I smacked the map and hurried off to a spot on the side and dug crazily, stopping and consulting my map every few minutes. I knew when someone was up to something. I watched Lucinda’s feet. She strolled forward a few yards, then her feet disappeared. Quickly, I glanced up. The leaves of a palm tree quivered. Lucinda had gone for the path not traveled. She was approaching the gate that separated the private part of the island the cruise rented from the main part where the locals lived. Lucinda was making a run for it. The only other place that road led to was a cliff. I doubted Lucinda was planning on jumping off and swimming to the mainland. I followed.
She turned sharply and disappeared. I quickened my pace.
The area where Lucinda vanished was dense in tropical foliage. A small palm tree shaded a sign hung from an iron rod usually used for hanging plants. “No Trespassing. Employees only.” Which was it? No trespassing or employees only? If caught, I’d feign confusion or claim I missed the sign. Carefully, I parted some large leaves and walked through the underbrush, making sure I didn’t step on any dry leaves or twigs. Between the dense foliage, I spotted a bit of sky and heard the ocean crashing. My cover was ending soon.
I heard the sound of metal striking rock. I dropped on all fours and crawled toward the spot where the plant covering ended. Lucinda was digging near the end of a drop-off. She sure wasn’t looking for the loot the cruise director buried. The leaves moved behind me. I spun around. Two green eyes peered at me before disappearing. Claire. Please let her run off to tell her family I was hiding out in the tropical plants.
Instead of leaving, Claire stood beside me, looking down on me with triumph shining in her eyes.
“Go back,” I said between clenched teeth. “You don’t belong here.”
“Neither do you. Guests aren’t allowed here.”
“You’re right. I’m doing something wrong. Go let your dad know.”
“You’re up to something.” Her tone was more smug than accusing. She wanted me to be up to no good so that her dad would leave me. “I want to know what.”
I’d use her dislike of me to my advantage. “You’re right. I’m meeting someone. Don’t go tattling to your dad.”
An arm shot through the foliage and snagged onto Claire’s. She screamed as she was hauled out.
“Close your eyes!” I scrambled out after her, reaching for Claire. Her best chance of getting out of this situation safely was not seeing Lucinda, so she wouldn’t be a witness. Her hands flailed around, searching for mine. I grabbed onto one for dear life. Claire went limp, eyes squeezed shut and screaming for all she was worth.
I fisted my hand and slammed it onto the bend of Lucinda’s arm. “Let her go.”
Claire used her feet to scramble backwards, eyes still closed. Tears streamed down her face.
Again and again, I hit Lucinda. With a strangled howl, she released Claire and stumbled backwards. I hoisted Claire to her feet and shoved her behind me. I swept Lucinda’s feet out from under her.
She crashed to the ground. The sunglasses slipped off.
I gasped and froze. Scowling up at me wasn’t Lucinda, but Ronnie. The shock running through my brain gave Ronnie enough time to scramble to her feet.
“You were safe. Until now.” Her voice was rough, lower. Almost sounded like a man’s voice. Her blue eyes had a hazy appearance and darted left and right. She stepped forward. “You should’ve left all of this alone. I helped you, and this is how you thank someone for doing you a favor?”
“A favor? You’ve never helped me.” I kept myself between Ronnie and Claire. The cliff was close behind Ronnie. “Keep going backwards. Eyes closed or on the ground. Don’t look up.”
“William saw you following him and attacked you. I paid a little boy to go tell your boyfriend’s father that he saw an American woman go down into a cellar and hasn’t come out. So he went to see if it was you since no one had seen you get back on the ship. If not for me, you’d have been left in St. Thomas. It was all settled. Almost all over with,” Ronnie said in her new voice. “She was almost free with no more harm.”
“You don’t have to hurt anyone else.”
“You’ve given me no choice. You know she didn’t die.”
She was alive and killed someone else. “You threw Lucinda off the boat that night and tried to make it look like you—Ronnie died.”
