Emboldened by the new clarity I’d found today, I decided I’d use the same strategy for my issue with Devon. I’d come clean about my panic attacks and the fact that I couldn’t travel with him. I’d also tell him about my past relationship that had scarred me. If he understood and still wanted to pursue something further, great. If not, I would let that go, too. My heart squeezed at this thought. I let myself feel the panic and the need to hold on to Devon, and then with a deep exhale, I released my death grip on that thought also.
OK, now I could concentrate on Ira’s problem. As I sliced a cucumber and marveled at how easy having a good, sharp knife made the job, I realized this was not just Ira’s problem. There was a killer on Moon Key so it was everyone’s problem. Until he was caught, no one was safe. A chill ran up my arms, and I suddenly became self-conscious of being in this large house alone. I walked over and locked the sliding doors.
I sat at the kitchen island eating my salad so I could watch the sunset through the window, safe from any lurking killers. It didn’t disappoint tonight with its show of fluorescent oranges and yellows. This was paradise, but I really needed to start looking through ads for apartments in Clearwater. I was starting to feel pathetic not having a place of my own. I made a mental note to pick up an apartment guide while I was at the supermarket tomorrow.
Devon’s camera bag was lying open on the island. After staring at it for a few minutes, I decided he wouldn’t have left it sitting out if there was something he didn’t want me to see on it. Curious, I fished his camera out of the bag and flicked it on while I chewed. After a few tries, I found the button that let me scroll through the images.
I came to the photos of me he’d taken the first night he brought me here. Wait, was that me? Staring at the girl with sparkling eyes and a blush, beaming happiness at the camera, I barely recognized myself. It wasn’t the same face I saw in the mirror every day. This one was looking on with kind eyes full of joy.
Frowning, I moved through more photos. There were some action shots of Petey playing in the ocean and then the fashion show ones were next. I flipped through, smiling as I relived the event. The close-ups of the dogs in costume were especially cute.
‘Look at you, Ghost,’ I chuckled to myself at a photo of Ghost hiding in Violet’s skirts. Devon had captured Violet’s amused grin perfectly. I stopped at a close-up of an Italian greyhound I didn’t recognize. I did, however, recognize the tiara. It was a replica of the Spencer tiara Princess had been modeling in the photo now hanging in my studio. So many diamonds. Were they all real?
And then like a lightning bolt, it hit me. I dropped the camera and stared out into the kitchen, my attention focused inward. ‘Oh my god.’ Could it be? Yes, it had to be. I knew who the killer was.
TWENTY-SEVEN
I paced frantically with my phone in hand as the dogs’ gazes followed me. I had left a message for Devon to call me, but he was probably at the airport by now. I should call Detective Vargas, but what if I was wrong? It was just a gut feeling at this point. I really needed to run it by someone first. I had also left a message for Hope, telling her I think I figured out who the murderer was and to call me back ASAP. What now? I stopped. I had to warn Bonnie to be careful.
Scrolling through my phone, I dialed her number. It rang and went to voicemail. ‘Why doesn’t anyone answer their phone?’ I growled. ‘Bonnie, this is Elle. I hate to leave this kind of message, but I want to make sure you don’t meet with Jamie alone. I think he’s been selling you fake tiaras. Celeste had gotten her jewelry appraised and the tiara she had for Princess was only worth twelve hundred dollars.’ I plopped on to the sofa, having exhausted my nervous energy with the pacing. ‘Which means there was probably only a handful of those stones that were real. Celeste probably realized this when she saw the appraisal and confronted him. I think Jamie is the one that killed her.’ He definitely looked like a man who was familiar with Botox and other plastic surgery procedures. Plus, he was sitting right next to me when I was on the phone with Robert. He could have easily overheard our plan to meet that night. ‘Anyway, we’ll give this information to the detective on Celeste’s case, but meanwhile stay away from Jamie Boccelli.’
I tossed the phone down on the sofa next to me and stared up at the ceiling. ‘Boccelli. B … O …’ The pieces were falling into place. At least I could stop Devon from meeting with him tomorrow. Or maybe Devon could set up the meeting and wear a wire to record their conversation. Try to get him to confess. Do they even do that in real police work? Or was that just on TV?
