Page 88 of It's a Wonderful Knife

Clearing her throat, Mona stood. “I’m sorry about that, folks. I understand why Richard is frustrated. I… I know this hasn’t been the experience you were hoping for.”

“It’s not your fault,” Penelope said.

Hermina nodded. “How could you possibly know that horrible storm would wash out the bridge? Or that someone would… kill poor Santiago?”

“Still, I feel awful.” Mona grimaced. “I hope you all know we’re trying our best to keep you happy and safe.”

“We do know that. Of course we do.” Penelope smiled. “I see that you have games set up in the living room for us already.”

Mona gave a weak smile. “Yep.”

Chloe said, “Plus, Dakota found an old Blu-ray player and an old LCD TV we don’t use anymore. That means you guys can watch movies.”

Elle said, “Naturally, I’ll have lots of snacks for you folks during the day.”

Mona added, “And most importantly, the bar is always open.”

Everyone laughed.

The mood at breakfast got much better once Richard was gone. His erratic behavior weighed on me. I felt responsible for everyone’s safety, including his. Whether I liked him or not, I didn’t want him to drown himself.

Max and I finished our breakfast and then went with Mona to let Gianna out of her room. Mona led the way through a narrow hallway and up a small flight of stairs to the room at the top of the house. There were many framed family photos hung on the walls. Most of the photos were of Dakota growing up: baby photos. Birthday photos. Graduation photos. Plenty of them had Mona in them, but not many had Ezra.

When I opened the door, Gianna was sitting on the bed, eyes puffy and red. She stood, looking hopeful. Her hair was in two braids, and she wore a pink sweater Mona had loaned her and jeans. The clothing was too big on her, and with her hair like that, she looked like a teenager.

“Do I get to leave this room now?” she asked softly. “I’m starting to feel a little claustrophobic.”

“Yes.” I waved her over. “I’m going to need you to promise you’ll stay in the house, Gianna. I have a lot of people to talk to. I can’t do what I need to do if I’m worried about you making a run for it.”

“I will. I… I promise. You already know the worst of it all.”

“Hermina has agreed to keep an eye on you. Don’t make me regret letting you out of this room.” I gave her a stern look.

“I won’t.”

I led her down the stairs and into the living room. Amelia watched her with resentment simmering in her eyes. Hermina gave a weak smile and patted the couch next to her.

“It’s good to have you back, Gianna,” Girdy said.

“Thank you.” Gianna looked grateful for the kind words.

Joe gestured toward a stack of Blu-ray movies on the coffee table. “We have movies now.”

“Oh, that sounds fun,” Gianna said.

I met Mona’s gaze. “Do you think you and Ezra can spare me some time right now? I’ll make it as quick as possible.”

“Of course.” She glanced toward her husband, who was showing Gerald how to work the remote for the TV and Blu-ray player. “I’ll go get Ezra and meet you at the office.”

“Perfect.” I smiled.

As Max and I headed toward the office, he asked, “Do you think you can trust Gianna not to run?”

“I think so. I hope so.” We entered the office and set up enough chairs for everyone. “I don’t want to keep chasing after her.”

It didn’t take long for Mona and Ezra to arrive. Mona looked nervous, but Ezra just seemed annoyed that he was being questioned at all. Ezra took the comfy padded chair, and Mona sat in a folding chair.

What a gentleman.