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His blood ran through her veins The blood of a killer Irma Mentz

Her inability to share es was so ht, her father had said as much Deep-doere they the sa?

She shook her head She didn’t think so But how could she know for certain? She shared genetics with a monster Maybe under the surface, her own deht opportunity to show itself Maybe all people had the to make them crack

Bringing a hand up to her pounding head, Abby tried to focus She came there to decide—turn hi until she did

What he did was reprehensible But the ie of the monster collided with the one of thesomeone after a lifetime? How did she reconcile herself with the fact that both men were one and the same?

If Abby kept his past a secret, would she be guilty by association? Could she live with herself knowing the truth, knowing she did nothing about it? Would she be every bit as evil for not bringing him to justice?

Right now, no one else knew, but if she turned hier be the only one who knew Yoel Gutman was really Irma Mentz Her parents’ careers may falter, their reputations at stake Not to randfather All to pay a price for sins coo

If she thought he truly regretted what he had done, that he was ashaht be able to turn the other cheek He said he’d switch places with the people he hurt long ago if he could So, maybe the question was not so much what she should do as it was did she believe him?

He cried It had been the first and only time she had ever seen him shed tears She remembered the way he treret, of knowing no amount of repentance could h? Maybe that in and of itself was justice

Abigail pushed off the pool house and paced in front of the water She exhaled, focusing on the soft sound of her footsteps, wondering how she’d tell herher fall apart again, when she had barely scraped the surface of losing GG?

Her feet glided over the stone ay, her thoughts running a htened Her ain Her grandfather uilty, but her parents weren’t Abby didn’t know if she could put theh this pain The controversy and speculation that would co all these years should not be theirs to bear

She straightened and squared her shoulders, preparing herself to shove every feeling she had over the last couple weeks back inside where they belonged She could shelve this She had to GG’s letters, the journal, the chest—she’d get rid of all of it and never think of it again

“GG, I’ht I’d make, I’m not sure if this is it, but I can’t do it I can’t hurt Mom and Dad like that,” she said into the sunshine

Turning, her eye caught so by the shrubs beside the pool house

Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze sharpened, holossy black berries On autopilot, shewith the effort of every footstep, and as she grew closer, a chill cascaded down her back The hair on her aroosebumps