Chapter 18 - Exposing the Truth
The storm howled outside as Joanna pulled up to the rusted iron gates of the old timber mill. Rain poured down in sheets, illuminated by the bright flashes of lightning tearing through the dark night sky.
She killed her headlights, grabbed her flashlight and a heavy steel tire iron from the trunk, and crept toward the rotting wooden structure.
Inside, the air smelled of wet rot, rust, and oil. High above on the second-story catwalk, a battery-powered lantern cast long, eerie shadows across the cavernous room.
"Derek!" Joanna’s voice echoed through the vast space, steady and uncompromising. "I'm here! Let the girls go!"
From the catwalk above, Derek stepped into the light. He wore a dark raincoat, his hair soaked, his face twisted into an unrecognizable mask of rage and madness. Beside him stood Meredith, holding a crying Maya in her arms, while Lily slept soundly in a portable car seat nearby.
"You should have taken the deal, Joanna," Derek shouted down, his voice echoing off the corrugated iron walls. "You just couldn't leave it alone, could you? You had to dig into Claire! You had to dig into our family!"
"You murdered Claire!" Joanna yelled back, stepping into the center of the main floor, keeping her tire iron low at her side. "And you tried to murder me! It's over, Derek! The police know everything! Sarah sent the digital files to the FBI an hour ago!"
Meredith stepped forward, her aristocratic composure completely shattered, her voice shrill and hysterical. "You ruined us! Thirty years of building our legacy, destroyed by a poor, pitiful girl we saved from obscurity!"
May you like
"You didn't save me, Meredith! You tried to own me!" Joanna shouted. "Look at your son! He's a monster! And you created him!"
"Shut up!" Derek roared, drawing a handgun from his coat pocket and pointing it down at Joanna. "You think you're so smart, Joanna? You think you won? If I can't have my daughters, if my life is over, then no one gets out of this building tonight!"
