“It rained when we were doing the boat ceremony,” Alice said. “So that footprint had to have been left the night she disappeared. Late, after the rain stopped.”
I thought back. Waking early, sketching on the beach…it probably was my footprint. “I went to the beach that morning,” I said. “To be alone, not to kill anyone. I know you think I’m just a big dumb brute with rage issues, but I liked Tara. Why would I kill her?”
Alice and Imogen exchanged another long, meaningful look. “You tell me,” Alice said. “It’s obvious you’re hiding something.”
“I’m not. I’m really not.” I shrugged. “Look, I don’t know what else I can say.”
“I know you met her on the beach the night she disappeared.” Alice slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She laid it down on the table in front of me. There was a single sentence written on it:
MEET ME ON THE BEACH TONIGHT AFTER THE OTHERS ARE ASLEEP.
—CALEB.
“What the…?” It was my name, but I’d never seen the note before. And I sure as hell didn’t give it to Tara. “I didn’t write that,” I said.
“It’s the right size for your notebook,” Alice pointed out.
“My notebook is unlined. I use it for sketching. See?” I shoved the notebook at her, but she wouldn’t take it. “You’re in there. So is Tara. So is Nick. Have a look. As far as I know, drawing isn’t a crime.”
I riffled through the notebook until I found a sketch of Alice and Imogen holding hands on the beach. I held it up in front of her. She flinched.
“It isn’t even my handwriting,” I said. “Look.” I grabbed the pen from her and scrawled meet me on the beach. “See? Not even close.”
Alice inspected my writing and said nothing.
“He’s right, Alice,” Imogen said. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Anyone could have written that note. What we don’t know is why Tara decided to go.”
“I know why,” Alice said. “She went because she thought Caleb wrote it.” She glanced up at me and met my eyes. “She liked you, Caleb.” She looked around at the others. “She said he was cute and sweet. Tara was vulnerable, and someone took advantage of that. If it wasn’t Caleb…”
“It wasn’t.”
“I couldn’t really see it,” Alice said, her words coming out in a rush. “I mean, I couldn’t really imagine you hurting her. I thought maybe you’d met her on the beach and then you guys had a fight and she took off. But I couldn’t figure out why you’d hide that.” She looked down at the note and then at my own scribbled words. “It really doesn’t look anything like your writing. But Tara wouldn’t have known that…”
“You said it yourself, Alice,” Jason said. “We should look at the physical evidence. Caleb has explained the footprint on the beach. Add Tara’s note to your list, and let’s move on.”
Alice scribbled for another minute and then said, “We need to list all the suspects now. Can we agree that it’s not one of us?”
“Suits me,” I said. Everyone laughed nervously.
“Maybe there’s someone else on the island,” Jason burst out. “Someone with a reason to want Tara dead. Or maybe Warren killed her and then killed himself.”
I saw Mandy’s eyes widen, and she started to pace the room, her hands flapping at her sides. “Oh my god, that’s what I’ve said the whole time, and no one ever believes me!” She hurried back to the table and clutched Jason’s arm. “You really think there could be someone else on the island? A serial killer? Someone who killed Tara and Warren?”
“Jason’s got a rich fantasy life, Mandy. No one else is on the island,” Imogen said.
“That scary guy from the boat,” Mandy moaned. “The one who said he’d wear our bras and boxers. Maybe it’s him.”
I looked at her, startled. Del the Zodiac guy? Was that possible?
Imogen put her arm around Mandy. “Sit down with me and concentrate on your breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth, like we practiced. You’re not going to be alone. Nothing is going to happen to you. We’re going to stay together, right, guys?”
“Right,” I said. “All for one, and one for all. Except for Chad, of course.”
Alice looked up from her list. “Could it be Chad?” she said. “Let’s review the evidence.” She cleared her throat. “The note.”
“He could have written it,” Jason said. “And he was out of the cabin the night Tara disappeared. Maybe he killed her and hid her body somewhere.”
