Chapter 16 - The Bell Tower
Anna pressed her hands against Vanessa’s wound while Richard called her name.
“Stay with us!”
Vanessa laughed weakly. “Now you care?”
“Vanessa!”
“I’m sorry about Leo.”
Anna looked at her. “Save your strength.”
“No.” Vanessa grabbed Anna’s wrist. “Marilyn has copies. Bank records. Videos. She keeps them where she keeps the names.”
“What names?”
But Vanessa’s eyes rolled back.
Then a shot rang out from the tower.
An officer fell behind a headstone.
Chaos erupted.
Daniels shouted for everyone to stay down.
Richard crawled beside Anna.
“She’s up there.”
Anna peered through the rain.
A shadow moved behind the bell tower window.
Then smoke appeared.
“She’s burning it,” Anna said.
“What?”
“The evidence.”
Anna ran before Richard could stop her.
“Anna!”
She sprinted toward the chapel entrance.
Inside, smoke filled the stairwell.
She covered her mouth and climbed.
One floor.
Two.
At the top landing, Marilyn appeared through the smoke.
Her arm was bandaged from the motel window.
“You should have stayed with the children,” she said.
Anna stared at the metal case near Marilyn’s feet.
“You should have stayed dead.”
Marilyn smiled.
Then she kicked the case down the stairs.
Anna lunged for it.
Marilyn struck her with the rifle stock.
Pain exploded across Anna’s shoulder.
The case clattered onto the landing below.
Marilyn ran upward toward the bell platform.
Anna followed.
Rain blasted through the open tower.
Marilyn backed toward the railing.
“You have no idea how many families begged for what I gave them.”
“You gave them fear.”
“I gave them control.”
She raised the rifle.
Anna saw the barrel.
Then Richard tackled Marilyn from the side.
All three hit the wet boards.
The rifle slid away.
Marilyn grabbed Richard’s throat.
Anna kicked her off.
Marilyn staggered backward.
The railing cracked.
For one second, she hung over the edge.
Richard reached for her.
Marilyn looked at his hand.
Then she let go.
She vanished into the rain.
Below, officers shouted.
Anna looked down.
Marilyn had landed on the chapel roof.
May you like
Alive.
And crawling toward a maintenance ladder.
