Chapter 12 - The Hand Beneath Gareth's Shoe)
Gareth crossed the garden as if he still owned it.
Domenico rose.
Marcus was on the opposite side of the property with police investigators.
Only two security guards remained near the pool.
"Stop right there."
Gareth ignored him.
His eyes were fixed on Eli.
"Where's the phone?"
Rachel stepped out onto the terrace.
"Gareth."
He stopped.
For one moment, father, mother, and daughter stared at one another.
Rachel moved toward Eli.
"You stay behind me."
Gareth laughed.
"So now everyone's afraid of me."
"You disappeared," Domenico said.
"I needed time."
"There's blood in your car."
"Mine."
"What happened?"
"Someone tried to take me."
"Who?"
Gareth looked toward Josie.
"Not in front of them."
Domenico stepped forward.
"Then leave."
"I need Serena's phone."
"No."
"It doesn't belong to you."
Domenico almost laughed.
"It belonged to my wife."
"And it contains things that can get people killed."
"Good reason for you not to have it."
Gareth's face tightened.
Eli moved closer to Rachel.
Gareth saw the old black phone in her hand.
He misunderstood.
The device Eli held was her own phone in a black case.
But fear made him reckless.
"Give it to me."
Eli backed away.
"No."
Gareth moved.
One of the guards stepped between them.
"Sir."
"Get out of my way."
"Domenico asked you to leave."
"I am family."
Domenico's voice became cold.
"Not anymore."
The words landed.
Gareth stared at him.
Something broke behind his eyes.
"You think you can erase me?"
"I think you did that yourself."
Josie's ball slipped from her hand.
It rolled toward the pool.
She bent down automatically.
Gareth stepped sideways.
Domenico saw the movement too late.
Gareth's shoe came down.
Josie screamed.
Everything after happened in seconds.
Domenico ran.
Josie collapsed.
Gareth stepped back.
"Cry louder, you little brat."
The contempt in his voice destroyed any final piece of doubt.
Domenico knelt beside his daughter.
"Daddy, he did it on purpose."
Domenico stood.
Gareth shrugged.
"I did it. So what?"
Eli stepped forward.
"He does this when you're not looking."
The phone appeared.
Videos.
Threats.
Humiliation.
Fear.
Weeks of cruelty Domenico had failed to see.
Gareth lunged.
Domenico blocked him and slapped him hard enough to send him into a lounge chair.
Security moved in.
Rachel pulled Eli backward.
Domenico kept Josie close.
"You're going to pay a much heavier price."
Gareth touched his mouth.
Then he smiled.
"Ask her what else is on the phone."
Eli's face changed.
Domenico turned.
"There is something from the night Serena died."
Gareth's smile disappeared.
Domenico stared.
"What?"
Eli opened another folder.
"I didn't show you because I wasn't sure what it meant."
The video had been recovered from Serena's cloud account.
The timestamp placed it twenty seven minutes after Conrad claimed he left the lake house.
The camera faced the floor.
Serena's voice could be heard.
"You lied to Domenico."
Gareth answered.
"I protected him."
"From theft?"
"From Vincent."
"Vincent is dead."
"What he built isn't."
Another voice entered.
Female.
"Enough."
Serena gasped.
"You."
The woman answered, "You should have stopped searching."
Domenico leaned toward the screen.
He knew the voice.
Not Celeste.
Not Marissa.
He had heard it at birthdays.
Christmas dinners.
His father's funeral.
Helena.
His stepmother.
Gareth's mother.
On the recording Serena said, "Does Domenico know?"
Helena replied, "He can never know."
"He's your stepson."
"Exactly."
"What did Vincent do?"
A crash.
Then Gareth.
"Mom, stop."
Serena shouted, "Don't touch me."
Footsteps.
The phone moved.
For a fraction of a second, the camera captured a mirror.
Four people were reflected.
Serena.
Gareth.
Helena.
And Celeste.
Then the recording ended.
Everyone beside the pool stood frozen.
Gareth closed his eyes.
Rachel whispered, "Your mother was there."
Gareth said nothing.
Domenico stepped closer.
"What happened after that recording?"
"I don't know."
"Liar."
"I left."
"When?"
"When Serena and Celeste started fighting."
"About what?"
"I don't know."
Domenico grabbed his shirt.
"Stop saying that."
Gareth's voice broke.
"I don't know because my mother never told me the whole truth."
"Did Serena go into the lake?"
"No."
Domenico released him.
The world seemed to tilt.
"Then whose body did I identify?"
Gareth stared at the ground.
"I don't know."
"Did you help cover it up?"
"Yes."
Rachel covered her mouth.
Eli began crying.
Domenico's voice became almost inaudible.
"Why?"
Gareth looked at him.
"Because Helena told me Serena was dead anyway."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"What does that mean?"
"She said there had been an accident."
"What accident?"
"She never told me."
Domenico's fists tightened.
Gareth continued rapidly.
"She told me if police dug into the lake house, Halcyon would be exposed. I had millions missing. Conrad had signed transfers. We were both going to prison."
"So you lied."
"Yes."
"About seeing Serena fall."
"Yes."
"About arriving later."
"Yes."
"About everything."
Gareth looked at Eli.
"Almost everything."
Eli turned away from him.
Police sirens approached the estate.
Gareth heard them.
He looked toward the gates.
"You called police."
Domenico's expression was empty.
"You assaulted a six year old in front of witnesses."
Gareth looked at Josie's hand.
For the first time, something resembling shame appeared.
It was far too late.
Officers entered the garden.
Gareth did not resist.
Before they placed him in the vehicle, he looked back at Domenico.
"Helena is coming."
Domenico walked closer.
"When?"
Gareth smiled weakly.
"She's already here."
The police car drove away.
Domenico looked toward the villa.
No one moved.
Then Marcus's radio crackled.
A guard at the front gate spoke.
"Mr. Pierce, there's a woman here asking to see you."
Domenico took the radio.
"Name?"
May you like
The answer came through static.
"Helena Pierce."