“Also, he had that fight with Warren,” Imogen added. “Remember? Warren put Chad in a headlock, and Chad was pissed.”
“Plus he’s a jerk,” I said. “Not that being a jerk is a crime. But I think we’re ignoring one key piece of the puzzle.”
“What’s that?” Alice asked, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses.
“Chad’s too dumb to plan any of this,” I said. “He’s annoying for sure, but I think he’s pretty harmless, and he couldn’t plan his way out of a paper bag. Too much weed. Not enough brain cells. And what’s his motive? The dude’s finest ambition is to get baked and get laid.”
Jason nodded. “You’re right. Chad’s too freakin’ thick. And I didn’t kill her. I can’t see any of us doing that. I vote for the Warren theory. He lures Tara to the beach for a snog, she tells him to take a hike, he bashes her on the head with a rock. Maybe he noticed she had the hots for our Caleb, so he signed the note that way. She freaked out when she saw who it really was, and—”
“Warren would never have looked at Tara,” Alice said dismissively. “Mandy, maybe, but not Tara.”
“Thanks, I think,” Mandy said. “Warren was hot.”
Alice rolled her eyes at Imogen, who patted Mandy’s hand.
“Bottom line, our chain of evidence doesn’t really lead us anywhere,” Alice said, “and the missing stuff—Tara, the insulin, the radio part—well, that’s all it is. Missing.” She put down the list, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
“And we still don’t know how the Xanax bottle got into the bookshelf,” I said. “I think we need to make a plan to keep everyone safe until the boat comes and we can call the cops.”
“And an ambulance for Rahim,” Imogen said. “Unless you think Rahim did this to himself.”
“No way,” I said. “He’s kind of a goof, but he’s a good guy.”
No one disagreed, so I continued. “Nobody goes anywhere alone,” I said. “And we’ll all sleep in one cabin tonight. Even Chad. Agreed?”
Everyone nodded, although the girls didn’t look very happy. Sharing a cabin with Chad was no one’s idea of a good time but, like it or not, he was one of us.
When Imogen got up to clear the dishes, I said, “I’m going to get Nick. He needs to know what’s going on. Claire can look after Rahim for a while. Let’s meet back here in an hour.”
“I’m coming with you, big guy,” Jason said. “Nobody goes anywhere alone, remember? Even you.”
As we left the hall, Alice scurried up after us. I resisted the urge to swat her away like a mosquito.
“Hey, Caleb,” she said. “Can we talk a sec?”
“Sure.” I kept walking.
“I was only trying to make sense of the evidence. The note, the footprint.”
When I didn’t reply, she said, “You judged me too. You know you did. Right from the start, making that crack about me being an alcoholic or an anorexic.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t accuse you of murder. Once I got to know you a bit, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But I guess that’s not your style.”
We had reached the staff cabin, and I turned to face her. “I’m going to check on Nick and Rahim. Jason will walk you back to the girls’ cabin. Also, you might consider saying ‘I’m sorry’ sometimes. I find it usually works really well. So, for the record, I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions about you.”
She looked up at me. “I’m sorry too, okay? And I’m scared. Really scared.”
TWENTY-THREE
>
Alice
I’d never felt less safe in my life—but it still bugged me that guys always acted like girls needed to be protected.
Caleb could have said, Hey, Jason and Alice, how about you two walk back to the girls’ cabin together? Or Hey, Jason, Alice will walk you back to the guys’ cabin. But no. He just announced that Jason would walk me back.
Because sexism.
“I have a black belt in karate, you know,” I told Jason.
“Good,” he said. “The way things are going, that might be useful.”
“Yeah. Though look at Warren. I mean, he was about as tough as you can get, and now…”
“Dead and buried.”
“Yeah.” My mind was still circling back over the conversation, the theories, the evidence. Trying to make the pieces fit. Plenty of evidence pointed at Chad, but I had to admit that Caleb had made a really good point: Chad didn’t have the brains to cover his tracks.
