Page 117 of Shameless

Lula nods, pretending to press the recording button.

We agreed that we don’t want this on film.

Our official story will be that Evan snuck in without our knowledge and got into the wrong boat.

It’s completely in line with something that asshole would do and it’s the only way to avoid unwanted scrutiny from his lawyer who prepared the agreement or from Tory who warned us not to turn on the engine if the new boat touches the water.

We watch with bated breath as Evan gets into the cockpit and enters the code.

Blue sparks flicker in the two outboard motors in the back of the boat. That’s totally normal.

The moment of the truth is in the next few seconds, when Evan opens the throttle.

Electric boats are odorless, less susceptible to vibration and quieter than their traditional counterparts.

The moment is almost anticlimactic. There’s no huge sparks, no loud noises coming from the boat.

Maybe a few more blue waves of visible electricity than we’re used to seeing.

The only loud noise is Evan’s screaming as his body gets shocked by the full power of the two motors.

The boat jolts forward but the asshole must have let go of the throttle, so it eventually slows down and comes to a complete stop, swaying gently with the motion of the sea.

We wait for any signs of life from the cockpit, but there’s none.

Lula drops Evan’s phone. “Do you think he’s gone?” she whispers.

“We’ll find out in a little while. Let’s leave for now.”

As planned, we lock up and then break in. An alarm will sound in Mom’s office, giving us the excuse to come and check what triggered it.

Tom arrives a few minutes later. “Let me get one of the lifeguard dinghies to go and check why the boat is out.”

If Evan survived, he must be in bad shape anyway. But the electric shock should have stopped his heart on the spot.

“Call the sheriff,” Tom yells. “There has been a terrible accident.”

From The Star Cove Gazette

The Twinberry Cove killer dies in electric boat malfunction.

From The Star Cove Herald

Son of Senatorial Candidate and Federal Judge revealed as killer of his late girlfriend, localentrepreneur and local drug dealer after he died from being electrocuted by the faulty engine of a powerboat.

From The New York Political Gazette

State Senate candidate withdraws from the election as his only son is killed in a boat accident.

24.Ever After

Lula

Six months later

Everything looks ready for Jules’s surprise birthday party.

Decorations, check.

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