So Then There Were None

by Annie Adams

  “Why is she mad at you, Chad?” K.C. said impatiently.

  “Wuhl, it’s not like we’re engaged or anything—”

  “Oh, Chad,” K.C. said in a very disappointed grandmother type voice, “was Ashlyn your girlfriend?”

  He shrugged which I interpreted to mean yes, in the young adult male vernacular. “I guess…I don’t know.”

  “She thought you were an item,” I suggested.

  He did another shrug and made a sort of grunt in the affirmative.

  “So why did they leave? It must have been pretty bad for her to actually take a boat off of the island to get away,” I said.

  “It wouldn’t have anything to do with Miss Candee, now would it?” K.C. said.

  His face and neck changed to a deeper scarlet. “Maybe.”

  K.C. turned to me. “That explains somebody’s tardiness to lunch.”

  “I guess Brecklyn saw me and Candee…”

  “Hugging?” K.C. said, her suggestion preventing us from having to hear the actual gory details.

  “Yeah, mostly. We didn’t actually—it’s not even my fault,” he said defiantly.

  “I imagine she was pretty hard to resist, but it was definitely your fault as much as it was Candee’s, young man,” K.C. said, sounding just like a high school principal.

  “Love sucks,” Chad said.

  “Yeah, sometimes it does. Hang in there, kid. And just a little advice, I’d stay away from Candee if I were you.”

  “But I don’t have a girlfriend now, so I’m free to be with any babe I want to.”

  Just like that, Chad wasn’t so lovelorn after all.

  “You sure are. See you around the ranch,” K.C. said.

  He looked at her strangely again before going inside.

  “That heartache was short-lived,” I said. “You know those girls took the last boat, don’t you?”

  “Ooh, that is a problem. We’ll have to talk to the others about this. How are we supposed to get home when our murder mystery weekend is over?”

  “I’m hoping they planned for that as much as they planned everything else. Whoever they are.”

  “That poor girl, though,” K.C. said. “I’m sure her heart is broken. I bet Chad was her first boyfriend. And what a loyal girl Brecklyn is to go with her friend in solidarity.”

  “I think they might be twins.”

  “Well there’s one set of twins from this island that have it right. They could have shared some lessons with the older twins who are at each other’s throats most the time.”

  “We should go inside and tell Alex about the boat. He’ll know who to call. Or maybe we should talk to Eva or Pam since they’re co-maids of honor and they’ve planned our weekend,” I said.

  K.C. rummaged around in the front pocket of her mumu. “We should show him this rock, too. Oh, damn.”

  “What is it?”

  “I found Jill’s charm in my pocket. I didn’t mean to take it. Force of habit to put things away, I guess. We’re not supposed to move the clues. I’ll put it back after we go inside.”

  “Well now, look what we have here,” K.C. whispered as we came into the main foyer from the back of the lodge. She nodded toward the large ballroom where we’d had lunch. Candee was leaving the room and apparently she hadn’t seen us. She made sure to close the door very carefully, so as not to make any noise as she crept out.

  “She’s changed her clothes, so we can’t tell if she’s met up with Chad again,” I whispered.

  K.C. looked at me. “I don’t get it…wait…no bikini. I get it now. Seems kind of mean coming from you, but true. I kind of like seeing your meaner side, kid.”

  I took that as my signal to knock it off. It was none of my business what Candee did or who she did it with.

  We walked toward the grand staircase. “Oh my goodness. I almost forgot to put the charm back where I found it. Do you mind coming with me as a witness?”

  “Sure, why not?” I said.

  We went through the same door Candee had just left.

  “Back for more, huh? I didn’t know I was so irresistible,” an awkward male voice said from just behind the door.

  K.C. looked at me with uncertainty before we stepped into the room.

  “Hi there—Johnny isn’t it?” K.C. replied.

  Johnny was so startled he dropped the tray of dishes he was holding. He was Chad’s buddy who had come out to play the orange passing game with us.