We were missing something, but what? We’d basically searched the whole island when we were looking for Tara…
“Jason,” I said, stopping abruptly.
“What?”
“The staff cabin. That’s where the Xanax bottle was. And it’s the one place we haven’t really searched properly.”
“Kind of awkward, with Claire and Rahim there.”
“Rahim’s barely conscious,” I said. “Look, go catch up with Caleb. You guys tell Claire that the girls need her.”
“Why?”
“So you can search the cabin, obviously.”
“No, I mean why would you guys need her?”
I threw up my hands. “Use your imagination. Tell her I found a bottle of stove alcohol in the shed and you’re scared I’m going to drink it and go blind because I’m such a lush. Or that Imogen and I had a fight and now Imogen’s threatening to kill herself—”
“Or that you are?”
“As if,” I said. “Make it believable.” Then it struck me. “Tell Claire that Mandy thinks she’s pregnant, and she’s freaking out.”
Jason frowned. “And when she comes running to the rescue?”
“Then we try and keep her occupied with some drama while you and Caleb search the staff cabin.”
“Okay.” He hesitated. “You think Mandy will go along with it? Pretending she’s pregnant?”
“I’ll give her a heads-up,” I said. “Go on.”
“You’ll be okay on your own?”
“Black belt, remember?”
Jason nodded and took off down the path.
I sprinted as fast as I could the rest of the way to the girls’ cabin. Black belt or not, I didn’t want to be out there alone any longer than necessary.
* * *
“Why do I have to be the pregnant one?” Mandy asked.
Imogen and I exchanged glances. If there was ever a time for tact… “You’re the most heterosexual,” I said, and Imogen stifled a giggle.
“Oh, okay.” Mandy relaxed. “I thought maybe you were saying I looked fat or something.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? We’re investigating a possible murder, Mandy. Maybe two. And even under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t give a shit about your weight.”
“Anyway,” Imogen said, grinning, “curves are hot.”
I glared at her—I’m basically the opposite of curvy—but moved on. “Mandy, you have to look like you’re really upset, okay? Like you’ve been crying and you’re all hysterical. Do that thing where you freak out and can’t breathe—”
Imogen cut me off. “She means, if you can pretend you’re having a panic attack, that’ll keep Claire here with you. Try to buy the guys enough time to search the cabin.”
“Okay. Should I say who the father is?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Imogen said. “Just keep her here.”
“Think about not having any Xanax,” I said. “Think about how you’re trapped on this island, and people are dying, and we’re all in danger—”
Imogen clapped her hand over my mouth. “Alice!”
“Just trying to get her in the mood,” I said.
“I can act, you know,” Mandy said stiffly. “I was Juliet in our school play a couple of years ago.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get all Shakespearean about it—” There was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” I called.
“It’s Claire.”
“Start crying,” I whispered. “And remember—no boat, no Xanax, bodies piling up, etcetera.” Then I raised my voice. “Come on in.”
Claire opened the door and hurried over to Mandy, her forehead creased with concern. “Jason told me. I’m so sorry you’re going through this, Mandy.”
“There’s been all this stuff going on.” Mandy gave a hiccupping sob that sounded more or less genuine. “And my period’s super late. I haven’t even seen a doctor. I can’t have a baby, Claire. I can’t be a mother. I want to get an abortion.”
Claire put her arm around Mandy’s shoulders. “Whatever you decide to do, we’ll make sure there’s someone there to support you. Okay? It’ll be all right. You’ll get through this.” She looked at Imogen and me. “How about you two give us a few minutes?”
“Sure,” I said, heading for the door. “Take as much time as you need.”
The longer the better.
* * *
Imogen and I sat with our backs against a tree, twenty feet or so from the cabin.
“Claire handled that well,” Imogen said. She sounded surprised.
“It’s her job.” But I’d been surprised too: Claire hadn’t handled anything well since Tara disappeared.
