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LadySharkey1 rocks my world by being the most amazing, kick-ass beta I could ever imagine.

Belmont Island, Maine

Saturday, March 17, 1951

5 PM

Meanwhile, upstairs in the sitting room, the shots startled both women. Rose's eyes grew huge as they settled upon Bella's frightened gaze. "Do you think…?"

"There's no use in thinking," Bella replied sharply, trying to settle the waves of panic that flashed through her like lightning bolts. "We'd do better to act." Finding her strength, she balled her hands into fists by her side, drawing mental strength from that fake physical gesture. "Whatever happened down there, the chances are that in a few minutes the person that's trying to kill us might be standing right outside that door." Pointing towards the door, she could feel her panic give way to anger—hot, burning fury directed at the person who was trying to keep Bella from ever seeing her son again. "And I don't know about you, but I want to make damn sure whoever is out there, won't be coming in."

"Right." Rose nodded as she tried to mimic Bella's confidence but only succeeding in part. "What do you want me to do?"

"Barricade everything," Bella pressed. "Doors, windows, mouse holes…every entrance to this room, no matter how small. We don't know what's been planned." Even though Bella had been careful not to put a name to the so far faceless killer at large, deep down inside she had a very hard time picturing Angela as the guilty party. After all, she'd spent a night sleeping almost next to the whimpering maid, that first night after Alice had died.

If Angela had indeed been the killer, then why was Bella still alive?

Her mind went back to the previous night as she remembered the fear and grief Angela had shown over the death of her boss. Bella had a hard time believing that the emotions Angela had shown that night had been an act, meant to throw Bella off the scent of who the real killer was. In her time, Bella had seen some pretty convincing performances played out live in front of her eyes by the great actresses of her day and, therefore, she knew that nobody was that good of an actress.

And if she had been, Angela would have undoubtedly made her fortune in Hollywood instead of standing in the wings as she watched Alice take the spotlight.

No, as often as she'd seen Angela pop up right before or after someone had been killed, when it really came down to it, Bella just couldn't marry the Angela she had come to know to the image of a ruthless killer.

It had to be Mrs. Cope.

"Can you help me close them?" Rose gasped as she struggled with the heavy wood of the plantation shutters. "These things are pretty solid!"

"Thankfully, yes," Bella chuckled as she and Rose managed to close off all access from the outside. She went to check on Esme, whose body was still struggling against the effects of the poison the poor woman had ingested. "I don't think we could have barred the windows so well using only the furniture in this room!" Where Bella had admired the huge windows and French doors leading out to the terrace only a day before, right at that moment, they were a huge liability. After all, windows were easy to break; it took only a rock or even a tree branch and the killer would be right up in their faces.

Their relief didn't last long.

As their breaths came down, the faint sound of footsteps drawing closer on the polished wooden flooring made both women's hearts stop.

Rose's eyes were filled with blind fear as she grabbed Bella's hand, their fingers weaving together as they sat completely paralyzed by anxiety.

Putting her finger against her lips to motion Rose to keep quiet, she pointed at Esme, quietly directing the other woman to make sure their sick friend wouldn't make a sound. She herself quietly creeped over to a side table, picking up a solid looking candlestick before taking up her post next to the door.

If the person on the other side managed to get past the locked door and the furniture piled up in front of it, they would have a hell of a headache before they would succeed in putting a finger on Rose, Esme or Bella.

It was certain that it wasn't the men. If it had been them instead of the killer, there would have been two sets of footsteps than just the one. And even if one of them had been forced to stay behind, the other wouldn't have creeped through the entrance hall like a thief in the night. His footsteps would have been hasty and louder than the almost inaudible measured steps slowly trekking through the hall.

Bella's heart was hammering in her chest as she listened; the creaking of the floor against a pair of heeled shoes had never sounded quite as ominous as it did in that moment.

Closer, they came…

Closer still…

Closer…

So close…

Until they stopped.

By that time, her heart was pounding so fast Bella was half convinced the person on the other side of the wall could hear it, her eyes searching and finding Rose's terrified gaze as they waited for the killer to test their defenses.

When the doorknob started to move, twisting first one way and then the other, Bella had to fight not to scream. Not that the killer would be fooled into thinking the room was empty for even a moment.

