The Last Time I Saw You

by Liv Constantine

  “I’ve got some Advil with me.” Blaire started to get up. “Let me go get it.”

  Kate shook her head. “No, I can’t take ibuprofen. It’s bothers my stomach. I hate to ask, but it’s not far from here, only a few miles up the road.” She was lying, but she needed to get Blaire out of the house.

  Blaire stared at her for a minute and smiled. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

  As soon as she heard the door chime to announce Blaire’s exit, Kate limped up the stairs to the guest room where Blaire was staying. The room was immaculate. All of her things were neatly stacked on her dresser, her suitcases zipped and next to each other on the wooden luggage valet in the corner. Kate unzipped the Mulberry duffel first. Rifling through as quickly as she could, she pulled out some books, a makeup bag, boxes holding jewelry. She didn’t even know what she was looking for. She put everything back, trying to make sure it was in the same order she’d found it. Next, she unzipped the suitcase. Neatly folded jeans and shirts. She lifted the clothes out and placed them carefully on the bed. A leather journal sat on the bottom of the suitcase. Kate picked it up and opened it. Blaire’s bold handwriting jumped out at her. She flipped through the pages and came to one dated the day of her mother’s funeral.

  I’m coming back to town. It’s not the way I would have planned our reunion, but there’s no way I’m missing Lily’s funeral. This isn’t the way it was supposed to be. All these years I’ve been kept away from her. You’re to blame for keeping us apart and for depriving her of my love and me of hers. It could have been so different. We could have been a real family, but your pride was more important. You don’t deserve my friendship, but I’ll pretend to offer it. I’ll be right there, giving you my sympathies, pretending to feel sorry for you, maybe even holding your hand. But inside, I’ll be seething, planning my next move, relishing the look of suffering and terror on your face.

  She sank to the bed, horrified and turned the page to the next entry.

  If only I could have seen your reaction when you found the mice. Did you scream, or has your job inured you to the sight of death? Do you wonder if the same fate awaits you? I hope my little present at least snapped you out of your stupor. I know you’re upset, but honestly, Kate, you had guests, and you didn’t do a very good job of taking care of them. Lily raised you better than that, didn’t she? She would have been appalled to see the coffee run dry, the creamer gone, and no one overseeing the staff to refill it. I was always a better daughter to her than you. You weren’t worthy of her. And now I’ll never get to see her again because of your selfishness.

  Blaire was behind everything? Kate felt the sour taste of bile rise, burning her throat. Her hands were cold, her fingers tingling. She was going to be sick. Blaire had killed her mother?

  “What are you doing in here?” Blaire’s voice cut through the silence.

  Kate jumped, looking up and closing the book. “It was you?” She could barely get the words out, her breathing labored. “You killed her?”

  Blaire’s eyes blazed as she looked at the journal in Kate’s hand. “That’s private!”

  “Blaire! What did you do? Why did you kill her?”

  “I didn’t, I promise I didn’t.”

  Kate threw the journal at her. “What is this, then? You hate me!”

  “No! I did at first. When you called to tell me about Lily, I blamed you. I came back to hurt you. But after being with you . . . my feelings changed. Look.” She opened the journal again and pointed.

  “See, here I’m talking about how happy I am that we’ve made up. And that justice is served for Lily. I started out for revenge, but I’ve forgiven you for what you did.”

  Kate’s heart started beating faster. “Blaire, you’re scaring me. I don’t understand. I loved you—why would you do all this? You sent me those mice, the birds, those horrible maggots, when you knew how fragile I was. I thought you were here to help me.”

  Blaire’s expression turned plaintive. “I was trying to help you.” She shook her head. “In the beginning it was to get back at you, but then, when I realized Simon was guilty, I had to keep going so he’d be caught. The last time I tried to tell you about him, you kicked me out of your life. Remember?”