  “I…thought you were—”

  “Candee?” K.C. said as she went over to help him pick up the mess.

  He clamped down his lips and gave them a subconscious swipe with the back of his hand. After he cleared his throat, he said a shaky, “Yeah, I think that’s her name.”

  “Sorry, I’m not Candee. Too bad, if I weren’t already spoken for, I’d fill in for her.”

  Johnny looked at me as if trying to ascertain whether or not K.C. was serious. I just grinned politely and shrugged. I don’t know if I imagined it, but it looked like a green pallor took over his complexion.

  “Don’t fret, we’re not here to bother you. I just needed to look and see if I left something here,” K.C. said.

  I wondered why she didn’t just tell him the truth, but I kept quiet about it.

  “Oh. I just started cleaning everything up here in the back of the room. It’s going to take me a while, though. What did you leave? I can keep my eyes open for it.”

  “You’re a good egg, Johnny. It’s an earring. I’ll go look and I’ll let you know if I don’t find it.”

  The egg comment elicited a blank stare from Johnny. I’m guessing he hadn’t heard that expression before.

  “So, you know Candee, then?” K.C. asked as if she were just having a random chit-chat.

  “Um…yeah?” Johnny replied hesitatingly. I’m sure he wasn’t contemplating the depth of what knowing someone truly meant as he hesitated to answer. I think he was just worried about getting into trouble depending upon how he answered.

  “Do you happen to know where she was going? I need to ask her something.”

  You could see the relief on his face and the drop in his shoulders when he realized he wasn’t in trouble. “She said she had to make a phone call. I don’t know where she went.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  We went to the front of the room, where K.C. had found the charm earlier.

  “Found it!” she called out. Johnny gave her a thumbs up.

  “Why did you ask where Candee was going?” I asked quietly.

  “I’m going to give her a piece of my mind, that’s why. She’s broken poor Ashlyn’s heart—”

  “We assume,” I interrupted, but she carried on as if I hadn’t.

  “And Chad and Johnny are best friends who are more than likely going to come to blows because of her two-timing. Not to mention her fiancé.”

  I shuddered. “That is gross. She really gets around. I wonder if there are any diseases to worry about.”

  “Maybe we can catch her on the phone. If she’s talking to the poor shlub, I’ll grab it away from her and warn him she’s a black widow.”

  “She’s a spider?”

  “She’s a woman who kills her mate after they—you know—mate. Just like the spider, once she’s gotten what she’s looking for, she moves on to the next.”

  “I think we need to be careful about making certain accusations…” I said.

  “Maybe so, but I still want to talk to her about messing with these kids. It’s just not right.”

  In the time I’d known K.C. there was one thing I’d come to understand—she had strong opinions. Especially about what’s right and wrong. And she would always stick up for the little guy, the underdog and the wronged.

  She moved to leave.

  “Aren’t you going to put the charm back where you found it?” I asked.

  “No. Johnny is cleaning up this room. If I leave it, it might get thrown away by accident—it’s so small. I’ll just have to tell everyone at dinner. Now let�
��s go find that Minnie the Moocher.”

  We went toward the kitchen, since we knew there was a phone there. As we came around the corner from behind the grand staircase, Kourtnee stood in the main entry hall.

  “Ah, there’s our nature girl,” K.C. said. Kourtnee actually smiled, so I guess she liked the nickname. “You didn’t happen to see Candee, did you?”

  “Maybe a minute ago? I passed her as I came out of the garden room. She said she was going outside to try and find a spot where her phone would work.”

  “Out the front door?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Thank you, dear,” K.C. said. “Will we see you before dinner tonight at our little get together?”

  “I’m definitely planning on it.”

  Kourtnee went on her way and I followed K.C. to the large front doors. Just as we went to open them, they opened on their own. Regan and Audra were coming through.

  “Well hello, ladies. Getting some sun?” K.C. said.

  “We were going to putt around some golf-balls with Sydnee but she didn’t show,” Audra said.

  “You spoke with Sydnee then?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Regan said as if it were a dumb question.