“Yeah, I guess. But you never know about that stuff. She could’ve turned out to be an anti-choice fanatic and started lecturing Mandy on her responsibilities. That would’ve sucked.”
I gave her a gentle shove. “Mandy’s not actually pregnant, remember? Well, not as far as we know.”
“I know. Still, who wants to listen to that?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Though, whatever, right? As long as they keep talking long enough for Jason and Caleb to get a good look around.” Imogen nodded, but her forehead was furrowed, and she seemed distracted. “What is it?” I asked. “What are you thinking about?”
“Oh…just…when we do get out of here?” She hesitated. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Tell me. What is it?”
“I was thinking I wouldn’t mind doing that kind of job.”
“What kind of job? What are you talking about?”
She met my eyes for a second, then looked away. “What Claire does. Counseling.”
I was taken aback for a second—I wasn’t filled with warm and fuzzy feelings about counselors at the moment—but then I thought about how Imogen had been with Mandy when she was freaking out for real. “Well, it’s good to have goals, right?”
“I wouldn’t know, really.” She chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not sure I’ve ever really had any. My stepbrother, MBA guy—once he stopped devoting himself to pissing off our dad, he was all about setting goals. But I’ve just kind of…floated through stuff, I guess.”
“After this week,” I said, “like, if we actually get out of here…” I hesitated.
She looked at me.
“Um. Are you going to go back to getting high all the time?” I asked.
Imogen shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably not.” She picked up a piece of bark that was lying on the ground and crumbled it between her fingers. “I didn’t actually get high as much as everyone thought I did.”
I’d kind of suspected that. “Well, I think you’d be good at counseling,” I said. “You notice stuff about people.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I could totally see you as a counselor.”
“Well, whatever,” Imogen said. “At this point, my only goal is to stay alive.”
Our eyes met. “Are you scared?” I whispered.
She nodded, and her brown eyes were shinier than they should be. “Terrif
ied.”
I swallowed hard. “Me too.”
A few minutes later the cabin door opened, and Claire stepped out.
“Oh shit,” I muttered under my breath. That hadn’t been enough time—there was still no sign of the guys.
“It’s okay,” Imogen said. “We’ll stall.” She stood up. “Claire?”
Claire walked toward us. “I’m glad you sent for me,” she said. “Mandy’s feeling better, and we’ve scheduled a full session for tomorrow morning to talk over her options. And when we get back to the mainland, I’ll make sure she’s connected with some local resources.”
“When we get back,” Imogen repeated hollowly. “Aren’t you scared, Claire?”
“Of what? Of going home?”
“No.” Imogen shook her head. “I mean, what happened to Tara, and Warren…what if someone on the island is, I don’t know, killing people.”
“That’s absurd.” Claire brushed her hair away from her face. “Sad as it is, I’m sure Tara’s disappearance was an attempted suicide—she could still be alive, you know. And Warren, though I’m devastated by his death, it must have been food poisoning, or a heart attack, or some other underlying medical condition.”
I stared at her. Were the other campers and I caught up in some crazy conspiracy theory when all we had was a tragic coincidence? But then, what about the blood on the beach?
“As long as we’re here, we’re in limbo,” Claire continued, her voice breaking slightly. “What I’m scared of is going home and realizing that Warren is really gone. Being in our apartment with all our things…the chair where he sits, and the books on his bedside table, and his dirty clothes in the laundry hamper…and realizing that he’s never coming back.”
“Oh…” Imogen reached out a hand toward Claire. “I’m so sorry.”
Claire shook her head. “I can’t let myself think about it now. We have to hang on. Only two more nights until the boat comes for us.”
I heard a twig snap and squinted through the trees. Someone was coming down the trail.
“I’m going to head back and see how Rahim is doing,” Claire said. “Nick has been an absolute godsend. He should go into nursing. Or medicine.”
First Imogen and now Nick? It was like goddamn career week.
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