“And then murdered Purvis’s sister with the final fix,” Daphne said.
Patricia shrugged. “She just gave her a very pure dose. Junkies OD all the time.”
“What did you find in the files?” Madeline asked.
“An unopened credit card statement. There were gas charges at stations all the way up the coast. The last fill-up was not far from the ferry terminal that services Cooper Island.”
“So you and Travis concluded that maybe Purvis had made it to Cooper Island, after all,” Madeline said.
“By then Travis was convinced that the PI had evidence linking Egan to the deaths of Seavers and the woman. He knew that if Purvis had made it this far and if Egan hadn’t killed him—which was evidently the case, according to Louisa—then there was only one place on the island Purvis could have spent the night.”
“The Aurora Point Hotel,” Madeline said. “Everything ended here.”
“We still had no idea what had happened to Purvis, but the fact that your grandmother had closed the place down less than a week after Purvis checked in made us wonder if there was a connection. Travis was afraid that Edith Chase had somehow gotten her hands on the blackmail evidence. He figured if anyone knew the truth, it would be old Tom Lomax.”
“Ramona posed as Tom’s granddaughter,” Daphne said.
“Yes.”
“So if Ramona had been so helpful at every step of the way, why did Travis murder her?” Madeline asked.
“He didn’t,” Patricia said.
“Oh, crap,” Madeline whispered. “It was you, wasn’t it?”#p#分页标题#e#
Patricia’s face turned a blotchy red. The gun in her hand trembled. “I was the one who went to meet her that night in the parking lot behind the diner. She was expecting Travis, who had promised to give her a few hundred thousand dollars as payment for the work she had done. She wanted out, you see; she wanted to leave the country. She was getting scared. She demanded her commission.”
“Who was Ramona?” Madeline asked. “Why did you think you could trust her?”
“She was my sister,” Patricia shouted.
Rage electrified the atmosphere around her.
“You murdered your own sister?” Daphne said.
“She was sleeping with him,” Patricia said, her voice very tight. “I found out they were having an affair behind my back. She betrayed me. My own sister betrayed me with my husband.”
“Why come back here?” Daphne said, stunningly calm, as though there weren’t a gun at her head. “Maddie’s right. You should be on your way out of the country.”
“She can’t go,” Madeline said. “Not until she finds the pictures. Right, Patricia? I don’t think you came here just to murder me. You’re here because Ramona warned you that Tom Lomax had figured out that the three of you were all involved in the plot.”
“She said he had photos.” Patricia gave the crowded room a desperate survey. “I tried looking for them but it’s hopeless. Lomax was a hoarder. So today there’s going to be another fire. And when the ashes cool they’ll find your body and the body of your friend. An electrical wiring problem. Very common in old houses. I learned that from Travis. He had a flair for the technical stuff.”
“Are these the photos you’re looking for?” Madeline asked.
She held out the first of the three incriminating photos. Patricia snatched it with her free hand and looked at it, distracted for a few seconds. But the barrel of the gun did not waver. She looked up quickly.
“That’s Travis outside the condo that Ramona was renting in Seattle,” she said. “The bastard met her there. That’s where they fucked. Let me see the others.”
“Sure. My favorite is the one of you and Ramona having coffee together in a small diner. It’s clear you two knew each other. I imagine that will interest the police, since they’re having a problem pinning Ramona’s murder on Travis. This picture makes it clear that you knew the victim quite well. That will make you an instant suspect.”
Panic flashed across Patricia’s face. “Lomax saw us together? Let me have that picture.”
Daphne watched Madeline very steadily. Madeline tightened her grip on Sunrise Sisters and tried to send a silent message.
“Help yourself, Patricia,” she said.
She tossed the remaining photos toward Patricia. The pictures sailed across the room, fluttered wildly, and rained down on the floor.
“Bitch,” Patricia yelped.
She started to swing the gun toward Madeline.
Daphne lurched to the side, crashing awkwardly into Patricia. The move didn’t take Patricia off her feet, but she staggered.