Genuine Lies

between her breasts. “God knows I did everything I could to reason with her. I asked, I pleaded, I sent the notes to try to scare her. When I saw that wasn’t going to work, I sent more notes to you. I even hired someone to tamper with the plane.”
    Somewhere in the garden, a bird began to sing. “You tried to kill me.”
    “No, no. I know what a good pilot Jack is, and my instructions were very specific. It was meant to scare you, to make you see how important it was that the book research stopped.”
    “Because of your father.”
    “Partly.” Her lashes lowered, but Julia could still see the glint of her eyes through them. “Eve ruined his life, ended his life. I hated her for that for a long time. But it became impossible to keep hating her when she did so much to help me. I cared very, very deeply for Eve, Julia. I tried to forgive her. You have to believe me.”
    “Believe you? You murdered her, then were willing to stand back and watch me hang for it.”
    Nina’s mouth firmed. “One of the first things Eve taught me was survival. Whatever the price, I’m going to get through this.”
    “Paul knows, and Travers. The police are already checking on Charlene Gray.”
    “I’ll be gone long before they link her to Nina Soloman.” She glanced back at the house, satisfied that Paul and Travers were still talking. “I haven’t had much time to work this out, but there seems to be only one way.”
    “Killing me.”
    “It has to look like suicide. We’ll take a walk down to the guest house. Returning to the scene—the police ought to like that. You’ll write a note confessing to killing Eve, and Drake. This is the gun I used. It isn’t registered or traceable to me. I can promise to make it quick. I was trained by the best.” She gestured with the gun. “Hurry along, Julia. If Paul comes out, I’ll have to kill him too. Then Travers. You’ll have a regular bloodbath laid at your door.”
    The hummingbird streaked from the blossom, bulleted over the water. It was that vibrant flash of red, and the unexpected rage leaping at her that had Nina stumbling back a pace, had her first shot going wide. Thrust forward by a blind, titanic fury, Julia rammed into her, striking out with a force that threw them both off balance and into the pool.
    Tangled together, they plunged to the bottom. Buoyancy had them surfacing as they kicked and clawed and
gagged
on water. Julia didn’t hear her own howl of rage as her hair was viciously pulled. The pain dimmed her vision, sharpened her fury. For an instant she saw Nina’s face, diamond glints of water sprinkled over it. Then her hands clamped around Nina’s throat and squeezed. Her lungs gulped in air automatically before she was dragged under again.
    Through the veil of water she could see Nina’s eyes, the wild panic in them. She had the satisfaction of watching them snap closed as her fist made a slow sweep through the water to plow into Nina’s stomach. Her own head rapped hard against the bottom, forcing her to clamp her teeth on the need to cry out. Lights danced behind her eyes as she twisted and shot her leg out to kick vulnerable flesh. Scratches and bruises were ignored, but the ringing in her ears, the burning in her chest, had her fighting her way back to the surface for more air.
    Shouts and screams echoed in her head as she dived forward, catching hold of Nina’s blouse as Nina tried to thrash her way to the side. Water dripped from Julia’s cheeks, ran from her eyes. She didn’t know when the sobs had begun. “Bitch,” she said between her teeth. Swinging back, she rammed fist into face, then yanked her up by the hair to hit her again.
    “Stop. Come on, baby, stop.” Struggling to tread water and hold on to her, Paul grabbed at her arm. “She’s out cold.” He hooked an arm under Nina’s chin to keep her from sinking under. “She scratched you. Your face.”
    Julia sniffed and wiped at the mix of water and blood. “She fights like a girl.”
    He wanted to laugh at the chilly derisiveness in her voice. “Travers is calling the cops. Can you get to the side on your own?”
    “Yeah.” The moment she had, she began to retch.
    Without a backward glance, Paul left Nina unconscious on the pool apron and went to Julia.
    “Get rid of it,” he said quietly, holding her head in his trembling hands. “You swallowed more than your share. That’s a girl.” He stroked and soothed as her choking turned to labored breathing. “That’s