  Kate began to tremble, her body going cold. “Blaire, I’m sorry. I was young.” Her mind was working as fast as it could. This was not the Blaire she’d known years ago. She tried to remember what she’d learned in her psych rotation in medical school about dealing with the mentally ill. “You were right,” she said in a calm voice. “I see that now. I should never have married him.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. I needed to make you see that. That’s why I planted the bracelet and the phone while you were running around accusing poor Hilda.”

  “Simon is innocent?”

  Blaire was pacing now. “He’s not innocent! He’s guilty of everything. Just because I had to help the police get enough evidence to nail him doesn’t mean Simon is innocent! I told you. Your mother called him and told him to stop messing around with that tramp.”

  “But your journal . . . you sent the mice. Are you working with him? Are you involved with him?”

  Blaire gave her an incredulous look. “What? No. He didn’t do anything but kill Lily. Everything else was me.”

  “But how did you know what I was wearing . . . the sweatshirt?”

  “I put a camera in your bedroom. Pretty smart of me to suggest the police search for equipment. Of course, by then, I’d taken it out. I’ve learned a lot of technical skills doing research. It wasn’t hard to trick you.”

  “You did all this to make him look guilty? My mother loved you. I loved you.” It was too much for Kate to take in. “Why did you kill my mother?”

  Blaire gave her an exasperated sigh. “You’re not listening! I didn’t kill her. I loved her! I came back to solve the murder, and to make you suffer for taking her from me. But I told you, Kate, I changed my mind about that when I saw that our bond was just as close as ever. Over Christmas . . . staying here with you . . . it brought it all back.”

  Kate tried to keep her voice even. She didn’t believe Blaire. She had Lily’s bracelet. She had to be the killer. “You had her bracelet, Blaire. Just tell me the truth.”

  “I bought another diamond bracelet. They’re not that all hard to find, and I remembered what it looked like. I was there when your father gave it to her at their twentieth anniversary party.” Blaire tapped on her temple and shook her head. “Seriously, Kate, use your head.”

  “I don’t understand. Who killed her, then?”

  Blaire’s voice rose. “I told you. Your husband. Who else?”

  Kate pushed past her and hobbled down the stairs as fast as she could, her ankle throbbing. She had to get Anderson here immediately. She could hear Blaire’s footsteps right behind her.

  “Where are you going? Kate, stop!”

  Where had she left her cell phone? She went to the living room. When she went to pick it up, she felt a hard smack on her hand that caused her to yell out. She brought the hand to her chest. Blaire was holding the fire poker.

  “Sit down, Kate. You’re not making any phone calls.”

  “Blaire, put that down,” Kate pleaded.

  Blaire shook her head. “You’re going to call the police. Tell them about what I did. I can’t let you do that. They’ll let Simon out of jail, and he’ll get away with it. That can’t happen. You really can’t have them send me away, not before I tell you something else.”

  Kate threw her hands up, trying to show Blaire that she was no threat to her. She kept one eye on the poker still poised in Blaire’s hands. “Okay, okay. I’m listening.”

  Blaire sighed. “I got a letter from Lily. It arrived two days before you called to tell me she’d been murdered.” Tears were streaming down Blaire’s face now. “Kate, listen to me. She was my mother too.”

  “Blaire, I know you thought of her that way. And I’m sorry, truly sorry, for all the years you missed, and I accept the blame
, but I can’t take it back now.”

  Blaire’s expression turned hard. “You’re not listening. I didn’t think of her as my mother. She was my mother. She gave me up for adoption.”

  Kate suddenly felt as if she couldn’t get a breath. Blaire was delusional. What was she talking about? “That doesn’t make any sense. How can she be your mother? We’re the same age. It’s impossible.” But even as the words came out, something was nagging at her.

  “No, silly. I’m a year and a half older, remember? The only reason we were in the same grade is because Mayfield made me repeat eighth grade. Lily conceived me while she was engaged to your father.”

  Kate was confused. “Because she was pregnant before she got married, she gave you up? Why wouldn’t she and Dad have just moved up the wedding?”

  Blaire took a moment to answer. “Because Harrison is not my father.”

  “What are you talking about? This makes no sense. Who is your father?”