The other Ronnie tsked. “She didn’t do that. He did. William. Always scheming. Always with a plan. Lucy girl asked for a bigger cut. William thought it was because she swiped some of the jewelry from his biggest score two months ago. I took it for Ronnie. Of course, Lucinda denied it and it made William furious, so it was bye-bye to her. I told him we should pretend it was Ronnie who went overboard. No one would know. Let her start over in St. Thomas or St. Maarten. He agreed. Then he said he’d tell the captain Ronnie killed Lucinda if she didn’t tell him where the jewels were. People were asking a lot of questions about the death. She swore she didn’t know. He called her a liar.” Ronnie tapped her—his?—chest. “She wasn’t a liar. I hid them. Me. Ronald. Veronica needed money to get away from everyone who wanted me gone from her life.” The wildness in her eyes increased and an evil smile curled her lips. “He’d have killed Ronnie. She was already dead. No one would’ve known or cared.”
“Tell the police it was self-defense. You don’t have to hurt anyone else. She won’t tell anyone. She’s just a little girl.”
“Only I protect Ronnie. Others use her.” Ronnie jabbed a finger into her chest with each word.
“That’s not true. Garrison does. He loves her. He wanted to prove William was responsible for all of it.”
Something flickered in Ronnie’s eyes. The haze cleared up for a moment before settling back in. I had to get through to her.
“Say goodbye to the girl.” Ronnie tried reaching around me.
I punched her hand. She drew back, sizing me and the terrain up. It was a long way down, and I believed she was figuring out a way for me to test just how far down.
“Keep your eyes covered, Claire. Uncle Garrison will come and get you.” I dropped the names, hoping one brought the Ronnie I knew and liked back long enough for Claire to escape.
Ronnie’s glazed over eyes darted back and forth. She inched toward me, hands balled. “I can’t let you leave.”
“I won’t. I promise.” I remained between Ronnie and Claire. Every move she made, I matched with a small change of my body position. I wouldn’t let her see Claire, especially since the child might peek. Claire scooted on her rear, hands feeling the ground around her. There was a small trail near the cliff. If Claire reached it, she’d have an easier time of running away.
“I can’t let anyone leave. She knows.” Ronnie pointed at Claire. The little girl froze, a strangled sob shaking her body.
“All the child knows is that her dad’s girlfriend snuck away from the family to meet up with some guy. I’m meeting a guy. She doesn’t like me. She followed me to prove that I’m not good enough for her dad. Right?”
Claire sobbed out a yes.
“See? I haven’t said your name. She’s no threat to you. You’ll be long gone before she can get back to the ship and get her dad. He stayed on the Serenade. He’s not out here.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. If he was here, she’d have brought him along to prove I was sneaking around behind his back. Even better than snitching on me.”
Claire continued to sob, drawing farther back. Her hand was on the dirt.
“Run!” I rammed into Ronnie, knocking us both to the ground. “Go now!”
Ronnie cursed. She clawed at my face. I grabbed at her hands, trying to pin her to the ground. The woman was strong.
“He’s not my uncle. He’s not my uncle,” Claire screamed over and over again. “Help me!”
Good girl. That should get her a cavalry. I continued to wrestle Ronnie, locking my arms around her upper body. She wedged her shoulder under my chin and pushed. I heard the skittering of Claire�
�s sneakers on the pebbled path. She was close to the edge of the cliff. It was a long way down to an extremely rocky bottom. Claire let out a startled cry. I looked over. She teetered, pinwheeling her arms.
“Fall to the left! The left.” I scrambled to my feet, preparing to grab onto Claire or push her to the side, even if it meant I went over instead.
Ronnie knocked me aside, running over my splayed legs to get to Claire.
I snagged her ankle. She spun and stepped on my hand with her other foot. Even through the pain, I held on tight. I wouldn’t let her hurt Claire. “Veronica, you don’t want to do this.”
