Page 45 of Darkwater Lane (Stillhouse Lake #7)

At the end of the day, I can’t ignore that there’s a common denominator between Sam and Melvin: me.

What if the problem is me? What if I’m incapable of seeing the truth about the men in my life?

Hell, even with my own son last year, I had no idea he was spending so much time on the Melvin Royal message boards.

I’d want to laugh at the irony if it didn’t also make me want to cry.

In my work for J.B., one of my specialties is vetting corporate bigwigs.

My job is to ignore the bland banker exterior and dig deep until I find the weakness that some foreign government or corrupt official or greedy billionaire will exploit.

I literally unearth secrets for a living.

I just can’t seem to do the same with my own family.

I stare at my reflection in the window over the sink. It’s a gray day outside, making me appear as little more than a blur. How would it ever be possible for the two loves of my life to have both been arrested for murder?

Sam isn’t a murderer. He’s not the one behind all of this.

But then, who is?

The next morning, a teaser for the upcoming episode of The Royal Murders drops.

I’m in my office alone. Sam has already left for a job, and both kids are still in bed.

Even so, I listen with my headphones on the off chance it includes another snippet from Melvin.

I can’t stand the idea of that man’s voice filling the rooms of my house.

Instead, it’s Rowan Applegate’s voice I hear.

As many listeners are aware, when we released the first episode of The Royal Murders , we had the entire podcast recorded and ready to go.

However, as we’ve been airing episodes, we’ve been getting feedback—a lot of it—and many of you have had questions, thoughts, and even tips that have led us in some very interesting directions.

In short: there’s a whole lot more to this story than we first realized.

In fact, we’ve only been scratching the tip of the iceberg.

To that end, while we plan to continue airing the original episodes, we’ve decided to also start adding bonus episodes to explore this new information. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it.

First up: it looks like there’s a new serial killer out there. You won’t have heard of him yet—the FBI hasn’t released any information. But if you know where to look, you can see a pattern emerging.

Cooper Kuntz. Salem Adams. Forrester Blakeny. Devin Pedowitz. Names of guys you’ve probably never heard of. What do they have in common? They all crossed Gina Royal in one way or another. Every one of them wished Gina Royal dead.

They didn’t get their wish. Instead, they were the ones to die.

And they weren’t the only ones. Two others who posted threats against Gwen on a Melvin Royal message board have gone missing and are presumed dead.

Leo Varrus, whose own daughter was one of Melvin Royal’s victims and who was a known critic of Gina’s, was found murdered in Gina Royal’s living room.

You heard that right: a man was murdered in Gina’s own house.

You seeing the pattern here?

All of them enemies of Gina Royal. All of them dead.

Think that’s a coincidence?

Well, I asked the woman herself about it. “I think you have an enemies list and you’ve been working through them one by one, killing them all.”

“If I had an enemies list, Rowan, you’d be at the top of it.”

Straight from the mouth of Gina Royal.

I guess if something happens to me, you all know who the prime suspect is.

Listen to our first bonus episode of The Royal Murders when it airs on Tuesday to learn more .

My heart pounds in my ears. Anger flushes my cheeks while my stomach churns.

That line: “If I had an enemies list, Rowan, you’d be at the top of it.” That had been me from the dock the day before. I sound angry and threatening. I sound like the kind of woman who might kill her enemies.

I yank the earbuds free and throw them on my desk. Rowan set me up. She wanted to needle me and get some sort of response she could use in her podcast. She knew exactly what to say to get me to talk.

And I fell for it.

I call Sam, needing to vent, but it goes straight to voicemail. Damnit.

I shake my head. How did she even know where to find me?

I mean, locating my address in Stillhouse Lake wouldn’t be that difficult.

Property records are public information.

But how did she know she would find me then ?

She didn’t look like a woman who’d been waiting outside in the cold for a long time on the off chance I might come jogging by.

“Madison.” I spit her name like a curse. She has a prime view of my house. She could have told Rowan how and where to find me. What if they’re still working together? What if her entire approach with me has been a ruse?

I push to my feet and storm through the house. Lanny’s in the kitchen, standing barefoot in pajama bottoms and one of my old T-shirts as she waits for the coffee maker. She must have gotten up while I was listening to the podcast teaser, which is why I didn’t hear her.

She looks at me sleepily and notices my agitation. “Everything okay?”

I sidestep the question. “I’m going next door for a minute to talk to Madison about something. Connor’s still asleep. Will you be okay here alone?”

