Sunni bit her bottom lip before glancing around as if to make sure nobody else was listening. Then she turned back to Kenzie, her features taut with apprehension. “Do you remember when I told you I saw that woman at the campground—the one you think was killed?”
“Ashley? Yes, of course. It’s hard to forget that.”
“Remember I told you I saw her arguing with another woman?”
“Yes.” Tension edged up Kenzie’s spine as she wondered where Sunni was going with this.
“I just realized who the woman was that I saw with Ashley.”
Kenzie’s lungs froze as she waited, desperate to hear the name on Sunni’s lips.
As Jimmy James chatted with the senator’s campaign manager, Alexandra, for a few minutes on the top deck, his phone rang. It was Axel.
He excused himself and stepped far enough away that no one could overhear.
If Axel was calling again, it must be important.
“You have news?” Jimmy James’ shoulders felt tight with anticipation.
“Good evening to you also,” Axel said, his tone dry. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“What’s going on?”
“I looked into Thatcher’s wife and what she was doing on the island. It turns out she flew into town yesterday morning to spend time with her husband.”
Yesterday? “In other words, she can’t be guilty . . .”
“She was caught on camera at a social gala out in Charlotte on the night of the murder. She’s not who we’re looking for.”
“That’s almost disappointing.” Jimmy James frowned. She’d been a decent suspect.
“There’s one other thing I discovered—almost by accident—or, as I prefer to call it . . . fortuitously.”
Jimmy James glanced behind him and saw Alexandra had struck up a conversation with Owen and was totally distracted. “What’s that?”
“Someone else was on the island the night of the murder—someone surprising. I happened to overhear the owner of the Lantern Beach Sands Campground talking about it while at The Crazy Chefette.”
His heart thrummed in his ears. “Please, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“It was the one and only . . .”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kenzie shook her head and stepped closer to Sunni. Her gaze never left the chief stew’s, however. She needed to know if she had heard correctly, if she’d understood the name Sunni had muttered.
Certainly, she hadn’t.
“Are you positive that’s who you saw?” Kenzie stared Sunni in the eye, desperate to see the truth.
Sunni nodded quickly, her tone almost somber. “I’m sure. The woman I saw arguing with Ashley was . . . Lori Williams. I just didn’t realize who she was until now.”
Kenzie’s mind raced. “What took you so long to realize it was her?”
Sunni shrugged. “I didn’t trust myself, I guess. I mean, she is the wife of a powerful political figure. But then I heard her say something during dinner—that something should be a piece of cake. The way she said it . . . that’s when I knew for sure that it was her. She said the exact same thing that night at the campground.”
Kenzie ran a hand through her hair, trying to get her thoughts in place. What sense did that make? Lori Williams had been on the island earlier. Had she, for some reason, sought out Ashley Nelson and argued with her at a campground?
None of the pieces fit.
Kenzie sucked in a breath.
Unless they did.
Maybe Kenzie simply didn’t want to face the truth—but as it pummeled her, she had no choice.
What if Lori Williams was the one behind Ashley’s murder? Sure, Kenzie had seen a man on the boat with Ashley that night. But what if Lori had hired someone else to do her dirty work?
Lori seemed sweet. Unassuming. Not like the calculating type.
But sometimes turbulent undercurrents churned beneath still waters. Could that be the case with Lori?
If it was, what was Kenzie going to do about it? If the picture forming in her mind was accurate, more than one person on this boat could be in danger.
“What should we do?” Sunni’s eyes were wide with fear. “Is this nothing? Am I overreacting?”
“We definitely need to tell Chief Chambers and Captain Gamble. Until we know exactly what’s going on here, we should assume the worst.”
Sunni glanced behind her again before rubbing her arms as if chilled. “I’m freaking out right now. I really don’t like this.”
“I know. I don’t either. But you’re sure that’s who you saw?”
Sunni’s gaze made it clear she didn’t delight in sharing this news. “I’m positive. Lori Williams and Ashley were arguing about something. Then, that evening, Ashley was murdered.”
Kenzie’s mind continued to race. She remembered the person who’d threatened her in the car before the charter had departed. It had definitely been a man.
But it wasn’t so much the person she was thinking about as much as it was the words he’d muttered.
Somebody wanted to set up Senator Williams to make him look like he wasn’t the wholesome guy he presented himself to be.
Why would Lori Williams want to set up her husband like that?
As soon as the thought went through Kenzie’s head, a footstep sounded behind her.
Kenzie glanced back to see who it was.
She sucked in a breath when she saw Lori standing in the doorway with a gun in her hand and a crazy look in her eyes.
Jimmy James needed to find Kenzie. If his suspicions were correct, they could all be in danger right now.
He rushed from the bridge.
Where exactly was Kenzie? Her shift hadn’t ended quite yet, so she should be somewhere in the interior. Did she have any idea the danger she was in?
It was Jimmy James’ job to keep everybody on this boat safe.
But the situation they were in right now—anchored in the ocean—meant this whole boat was isolated.
With someone dangerous onboard.
This could end very poorly.
