Chapter 19 - The River Takes No Secrets
“Gun!” Mara shouted.
The officer ducked behind a tree. Dad fired once. The shot struck the dock railing, sending splinters into the water.
I couldn't see him from the house anymore. Mara moved us behind a police vehicle while officers took positions along the riverbank. I could hear my father's voice across the loudspeaker, ordering everyone to stay back.
Mom pressed both hands against her mouth. “He'll never stop.”
I thought of Elise beating against polished wood, counting on somebody to hear. Then I stepped beside Mara and asked for the phone connected to the negotiator's speaker.
“Let me try,” I said.
She studied me for a moment, then nodded. A tactical officer kept me behind the vehicle while Mara managed the line.
“Dad,” I said into the microphone. “Elise is alive. Mom is alive. You lost.”
He laughed from the dock. “You think an arrest ends this?”
“No. But it lets us start.”
“I gave you everything.”
“You gave us sixteen years of grief. That's not a gift.”
The boat's engine coughed to life. Dad threw a rope loose and pushed away from the pilings. A patrol boat moved to block the channel.
Then the engine failed. The boat swung sideways, caught in the current beneath the old floodgate. Dad stood up, reaching for the dock with one hand and holding the gun with the other.
“Daniel!” Mom screamed.
He glanced toward her. For a second, his face looked almost human again.
Then he raised the weapon.
A police officer fired. Dad stumbled against the railing, one shoulder struck by the shot. He lost his footing and plunged into the dark water.
May you like
The current swept him toward the floodgate. An officer shouted for a rescue line.
But beneath the churning surface, my father disappeared.
