Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(105)

I breathed in the heavy, salt-tinged air and entered the lighthouse, ready to accept whatever fate had in store for me.





Chapter 27



Stepping into the lighthouse, the first thing I noticed was how many candles were illuminating the interior. Dozens and dozens of them, votives in glass cups placed up and down the winding, iron staircase. The flames flickered rapidly, as if they’d been angered by my intrusion. What struck me most was that there was nothing romantic about this setup. All of the candles were black, and the sinister, jaundiced glow they were casting against the pale lighthouse interior was nothing short of eerie.

The heavy, metal door clanged shut behind me with finality, my fate sealed. And just then a person stepped out from behind the staircase, looking not the least bit surprised to see me. I couldn’t say the same. Here was the missing person everyone was looking for. And it wasn’t Chelsea. No, it was Ami Hensley.

What is she doing here? I thought. Then I feared this was where she was being held captive. But as I glanced around furtively, I realized we were the only two.

“Expecting Adam?” Ami drawled, tossing her long, blonde hair back with a flick of her wrist. She then dipped a hand into the front pocket of her raincoat. The same powder-blue coat she’d worn the day we’d first taken the ferry from Cove Beach to Fade Island. But unlike that time, Ami’s stomach was now perfectly flat. No fake-pregnancy bump today.

My mind raced to assess the scene before me. Well, well, well. Ami was not only the mystery blonde in the Polaroid photo with Chelsea, but she was obviously not missing after all. Had we all been duped by a crazy person?

“Ami, I, uh,” I stammered, at a loss for verbal coherency, at first. But then I pulled it together. “What are you doing here? Everyone thinks you’re—”

“Missing? Dead?” she finished for me, sounding bored. “Nope, as you can see, I’m alive and well.”

Had she faked her own disappearance? To what end?

“I don’t understand,” I said, truly confused.

Ami sighed and took another step closer. Now both of her hands were stuffed into the front pockets of her raincoat. Odd. But what really gave me pause was how fake her plastered-on smile appeared to be. Instinctively I took a step back as she came closer still. There was something very wrong with her expression.

“What don’t you understand, Maddy?” Ami cooed. I didn’t answer, and she continued, “In light of recent, shall we say, events, I needed to lay low. See how things played out. Know what I mean?”

I had no idea what she was babbling about. Why would Ami need to “lay low”? And see how what played out? One thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t care to stick around any longer. I didn’t know why Ami—and not Adam—was here at the lighthouse. I had no idea why Ami would fake her own disappearance. But it seemed the longer I stuck around, the more likely this bizarre situation could become volatile. And I didn’t want that.

“Look, Ami, I’m leaving. I don’t know what you’re up to, and to tell you the truth, I don’t care. I came down here to meet Adam, but obviously he and I got our signals crossed—”

“You’re such a stupid bitch!” Ami shrieked, cutting me off. “Adam didn’t leave you the f*cking note. I did!”

“That can’t be right.” Dread crept over me. “It was his handwriting.”

“Listen up, Maddy, and listen good,” Ami said. “You don’t work for a man for five years, signing document after document, and not learn his handwriting. I’ve signed Adam Ward’s signature probably more times than he has.” At this she laughed maniacally.

Oh God. I’d fallen into Ami’s trap. And nobody even knew where I was. Adam certainly wasn’t going to come to my rescue. I mentally kicked myself for being so foolish. Why had I not called him to verify he’d written that note? Sure I didn’t want to ruin his surprise, but really, was it worth my well-being? And yes, the café had been dark. But nothing had precluded me from dropping by Helena and Nate’s bungalow to tell them I was heading down to the lighthouse. Nothing but my own foolhardiness. Not even Max knew I was here because I hadn’t searched him out either. I’d been reckless, and now I was going to pay for it.



Panicked, I turned and lunged for the door, my hand grasping for the metal handle. But then I froze when I heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked echoing in the confines of the lighthouse.

“Turn around,” Ami said, her voice icy.

Out of options for now, I obeyed. As I turned to face my captor, I found myself staring down the barrel of a firearm—a .38—aimed directly at me. Behind the gun Ami smiled triumphantly. I thought about making a run for it, but there was no way I was taking that chance. The likelihood of getting shot in such close quarters was high. It didn’t matter if Ami could shoot or not. But by the confident way she was holding the .38 with both hands, I was betting she could handle the gun just fine.

“Ami,” I whispered. “Just let me go. Please.” I wasn’t above begging, not at this point.

Her eyes narrowed. “No,” she stated, sighing. “You started this with your snooping around. Always asking questions, always wanting answers.”

“Please, Ami. I won’t ask any more questions, I promise.”