I closed my eyes.
A ding startled me. I sat up, my heart pounding. Night had descended and blanketed the house in shadows. The dogs were two lumps still stretched out on the floor. I must’ve fallen asleep waiting for Devon to return my call. Wiping the drool from the side of my mouth, a light on my phone caught my eye. Did I miss a call? Nope, a text message had just come in from Bonnie.
Opening the message, it took me a few seconds to comprehend what I was looking at. ‘Oh my god.’ My heart leapt into my throat as I stared at the image of Bonnie, her eyes wide, a gag tied around her mouth.
The accompanying message said: ‘This is Jamie. As you can see, I have Bonnie. Meet me at 34 Sandhill Drive in 30 min or she dies. No cops or she dies.’
I leapt from the sofa. ‘Oh god. Oh god.’ She must have confronted him. Why didn’t she listen to me? I groaned and, bending over with my hands on my knees, did some deep breathing. Focus, Elle.
Why that house? Because it had been sitting empty since the fire, that’s why. I recognized the burnt cabinets in the background of the photo. So he wasn’t trying to trick me. She was there. In that house. Did he know I was only three houses away? Probably not. That was my only advantage. He wouldn’t be expecting me so soon.
I stared at my phone. OK, no cops. Maybe I should call island security? No, I didn’t trust Alex Harwick to understand the gravity of the situation and handle it appropriately, nor were any of them trained to handle hostage negotiation. Plus, they’d call Clearwater police. I had to go. Alone. There was no choice. If he killed Bonnie because I was too much of a coward, I couldn’t live with that. But, I wasn’t going there without telling Devon where I was. I dialed his number. Voicemail still.
I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated on steadying my voice. ‘Devon, if you get this, I’m at the house three doors down, the one that’s for sale. Bonnie’s been kidnapped by Jamie, and he’s going to kill her if I don’t go. He said no cops, or he’d kill her. I don’t have a choice. I … I’m sorry.’ There were a million things I wanted to say to him, but not in a message. That would have to do.
I had to hurry now, to catch Jamie off guard. I kissed the dogs and had one foot out the door when I realized I shouldn’t go there unarmed. My gun was gone. Devon usually carried his on him or in his Jeep. Then I remembered the bottle of Botox in my bag.
Racing back to the kitchen, I dug through my bag with shaking hands. It seemed to be taking forever, but I finally got the needle into the bottle and pulled up the plunger, filling the whole syringe. I placed the plastic stop on the end and put the syringe full of the deadly toxin on top of the contents of my bag and slung it over my head and under one arm. Time to go.
The moon was full and cast a soft blanket of light on the beach so I didn’t dare take the easiest route where I could be noticed. Instead, I crept the back way, between the road and the high bushes of the neighboring bungalows. Tiny rustling noises had my guard up. Just lizards I was dislodging from the grass by my movement, but my senses were so heightened by the cocktail of fight or flight chemicals coursing through my blood, I was jumping like they were dinosaurs. Plus there were so many frogs and other Florida night creatures singing, the night was far from quiet. The noise assaulted my senses and made it hard to think.
Nerves jangling, I made it to my destination’s backyard. There was no way to breach the wall of thick bushes, so keeping low I jogged around the side of the house to the driveway. Bonni
e’s silver Jaguar convertible sat there quietly. Abandoned. The sight of it brought home how real this was for me. Crouching in front of the car, I tried to catch my breath. It was so shallow, I didn’t even feel like I had lungs.
What are you even doing? You’re not going to be able to save her. I could feel the edge now; that place where I lost control to the panic and it took over. I forced my thoughts away from it with effort and a laser-like focus. This was life or death. Panic attacks were not an option. As I moved around the corner of the garage, I saw warm light pouring from the large kitchen picture window.
Something snapped in my brain. Like a cord had been cut loose, I suddenly felt detached from the situation and from my fear. My heartbeat slowed, and I could take a deep breath. I stopped mid-step. Was I in shock? No time to analyze this new feeling. I picked my way through the landscape bushes, barely registering the tiny pokes from a cactus, and braced myself against the stucco wall. I peered into the bungalow.