  “I don’t know. She was going to tell me. But then . . .”

  Kate didn’t know what to believe. Was this some fantasy Blaire had concocted, or could it possibly be true? All she knew was that she had to calm Blaire down and get her to put down that poker.

  “Listen, Blaire. I’m so sorry. If we’re sisters, then we need to start over.”

  “You’re willing to just forget everything I did? Forgive me?”

  “Of course,” Kate lied.

  Blaire began to pace. While her back was turned, Kate’s hand moved slowly to open the drawer in the table next to her. She felt around for one of the EpiPens, curled her fingers around it, brought it back to her side, and dropped it between the sofa cushions before Blaire could notice. If she could use the EpiPen on Blaire, the shock might give her the advantage, and she could get away. She watched her old friend carefully, waiting for the right time to make her move.

  “How do I know I can believe you?” Blaire looked away, and Kate raised the EpiPen, ready to plunge it into her neck. Before she knew what was happening, Blaire turned back and lunged at her, grabbing the EpiPen.

  “How could you? Even now, when you know the truth, you’re still betraying me.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

  Kate had to calm her down. “Blaire, please, I won’t call the police. Just sit down so we can talk. I love you. We’re sisters. We can work this out. Let me help you.” Kate’s mind was racing furiously, trying to keep one step ahead of Blaire.

  “Sisters?” Blaire sneered. “You threw me away. Just like my adoptive mother did. Just like my father did. Just like Carter did. I thought you were different, but you’re just like the rest of them. I can see that I’ve given you a chance you don’t deserve. I’m sorry, Kate, but you failed the test. But at least I’ll have Annabelle.”

  “Don’t you dare hurt Annabelle,” Kate yelled.

  “Hurt her? I don’t want to hurt her. She’s my niece. My flesh and blood. She’ll be better off without you. I’ll come and visit her after you’re dead. I’ll tell her all the horrible things you did when she’s old enough to understand. She’ll know that it’s all your fault. That her poor Auntie Blaire could never have children because of her own mother’s selfishness. Then she’ll love me and never leave me.”

  “My fault? What are you talking about?”

  “The accident, Kate. The one we had because you were so out-of-control drunk that you distracted me. Leaning over the seat, playing with the radio, when I kept yelling at you to sit back down. Maybe I would have been able to avoid that driver hitting us, if you’d have just listened to me.”

  “But you weren’t even hurt. Jake died that night. Don’t you think I’ve tortured myself over it every single day of my life since? I will live with that guilt forever. But we were kids, Blaire. Stupid kids.” Kate struggled to keep her eyes open.

  “Is that your excuse for everything? Youth? Take some responsibility. You were too wrapped up in your own misery to see what it did to me. Did it occur to you to ask why Carter broke up with me?” Her voice was rising. “I was pregnant. And your recklessness cost me both the baby and the man I was going to marry.”

  The thought that she’d also been responsible for the loss of a pregnancy overwhelmed her. “Oh, Blaire. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were pregnant.”

  Blaire brought her face close to Kate’s. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she mimicked in a mocking singsong. “It’s too late for your sorrys. The miscarriage caused an infection. My husband’s walked out on me because I can’t give him a child, and it’s all your fault.”

  “What do you mean, he walked out on you? He sent you flowers. And that beautiful note.”

  “I sent those flowers. I couldn’t let everyone in Baltimore know my husband didn’t love me anymore.”

  “Blaire, please, listen to me. You need help. I can help you. Please, we can work this out.”

  Blaire gave her a sad look. “You broke my heart, Kate. Twice. You’ve left me no other choice. I can’t let you tell anyone the truth.”

  Kate’s fear gave way to desperation. “So, what’s the plan, then? Let Simon go to jail for something he didn’t do, and kill me?”

  Blaire had gotten a gleam in her eyes. “I’m not going to kill you. The fire will. Everyone knows how much you love candles. In fact, you keep forgetting to blow them out. No one will be surprised when you burn to death because of your carelessness. They may even think you did it on purpose. You’ve been acting pretty loco lately. Too bad I was out shopping when it happened. Between the Valium and the candles, you didn’t stand a chance. What a shame all the security is gone, and the staff left for the night—the ones you haven’t fired, that is.”

