holding her stomach as she howled with laughter. “You’ve got me wrangling birds and snakes and sea beasts and slipping men deadly drinks and youstillthink I couldn’t have done it all on my own? That’s your Achilles’ heel, you know.Why you won’t see it coming when it’s finally your turn. You’ve bought your own bullshit. You really think you’re superior. I wish I could see the look on each of your faces when you find out how wrong you are.”
Brigid had spared the man who had double-crossed her. She could have dragged him down with her, but she hadn’t. She’d saved all three of them—Phoebe and Sibyl, too.
“So you admit your guilt?”
“Admit it? I couldn’t be prouder. I’ve been killing men like you for years. Go ahead and drown me in the fucking ocean. I’ll come back from the dead for the rest of you.”
Phoebe knew then there was nothing to be done. Her sister had seen her own death. Her last act was to take all the blame upon herself.
“Why did you kill them?”
“I killed them because they were parasites, just like you. Sucking the life out of this planet. Taking more than your share. Offering nothing in return. One day, you’ll all be punished.”
“I think we’ve heard enough of her rantings and ravings,” said the justice. “It’s time for Ms. Laguerre to have her accident.”
Two men stepped forward. Each took one of Brigid’s arms and together they dragged her outside to the ocean.
The Traitor
