Page 74 of A Mile of Ocean

He shook his head. How could he tell her it felt like a nasty stab to the heart? The sharp sting of betrayal simmered just beneath the surface, ready to burst forth at any moment and consume everything in its path. “Never before have I felt like lashing out at someone until these past weeks. Not with this kind of anger. I wanted to find this person and put an end to them. Imagine how I feel now, standing here knowing all this time it was my grandmother who orchestrated all this. Do you realize that when we got to Turtle Ridge that night, she knew then and there that Granddad had been shot and said nothing? She rode with us to the hospital, all the while letting us believe he’d suffered a stroke. She was faking her emotions. Remember after the surgery when Dr. Nighthawk came out to tell us he’d died on the operating table? Her performance was flawless. She had me fooled. I believed her even when she said she didn’t hear the shot. How stupid is that?”

Tate laid a hand on his arm. “She had everyone fooled, Trent. Weren’t you listening when I told Savannah how to spot the master manipulator? She has all the traits. She’s been dead inside for years. You know it’s true. Maybe she was born with a sense of entitlement. I don’t know. But she’s been like she is now from as far back as I can remember. No one realized she could ever do something so vile as to murder Granddad. No one saw that coming. Not even Dolly. And she’s known her a lot longer than we have.”

Trent turned away from the window, his jaw set in a hard line, his eyes burning with resentment. The weight of hisgrandmother's betrayal bore down on him like a heavy anchor dragging him into the depths of a dark sea. How could he have been so blind to her true nature all this time? The memories of her fake tears at the hospital, each manipulative act, and her calculated deception replayed in his mind like a horror film.

Tate’s words echoed in his ears, reminding him of the signs he had failed to see, the warning signals he had ignored.

“Right now, the most important thing is to keep a level head if we intend to pull this off,” Tate warned.

“Listen to her. She’s right,” Savannah said from the doorway. “We all need to keep it together until this plays out. Put aside your pain and anger for now. I know it’s probably the most difficult thing you’ll ever do. But there’s no way this ends the way we want without clear thinking and no distractions. Don’t let your anger get in the way of taking her down.”

“I never thought she was capable of something so heinous,” Trent said, barely audible. “All this time, I was blinded by her true nature. How many lives has she destroyed with her deceit? How many more will be at risk if we don’t stop her? There’s a lot on the line.”

Savannah went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “She won’t get away with it. We’ll stop her. Look at the team you have around you.”

His phone dinged with a text message. “It’s Hawk. He has a visual on her. She’s riding back in from somewhere. Woody met her and Confetti Queen at the stables. He’s helping her cool down her horse. That’s a perfect excuse for him to go through her pack to retrieve the shotgun.”

Trent began texting Woody instructions.

Dolly called out from the kitchen, “Here she comes. I see Duchess. She’s headed this way.”

“What do we do?” Savannah asked.

“Try to act natural,” Tate suggested.

“Don’t worry about it,” Trent assured them. “She’ll likely storm past us.”

But Duchess surprised him. She came strolling into the dining room dressed in riding gear from head to toe. She wore a short black jacket over a white blouse, tan jodhpurs, and black boots. She looked like a vibrant 60-year-old with a zest for living. But her sharp tongue could still cut like a knife. “My goodness, you’d think on such a busy day you’d have better things to do than lounge around the dining room bitching about me and airing our dirty laundry in front of guests.”

It was all Trent could do to keep a civil thought in his head. “We’re sorry about that.”

“Accusing me of killing Travis and Linley is not only inexcusable but unforgivable. I want you both to think about your futures and what to do with yourselves after you’re gone from here. After this nastiness is behind us, you’ll need to start looking for somewhere else to live.”

Not wanting to provoke her, Trent nodded. “Sure. We’ll sit down and hash out the future when this is all over.”

Tate bobbed her head. “Sounds like a meeting I won’t want to miss.”

Duchess pivoted toward Savannah, her eyes shimmering in icy disdain. “If you were here for Trent’s money, dear, he won’t have any when all this is done. You’d be better off setting your sights on someone with a future earning potential. I’m afraid he won’t be worth much by the time I’m done with him.”

Savannah tried to think of a quick comeback, but nothing came out.

“Oh, dear, I’ve left you speechless. Think of it this way. I’m doing you a favor, saving you from years of living with a dreamer too stubborn to think big.”

That said, she marched out with her chin held high, smiling to herself.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stationed in the attic with Savannah and Tate, Trent watched Woody drive off behind the wheel of the Ford, towing the horse trailer as the team set their plan in motion. Each guest had gathered their belongings and loaded their luggage into their vehicles.

As they drove off, the ranch appeared deserted.

The trio took turns watching from the windows for any sign of a stranger approaching the main grounds.

“I’m surprised she didn’t kick us out of the house before the plans for the trap went into effect,” Tate remarked, watching the north side through a pair of binoculars.

Peering toward the main gate, Savannah sighed. “I saw a side of her today that chilled me to the bone. I had no idea she could be so nasty to her flesh and blood. She must really believe she has all the angles covered where she’ll come out of this on top.”

“Looking back on our childhood, she always seemed smug and calculating, like playing a game of chess, and was always two moves ahead of everyone else,” Trent added as he surveyed the eastern grid.

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