  “It’s just that everyone was looking for her earlier,” I explained. “I’m glad you found her. Did she ever get something to eat?”

  “I’m sure she did,” Audra said. She gave Regan a funny look. “We didn’t actually talk to her, but Eva said that she’d heard someone say Sydnee was going to be putting golf balls on the green.”

  It all sounded very suspicious. And made up. I would have to ask Eva about Sydnee the next time I saw her.

  “Say, did either of you gals happen to see Candee out there?”

  “No,” Audra said, shrugging as she looked at Regan who shook her head.

  “Oh well, thanks anyway.”

  I asked K.C. if she wanted to keep looking for Candee once Audra and Regan left.

  “That fire has flamed-out a little. But I haven’t forgotten. I’ll just have to have a word with her in private. After dinner maybe.”

  We walked up the grand staircase. “Boy, howdy!” K.C. fanned her hand back and forth in front of her nose. “I’m just about ready to pass out from my own fumes, I must smell terrible.”

  I chuckled, “I hadn’t noticed. I imagine I’ll need to shower too, before I change for dinner.”

  “By the way, Boss, I talked to Kourtnee about me staying in her room tonight, since she’s going to be sleeping au naturelle.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you mean something else,” I said, as we arrived at our room. “That means she’ll be sleeping in the nude.”

  “Oh my stars! I meant she’ll be sleeping outside, in nature, so it’ll be okay to use her room here in the lodge. But—she probably does the other thing, too.”

  We both laughed as I opened the door to my room.

  “That way, you and Alex can have some alone time to do whatever kind of funny business—Oh!”

  Eva stood next to my bed, which was draped with the clothes Alex had just been wearing.

  “Quincy! Hi. I was just…This looks really bad, doesn’t it?”

  “I…”

  “It sure does, sister,” K.C. said for me.

  “It’s not what it looks—”

  The bathroom door opened and Alex walked out wearing only a towel wrapped around his lower half, tucked at the waist.

  “Eva—” He fixed on her for a moment then looked at me. “Quincy?” he said as he looked back and forth between the two of us.

  “Don’t forget about me, cowboy,” K.C. said as she did a little finger wave.

  He opened his mouth as if to speak, looked between the three of us again, and then ducked back into the bathroom and shut the door very quickly.

  “Coward,” K.C. said.

  “Oh, Quincy, this really looks terrible,” Eva said.

  I surprised myself when I said out loud, “You’ve got that right.”

  “He dropped his room key—downstairs—I didn’t realize he was in the room when I came up.”

  “You could have shoved it under the door,” K.C. said. I could tell by the tone of her voice, she was really enjoying this.

  “I was afraid he wouldn’t see it—I am so sorry. I think I’d better just leave before it gets worse. I’m really sorry.” She was pale before, when we’d met her, but now she was the color of those gardenias downstairs.

  “Let’s just put this one to bed,” I said.

  “Thank you,” Eva said as she passed us on her way to the door.

  “Interesting choice of words,” K.C. said. “Putting the issue to bed—a bit ironic.” She laughed at her little joke, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel any humor in the situation.

  “Aw, c’mon, kid.” K.C. gave me a light elbow to the ribs. “You don’t think anything was really going on, do you?”

  “Of course not,” I whispered. “What I don’t like is that she thought it was okay just to come into our room like that. She knew Alex wasn’t with us. Something’s up.”

  K.C. gathered her things as we spoke. “I don’t blame you for feeling upset. But maybe there’s a real explanation besides that weak, room-key excuse. But that’s for you to worry about. I’m going to leave you to it. You and Alex can talk it out. I’m going over to Kourtnee’s room. See you downstairs.”

  I tapped on the bathroom door. It slowly opened and a white towel appeared from behind, being waved back and forth.

  “I come in peace,” I said, “for now.”

  His head peeked around the door. “Is she gone?”