“Stop calling me that.” The gruff voice had a hint of a softer tone. Ronnie. I was getting through to her.
“She’s a child. I know you wouldn’t want to hurt a child. You don’t want to do this. You put the message on that cruise message board. You wanted us to save you from Ronald.”
“You don’t know what I’d want!” Ronnie kicked me in the face.
Crying out, I instinctively let go, my arms going to protect my face as she went for another attack. As she kicked out, her other leg flew out from under her. The end of a cane had hooked around it. Ronnie tipped backwards. A desperate scream tore from Ronnie as she toppled off the cliff.
“No!” I leapt forward and grabbed at her—snatching only a handful of air. My feet landed on the edge. The ground crumbled underneath me. I twisted, snagging the ledge. Pain shot down my arms. I tried bringing my leg up, but the movement sent small pieces of the cliff I clung to falling into my hair. I found a small foothold and planted my left foot on it. That gave me some time.
A frail hand clamped onto me and a cane lowered down. Ruth’s gaze meet mine. Regret shone in her eyes. “Grab onto it and hold on.”
“You didn’t mean to.”
“I think I did,” Ruth said. “William didn’t deserve to die. Not like that. Now take hold of the cane.”
I had a stranglehold on the edge of the cliff and shook my head. I was afraid I’d pull Ruth over.
“Don’t let go, Faith.” Claire’s small hand covered mine. Her green eyes were filled with hope and fear. “They’ll be here soon. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Claire. You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
“I was mean to you.” Tears clogged her voice, garbling her words together. “I stole your bracelet.”
The earth under my left hand pulled away from the rock. Quickly, I found a new handhold.
“I don’t want you to fall!” Claire sobbed, inching toward the edge.
“Go back, Claire. I’ll be fine,” I lied. The ground I clung to with my right hand was also loosening.
“I like you. My dad really likes you. Don’t fall.”
The small ledge underneath my left foot crumbled. I jerked down. My nails scraped farther down the rock. I fought the urge to look down, not wanting to see the rocks below—or Ronnie’s body.
“I got it from here, Jelly Bean.” Bob appeared in my view. “How the heck did you wind up there?” He latched onto my wrists. “Let go, Faith.”
“I’m losing my footing. I’ll pull you over.”
Bob rolled his eyes. “Darling, there’s no way you’ve gained that much weight on the cruise.”
I glared up at him, planting my feet onto the cliff as I walked up. “Gained that much?” What the scrap was wrong with him? If he went over with me, it kind of served him right. I inched upwards. Actually, I didn’t want Claire seeing that. Or even just watching me falling to the rocks below. She might not like me very much, but it sure wasn’t a vision a child should have stored in their memory. My feet landed on solid ground, and I smacked him in the shoulder. “A man should never comment on a woman’s weight.”
Bob pulled me into a tight hug. “Thank God you’re all right. I knew if I riled you up, you’d get your butt up here.”
I was up there. On the ground. My knees grew wobbly. Claire wrapped her arms around my waist, trembling from head to toe. Taking in deep breaths, I promised myself I could fall apart when I was alone in my room. Not now. Not in front of Claire.
Ted ran toward us. Sobbing, Claire ran for her dad. I stayed put. A few feet from him, Claire paused and looked back. She ran back to me—for me. She held my hand, taking off for her father. Bringing me with her. Ted knelt and caught us both in his arms.
TWENTY-NINE
The female agent handed me a stack of papers. “Please read over your statement and let me know if anything has been left out.”
Local police officers, and more FBI agents, were boarding the ship to take custody of Quinn, William, and Ronnie’s bodies. Ruth had told me she planned on claiming William and making sure he had a proper burial—after the authorities decided what to do regarding her role in the matter. Paul and Glenda were let go after some stern warnings since they hadn’t allowed William to steal from them.