Bonnie sat there at the kitchen table, still gagged, her hands tied and resting on the table in front of her. Her head was down, chin near her chest. A different kind of heat rocketed through me. Rage. She better still be alive. Moving to the right a bit, I scanned the rest of the house. No sign of Jamie. Maybe he’d gone to the bathroom. It was now or never.
Half-leaping, half-falling, I managed to untangle myself from the lower foliage around the Bird of Paradise bush and made it to the front door. Pushing down on the brass handle, it gave way quietly under my touch and the door swung open. An alarm went off in my head. This is a trap. I hesitated only for a second. No turning back now. Shoving the warning thought aside, I moved into the entranceway, leaving the door open behind me for a quick escape.
I paused just long enough to listen for any sounds of footsteps. Then, I rushed into the openness and vulnerability of the living room. I had half been expecting to be ambushed. Nothing. I ran over to where Bonnie sat lifeless at the table.
‘Bonnie?’ I whispered frantically. ‘Bonnie, please talk to me.’
Panic began to awaken again in my chest, unfurling new wings. Pressing two fingers under her jaw told me she was still alive. OK. Good. But, now I had another problem. How was I going to get her out of here? There was no way I could lift her. First thing’s first. I worked frantically in between glances around the house to untie the rope around her wrists.
‘Bonnie!’ I dared a bit louder. ‘Come on, you have to wake up.’ I rubbed her wrists, then her arms, then pushing her long hair away, I slapped her face lightly. ‘Please, I can’t carry you.’ The desperation fed the anxiety which began to claw at my lungs. Then a moan escaped her lips and hope bloomed. ‘Yes, Bonnie, wake up!’
I threw her arm around me as she began to come to. Her head rolled, and then I felt her tense. ‘It’s going to be OK but we have to hurry. He could come back any minute.’
Resting her full weight on my own shaking legs almost caused me to collapse, but I managed to keep us both upright. Come on. Come on. Please let us make it. Every step toward the door seemed like it took a thousand years but we were almost there. I could see the moonlit beach beyond the doorway. Then suddenly Bonnie planted her feet and stopped.
‘Oh, hang on, Elle.’ Slipping out of my grip she stumbled over to the kitchen.
‘Bonnie,’ I shrieked under my breath. ‘We have to go now!’ What was she doing? Had Jamie hit her over the head, too? Maybe she doesn’t remember where she is or that she’s in terrible danger.
She grabbed her purse off the counter.
‘Bonnie—’
She turned around and my words were cut short by confusion … then disbelief … then despair. My heart sank like a rock tossed into the ocean.
In her hand was my gun. And she was pointing it right at me.
TWENTY-EIGHT
As I stared at her in horror, she flicked the gun, motioning me back to the table. ‘Have a seat.’
By the time I made it back to the table, my legs were shaking so badly I collapsed into the chair. ‘Bonnie?’ I whispered through a constricted throat. ‘What are you doing? What’s going on?’
She slid gracefully into the chair across from me and began to chuckle. ‘Did you like my selfie? Oh, Elle. I have to hand it to you. I didn’t think you’d come. Thought you’d have a panic attack and pass out right there in your boyfriend’s house. You should have seen your face when I turned around with the gun. Priceless.’ The amusement suddenly disappeared as she shook her head. The blue eyes that had comforted me so many times were now cold as ice. ‘Glad you didn’t, though. Then I would’ve had to come to you. So much messier.’
I was so confused by this change in her; I was having a hard time putting the pieces together. I stared at the gun still pointed at me. ‘You stole my gun? But why? I don’t understand.’
‘Well, let me enlighten you. You were right about the tiaras being fake. Only Jamie knew nothing about it. He placed them in my shop on consignment, and I got a cut from the sales. Not a big enough cut for my tastes though, so I simply had most of the gems removed and replaced with fake ones. Sold the real ones for one hundred percent profit. It was the perfect plan. If only Celeste wouldn’t have got her tiara appraised. I mean, who does that?’
