Part 13
The private airfield was a lonely strip of asphalt,
carved into the middle of a vast cornfield,
surrounded by a rusty chain-link fence.
As I approached,
I saw a small,
twin-engine propeller plane,
its navigation lights blinking red and white against the gray dawn.
The engines were already idling,
their loud whine cutting through the quiet morning,
propellers spinning into a blur of motion.
A single black SUV was parked near the hangar,
its doors wide open,
baggage scattered hastily on the tarmac.
I didn't slow down,
I steered my sedan straight through the open perimeter gate,
the metal snapping with a loud screech as I breached the field.
I drove directly onto the runway,
positioning my car broadside,
directly in the path of the aircraft’s nose.
The pilot,
seeing the sudden obstacle,
slammed on the brakes,
the tires smoking as the plane ground to a sudden halt.
I opened my door,
stepping out onto the cold tarmac,
my coat billowing in the fierce wind generated by the propellers.
The cabin door of the plane flew open,
and Marianne stepped onto the small stairs,
her face twisted with a mixture of shock and pure venom.
She was clutching a heavy leather briefcase,
no doubt filled with the bearer bonds and cash she had stolen,
her final prize from a lifetime of deception.
"Daniel!"
she screamed over the roar of the engines,
"You old fool,
get out of my way!"
"The runway is closed,
Marianne,"
I shouted back,
my voice calm,
unwavering,
carrying across the concrete like a death knell.
"Victor is in the river,
Julian is in custody,
and your server has been wiped clean by the feds."
She shook her head violently,
her perfect hair coming loose in the wind,
her composure completely disintegrating.
"I built everything!"
she yelled,
stepping down another stair,
her high heels clicking against the metal.
"I won't let you throw me in a cage,
I deserve this money,
I earned it!"
"You earned a prison cell,
Marianne,"
I said,
taking a slow,
deliberate step toward the plane,
"For what you did to Lily,
for making her believe she was alone in the world."
She reached into her coat,
her hand emerging with a small,
pearl-handled revolver,
pointing it straight at my chest.
Her hand was shaking,
her breathing ragged,
the signs of a criminal who had run out of options and time.
"Stay back!"
she shrieked,
"I'll shoot you,
Daniel,
I swear to God I will!"
I didn't stop,
I kept walking forward,
my eyes locked onto hers,
refusing to let her see an ounce of hesitation.
"Go ahead,"
I said,
my voice dropping to a low,
dangerous whisper,
May you like
"But you better make the first shot count,
because it’s the only one you're going to get."
