“I know.” My voice was tense as I focused on the scene. Gabe rubbed soothing circles on my hand with his thumb.
“Rosie, I needed to see you alone. There was something I realized the night of the accident that I need to tell you.”
She leaned in. “What is it?”
My skin crawled. This is only pretend.
Carson remained relaxed. “I have feelings for you. And I want to explore those feelings and see where they go.”
“Really? Are you serious?” She was sickening as she bounced on the couch.
Certifiably insane.
“Yes. I’ve wanted to talk to you ever since the night of the art gallery when I realized there was something more between us.”
Her breath was needy as she leaned forward only inches from his face. “You did?”
“There’s something about you, Rosie. But, it’s complicated because of Mitchell and Francesca.” He shook his head as if utterly defeated and stood. “I think Francesca is playing me for my money.”
In a drama-filled gesture, Rosie’s hand went to her chest as if the thought caused her physical pain. What a sick psycho. “Oh, that’s terrible, Carson. I can’t imagine. Why would she do that to you?”
“And now with the accident, I think someone’s after me. Until I get that cleared, I’m going to have to keep up the charade with Francesca.” Carson’s shoulders drooped while he paced a few feet away. With his back to Rosie, the disdain leaked through as his mask slipped. Carson scrubbed a hand over his face. He swayed but righted himself and leaned a nearby table.
All of this hinged on Rosie confessing to what she’d done. The more things she confessed the more offenses could be added to her prosecution.
Rosie’s voice made him pause mid-stride. “Do you want to explore things between us?”
Bingo.
Carson turned and knelt in front of her. “Yes, I do. But I won’t cheat. I couldn’t start something with you based on a lie. First, I need to figure out who ran us off the road before I end things with Francesca.”
She leaned forward with an ever-so-sweet expression like the world had just handed her a prize. “You’re safe. I promise.”
He cocked his head to the side and asked, “How do you know?”
“Oh, Carson, I can’t tell you. You’ll hate me.” Tears fell on her cheeks.
Here we go. The confession was on the verge of breaking free. Beside me, Gabe’s nerves looked as though they were strung tighter than mine as he watched every move.
Carson’s hand went to her face in a loving manner and Rosie closed her eyes.
I wanted to gag at the sight.
“I could never hate you, Rosie. I’ve fallen in love with you. I think I can stomach anything if I know you’ll give me a chance. I’ve been an ass all these years ignoring what could have been. But, I may have to go through with the marriage proposal until I can figure it out. Francesca is pressuring me.”
“No, you can’t!” she screamed, startling me and Carson, who tried to lean back but Rosie clutched his hand to her cheek. “You can’t, Carson!”
“Why?”
Here we go. Sweat formed on my brow as the anticipation grew. The answers we sought hopefully were about to come out.
She stood and so did Carson. In a loving gesture, her hand went to his chest. “Darling, you are safe. I thought Francesca was in the car with you. But, it was Willow. I never meant to hurt her. I love Willow. I never meant to hurt you. I found out Francesca was pregnant and it sent me into a blind rage. I couldn’t let another woman have your baby… at any cost.”
Liar.
She had rented the Hummer beforehand. This was all planned.
“Why?” Carson’s voice was on the verge of becoming terse.
In the heat of her rant, Rosie paced the room. “Because I want to have your baby. I had planned to make my move at Martha’s Vineyard, but Willow needed you that weekend. I understood. You guys are so close. I don’t mind you two being that close. I used Mitchell to pass the time. But then, that bitch got pregnant. I had to do something before she trapped you. I had planned to do something all along but she needed to be eliminated.”
Oh hell, we had it. I wanted to jump in celebration. The confession had been easier than expected with how meticulously she planned things. Having Carson within her grasp must have obliterated her guard.
Carson’s eyes widened for only a brief second. With his jaw locked, he attempted to calmly ask, “You ran us off the road?”
Running across the room, she threw her hands around Carson’s waist. “Oh, Carson, I’m so sorry. I had no idea how the car would flip. All I could think about was not letting that cow have you. I’ve been so patient while you’ve slept with other women.”
There was a minor tremor in Carson’s hands as he placed them on her back. “I’ll have to deal with the baby.” The words sounded forced. This must have been hard for him as he loved his unborn child unconditionally.
Rosie pushed away and use her hands animatedly as she said, “You can’t have that on your conscious, my love. I have extra blue cohosh. All we need to do is give some to her and the problem will be solved. You can do it tonight at dinner.”
I closed my eyes for a brief second wondering how someone could end someone’s life without a second thought.
“Why do you have that?” The storm behind Carson’s calm façade was slowly breaking free. We were almost out of time.
“Because I tried to do it myself, but somehow I must have done something wrong. Or Francesca’s not pregnant like you suspected.”
My hand went to my mouth. “Gabe.”
“I know, sweetheart. That fucking bitch.” The tendons on his free hand popped out in rage as he spit the words.
Carson’s jaw flexed and his shoulders tensed. “How’d you do it?”
Lost in her own world, Rosie walked around the room as she bragged. “I have a friend who works at the hotel. I knew she was on vacation so I took her key card. Willow told me she was taking Francesca back to the hotel to eat, and I followed them back. I posed as one of the kitchen staff. It was quite simple to blend. I love you, Carson. I would do anything to have you.”
Carson muttered something indiscernible.
Rosie stopped and walked to him. “What did you say, my love?” He truly was her world. Crazily so.
“You fucking bitch. You tried to kill my baby.” Domineering, Carson’s mood and voice transformed.
Rosie scrambled away at the change. “Carson, you want me. You love me.”
He shook his head. “I could never love you. You almost killed Willow, me, and my unborn child.”
“Carson… please. I love you!”
With a wave of his hand, the closet door opened. Trent and two police officers walked into the room.
While one of the officers moved behind her, the other stepped forward and began reading Rosie her rights from his notepad. “Rosie McCormick, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Carson Whitmore, Willow Russo, David Greggers, and Francesca Morino.”
“What?” Rosie’s eyes grew wild. “You can’t do this. I’ll fucking kill her and the baby. She can’t have you. She can’t have you!”
I flinched at her hate-filled words.
The officer behind her wrestled her into handcuffs as she screamed.
Carson walked up to her. “You will never get near Francesca, my child, or Willow ever again.”
“I don’t want Willow dead. She’s my best friend. She’s going to be my maid of honor at our wedding.”
This woman was more than unhinged, and I remained motionless as I watched the scene unfold.
Carson spoke to the officer. “Take her away. My lawyer will meet you at the station. He’s at your disposal to ensure she doesn’t receive bail.”
“Yes, Mr. Whitmore.”
Rosie kept thrashing. “Where’s Willow? Willow! Willow! They’re hurting me! Carson’s gone crazy! Willow! Save me!”
They left the room, and Carson swa
yed and fell back on the couch.