The Ending Writes Itself

And as the boat slices toward the island, and Malcolm squeezes her close and begins to hum a Scottish tune, Sienna wonders, not for the first time, whether she’s capable of murder. Not that Sienna has ever been considered unattractive—but Malcolm’s photo was always the one at the back of their books, satisfying the public’s expectation of a crime writer. She doesn’t mean to step back, but her body does it anyway, and her heel hits the edge of the top stair, and there’s a horrible moment when she’s caught between falling and finding her balance. Ava runs harder than she has in years, heels sinking into the sodden grass until she finally kicks them off and sprints barefoot away from the light of the house.