Petals on the River (105 page)

was anxious to return to the cabin.
 
She felt uneasy about being alone.

It was almost as if someone was watching her, and she could only surmise

that the trauma of killing Potts was plaguing her peace of mind.

The impression of being spied upon finally became too strong for

Shemaine to ignore any longer.
 
She sat back on her heels and glanced

around toward the companionway, from whence the feeling had first

arisen.
 
Immediately her heart lurched, for standing there was Roxanne

Corbin with a cocked pistol in her hand and a sublime smirk on her face.

"It took you long enough to realize I was here," Roxanne jeered.

Shemaine could only imagine that the woman had slipped aboard while she

was at the cabin and for the last few moments had been enjoying the

sight of her rival hard at work.

"I see you've already had one visitor tonight," the woman remarked.

"Potts was his name, wasn't it?
 
Poor soul, he really wasn't very handy

at killing you, was he, Shemaine?
 
He's tried before, I've been told . .

.
 
and was so inept he gained a hole in his side for his attempt. I

could have told him that Gage was a marksman, but of course Potts had no

reason to seek my counsel.
 
But I can assure you I won't be so

careless."

Shemaine rose to her feet warily.
 
"What do you intend?"

Roxanne simpered smugly as she strolled forward.
 
"Are you so naive,

chit?
 
When one holds a loaded flintlock aimed at you, what would you

normally expect?
 
A simple tete-a-tete?" She scoffed with snide humor.

"I've never been one to chat with other women much.
 
I only visited

Victoria and made her think I needed her friendship because I wanted to

be near Gage.
 
I really hated her, you see.
 
From the very beginning, I

wanted to see her die.
 
I abhorred her sweetness and the little favors

she did for me.
 
But I never once felt beholden to her. She had stolen

Gage away from me, and I never forgave her for that. The night she gave

birth to Andrew, I was hoping she'd die before delivering him.
 
Then I

wouldn't have been reminded of her every time I looked at the little

whelp.
 
I wanted Gage all to myself and loathed sharing him with anyone,

even Andrew.
 
But the little brat gave me a reason to come out here, and

I took advantage of every moment I had with Gage, hoping he'd relent and

marry me."

Roxanne's mouth turned downward in distaste.
 
"Then you came along, and

I saw the end of it all.
 
He'd marry you, just like he had Victoria."

The blonde tossed her head, as if shaking away the thought.
 
"But I have

no desire to delay your murder until Gage comes back.
 
He might try to

stop me, you see.
 
He was that protective of Victoria, too, the fool.
 
I

mean to leave you dead so he'll be accused of your murder. Only this

time, I won't come rushing in to save him.
 
I'll let him hang from the

highest gallows.
 
He's turned me away too many times.
 
After your death,

I'm sure the townspeople will be more ready to believe he killed

Victoria than they've been in the last weeks.
 
In fact, they'll likely

give Gage a swift trial for murdering you both."' Shemaine tried to

argue against the cleverness of the woman's plan.

"There are other people in the cabin, Roxanne.
 
Your ploy won't work

this time."

Roxanne sneered.
 
"Gage was as close as the cabin when Victoria was

thrown over the prow to the rocks below.
 
I knew the two of them usually

went to the ship together on the days when his men were not here.
 
I hid

my father's boat in the brush and watched until I saw Gage go back to

the cabin with Andrew.
 
He was so considerate of her, he usually took

care of Andrew's needs like that when he could, allowing Victoria a day

off, so to speak.
 
He came running after he heard her scream, but it was

too late.
 
Victoria was already quite dead by the time he came out of

the cabin, but the strange thing about it, she died before she ever hit

the rocks.
 
Her neck had been broken, you see, just like Samuel Myers's

before he was thrown into the well."

Curiously Shemaine considered her opponent, wondering how Roxanne would

have had the strength to accomplish such grisly feats, for the woman did

not look abnormally strong.
 
"How did you manage to break their necks?"

Roxanne smiled with amusement.
 
"Actually, I'm not the one who killed

them.
 
All I did was convince my friend that Victoria was trying to kill

me, sweet little angel that she was.
 
I lured my friend out here by

telling him that I needed him to watch over me so I could talk to her

and see why she wanted to kill me.
 
For his benefit, I pretended to

struggle for my life after I caught hold of her.
 
