by Diane Capri
Brittany’s eyes bugged out, and she shrieked as her hands pulled at her strawberry-blond hair. Well, more red than blond, actually. Her hair was almost the same shade as June’s. Maybe they had the same hair stylist. She turned toward June, nearly foaming at the mouth. “You did this!”
June shook her head and stammered, “No, I…you were—”
“You did it on purpose because you knew I was going to win!”
Daniel rushed over and tried to calm the situation down, but Brittany wasn’t having it. She picked up a handful of the roses remaining on the table and threw them at June.
“I could kill you for this! You selfish old witch!”
Then she stomped away.
Chapter 5
After about an hour of cleaning, rearranging, and calming people down, the flower tent looked respectable once again and we had all moved on to the next event.
I stood with Nicole, Lane, Megan (the sheriff’s daughter), and Carmen (from the hotel’s spa) at one opening of the hedge maze, preparing for the relay race. Eric had assured me that if I didn’t participate in this particular time-honored tradition, Samuel would be greatly disappointed in me. That was enough motivation for me. I hated that I was sucking up to the old man once again. But I still needed my job.
The other half of our relay team consisted of more Park Hotel folks. Ginny, Eric, Tina (a member of the cleaning crew), Randy (one of the bellhops), and another person I didn’t know stood ready to begin at the other entrance to the maze. The object of the race was to run through the maze to the other side, tag the next person, and then they ran back to where you started. Seemed easy enough, but this was a race. Our opponents were also islanders, not mainlanders. There were basically two paths through the maze, and each team used one path.
I was not looking forward to any of this because I had not mastered the maze. I’d attempted it a couple of times—once even at night, which was spooky because I’d thought someone was following me. No one was. It had been nothing but my overactive imagination and a healthy dose of suspicion, since I’d found a dead body in the hotel pool room a few days before and the killer had still been at large at the time.
While we waited for the maze race to begin, I thought about June and what had happened in the tent. After Brittany calmed down—I still thought maybe she’d been drinking or something, because her behavior was so erratic—we’d gotten the table righted and most of her arrangement sorted. The damage actually hadn’t been as bad as I’d first thought. The piece had been salvageable, to everyone’s relief. Well, everyone except June. She’d actually looked disappointed that we were able to fix things. With Brittany out of the running altogether, the first place prize would’ve been easily June’s to win. Now, the outcome was uncertain once again.
The maze-relay starter’s pistol burst like a mini explosion, ringing in my ears and bringing me back to the task at hand. Megan was first, and she was off like a shot. I was third in line after Lane. I worried about holding the team back. I kept telling them that I was a bad bet because I had no idea how to get through the maze, but my teammates assured me the proper turns were marked with little red flags. I just had to follow them, and I’d be through in record time.
Eric came busting out of the maze and tagged Lane, who sprinted into the hedges. Nerves surged over me, and I wasn’t sure why. I was usually a pretty confident person. But I knew my strengths and weaknesses. I also knew Samuel and Lois were watching me from the sidelines, and Samuel’s eyes were full of judgment. When I glanced at him, I pictured a tiny Casey Cushing perched on Samuel’s shoulder, dressed in red and holding a pitchfork, whispering bad things into his ear.
“She’ll never be a great concierge, like I am.”
“You’d be a fool to keep her on once I return.”
“She’s not trustworthy.”
And the worst one, “She helped her boss steal all that money from clients.”
I looked away from Samuel, knowing he’d been talking to my former bosses in California. There was no evidence that I did anything wrong, but Jeremy Rucker’s embezzlement hung over my head like a dark, foreboding raincloud—despite the fact that I was two thousand miles away and on a beautiful island trying to make a new and totally different life for myself.
“Go, Andi!” I turned to see Daniel waving at me. My smile was instant, completely involuntary. Daniel made me happy. Simple as that. Maybe my new life would work out after all.
Ginny popped out of the hedge and smacked my hand. When I didn’t move, she laughed and gave me a little push. “Your turn! Go, Andi!”
Startled into action, I ran into the hedge, cheers in my wake. I took the first right turn based on instinct alone, remembering from the last time I was in the maze. I spotted the red flag on top of the hedge on the corner and kept going. Next left, then right. Then right again? I wasn’t sure, and I couldn’t see a flag anywhere.
Coming around the corner, I stopped on the path, looked down, and spotted something red and plastic. It was the flag. I picked it up and looked up at the hedge corners; I had no idea where it had fallen from. Great. I was lost again.
I tossed the flag to the ground, then made a decision and went right. After the next left and running into a dead end, I knew I’d made a mistake. I backed up and took the right instead.
As I came around the corner, I spotted a man I didn’t recognize going around another corner in front of me. I didn’t think he was a member of the other team, and the maze was closed to the public while we ran the race. He had dark hair. A shiver of dread ran down my back. From my brief glance, he looked vaguely familiar.
I followed him into the next turn. I spotted him again just as he went around the hedge. Dark hair, slightly taller than me, solid build, wearing a red shirt and jeans. He reminded me of Jeremy somehow, and that shiver rushed over me again.