She rolls her eyes. “We’ll be fine, Mom.”

Still, I make sure to arm the alarm before leaving. Then I stomp up the hill toward Madison’s rental, my fists clenched. I pound on the door angrily, not stopping until it opens.

Madison stands on the threshold, eyes wide with alarm. “Gwen, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Did you know she would be here?” I demand.

She frowns at me, confused. “Who?”

“Rowan Applegate. She’s in Stillhouse Lake. She ambushed me on my run yesterday. She knew exactly where to find me and when, as if someone had been keeping tabs on me for her.”

“Rowan’s here?”

I cross my arms. “Have you been spying on me for her?”

She shakes her head. “No. I wouldn’t do that to you. I swear,” she protests. “I wouldn’t betray you like that.”

Her cheeks are slightly flushed, her eyes bright. She appears genuinely confused and upset. She’s so good at coming across as earnest. The question is: Can I trust her?

My gut tells me she’s telling the truth. But my brain still isn’t convinced.

She must sense my hesitation. “Gwen, I promise you. I’m not working with Rowan.”

I say nothing, still unsure.

“You said she ambushed you,” she presses. “What happened?”

I still have the podcast teaser queued up on my phone, so I hold it out and press play. Rowan’s voice comes out tinny and small. I clench my teeth as she talks, rage pouring through me all over again.

Madison’s lips part in shock as she listens. “Gosh, Gwen. Is all of that true? Is someone attacking your enemies?”

“You mean, am I attacking my enemies? ”

She rolls her eyes, and for a split second, I’m reminded of Lanny doing the same in my kitchen earlier when I asked if she’d be okay home alone. “I know it’s not you, Gwen,” she says, her tone of voice the same as my daughter’s, as if she can’t believe I’d even ask the question.

“You’re probably the only one.”

She clears her throat and glances out at the lake.

“Is Sam…I mean, I know he’s a person of interest in the Varrus case.

And if that’s connected to the others…have they taken him in for questioning?

” She asks the question hesitantly, clearly remembering that her accusations against Sam caused me to storm out earlier.

“No,” I say curtly. “He didn’t do this.”

She’s smart enough not to press the issue. “Do they have any other suspects?”

I shake my head. “That’s why I want you to tell me everything you know about Rowan.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “You think she might be behind this?”

“I think she’s one of a long line of Lost Angels who would do anything to take me down—either directly or indirectly through Sam.”

She blows out a breath. “Okay. You want to come inside?”

I look toward my house. “No thanks. I’m still riled up from the podcast. The cool air helps.

” Which isn’t a lie. But the truth is that I still don’t trust Madison completely and am not interested in being trapped in a house with her.

Especially since I stormed up here before grabbing a firearm.

Plus, I have a better view of my house from out here, which makes it easier to keep tabs on Lanny and Connor.

She nods and steps out onto the porch, closing the door behind her.

I note that she seems to have finally gotten the memo about how to dress for winter in the mountains.

She’s wearing black, lined canvas pants and a black wool turtleneck.

Her hair is held back by a black fleece headband, and I notice a leaf stuck in her braid.

She thinks for a moment before saying, “Rowan can be a bit?—”

While she struggles to find the right word, plenty come to my mind: difficult, horrible, vindictive, sociopathic. I decide it’s probably best if I don’t share any of those.

“She’s still grieving,” she finally says. “I think it’s the main driving force in her life these days.”

A familiar guilt eases into my heart. Rowan may be an enemy, but it’s rooted in a brutal loss caused by my ex-husband. While I can’t understand how she would allow herself to turn that pain into violence, I can still understand and empathize with the underlying sorrow.

“Melvin took her sister from her,” I say. “I’m not sure you ever get over something like that.” I think of what I would do if something happened to Sam or one of my kids. I would burn the world down. “Do you know Rowan well?”

“As well as anyone does, I guess. She tends to keep to herself. She’s ridiculously protective of her private life.

I once saw a picture in the paper of her with her daughter at the farmer’s market and remarked how much they looked alike.

She unloaded on me about how she wanted her kids to be kept out of the public eye and that she should sue the paper for printing her likeness without permission. ”

She sounds like a terrible person to work for. “Does she have a temper?”

“Yes.” She doesn’t even hesitate before answering.

“Enough of one that she’s capable of murder?” I ask.

Madison stares out at the lake for a moment, thinking. Then she lifts a shoulder. “We’re all capable of murder, don’t you think? It’s just a matter of finding the right buttons.”