for now, so don’t worry your head about those two.”
“I need to see Katie,” Isla said.
“Willow told me all about that daughter of yours. She said Katie’s father is a useless jerk who is never around for her. Katie told Willow how neglected she feels and how you give all your attention to your sick son and demented father. Do you have any idea how alone your daughter has been? It’s no wonder she fell under Willow’s spell.”
Karl knew Felicia was saying this in order to push Isla’s buttons. Everyone knew Isla to be a dedicated and loving mother.
“How could you possibly love your husband when you couldn’t even love your own daughter?” Isla said.
“You really think I wanted to raise a snot-nosed, bratty kid?” Felicia scoffed. “Gil begged me to have a child with him. He said it would be good for my public image, and that after it was born, he’d do everything in his power to get me another starring role. Wouldn’t you know, he lied. But that’s men, right?”
“And yet you continued to love him, even though he ended up loving your daughter more than he loved you?”
“I tried over and over to prove how much I loved him. It seemed the more I demonstrated my love for Gil, the more he pushed me away, until I had nothing left to give. I lost myself in him, my identity and my sense of self-worth. He became so obsessed with Willow that it seemed like nothing else mattered in his life, including me.”
“Is that why he killed Dakota James? To keep him away from her?”
“What do you think?”
“Don’t listen to her!” Gil shouted from the first row. His voice sounded strained.
“Shut up, Gil. You’ve relinquished your right to speak,” Felicia said, charging down the aisle so that she stood directly in front of him. She lifted the gun and pointed it at his head. “Don’t make me do this.”
Karl shoved his right foot under the seat and moved it around until he located the revolver. He carefully nudged it forward. After slouching down in the seat, he placed his toe against the trigger and slowly dragged the revolver out from under the seat. Then he waited for the right moment to reach down and snatch it.
“Who killed Dakota James?” Isla asked.
“Gil killed him so he wouldn’t reveal Gil’s dirty little secret. That he likes his own daughter better than his wife.”
“She’s lying,” Gil said. “She seduced and then killed that kid because she didn’t want me going to jail. He was going to tell the cops and ruin me.” He stopped to cough violently. “All those years and you thought I was writing a screenplay for you. You were such a fool, Felicia.”
“You lied about the screenplay?” Felicia said.
“Yes, to keep you off my back.”
“I killed those kids for you, Gil. To keep you out of jail. And because I loved you and thought you would turn me into a star again.”
“Who are you kidding? You only loved yourself, Felicia,” Gil said, turning to face them. “She hoped to win back my love by murdering those boys, but I wanted nothing to do with her. And if you don’t believe me, ask Julian.”
Felicia laughed. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag now, sweetheart. Why would you admit to being such a lying pig?”
“Because I’m dying, Felicia. You shot me in the belly, remember?”
“So I did. I guess true love is finally letting go of the ones you love.” She lifted the gun, took aim, and fired a bullet into his skull. Gil slumped over, and blood dripped down the back of his seat. “Finally, I’m free from your cruel version of love, dear. Thanks for nothing. Now I’ll be forced to take care of the rest of this mess myself.”
Karl was shocked that Felicia had just killed her husband in cold blood. Would she now try to kill the rest of them?
“I might as well tell you everything, since I have nothing left to lose.” Felicia walked halfway up the aisle and stopped. “I may not have been the cat’s meow in Gil’s eye, but I can still turn a head or two, especially with these horny young boys hanging around all the time and drooling over her.”
“You seduced Dakota?” Isla said.
“I suppose you could say that. I lured him to that boat shed with a seductive promise.” She laughed. “All it took was a special drink to relax him. Then I hit him over the head