  “Mm-hmm,” I replied, arms folded and face not smiling. It probably wasn’t directly his fault that Eva had been in our room, but indirectly, he’d caused her to feel comfortable enough to come in uninvited.

  “So…any idea what’s going on?” he said.

  “I was sure you were going to tell me.”

  “All I know is that I walked out of the bathroom to get all spruced up and try and impress my beautiful fiancé tonight, when I found three women in my room.” He chuckled nervously. “That sounds kind of funny if you think about it. Wasn’t there a funny movie called Three Women in My Hotel Room, or something like that?”

  I gave him a stare and tried really hard not to smile. He looked so cute peeking around the door.

  He flipped the towel up and down again. “I’m waving the white flag, you can’t attack. Well, unless you’re attacking me because I’m waving the towel I was wearing and you realize I’m not wearing anything, now.” He produced an expectant smile.

  “Seriously?”

  “It was worth a try. C’mon Quince, I truly have no idea what she was doing in the room, or even how she got in. I’ll go out there and tell her off right now, if you want.” He dropped the towel on the floor and stepped out from behind the door. He wasn’t wearing another towel.

  He took a step toward me and I felt my heart racing. Then he turned and stepped past me toward our hotel room door giving me a spectacular view. But also making me sick to my stomach, thinking he really might go through with it.

  “Okay, I give in,” I said, just as he put his hand on the knob.

  He paused, then looked back at me and grinned.

  “That’s the same grin you showed to Eva today while you talked in the ballroom. What is it exactly that she needed to show you?”

  “I thought we were moving on from Eva,” he said as he came over and put his hands on my shoulders.

  “I’m just having a hard time believing her excuse to be in my hotel room, next to the bed, with my naked fiancé only mere steps away.”

  “When you put it like that it sounds much different than what it was.”

  I stepped back, just out of arms’ length. “It was something, then?” Suddenly my eyes felt wet and there was a pit in my stomach.

  “No! No, not like that. Hang on a second…” He went to the closet and put on a robe, then came back over to me an
d gently placed his hands on my face. “I was just trying to be funny. I have no idea what she was doing here. Did she say anything to you?”

  “She said you dropped your key and that she was just returning it.” I looked over at where she’d been standing when K.C. and I had walked in. “How could you have gotten into the room if you’d dropped your key?” I pulled his hands away from my face. “Tell me what’s really going on, Alex.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You don’t want to know,” he said.

  The dread that came when I heard those words come out of his mouth overtook my spirit and seemed to leak through my entire body like a crude oil spill.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” I said, glancing at the bathroom, visually measuring how many steps it would take to get to the toilet in case I had to bolt.

  “Why, what do you mean?”

  “Eva? I guess you knew her from before. She’s the opposite of me—”

  “Quincy, what are you talking about?” His voice was stern, but compassionate. “You think there’s something going on between me and Eva?” I looked into his eyes which showed enough alarm, I could breathe a little easier. “I would never do something like that to you. I don’t know why Eva thought it would be a good idea to come in here. I didn’t know she was going to.”

  I sat down on the bed, next to Alex’s clothes. He sat next to me and held my hands, which I had to pull away in order to wipe the tears off of my face. He put his arm around me and pulled me in close.

  “I really screwed this up,” he said quietly.

  I looked up at him. “What did you screw up?”

  “It’s not as bad as I made it sound, and I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to tell you that the landlines are down. We don’t have any way of communicating with anyone outside of the island. Which wouldn’t be that bad, but we have this whole mystery thing going on, and who knows how they’re going to keep going with it. I just didn’t want you to panic.”

  “Why would I panic about the phones? I’m not alone out here. I’ve got you.” He sat up straighter and smiled at me. “But what does this have to do with Eva?” I asked.

  “That’s what we were talking about after lunch today. She wants me to go take a look and see if I can find anything wrong with the lines. I did try to look at all the obvious places after she left, but I didn’t see anything. She said she was going to give me the key to the maintenance room, which is always locked, but she didn’t have it with her in the ballroom. I’m guessing she was dropping it off when you came in.”