  Kate looked around the room again, frantic. “You would really kill me? You’re not a murderer, Blaire,” she said, trying to focus.

  “You’ve left me no choice.” Blaire took the poker and smacked Kate on the head. Dazed, Kate fell to the floor in agony. Blaire pulled a lighter out of her pocket and lit the two candles on the coffee table in front of her. Next to one of them she’d placed a tea towel. Knocking the candle over, she watched as the towel caught fire and then consumed the newspaper she’d spread on the table. The fire detectors were screaming now. But Blaire figured it would take the fire trucks too long to get to Kate in time, given how fast the fire was spreading.

  “Bye, Kate,” she said, walking away.

  “Blaire, no! Wait! Please help me,” Kate screamed. She tried to get up, but she kept losing her balance. She sat again, breathing deeply in and out, trying to focus. Think. She rose again, her legs wobbly under her. The fire was spreading now, engulfing the books and photographs. The smoke was filling the room so fast! She sank down onto her hands and knees as it closed around her. When the air in the room became too dense, she pulled her shirt over her mouth, coughing as she moved across the floor toward the hall, wincing as she dragged her leg behind her.

  “Help me!” she croaked, though she knew there was no one around who would. She couldn’t panic. She had to try and quiet herself, preserve her oxygen.

  She couldn’t die like this and leave her daughter alone. Simon was already in custody. Annabelle would be orphaned. The smoke was getting so thick that she couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of her. She felt the heat of the flames reaching out to consume her. I’m not going to make it, she thought. Her throat was raw, and her nose burned.

  With every last bit of strength, she inched her way to the entrance hall. She lay there, panting from exhaustion. Her head was fuzzy, but the cold marble floor felt good against her body. She pressed her cheek against its cool surface. Now she could go to sleep. Her eyes were closing, and she felt herself fading until everything went black.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollinsPublishers

  ....................................

  28

  Blaire was just out the front door when she stopped. If she left now, Kate would be dead. It would all be over. There would be
no more chances to make things right. She’d just given Kate shocking news. Maybe when she had time to think about it, she’d realize that blood was thicker than water, and that Blaire had only done what she thought she needed to do to save Kate from Simon. But if Kate died, that could never happen. She needed to save her. No matter what Kate had done, she was her sister. She couldn’t leave her to burn.

  She turned and yanked the front door open, relieved to find it hadn’t locked behind her. She ran back inside, determined to pull Kate out. Maybe there was some way she could make Kate see that everything Blaire had done, she’d done for her. Certainly Kate could see why Blaire had been so angry. She’d been kept from her mother for over fifteen years over a stupid argument. And over a man who didn’t even deserve to be with Kate—a cheater and a murderer.

  Kate would have to forgive her for what she’d done, just as she’d forgiven Kate. After all, what Kate had done was much worse. All Blaire had done was scare her a little and help to get rid of the man who had taken their mother from them, a man who deserved to suffer for the rest of his pathetic life. Kate would eventually see that. And in the end, Blaire had saved Kate’s life. Maybe Kate would see that everything Blaire had done had been necessary to get Simon out of her life. Without Blaire’s help, they would have never caught him. Yes, Kate would see that sometimes drastic measures were required. She’d always had Kate’s back, and she still did.

  She started to cough as she walked back into the smoke-filled room. She had to be fast. She saw that Kate had made it all the way to the hallway but collapsed there. The fire was raging in the living room, and now it was spreading out to the hall. She grabbed Kate under her arms and began to drag her toward the front door. The flames were licking at the wallpaper in the foyer. Blaire could feel the heat on her face as she backed out of the house with her sister. Suddenly Kate’s outstretched legs bumped against a table near the wall, sending a large vase crashing to the marble floor. Blaire felt a sharp sting on her wrist.