Page 64 of Christmas in the Shadows

But then a deeper voice behind them said, “Wait just a minute before you do that.”

CHAPTER 24

The hair on Chelsea’s arms rose as she turned around.

Gilbert stood there, a baseball bat in his hands.

Wait, was he actually in on this also? Or was he a victim?

She wasn’t sure.

“What are you doing, Gilbert?” Tex asked.

As he stepped closer, Chelsea saw the blood across his forehead.

Anna must have knocked him out. But Chelsea still wasn’t sure whose side he was on.

Then Gilbert looked at Anna, his voice cracking as he said, “I loved you.”

Anna looked away without replying.

“She tricked you too?” Tex asked.

“I had no idea what she was up to.” Gilbert pressed his lips together and his nostrils flared as he stared at Anna. “She used me. You’ve got to believe me.”

“We’ll let the police figure that out.”

Chelsea glanced at the ground. At the gun Anna had dropped . . . it lay halfway between her and Gilbert.

If she could only grab it . . .

Her gaze shifted back up to Gilbert, who still held the bat.

“Why don’t you put that down?” Tex said as if reading her mind.

But Gilbert didn’t seem to hear him—he continued to grip the bat. “I didn’t know they were doping.”

Tex twisted his neck dubiously. “You had to have a clue, Gilbert.”

“Ididwonder what was going on. I started asking questions. But no one would give me answers.” Sweat spread across his forehead.

“Then what was with all those late-night meetings?” Chelsea asked. “I saw you talking to people outside of your house.”

“Steve stopped by several times and begged me to stop asking questions about the change in the boys. He seemed desperate. I told him I knew something was going on, and I didn’t know what else to tell him. Steve told me he couldn’t keep going back and forth like this, and I told him we didn’t have much of a choice. We had to get to the bottom of things.”

Gilbert’s stress could cause him to do something irrational, Chelsea realized.

She needed to get that gun before Gilbert got any ideas.

An image of him grabbing the weapon and turning it on Anna filled her mind.

Her heart pounded harder.

As Gilbert glared at Anna, Chelsea saw her opportunity.

She dove for the gun.

Her sudden motion seemed to cause Gilbert to panic.

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