Page 82 of Haven't Killed in Years
“Her real name is Marin Haggerty,” he said, waiting for any reaction, but the name meant nothing to Natalie. “Abel Haggertyis her father.” His eyes slivered, seemingly unsure of how his words would land but certain they would have an impact.
Natalie remained expressionless. “The one who died in a fire?”
A sly smile grew in the corner of Wesley’s mouth. “No, Natalie, no one died in a fire. There was no fire.”
Natalie’s fingertips converged. She stared down at them, getting Wesley out of her sight while she processed. There had been no fire. Gwen’s parents hadn’t died in a fire. Why would she lie about that? Why would Gwen lie toherabout that? Natalie didn’t want to talk to Wesley anymore; she wanted to talk to Gwen, but that was a fantasy.
She looked back up at him, but she didn’t need to ask. Wesley was brimming with world-shattering information to unload on her.
“Her real father, Abel Haggerty, is an awful man. He was a serial killer and is in prison for life. That’s why she changed her name. That’s why I’m here. It’s what this is all about.”
Natalie struggled to keep up with what he was saying. She was struggling to hear someone else talk about Gwen at all. She wanted to tell him to shut up, to tell him he was wrong, but in reality, Natalie had no idea what the truth was. Was it possible she had no idea who Gwen really was—not anymore and maybe not ever?
She was supposed to be shocked about Gwen’s father being amurderer; Natalie knew that was alarming, but she could only fixate on what this all meant for her and Gwen.
Natalie’s eyes were burning. She knew they were turning red, if not so already. She glared at Wesley and he started to squirm.
He sat back against the chair and held up his palms as if he could push her budding reaction back inside her. “I’m just here for the story,” he insisted.
“Whatstory?” Natalie asked.
“Marin’s mother, Reanne, was just paroled. She was in prison for helping Abel. I grew up in the area. I was familiar with what happened, and when I saw she was getting out, I thought it would be a good story. You know…Is she remorseful? Would she be more forthcoming about her experience? What had she left in her wake? That sort of thing. It was ripe for a headline,Mommy Dearest Returnsor something titillating like that. But it only took me a minute to realize the daughter,MarinHaggerty, didn’t exist anymore. She had disappeared.”
Natalie was starting to go numb. Gwen was in hiding and Wesley had gone and dug up her secrets. He was going to write about them and expose her.
“It wasn’t easy to find her,” he continued. “But once I had her new name, Gwen Tanner, I started following her. Not in an inappropriate way. I wanted to figure out the best way to approach her, but that’s when I noticed she already had someone following her.”
Natalie had never worried anyone would notice her other than Gwen. No one existed other than her and Gwen.
“So I had to know,” said Wesley. “Who you were. Why you were following her. I was worried someone else was working onmystory. But you never approached her.”
Natalie’s temperature was rising and Wesley’s face was starting toblur around the edges. She couldn’t let this man ruin everything. Natalie’s fingers curled up into fists.
“You spend so much time watching her.” He leaned forward into her space. “Why areyoufollowing Marin Haggerty?”
Marin Haggerty. Natalie didn’t knowMarin Haggerty.Marin Haggertydidn’t exist.
Forty-Five
Sixteen years ago
Gwen sat alone inher room, trying to read but too distracted to absorb more than a few words at a time. They had sent all the students back to their rooms, afraid that whatever Declan had might be contagious. Stomach bugs weren’t uncommon around there, and always unfortunate.
It had been at least a couple of hours and still no sign of Natalie. Gwen expected as much. She didn’t think she would see Natalie again for a few days. They’d have her isolated and on some kind of pills for at least that long after what she’d done to Declan and that poor lady at breakfast. This time, though, Gwen was grateful they had her locked up; the night before, Natalie had tried to kill her while she slept.
Gwen had missed something. She’d known Natalie was capable of violence, obviously, but not against her. After all she had done to help her, Natalie was supposed to be dependent, obedient even.
How many times had her father warned her about this very thing? The second you assume anything about another person, youlose the upper hand. Natalie could have done anything, any night, while Gwen slept peacefully a few feet away. Gwen had never even considered it. She’d always seen herself as the monster and Natalie as someone she could control.
Gwen was disappointed she had been so overconfident, embarrassed she had been so vulnerable. If only her father could see her now. Weak and exposed.
He had told her she was special, but maybe Gwen didn’t have what it really took to be like him—someone immune to tricks and charm, someone who couldn’t be manipulated. Gwen was the opposite of all of those things. Her father had controlled everything she had ever done. Was Natalie really the one who shouldn’t be messed with?
Gwen was agitated. She needed to fix this. Her strategy with Natalie had been all wrong and it had almost gotten her killed. She had underestimated Natalie. She had missed the potential—the possibility of having a true companion instead of a disciple.
Gwen assumed she was destined to be alone in the world, that no one could ever accept the real her—where she was from, what she had done. But maybe therewassomeone who could. Maybe Gwen had sensed it all along, in the hours they spent together, sometimes giggling about nonsense, sometimes hoarding poison. A girl so eager to hurt the boy who bullied her that she couldn’t help herself. If there was anyone in the world Gwen could trust with the truth of what she had done to Cody, it was Natalie. She would understand.
Things would be different when Natalie came back…if she ever did.