If the person behind these crimes was as calculated as Jimmy James thought, she’d twist this situation to make it appear none of this was her fault. He wasn’t sure what that would look like. Murder-suicide? Someone accidentally falling overboard?
There were too many options for his comfort right now. But none of them ended well.
Jimmy James started toward the lower deck when he paused. Voices drifted through the window.
He sucked in a breath.
That was Kenzie.
And Lori Williams.
Based on what he was hearing, Kenzie was in trouble.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kenzie drew her gaze away from the gun in Lori’s hand and locked her gaze with the woman’s eyes instead.
“Lori, you don’t want to do this,” Kenzie muttered, even though she knew her words were useless.
Lori’s nostrils flared as she stared at them. “You’re right. I don’t want to do this. But I heard everything you just said. I was standing around the corner. Clearly, you both know too much. I can’t let you tell anyone what you learned.”
Kenzie glanced around, looking for a way out.
But Lori stepped closer, blocking any potential escape routes. “Get into the game room behind you. Now.”
Kenzie’s throat tightened.
She knew what Lori was thinking—that they couldn’t be out here in public. It was too risky.
But Kenzie also knew better than to comply. “What are you going to do with us if we go in there?”
“I’ll figure that out when we get there,” Lori said through gritted teeth. “For now, just move. We don’t have much time.”
In other words, they didn’t have much time until someone found them and Lori’s plan was ruined.
Would Lori dare shoot her and Sunni out here where someone might see her?
If the senator’s wife was behind Ashley’s murder, she’d be careful to cover her
tracks here as well. She’d want to make this look like she wasn’t involved in the crime, and being out here in public would put her at risk.
Maybe Kenzie could stall. Buy time.
“Why are you doing this?” Kenzie pushed Sunni behind her, sensing the woman’s fear. Hearing her shallow breaths and gasps.
She was terrified—as anyone would be. Kenzie wasn’t sure where she’d found her rush of courage. Perhaps it was pure survival instinct.
“Don’t try to be a hero,” Lori sneered. “Just do what I tell you or I’ll shoot.”
Sunni gasped before letting out a whimpering cry. “No . . .”
“You’re not going to shoot us out here,” Kenzie said. “That wouldn’t fit your image. You know, the one that you were talking to me about earlier? You really have mastered the art of putting on facades, haven’t you?”
Lori’s eyes narrowed, her face transforming from warm and sweet to cold and prickly. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“But I do understand. My dad is a world-renowned brain surgeon. My whole life I’ve had to act a certain way. Do certain things. Follow certain paths.”
“I feel like I’m following someone else’s script, and I’m tired of it. No more.” Lori waved the gun at them.
Kenzie needed to keep her talking. It would buy time. Maybe someone would find them. Help them.
Something.
“I just don’t understand,” Kenzie continued. “You have a good life. Why kill Ashley? Why threaten us right now?”
“I never wanted it to escalate like this.” Lori shook her head a little too quickly to look like she was in her right mind. “But now I have to cover all my tracks. It’s not what I wanted. None of this.”
The gun trembled in her hands as the barrel still pointed at Kenzie’s chest.
“Please don’t do this!” Sunni cried.
Kenzie pushed the chief stew behind her again, afraid her outbursts would only intensify the situation.
“It’s not too late to make things right,” Kenzie murmured to Lori.
“Yes, it is! I have to cover up everything I’ve done. I won’t go to jail for this. I’m already living in one kind of prison, and I don’t want to move to another one.”
Kenzie’s gaze went to the gun again. She didn’t think Lori would pull the trigger out here. But she was still dangerous.
The way the woman was trembling, she could flinch and . . . her finger could jerk. The gun could fire.
She swallowed hard.
Kenzie wasn’t sure how she was going to stop this woman.
But she needed to think of something—and quickly.
Jimmy James didn’t dare let Lori know he was so close. He remained hidden on the other side of the window, out of sight.
But alarm raced through him when he saw Eddie walking his way.
Jimmy James stepped back, blocking the first mate from going any farther. If Lori saw someone coming, she might get desperate and do something irreversible . . . and devastating.
“Everything okay, Captain?” A knot formed between Eddie’s eyes as he stared at him.
“Listen, I need you to go to the bridge and call the Coast Guard. Tell them we have a situation, and we need backup.”
Eddie’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”
“Someone has pulled a gun on Kenzie and Sunni—”
Eddie’s eyes widened and he looked like he wanted to lunge forward, to help. Jimmy James put a hand on his chest to stop him.
“Don’t,” Jimmy James muttered, putting a finger over his lips. “I’ve got this. You go do what I said.”
Eddie started at him another moment before nodding and scurrying away.
Jimmy James waited until his first mate was out of sight before turning back to the scene inside. He leaned closer, trying to hear what was being said so he could plan his next move.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” Kenzie said.
“You have no idea how much my husband’s career has cost me,” Lori said. “You don’t know what it’s like.”
“You tried to set up your husband and make it look like he was having an affair with Ashley Nelson, didn’t you?” Shock coursed through Kenzie’s voice.