As she talked, it occurred to me that her explaining it all to me was a bad thing. She didn’t plan on letting me live. My mouth had gone dry as cotton, but I managed to whisper, ‘It was you? You killed Celeste?’ I got a flash of the letters Celeste had written in the mud with her dying breath. BO. She was trying to write Bonnie. How did we not see that as a possibility? ‘But she was your friend.’
Bonnie tucked a piece of highlighted gold bang behind her ear. Such a normal move in this setting just emphasized how crazy this all was. I had to stifle the urge to jump up and say, ‘Hey, let’s just forget all this and go back to reality. This isn’t you!’ But it was her. That was becoming clear, so I kept my mouth shut.
‘Yeah, I really didn’t think she’d make it that far. Thought she’d croak in the parking garage. I had to hurry back to the shop before anyone noticed I was gone so I couldn’t watch her die. Thank god she didn’t get further in her attempt to name me. That was a bit of luck.’ Bonnie sat back in the chair. Something in her expression shifted. Hardened. She tapped the gun on the table. ‘You’re so naive, Elle. Celeste didn’t care about me. None of those women do. They don’t care about you, either. They only care about money.’ She looked away for a moment. I thought about leaping across the table for the gun, but I wasn’t so far gone I couldn’t see the probable outcome of that dumb move.
‘Did you know I grew up poor?’
The hard little smile was so unfamiliar; I was having a hard time recognizing the woman I’d known for the past nine months at all. ‘No.’
‘Oh yes. Not just poor. But in the worst, filthiest little gutter town you could imagine. I was a sewer rat. That’s what the kids called me in juvie.’ She examined her manicured French nails on the hand not holding the gun. ‘Did you know you could dress up a sewer rat, Elle?’ Her eyes flicked to mine and I saw a brief flash of pain before it receded behind her icy stare.
Only one thought right now was keeping me from a full-blown panic attack. The hope that Devon would get my message in time. I had to keep her talking. ‘You were in juvie? That must’ve been awful.’
‘You would think. But, besides the cruelness of the other kids, it was better than home. Three hot meals a day, a bed without lice, a working toilet.’
‘What did you do to get put in there?’
‘Oh that? I stabbed a girl.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Stole Johnny Ray’s penknife right out of his pocket when he tried to force himself on me in the gym. A knee to the groin took care of him, but for dumping her garbage on my lunch tray and humiliating me, Trudie Hicksman deserved a much more severe punishment. I found her in the bathroom alone. She was washing her hands. I walked right up to her and when she turned to me with that sneer, I stabbed her. Right in the gut. You should have seen
the surprise in those big horse eyes.’ She began to chuckle again. If that was her idea of entertainment, I was in big trouble.
I could feel the blood drain from my face. Black spots started dancing before my eyes. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. I swallowed hard.
‘I think she screamed more from the shock than the pain. She looked a lot like you did, Elle. Shocked.’ She snorted and then she grew serious. ‘When I got out of that town, I told myself I would find a way to never be poor again. I worked damned hard to create the life I have. To learn how to talk and dress and fit in with the rich. So you understand why I couldn’t let Celeste ruin everything? And I certainly couldn’t go to jail.’
Understand? No, you freakin’ psychopath, I screamed in my head. ‘I do, Bonnie. I understand. Listen, we could walk out of here right now. I consider you my friend, and you know I’d do anything for my friends. I won’t say a word. It’ll be our secret.’
Her stare became contemplative. She waved the gun and smiled. ‘That was quite a show you put on in the parking lot with this thing. I thought you were going to give poor Mrs Obermeyer a heart attack.’
I felt myself cringe in embarrassment, which was ridiculous but I felt it nonetheless. ‘You saw that?’
‘Oh yes. I had just gotten in my car and saw you pull the gun. Surprised me, I gotta tell you. Little Elle with a gun. I stayed to see what in the world you were going to do with it.’
That’s how she knew I had a gun then. ‘So you stole it? To use it on me? You had this planned all along?’
Faux Pas Page 19