Naturally my friend

couldn't bear to see me hurt.
 
He came out of hiding and grabbed her

from behind.
 
Victoria was so fragile, the arm he slipped around her

snapped her neck, and then I had him throw her over the prow to make it

seem like an accident or a suicide.
 
He killed Samuel Myers for me, too,

after that little rat beat me up.
 
But my friend was more intentional

about breaking Myers's neck.
 
After all, I had the bruises to prove how

much I'd been hurt." Roxanne heaved a sigh as if saddened by some

matter.

"Usually it's so easy to get my friend to do what I want.
 
All I have to

do is pretend that I'm being harmed in some way and he comes running to

my rescue.
 
But he's become much too fond of you, Shemaine, and refuses

to do you any harm.
 
He even imagines that you're his friend."

"My friend?" Shemaine's brows drew together.

"Really, Shemaine, I don't have time to explain everything to you in

detail.
 
Twould take hours to tell you how carefully I've planned

everything before now, and you're such a simpleton.
 
You can't imagine

who it can be, can you?
 
I was terribly frustrated trying to get our

friend to kill you.
 
Then a proposal was presented to me this very

afternoon, and considering the haste in which it had to be done, I came

out to do the deed myself." Roxanne motioned with the pistol, directing

Shemaine toward the prow.
 
"I want this over with before Gage gets back

here.
 
Then I'm going to leave, fetch my reward and put Newportes Newes

behind me forever."

"What reward?"

"I'm being paid to kill you, you dolt.
 
Considering my friend's aversion

to hurting you, I would have come around to killing you myself

eventually.
 
Being offered a sizeable purse influenced me to do it now.

The money will provide me with many of the things I've always wanted.

Perhaps I'll even travel to England or some other place.
 
With such a

substantial reward awaiting my success, I'll be able to go anywhere I

want." Roxanne gestured with the pistol.
 
"Now, hurry, and do as I say."

Shemaine shook her head, becoming quite obstinate.
 
"If you think I'm

going to climb up to the prow and let you push me off so you can blame

my husband, then you're the one who's a simple dolt, Roxanne!
 
" "Get

over there, I say!" Roxanne barked, tightening her grip on the butt of

the flintlock.
 
"I know how to use this thing, so don't think I won't."

"Oh, I'm sure that you're able to, Roxanne," Shernaine replied. "You

seem very cold-blooded about getting what you want out of life."

"Aye, I've had to be, living with my father,'' Roxanne jeered. "All I've

heard since my mother left him was how horrible the bitch was to have

deserted us.
 
Well, he deserves to be left, and that's exactly what I'm

going to do after I kill youþ"

"You're proud of what you've done, aren't you?" Shemaine interrupted.

"You actually boast when you talk of Victoria being killed and how you

planned it all.
 
But you're not as clever as you think, Roxanne. Truth

has a way of coming out eventually."

The blonde smirked.
 
"Except for Gage, no one has ever suspected me.
 
I

wondered if they would, but none did.
 
I was even fearful of that day

when it seemed my friend had hurt you.
 
I was sure that people would

begin to suspect me.
 
After all, people knew I had befriended him.
 
It

would only take someone who was more canny than most to put it all

together.
 
But I had nothing to fear.
 
Twas only that stupid mudsucker

who had tried to kill you in front of everyone."

Roxanne raised the pistol threateningly, having run out of her short

supply of patience.
 
"Now get over there, Shemaine, or your life will

end right this very moment."

An inhuman whimpering whine from the top of the building slip startled

Roxanne, making her whirl about.

Shemaine smothered a moan of despair as she realized exactly who

Roxanne's friend was.
 
It was Cain, the hunchback.
 
He scurried toward

Roxanne with an odd, twisted gait and, halting before the bfonde, swung

his arms in wild gestures.

"Naw Shamawn!
 
Naw Shamawn!
 
Naw Shamawn!" he pleaded in a panic, and

reached out to grab the pistol from Roxanne.

"Yes Shemaine!,' Roxanne insisted, snatching her arm away from his

grasp.
 
Growing visibly incensed, she hissed at him.
 
"She tried to kill

me, Cain.
 
Can't you see that?
 
But you don't care about that, do you?

All you're worried about is your precious little Shemaine."

 
''Naw Shamawn!
 
Naw Shamawn!" he sobbed imploringly.