The rattling of the door handle became more insistent as the person on the other side realized the door was locked.

A thump.

A body throwing itself against the solid wood; testing the strength of their defenses.

But they held…for the time being.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…" the eerie, disembodied voice of Mrs. Cope—because it was undoubtedly her voice they were hearing—sang on the other side. "It's no use trying to hide from me, you silly gooses! I know you're in there…and I'm going to get you."

Frantically shaking her head 'no', Bella managed to keep Rose from shouting out right at the last moment. There were a few choice things she wanted to scream in Mrs. Cope's direction herself but she instinctually knew it was best not to goad the rampant killer.

Pressing her lips together, Bella urged herself to keep calm as Mrs. Cope changed tactics again and went back to using whatever force she possessed to try to break down the door. There was no more control in that voice as it sounded again. "Did that bitch survive my special soup?" she cackled, obviously finding something very funny about her own hideous acts. "If only she wouldn't have come into the kitchen that night, she might have made it out of this place alive. Well, probably not, but I would have felt bad about killing her, I think. And I might have thought of some other way to kill that rat bastard of a husband of hers."

Bella gasped, immediately clamping both hands over her mouth. Husband?

"Oh, yes, didn't you know?" Mrs. Cope cackled with glee on the other side of the door. "They married as soon as Carlisle's private investigator found out that poor little Esme's runaway husband had walked into a the wrong end of a knife during a drunken bar fight. They got the Justice of the Peace to make the trip out here and were married out on the patio. It was supposed to be hushed up until he died and she could claim his plush little inheritance but…well, I think their secret's safe with you, since I don't think you'll be leaving this island alive. But then again…neither will she!"

Thinking back about what Carlisle had said about wanting to provide Esme with the comforts and security she'd been missing all her life, Bella could understand why they did it. Even if she felt a little hurt that Carlisle, whom she considered a friend and an almost a father figure, had not told her.

"But then Esme came into the kitchen and…I guess I just couldn't be sure of what she'd seen, even if she kept her trap shut until I filled it up for her!" There was a pause, almost as if the madwoman grieved having to kill someone who might not have been on her hit list. "Oh well, just the thought of having them all drop like flies—those bastards who thought themselves so high and mighty that they could squash a poor, sweet soul—I wish I could have been there to see it!"

Chills ran down Bella's spine as she realized just how slim her chances of survival were. Sure, she and Rose were relatively safely ensconced in the living room with enough supplies to last a couple of days if they had to. But what would happen then?

The boat would return at noon the next day to pick them up, but would they be able to meet him on the dock? Or even warn him about the madwoman? Bella had no doubt that Mrs. Cope would kill the minute she saw him, and then destroy the only chance they had at making it back to the shore.

Or she'd simply slip away, leaving them all dead on the island.

Who would find them?

Just then, a noise sounded from somewhere inside the house, loud enough to be heard even behind the closed sitting room door, but not so close that Bella could pinpoint its location.

Edward.

"Oh, well, as nice as our little chat has been, I think it's time to go!" Mrs. Cope announced in a remarkably chipper voice. "Catch you girls later!"

Quiet.

The silence that followed Mrs. Cope's departure felt too heavy to leave any feelings of relief. Even though both women felt they had just had a very close call, Mrs. Cope could be back at any moment.

They couldn't let their defenses slip.

Not even for a second.

As the peace endured, though, both Bella and Rose dared to draw some much needed deep breaths again, though; shoulders sagging as some of the tension slipped away and small smiles appearing as they realized they were safe.

For the time being.

"Bella?"

Both women jumped at the sound of a frantic voice on the other side of the door. It lasted only a second that time, though, as the voice sounded nothing like the scary, high pitched growl of Mrs. Cope.

No, it sounded like salvation.

"Can you open the door for me?" Edward called out, Bella holding Rose back as she already started clawing desperately at the furniture in front of the door until Edward confirmed the coast was clear, as they originally planned. "Jasper and Edward would like to come in."

It was only when she had the confirmation that all was clear that Bella released Rose and both women started to frantically breaking down their barricade.

They were safe.

For the time being.

Thoughts?