Page 100 of Guess Again

Lake Morikawa, Wisconsin Tuesday, August 5, 2025

IT KILLED HIM TO LEAVE KAI BLEEDING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BUT he had no choice.

Ethan jumped back into the Bronco and stepped on the accelerator, the tires spitting gravel as he fishtailed off the shoulder and back onto the road.

Visibility was for crap, and he was driving much too fast for conditions.

He’d be no help to Maddie if he flipped the Bronco into a ditch, but he couldn’t help himself.

It took four minutes to reach the cabin and as he turned the Bronco wildly into the driveway, he collided into the backend of a Range Rover that was parked there.

The airbag deployed and delivered a solid jolt to Ethan’s nose, drawing blood.

As he jumped from the truck and ran through the driving rain, he reached for his waistband but remembered that his Beretta was in his bag.

He ducked down below the Range Rover and changed course, running along the side of the cabin and then around to the back door, which had been left eerily open.

There was no time to assess the situation or decide on the best tactical approach.

Instead, he bolted forward and put his shoulder into the partially open door, sending glass shattering as he crashed into the cabin.

Ethan stumbled into the kitchen to find Maddie tied to a chair with Francis behind her, a garrote similar to the one he’d used on Lindsay Larkin around Maddie’s neck.

Her shirt was torn at the neck to reveal a crude black heart that had been carved into her left breast, blood oozing from her gouged and stenciled skin.

There was no hesitation.

Ethan lunged forward and clipped Francis with a clothesline forearm across the neck and both men went down.

He heard Maddie choke as she sucked air through her now-open trachea.

Ethan climbed on top of Francis and pummeled him with several blows to the face.

Years of pent up rage poured from him as Ethan bloodied the man’s face with a relentless fury of strikes.

When Francis’s arms fell to his sides and the man could not defend himself, Ethan placed his hands around Francis’s neck and began to choke the life from his body.

The man’s face turned to a deep purple and his eyes bulged as Ethan tightened his grip.

A violent blow to Ethan’s temple stunned him.

A second to the back of the head caused him to slump to the side and collapse onto the ground next to Francis.

Ethan rolled onto his back and opened his eyes to see a tall, blond-haired woman standing over him and pointing Maddie’s Glock down at him.

The woman squeezed the trigger, and he felt a searing pain in his left shoulder.

The blond woman adjusted her aim, this time bringing the barrel of the Glock in line with Ethan’s face.

Before she could pull the trigger, though, Ethan saw the walrus tusk that tipped the end of his prized fishing spear pierce through the woman’s chest.