Page 136 of Trace of Doubt
Aria trembled. I’d do anything to save my niece.
She aimed the gun at Aria, and I stepped between them.
“Marissa.” Eli stood, grasping his gun and staggering. Blood soaked the left side of his shirt. “I told you never to lay a hand on Aria again.”
Fury etched on my sister’s face. She faced the man and the gun aimed at her. Denton, Mike, and two more men hurried from the chopper, their firearms drawn.
“I... loved you,” Eli managed. “For seventeen years, I catered to your every whim. Didn’t protest when you slept around, thinking it was for the good of the business. I believed your lies.” He raised the gun higher. “I still love you, but I won’t let you murder my daughter.”
“Eli, we can talk—”
He fired into her left chest.
Marissa fell.
Aria screamed.
Heat flooded me. Was my reaction terror? Relief? I rushed to Marissa and bent beside her still body. I gingerly turned her over and lifted her head into my lap. The light in her blue eyes had vanished. Sobs met my ears, but it seemed as though the sound came from someone else. I kissed her cheek and closed her eyes.
“You didn’t have to walk the future alone,” I whispered. “I wouldn’t have abandoned you.”
“Mom,” Aria whispered. “I’m sorry.” She peered at Eli, who’d fallen, and moved to his side. I didn’t hear her words other than “thank you.”
A hand touched my shoulder, and I sensed Denton beside me. “You can’t do anything to help your sister.”
I swallowed the acid rising in my throat. My lungs ached to breathe. I was drowning in a whirlpool of grief. “I want to make it right between us. She needs to know I love her.”
He knelt beside me. “Tell her how you feel. We’re not in any hurry. An ambulance is on its way.”
I attempted to wipe some of the blood from Marissa’s face. I kissed her cheek again. “Will you make sure they take good care of my sister?”
“I promise,” he said.
“It’s hard to say goodbye, Denton. I loved her so much. Nothing could ever change how I feel.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I love you, Shelby.”
My chin quivered. “And I love you.”
“I’m staying right here. You won’t take this journey alone.”
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS LATER
Not a day went by that I didn’t think about Marissa and how I could have done more to stop her tragic end. The loss was immeasurable, and depression still took a bite out of my heart. I knew the path of sorrow took time, and I pray through each debilitating moment. I’d never know why she’d been so eager for me to join her in Miami, and I’d never be convinced my presence with Aria was her insurance. She needed me... maybe one last desperate plea for help. My sister’s behavior would remain a mystery, but I truly believed she fought to remain in full control of her life to the very end, and I must try to make peace with her decisions.
The FBI arrested Feng Liu at the landing strip. He and Marissa were headed to Hong Kong in his private plane. Liu had powerful attorneys who’d probably get him released on a technicality. Marissa’s bodyguards hadn’t been located. My guess was they left the country when the fire threatened to burn them.
After Eli had pulled the trigger on Marissa, he bled out. I didn’t think he had a will to live. Aria witnessed both her parents’ deaths, and the nightmare culminating in horror pushed her into shock. She still met with Pastor Emory five days a week for counseling. She adored him. Mrs. Emory had homeschooled her the last month of school with her own children. Although Aria was enrolled in the local high school for fall, she hadn’t decided if facing a new environment and the possibility of other kids viewing her as a freak made sense. I understood her reservations—the past stalked me fiercely.
Pastor Emory counseled me weekly, and Dad had taken advantage too. One trait about myself had risen to the surface, and Pastor Emory termed it arrested development.
The State of Texas presented me with a full pardon, a bright spot in my life. A Hollywood producer wanted to do a movie about my life, but I refused unless he wrote my faith into the script with a focus on forgiveness. We were still discussing it.
The FBI had found four hundred thousand dollars in Marissa’s shoulder bag. As of yet, the authorities couldn’t determine where it had originated, so for now it sat in a trust account for Aria.
Each day drew me closer to healing, thanks to God, my dear Denton, and my beloved family and friends. I glanced around Amy-Jo’s busy café, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of normalcy. Customers filled the booths and tables, and servers jotted down and delivered lunch orders. Not much call for pastries until dessert time.Simply Shelbyhad done well, thanks to Edie’s help with my business model.