Signing my statement was the last item to complete, then I could start putting the incident behind me. As the Serenade had headed back to Port Canaveral last night, instead of partaking in the farewell events I talked to two different FBI agents about what had happened. It had been a long day and I promised the agents I’d see them first thing in the morning to sign my official statement if I could get a few hours of sleep. They had agreed as there wasn’t anywhere for me to go and the fact I wasn’t a suspect.
The captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker, thanking everyone for cruising on the Serenade and wishing them a pleasant and uneventful trip home.
I read through my statement. “Everything is in there.”
“Sign at the bottom.” She placed a business card on the table and pushed it toward me. “If you do remember anything else, give me a call. It’s likely you won’t get the diamond bracelet back even after the investigation is over.”
“Fine by me. I don’t want it.” I pocketed her card and headed out the door.
Bob was standing right outside.
“Your turn?” I asked.
“I completed my statement last night. I was hoping to speak with you before Ted hustled you off the ship.”
I glanced down the hallway. Ted was there waiting for me. If I wasn’t mistaken, the annoyed look on his face was directed at his brother and not me.
“Thanks for saving me.” I hadn’t had much time to speak to Bob, Garrison, or Odessa after Ronnie fell to her death. I wished there had been a way a save her also. She was a troubled soul who needed help.
“No need to thank me.” Bob tried to force out a smile but it seemed to get stuck and looked more like he was trying to hold back a grimace. “I’m glad you’re all right. Garrison feels so guilty about everything that’s happened. He doesn’t want to see anyone right now. He’s ashamed.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I squeezed Bob’s hand. “It’s not his fault. Do you think he’d talk to me?”
Bob shook his head. “I’d wait a few weeks. You and Ted can visit for a weekend. He kept Ronnie’s mental illness a secret because he didn’t want anyone to judge her unfairly. He didn’t know she was dangerous.”
“Ronnie wasn’t dangerous,” I said. “It was Ronald. And Ronald being on the ship was solely on William.”
“Hopefully, Garrison will realize that soon. I hate seeing him burdened by this. He had planned on taking her to a treatment facility after the cruise. My mom had talked to the captain about Ronnie’s strange behavior but never connected it to a deeper issue.”
“How’s your mom doing?”
“She’s feeling just as guilty as Garrison. She wonders if her attitude toward Ronnie also brought out Ronald.” Bob rubbed his eyes. “I invited her to spend a few weeks with us but she doesn’t think her presence will help Garrison. Instead, she’s going to take a few months off and stay with Claire and Elizabeth.”
“It’ll do her good to be with her granddaughter.”
“I’m glad my mom isn’t going right back to work on the Serenade.” Bob narrowed his eyes then raised his hands in a gesture of surrender
. “My brother wants me to wrap this up. My question is likely to send Ted on the warpath, but I don’t have a choice. You’re one of the few people I trust who can actually help me.”
“Then Ted will have to get over it. I consider you a friend and I won’t abandon you.” I had no idea where Bob’s request would take me, but there were times to ignore caution signs blinking in your head. This was one of them. I trusted Bob.
“Garrison needs me right now. If I had some help with some of my administrative and research tasks, I wouldn’t have to spend so much time at the office. Nothing dangerous I promise.” Bob crossed his heart.
“Are you done yet?” Ted’s impatient voice carried down the hall. “We need to disembark.”
“One more minute,” Bob said.
“You said only one minute about six minutes ago,” Ted said. “You need to work on your time management skills.”
“You need to work on patience,” Bob fired back.
“Waiting five extra minutes is being patient.”
My eye stared getting twitchy. I decided to end their bickering. “I’d be happy to help. I’ll need a few days to adjust my work schedule at Scrap This. I can’t bail on my grandmothers.”
“You don’t even have to do that. I’ll deliver a computer to your house with all the software you need for your tasks. Most of our work can be accomplished through emails. I’ll make sure you’re set up with a secure server…” Bob trailed off. “Go before Ted’s head explodes. I’ll explain everything later.”
I walked over to Ted. “We were almost done with our conversation.”
Masked to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 5) Page 25