“She agreed to it. She hated his stance against the Kinnakeet Society, and I paid well. It was going to be a win-win. All Ashley had to do was give me some incriminating evidence. I needed something that would get him kicked out of office.”
Wow . . . this woman was truly desperate.
And out of her mind.
Jimmy James braced himself for the worst and remained on guard. Everything in him wanted to step into the scene. To barge in and demand Lori put down the gun.
But he’d been in enough difficult situations to know that wouldn’t be a wise move right now. It would only set Lori off.
“But Ashley must have changed her mind,” Kenzie said. “That’s when you got desperate.”
“She knew too much at that point. It could have been dangerous—to me as well as my husband. At least, if it looked like he had an affair then I’d get the sympathy. But if people know I’m the one who set him up? Then I might as well go into hiding for the rest of my life. That’s not what I want. I want my freedom back.”
“When Ashley backed out of your deal, you hired someone to finish her off. If my guess is right, it was one of Thatcher Davenport’s men.”
Kenzie had done a great job putting this together. But with every new detail, a better picture of Lori Williams’ derangement formed in his mind. This woman was desperate—and dangerous.
That didn’t comfort him.
“I ran into them at an event and knew they’d be perfect,” Lori said.
“Why did you even want to come here to Lantern Beach for a charter if you knew that could tie you to the murder?”
That was an excellent question. They seemed to keep coming from Kenzie.
If she decided not to be a yachtie, maybe she could look into police work.
Lori let out a sigh. “I’m the one who arranged this cruise, and I also arranged Ashley to join us and serve as a campaign strategist. She wasn’t really a strategist. I knew that, but my husband didn’t. He didn’t even know her name. But I had a résumé worked up for Ashley to make it believable. We had our whole story worked out.”
“And then?” Kenzie asked.
“I was paying her to hit on my husband. But she wanted to back out at the last minute. That wasn’t part of our deal. By then, she knew too much. So I asked her to meet on Seas the Day. She didn’t know what boat we were supposed to be on, so she didn’t think anything of it. One of my guys finished her off there. Strangled her. There’s less evidence to be left behind that way. No blood or anything incriminating.”
“Before you hired those guys to kill Ashley, you came to Lantern Beach yourself and tried to convince Ashley to go along with the plan, didn’t you?” Kenzie asked. “She was staying at the campground when you found her.”
“How did you know that?” Lori’s voice rang with accusation.
“Because I saw you!” Sunni shouted. “You’re just evil!”
Lori let out a bitter laugh. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. But, yes, I did. I told my husband I was going to a social event my old college roommate was hosting in Hatteras. I just happened to get there a little earlier and took a detour. But nobody was supposed to see me.”
Silence stretched for a moment before Kenzie, her voice trembling, said, “You don’t have to do this. There has to be another way. Can’t you just talk to your husband? Use some good old-fashioned communication skills.”
“You don’t think I’ve tried to do that?” Lori snapped. “All Luke cares about is politics. That’s the way it’s been for a long time, and nothing’s going to change. You should have just done what I told you to do, and we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”
Jimmy James’ breath caught. What she told Kenzie to do? What did that even mean?
“I couldn’t do it,” K
enzie said. “I can’t set somebody up and ruin them. That’s not in my nature.”
Jimmy James sucked in a breath. Lori had told Kenzie to set up the senator? Had Kenzie even entertained that idea? Why hadn’t she told him about her dilemma?
“As soon as I finish you two off, I’m going to send those pictures of Captain Gamble aboard Seas the Day to the authorities. You should have just listened. It would have solved all our problems.”
Dread pooled in Jimmy James’ stomach. That was the leverage that Lori had held over Kenzie.
Someone must have seen him looking for Kenzie onboard that yacht and taken photos. He only wished she’d come to him with this problem instead of carrying that burden alone.
“Now, enough talking!” Lori barked. “I need to get this over with. You two, get into that game room. Now.”
Jimmy James had to act. He knew as soon as they were out of sight, Lori would pull the trigger. Then she’d figure out a way to cover up her crime.
She seemed to be the master at letting other people take the fall for what she did.
But not anymore.
As he heard another footstep behind him, he froze.
What now?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“We’re not going in that game room.” Kenzie knew she and Sunni would be goners if they did.
Lori’s eyes widened, and her nostrils flared when she heard Kenzie’s defiance. She waved the gun, the crazy gleam in her gaze growing stronger by the moment. “What do you mean you’re not going in that room? I’m the one with the gun. Do I need to remind you of that?”
“But you’re not going to shoot us out here,” Kenzie said. “There will be no way to cover up your crimes if you do.”
Lori’s eyes narrowed as if she didn’t appreciate Kenzie’s observation. “I’ll figure out a way to make this work. Believe me. I will. What you don’t know is that I’m one of my husband’s top political strategists. It’s what I do, albeit my work is all behind the scenes and I get no credit.”
The bitterness in Lori’s words helped Kenzie form a better picture of what was going on here. Someone with this much natural talent in manipulation should be in politics. So much of what happened was about spin, and Lori appeared to be a master of twisting the truth.
Dead Reckoning (Lantern Beach Mayday Book 2) Page 14