Page 120 of Kept in the Dark

“Oh, stop with the self-righteous anger, Hailey. You deserted your sister, too, so don’t act like you’re beyond betraying her. And your mother was going to ruin everything. All I did was love her and give her the best of everything, and what does she do? She tries to leave me. She throws it all in my face like I’m not the sole reason she was who she was. She should have kissed the damn ground I walked on, but instead she’s buried under it. She shouldn’t have crossed me.”

He had some nerve, as if their life was an amazing fairy tale. He was a horrible father and an even more horrendous husband.

“You’re unbelievable.” Hailey snorted, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to act like the victim after all you’ve done.”

“It was an accident, Sunshine. I didn’t mean to push her. And Sara was just the easiest scapegoat. It wasn’t right, but it’s the truth. She would have destroyed our family if I hadn’t done it. I did it for us.”

“Don’t call me that!” Hailey yelled. His ability to effortlessly switch personas was jarring, going from monster to martyr as it suited his needs. He was a narcissist. And at this point, she wondered if she was staring into the eyes of a psychopath.

“Strangulation will be hard to pass as an accident,” Trey mocked.

David tilted his head. “What are you talking about?”

Hailey wanted to scream. She was sick of his deception and manipulation. Even after being caught, he still peddled his narrative. She wondered if he truly believed the lies he told.

Hailey said, “Don’t act like you don't know what Trey is talking about. We saw the original M.E.’s report. We know she was strangled. Stop lying.”

David’s face paled. For the first time in his life, David Gallagher was telling the truth. He didn’t know about the strangulation.

And if he didn’t know about it, he wasn’t the one who killed Morgan.

And from the look on his face, he didn’t know who had.

July 7, 2011

10:36 pm

Hailey was speechless. David had truly thought he had killed Morgan and that’s why he had worked so hard to cover it up. But if he didn’t do it, there was still a killer on the loose.

Panicking, Trey asked, “David, who wanted to kill Morgan? Was anyone there with you or were you expecting someone later?”

David quickly shook his head. The steady beeps of the monitor increased as the rhythmic beating of his heart accelerated. For the first time in his sorry life, he was scared.

“No, no one else was there except Sara. And I don’t know of anyone who would want to hurt Morgan.”

“Or you’re lying. One last ditch effort to save your sorry ass,” Sara said.

Sara was right. David was lying again but Hailey didn't know why, though she suspected it was to control what little narrative he had left.

Trey intervened, “We know there were people who wanted to hurt Morgan. Or maybe even hurt you. So, who are they?”

“I don’t-”

“You can either tell me the truth or our deal goes away.”

Fire burned behind David’s eyes. He didn’t like being cornered and he hated that Trey was fully in control. The once passive teenager was now a fearless man, hellbent on protecting his family; something David should have done from the beginning.

Sara looked directly at David and pulled out her phone. “Why don’t I make a phone call to my journalist friend. I think she’ll find all of this quite fascinating.” Hailey and Trey exchanged glances as David ignored his daughter.

After a moment, she said, “Fine.” Sara punched in the number and waited for the woman to answer.

Before the line connected, David quietly said, “Hang up the damn phone.”

She smiled slyly at him. “What’s the matter, Dad? You don’t want her knowing your dirty little secret?”

David’s jaw twitched and he clenched his fists. His hate for Sara burned deep within his soul. Hailey found herself terrified for her sister, though Sara didn’t even flinch.

Trey said, “Could Ryan have killed Morgan?”

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