Page 80 of Never Lie
“I’m saying you made the whole thing up. There never was a man at the cabin. You murdered your fiancé and your friends and you made up a fictional assailant.”
“I wasstabbed!”
“Barely. You did it to yourself so it would look realistic. Nobody would believe that a man came into the cabin and stabbed everyone but you, so you had no choice.”
“This is… it’s insane. How could you think I made it all up?”
“Because you did. Do you think I can’t spot a liar a mile away?”
“But why would I do something like that?”
“I haven’t entirely worked it out. I suspect Cody was cheating on you with Alexis, and you decided to teach them both a lesson. And Megan was an unfortunate casualty of the whole thing. That’s my suspicion based on the fact that she died much quicker than the other two.”
“I…”
“Guessed right, did I?”
“This is… I mean, I’ve been coming here forthree years. You included me in your book…”
“Well, it was a good story. Incredibly compelling. I’d say you can’t make this stuff up, but obviously, you can.”
“This is insane.”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the only one who suspected you. Detective Gardner thought you did it also, but he couldn’t prove it. Except he didn’t have a window into your thoughts the way I have. He hasn’t been collecting little inconsistencies over the last three years.”
“This is ridiculous. I’m leaving.”
“Yes, you should leave. I’d like some privacy to give the detective a call.”
“Wait. Hang on.”
“I thought you were leaving?”
“Okay.Okay.”
“So you admit it?”
“What do you want, Dr. Hale?”
“I have a little problem. And I need your help.”
“What kind of problem?”
“There’s somebody who’s been causing me some trouble. I’d like to take care of it, but I can’t do it myself.”
“Well, what do you wantmeto do?”
“Oh, I think you know, Patricia.”
Chapter 46
(PA)TRICIA
Present Day
I’m not a murderer.
Okay, technically I am. But when I imagine somebody being a murderer, I imagine something different. I imagine somebody evil, who goes around killing good people for no reason.
