CHAPTER 9
The next few days were a blur of police interviews and media attention.
Abigail's face was on every news channel. Every newspaper. Every website.
“Local Woman Wins Twenty Million Dollars, Son Arrested for Extortion Plot.”
The story was everywhere.
People had opinions. Of course they did.
Some called her a hero. A strong woman who had stood up to her abuser.
Others called her cold. A mother who had turned her back on her own child.
Abigail didn't care what they said.
She was too busy looking over her shoulder.
Victoria and Marcus were still out there.
The police had put out warrants for their arrest. They had searched Victoria's apartment. They had questioned her friends and associates.
But there was no sign of them.
It was like they had vanished into thin air.
Arthur had arranged for Abigail to stay in a hotel until they were caught. A nice hotel. With security.
But it didn't feel safe.
Every stranger's face looked like it could be Victoria. Every shadow looked like it could be hiding Marcus.
On the fifth day, Naomi called.
Abigail almost didn't answer. But something made her pick up.
“Mrs. Riley. Thank God you're okay.”
Naomi's voice was shaking.
“Why are you calling me? After what you did? After you betrayed me?”
“I know. I know you hate me. And you have every right to. But I need you to listen to me. I didn't have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice, Naomi.”
“Not when they're threatening your family.”
Abigail froze. “What are you talking about?”
Naomi's voice cracked.
“Victoria found out about my little sister. Lila. She's twelve. She has cystic fibrosis. She's in and out of the hospital all the time. Victoria told me if I didn't help her, if I didn't feed you information and make you trust me, something would happen to Lila. She said she had people who could get to her in the hospital. That no one would ever be able to prove it.”
She paused, sobbing.
“I couldn't take that risk, Mrs. Riley. Lila is all I have. She's my whole world. So I did what they said. I played the part. I made you trust me. But I never wanted you to get hurt. I swear to God.”
Abigail's head spun.
She thought of the woman in the diner. The one with red eyes and a story about her mother.
Had any of it been real?
“Why are you calling me now?”
“Because I know where they are. Victoria and Marcus. I heard from a friend. They're hiding out in a cabin. Up in the mountains. About two hours north of the city. Victoria has been using my friend's phone to make calls. She thinks no one can trace it.”
“Naomi, if this is another trick—”
“It's not. I swear. I'm telling you the truth this time. They're planning something, Mrs. Riley. Something big. Victoria is furious about Spencer. She blames you. And she says if she can't have the money, neither can you.”
Abigail's blood turned to ice.
“What does that mean?”
“I don't know exactly. But it's bad. You need to tell the police. You need to tell them right now. Before it's too late.”
Naomi hung up.
Abigail sat frozen for a moment. Then she called Arthur. Then she called the police.
The police were skeptical.
“With all due respect, Mrs. Riley, this woman has betrayed you before. How do we know she's not leading us into a trap?”
“I don't,” Abigail said. “But what if she's telling the truth? What if they're really up there planning something?”
The lead detective sighed. “We'll send a team up to check it out. But I'm not going to lie—the chances of them actually being there are slim. If they were smart, they'd be across the border by now.”
The team left at dawn.
Abigail waited in the hotel room, watching the news, checking her phone every two minutes.
At noon, the detective called.
“Mrs. Riley? We found the cabin. And you were right. They were there.”
Abigail's breath caught. “Did you catch them?”
There was a long pause.
“No. They got away. But we found something. Something you need to see.”
“What?”
“Plans, Mrs. Riley. Detailed plans. Of your house. Of your daily routine. Of the hotel you're staying in. And... other things.”
“Other things?”
The detective's voice was heavy.
“Chemicals. Fertilizer. Diesel fuel. Enough to build a very large bomb. And there were notes. Notes about how to get close to you. How to make sure you were in the right place at the right time.”
Abigail's vision blurred.
“They were going to kill me.”
“It looks that way. We think they were planning to bomb the hotel. Or your house. Or wherever you were going to be. They wanted to send a message. If they couldn't have the money, no one could.”
The room spun.
Victoria Marsh was not just a fraudster. She was a murderer in waiting.
And she was still out there.
The next forty-eight hours were the longest of Abigail's life.
The police increased security around the hotel. They had officers posted outside her door twenty-four hours a day.
But Abigail couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Victoria's cold smile. She heard Spencer's voice saying Whatever it takes.
On the third night, there was a knock on her door.
Abigail's heart jumped. She looked through the peephole.
It was Naomi.
She looked terrible. Her hair was a mess. Her eyes were red and swollen. There was a bruise on her cheek.
Abigail opened the door.
“What are you doing here? How did you get past the police?”
“I told them I had information for you. That it was urgent. They checked me for weapons. They let me through.”
Naomi stepped inside. She was trembling.
“I shouldn't have come. But I had to. I had to tell you in person.”
“Tell me what?”
Naomi took a deep breath.
“I know where Victoria is going next. I know her plan. She's not running, Mrs. Riley. She's coming for you. Tonight.”
Abigail's blood ran cold.
“What are you talking about?”
“Victoria called me. An hour ago. She thinks I'm still on her side. She told me she's going to break into this hotel. She said she has a way to get past security. That she's going to find you. And she's going to make you pay for what happened to Spencer.”
Naomi's voice cracked.
“She's not alone. Marcus is with her. And they have... they have a gun. Mrs. Riley, you have to get out of here. Right now.”
Abigail's mind raced.
The police. She had to call the police.
But before she could move, Naomi grabbed her arm.
“No. Not the police. Victoria said she has someone on the inside. Someone who's helping her. If you call the front desk, if you call the officers outside your door, they'll know. They'll move faster. They'll kill you before anyone can get here.”
Fear clawed at Abigail's throat.
“Then what do we do?”
“We have to get you out of here. Quietly. Through the service entrance. I know a way. I used to work at this hospital—wait, no, this hotel. I used to work here. I know the back ways.”
Naomi was rambling. Panicked.
Abigail looked at her. Really looked at her.
The bruise on her cheek. The way she kept glancing at the door. The way her hand was shaking.
And then she saw it.
Naomi's other hand. The one in her pocket.
It was clenched around something. Something hard. Something that bulged against the fabric.
Abigail's heart stopped.
This wasn't a rescue.
May you like
It was a trap.
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