Chapter 6 - Packing in the Dark
For the next ninety minutes, the guesthouse was a scene of frantic, desperate chaos. Vanessa and Daniel worked under the dim emergency flashlight beams, throwing clothes, shoes, and designer bags into suitcases.
Vanessa was sobbing, her makeup smeared across her face. "Do something, Daniel! Talk to her! She’s your mother!"
"I tried!" Daniel shouted back, his voice cracked with frustration. "You pushed her too far, Vanessa! I told you not to mess with her!"
"You told me she was helpless!" Vanessa shrieked. "You said the estate was practically yours!"
I stood near the porch with Deputy Miller, watching them carry their bags to their luxury sedan. When Vanessa walked past me carrying a armful of dresses, she stopped, her eyes wild with malice.
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"You think you won?" she hissed through her teeth. "You’re just an old lady in a giant, empty house. You’ll die out here alone!"
"I may be alone," I replied smoothly, "but I am standing on land that belongs to me, free of parasites. Drive safe, Vanessa. The roads near the lake are treacherous in the dark."
