Page 26 of Destiny

“You’re assuming the messages came from her,” I say, though I’m playing devil’s advocate.

Ava turns to me, hands on her hips. “Brendan, where else could they have come from? Perhaps the end of her life is near, and she wants to know me.”

“You don’t want to know her,” Ryan says.

Ava meets her father’s gaze, frowning. “Who areyouto say that?”

“For God’s sake, Ava,” Ruby admonishes. “You’ve heard the horror stories.”

“I have,” Ava says. “There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s a complete and total psychopath. But the messages came tome, Mom. Me. Not to you. Not to Dad. Not to Gina. To me. And I want to know why.”

“We don’t know that the messages came from Wendy herself,” Ruby says. “Indeed, they most likely didn’t. Her hospital records indicate that she’s been in a medically induced coma for the last six months. The messages began to come after that.”

“You’re a detective, Mom. You know damned well that she could have put a plan for the messages in place before she went into this medically induced coma.”

“Yes, she could have. But don’t you think it’s more likely that someoneelsewanted you to know?”

“Who else? She went to a lot of trouble to conceal the fact that she was still alive. She changed her entire identity. Wendy Madigan no longer existed on paper. She became Dyane Wingdam. She even forced Lauren to change her name.”

“Maybe it’s Lauren—or her son—who sent the messages.”

I speak up then. “I don’t think so. I’ve met Lauren and Jack.”

“And I’ve talked to my sister on the phone,” Ryan says. “She’s not behind this. This is all Wendy.”

“You’re sure about that?” Ruby says.

“Yes, baby, I’m sure. You remember her as well as I do. She’ll stop at nothing. She was ready to kill me and my father just so we couldn’t be with the people we love. Just so we would end up with her instead.”

“Except she didn’t die,” Ruby says.

“I’ve thought about that. I believe shewaswilling to die. And I believe she thought she killed my father. She was ready to kill me and then herself.”

“But shedidn’t die,” Ruby says again. “She was clearly wearing bulletproof garments. Clearly had—”

“I’ve thought about all of that, baby. I have. My theory is that she was going to shoot herself in the head after Dad and I were dead.”

“I see.” Ruby nods. “So she was protected if something went wrong. Which it did.”

“Exactly,” Ryan says. “That’s how her mind works. She’s an evil genius. She was ready to meet her maker as long as Dad and I went with her, but on the off chance that something didn’t work out? She wasn’t ready to go yet.”

“This is still a theory,” Ava says.

“A theory, yes,” Ryan agrees. “But it’s a theory based on what your mother and I know about this woman. We know a lot about her, about how her mind works. She stayed alive for a reason. A reason we haven’t figured out yet, but believe me, therewasa reason.”

“Then there’s a reason why she reached out to me and not to you and Mom.”

“Ava,” Ruby says. “Dad and I really want you to stay out of this. She’s very dangerous.”

“She’s a comatose octogenarian. Lying on a bed in your heavily secured home. In fact, I’m surprised you don’t have someone other than a nurse watching her right now.”

“We’ve already arranged for that. Her security detail will be here first thing in the morning. For tonight,I’mwatching her.” Ryan purses his lips.

I sigh. “Ava, sweetie. We need to leave.”

“Go right ahead. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But your car’s not here.”

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