Page 108 of Her Dark Lies

“My mother and Elliot were there. Fatima and Will, too. They were all staring over the edge, and the rain was pouring down, and we couldn’t see her. I can’t even tell you the horror I felt. Claire, I heard her screaming as she fell. She was screaming my name. I got a boat and searched all night. I thought she’d been dragged out to sea. There was no way she could have survived. The storm was terrible, the waves were ten feet high. I barely made it back to land myself. And I grieved. I grieved for years.”

“And you lied for years. Why? Why not tell the truth?”

He shoots the last of his Scotch, laughs mirthlessly. “I just wanted to protect the family. If Morgan died in California with me instead of Isola with all of us, I would be the only one at risk. With one small detail changed, the family was protected. I knew Morgan had no one who would question our story. That the police could be bought if necessary. And I was right. No one cared about the details. No one cared but me.

“And then I met you. And Claire, you have to believe me. If I could do it all over... I would have just let the truth come out and be damned with the consequences.”

“How could you lie to me about this?”

“Darling, I have lied to everyone about this, for many, many years. I’ve had no choice.”

A log in the fire rolls and bursts apart, shooting sparks onto the hearth. The dogs jump away from the hot embers, and Jack sweeps them back into the fire.

“Were you ever going to tell me the truth? Or is it with all these things, with Elliot perhaps trying to stop us marrying, you’re being forced to tell me?”

“No. I have always wanted to tell you. I was just waiting for the appropriate moment.” He breaks off, looks at his hands. “I understand if you don’t want me anymore.”

“I won’t leave you because of it, if that’s what you’re worried about. I have a few deaths under my belt now, too.”

I do. I’ve killed three men now. The first was the worst. By the third? Well, it wasn’t easy, but it felt...familiar, in a hideous, awful way.

“But Jack, you have to swear to me, you will never lie to me, or omit, again. Will you give me your word?”

He gets down on one knee, like he did the night we were engaged, taking my hands in his. He looks me in the eye.

“I swear to you with my life, Claire, I will never lie to you. I didn’t kill Morgan.”

There is no doubt in my mind he’s telling me the truth.

61

Liar

Liar.

Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar.

Don’t let him fool you now.

The last face I saw when I went over the wall was Jackson.

And I take offense at his characterization. I am not disturbed.

I am disruption.

62

The Blackmailer

I’m admittedly shocked. I really had wrapped my head around the idea that Jack was responsible for Morgan’s death.

“I believe you.”

“Thank you.” He breathes out heavily in relief. The tension between us has dissipated, but I sense Jack isn’t finished with his confessions.

“I wouldn’t have had the patience to bring her here. I would have knocked her off the boat and let her drown.”

Jack smiles ruefully at this. “Don’t think I didn’t want to. But I wasn’t about to do something rash. I had no idea how much she actually knew at that point, nor what she’d done to secure her safety. I didn’t know who she’d told. And I wasn’t willing to go to jail over her.”