Useless Bay(40)

Henry balled his hands into fists at his sides, spilling over with rage.

“But then that Russian skank showed up. She wasn’t supposed to be marriage material. She outmaneuvered me. I should’ve thought about getting knocked up like she did. As far as I was concerned, yesterday’s happy little accident was correcting a mistake. A ten-year mistake. But now”—she waved her gun around—“I’m going to have to start all over again. All the media attention is going to mean I can’t stay here any longer. So this is what we’re going to do. You’re going to drive me to the Port Townsend Ferry, and from there we’ll drive to Port Angeles, where you’ll see me safely off on the boat to Canada.”

Canada? She wanted to go to Canada? Now? Granted, Canada was so close you could see it if you leaned a little to the left, but what about extradition? Plus this was a high-profile case. Everyone would know her by sight. There wasn’t going to be an easy escape for her. Surely she had to see that.

But then again, she was bat-shit crazy when it came to getting her way.

Thump! Stay . . . Good girl . . .

I flinched. The troll was beating at the door.

I had to think quickly. I had to get us out of here without gunfire and before the troll claimed us all. “Training,” I said.

Joyce focused her attention on me.

“I was just thinking that you were right,” I continued. “Some men are like dogs. I’m sure you’ll find one who just needs the proper training.”

Joyce’s eyes narrowed. “Some men? All men, honey. This one right here that you think you’ve got on the leash? He thinks he’s all independent now, but he’s really just waiting for his next command to make his life simpler.”

Henry looked as though he was going to spit. For the first time, I could see how he could get so mad he’d break a kid’s collarbone.

Joyce’s back was to the seaward door. Wham! A wave hit it, and it leaned inward.

The troll spoke, his voice was even louder. Yess . . . sstay . . .

“Henry,” I whispered, “I don’t think that door’s gonna hold all the way.”

“Not our problem,” Joyce said. “This whole estate was an ecological mistake. But we’ll let Rupe worry about that. Now, let’s get in the car and get going, shall we?”

She reached into her coat pocket and withdrew a set of keys, which she tossed to Henry.

This was a problem because Meredith and Sammy were crouched on the other side of the Lexus. And even though I was trying not to look over there, I had hoped one of them was holding out a phone, recording everything Joyce said.

Sammy had his moments.

“I don’t think we can do this,” I said. “The water is too deep on the shore drive. We have to run for higher ground.”

But I must’ve given something away. My eyes must’ve flicked to the far side of the car.

Joyce’s eyes followed. “Why, you little bitch! You brought backup.” She raised her gun. “Who’s there?” she yelled.

Sammy and Meredith stood up.

I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t know she was crazy enough to start firing. I heard Sammy scream. I saw the bullet hit my brother’s hand that held his phone. I saw the blood gush out of a space where something was gone, something he needed.

But at least she bought me some time. I reached into my pocket, pulled out Lawford’s second-best Taser, and fired. Two bolts shot out; and when they hit her, she toppled into the water at her feet, immobilized with pain.

Henry sprang. He grabbed her by the lapels and started throwing her against the door. “I hate you! I hate what you did to me! I hate what you did to my family!”

I heard the door groan. There was so much water, the Lexus was now listing from side to side. I knew this was it. We were all going to get washed away. I pulled Henry off Joyce. “Everybody grab onto something —quick!” The door rattled. Hard. I dragged Henry to a hook that held an oar and grabbed on.

There was a split second that I played over and over in my nightmares just before the door broke, when Joyce sat up in a pool of water, seaweed for hair, teeth looking jagged, inhuman. There was something in her hand. I heard a loud bang and then felt a burning sensation in my arm.

I let go and felt myself getting pulled toward the bay, but Henry took over. He held that oar hook with both hands and covered me with his body.

“Hang tight,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

The water was alive, tugging on me, but Henry held tight to that wall-mounted oar hook, and I held tight to Henry. A wave came over our heads, but we didn’t let go. I should’ve known. Rupert didn’t make anything flimsy, and that included sons.

When I was able to get a gulp of air, I looked toward the ruin of the seaward doors.

And there he was, gnashing, barnacle teeth and all.

He was even uglier than I’d imagined him, with bulb kelp for hair and the flesh of his face half eaten away by crustaceans, which were crawling in and out of the holes they’d created. Things scuttled through his black eyes, doing their black business.

The phrase better with animals than with people ran through my mind.

The worst part was the sheer scale of him. His face alone took up the entire breadth of the garage, and his nose was bulbous and as long as an SUV.

I spat seawater out of my mouth and tried to get a breath. It was no use screaming now.