Chapter 8 - Natalie Changed One Detail Too Many
I didn’t accuse Natalie.
I let her talk.
People who have spent years protecting a lie often reveal more when they believe they are controlling the conversation.
She came to my house insisting Travis had finally told me “everything.”
“He followed Claire,” she said. “That was stupid. But it wasn’t criminal.”
“You were with him?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Who drove?”
“Travis.”
That was new.
“What happened when you reached Claire?”
“She screamed at us. Told us to stay away. Travis tried to get alongside her.”
“And then?”
“She accelerated.”
“Did you touch her boat?”
“No.”
I waited.
Natalie exhaled.
“Maybe slightly. Travis was driving. I was terrified.”
For the second time in twenty-four hours, the story had shifted.
Then she added:
“The steering was already bad on Claire’s boat. She complained about it earlier.”
I looked at her.
“Who told you that?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Claire did.”
“When?”
“At the house.”
Interesting.
Because Claire had called me from the dock before leaving.
She specifically said:
“Boat’s running perfectly. At least one thing works tonight.”
I had forgotten that sentence until Natalie gave me a reason to remember it.
Now Natalie wanted me to believe the steering was already failing.
Why?
Because if the steering failed after contact with the red boat, then their “slight touch” had not been slight at all.
She saw something in my expression.
“What?”
I shook my head.
“Nothing.”
May you like
For the first time, I didn’t want the person lying to me to know which lie had failed.
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