Page 103 of Pepper, the Biker & the Vanishing Body

Edna sighed. “Your sister-in-law is too smart for her own good.”

I was so tired of hearing that.

Edna pointed the gun at me. “What made you realize it was me?”

I needed to stall her. Mo would be running for help by now. If I could just buy us time, there was a chance I could get Kelly out of here safely.

I squared my shoulders. “You tipped your hand when you told Kelly that Waters died penniless. How could you possibly know that? Amy and I had just found out. And wouldn’t you have assumed he had money, considering he embezzled from the historical society?”

Edna’s expression didn’t change.

“And then there’s your precise knowledge of the mansion’s antiques,” I continued. “Not to mention my mom’s attack. Did you call Jones after you left us that day?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

“The idiot was tasked with finding Waters’ keys,” she muttered.

I nodded slowly. “So, you could break into the Mercantile.”

Kelly whimpered beside me, gripping my arm. I could feel her trembling. She was scared—rightfully so. I had to get her out of here safely. Because if Edna didn’t kill me, my brother Danny would for failing to protect his wife and unborn child.

Edna scoffed. “Please. I don’t need a key to get past a lock.”

A realization slammed into me so hard I blurted it out before I could stop myself.

“You’re The Shadow?”

Edna let out a small chuckle. “A logical guess,” she admitted. “But no. I was the brilliant mind behind The Shadow.” Her lips curved slightly. “That title belonged to my husband, Henry. God rest his soul.”

She spoke with pride.

I wasn’t sure what unnerved me more—her complete calmness or the fact that she truly seemed to think this was all just business as usual.

“We had a good life together,” she continued. “My brilliant planning, his talent for disguise, and his almost supernatural ability to slip in and out of places no one thought a human could fit.”

“Like a rat,” I muttered.

Edna’s expression darkened.

“My Henry was no rat,” she snapped. “He was a brilliant thief who never got caught.”

My mind spun faster. If Henry was The Shadow, then that meant—Guy Braven.

I stared at her. “His son inherited his talent.”

Edna’s eyes gleamed. “Every bit of it. And then some.”

A slow, cold realization settled in my gut.

“And a son would never sell out his mother,” I murmured.

Edna’s smile returned. “Never,” she agreed. “He told the Feds what they wanted to hear… and then he slipped away.”

Her grip on the gun tightened.

“And now,” she said, “he’s come to me—because he knows I can make us disappear.”

“Why come here—to Willow Lake—to begin with?” I asked. “Why not some exotic place to live out your days?”

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