The Blue Zone

CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

“Right here, Benjamín,” the voice said again, calmly.

Every line in her father’s face stiffened. It was as if he saw who was standing behind him in the reflection in Kate’s eyes.

Mercado took a step forward, into view. “Turn around, brother. Put the gun on the counter.”

Her father did as he was told. As he turned, the two brothers stood facing each other for the first time in twenty years.

“You wanted me, Benjamín.” Mercado smiled, the gun just hanging loosely at his side. “So here I am.”

“What are you going to do?” her father asked.

“I’m not going to shoot you, Ben, if that’s what you think. Your man outside is dead. Along with the others. There’s been enough killing, don’t you think? Sharon, Eleanor, my wife… Like you said, no more lying.”

“Then what do you want?” Her father eyed him balefully.

“What do I want?” Mercado’s gaze shifted toward Kate. “What I want is for Kate to hear.”

Mercado took a step closer, his gaze steady and penetrating. “What was Sharon going to tell her, Ben? It’s just the three of us now. What was it you didn’t want Kate to know?”

Raab’s eyes darted around. He moved toward Kate. She could see he was desperate. He might use her as a hostage. He would do anything now.

“You’re the one with the pendant, Oscar. You’re the one who seems to have truth on his side. And the gun.”

Then Mercado did something that shocked Kate. He put his gun on a stool nearby. He just stood there, hands empty.

“Now it’s only the truth, Ben. Tell her. What were you afraid she would find out? That’s all she wants to know.”

Kate could see that he wasn’t expecting to come out of this alive.

“Tell me what, Dad?”

Her father didn’t reply.

Mercado smiled. “No, I don’t think that even mattered to you, did it, Ben? Because it was never Sharon you were after, was it?” His eyes were firm yet calm. “Was it, brother? This is the time for truth, Ben. Tell her! She deserves to know.”

There was a haunting silence.

Kate was transfixed by Mercado’s gaze, unsure what she had just heard. Then suddenly it hit her. She turned back to her father.

“Me…?”

The word came out as more of a stammer. She stared at her father, trying to fight back her confusion.

“You were trying to kill me? Why?”

At that moment her father reached behind him, grabbing his gun. Mercado just stood there, staring back at him. He never made a move to defend himself.

Kate screamed as the gun went off, “No!”

The bullet struck Mercado in the right thigh. His knees buckled, and he went to the floor.

“Tell her, Ben. It was because it would hurt me-isn’t that right? That’s all you were ever trying to achieve. Because it would hurt me. Blood washes away blood, isn’t that the creed? So what was Sharon going to say? Go on, tell her, Ben. It’s time.”

Mercado looked up almost tenderly at Kate, who stood there mesmerized.

“Tell her about the pendant, Benjamín. It’s time. It’s true.…” He smiled at Kate as her father leveled the gun at him. “It does hold secrets, Kate. Your mother wanted you to have it one day… Didn’t she, Ben? Your mother, Kate…” He kept looking up at her, eyes glistening.

“It just wasn’t Sharon, child.”