I increased my pace and followed him. “Jeremy!”
Just missed him again, making another turn.
“Jeremy!” I said louder as I sprinted to catch up to him.
Right before he dashed around another hedge, he stopped and turned. I nearly smacked right into him.
He wasn’t Jeremy.
“What are you doing?” He frowned.
“I’m so sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
“You’re from the hotel, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes, I got lost. Then I saw you and thought you were someone I knew.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, sweat beaded his forehead. “Well, I’m not.” He turned to leave.
“Wait.” He stopped with a huff. I asked, “Can you point me in the right direction to get back, please?”
He eyed me for a long moment, then rolled his eyes again with a heavy sigh. “Yeah, go back and turn right, then left, then you should see those flags again.”
“Thanks.”
He left before I could ask him who he was and why he was here.
I reversed my steps. I turned right, then left, as he’d instructed. But I didn’t see any of the red flags. I stopped and shook my head. How big could this maze really be? I must’ve been going around in circles. I should’ve brought a flare gun so I could send an “I give up!” signal and someone could rescue me.
Obviously, I was doing something wrong. It couldn’t be that hard to get through this maze. I’d survived law school, for Pete’s sake. I could do this. I just needed a reset button. Somewhere to start over. The center of the maze. I’d make my way there, then I could plan a path out to the other side. Besides, I was pretty sure there was a map of the maze at the gazebo in the middle.
Straightening my shoulders, I started forward, walking in a straight line, then took my first right, then a left. After another two corners, I was going in the right direction. I made the last turn around the hedge, and I saw the white wooden gazebo ahead.
Relief coursed through me as I hurried over to the domed structure. If I hadn’t been anxious to get out of the maze, I would’ve taken the time to en
joy the respite. There were pretty white wooden benches arranged in a square around the gazebo. On another occasion, I might’ve taken the time to sit and soak up the peaceful atmosphere. As it was, I was holding up my team. I wanted to get out as fast as I could. I wanted to put my feet up and have a drink. A nice glass of red wine would do the trick.
I stepped into the gazebo to look for the map of the maze. I found it posted on a board inside. As I studied it, a strange feeling floated over me. The hairs on my neck stood on end. I had the sense that I wasn’t alone. I glanced to my left and spotted something on the ground outside the gazebo. A pair of balled-up pink gloves. It was a strange thing to see in here, and it made my stomach churn a little. I stepped out of the gazebo and spotted something else near one of the benches. Squinting, I saw that it was a patch of red hair. Which at first didn’t make any sense.
Then it dawned on me with dread.
I stumbled down the few steps out of the gazebo and rushed toward the bench. Just behind it, along with that red hair, I spied an outstretched hand.
Oh no, June. Was she hurt?
I came around the bench to see a woman lying on the ground on her side, back to me. A bit of vomit was pooled on the ground nearby. Crouching, I touched her shoulder, and she rolled onto her back, like a puppet no longer on strings.
It wasn’t June lying on the ground, mouth slack, eyes open but seeing nothing. A brief surge of relief washed over me, making me lightheaded.
Until l realized the woman was Brittany Gervais. June’s competitor in the flower-arranging competition.
I pressed my fingers to her slim neck, to confirm what I already knew. She was dead.
Chapter 6
Standing, I took a few steps away from the body, careful not to step on anything important, located my cell phone, and called Ginny.
She was laughing when she answered. “Are you lost? I heard you haven’t come out yet.”
“You need to stop the relay.”
“What? Why?”
I sighed. “Is the sheriff there? He needs to come to the gazebo.”
There was a long pause. “Andi, please don’t tell me—”
“Is he around there?”
“I haven’t seen him.”
“Okay, I’ll call him. You just make sure the relay is stopped and no one comes into the maze.” I rubbed at my forehead where a headache was brewing.
“Who is it?” Her voice was quiet, strained.
“Brittany Gervais.”
She gasped. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, my sentiments exactly. I thought it was June at first.”
“Oh God, Andi. Do you want me to come there? You don’t have to deal with this all on your own.”
“No, I’m good. Just get the maze closed. Oh, and inform Lois and Samuel, too. But no one else.”
After we disconnected, I called the sheriff. He answered on the third ring. “Andi? I’m going to assume this is an emergency.”
“Come to the gazebo in the maze. Call the coroner.”
“Oh for fu—”
I disconnected before he could let loose a stream of curse words into my ear and slid my phone back into my pocket. I knew I should’ve gone and sat on one of the benches away from the body. It would’ve been the smart and respectful thing to do in this situation. And the sheriff would be a lot less annoyed with me. But I couldn’t help thinking that I might see something important that others wouldn’t notice, as I so often did.
Since I had to wait for the sheriff, and because he wasn’t here to stop me, I decided to look over the body and the surrounding area. I knew to be careful not to disturb the crime scene. This way, I wouldn’t need to pester him about everything. So, really, Sheriff Jackson should be happy that I was taking the initiative. Although he probably wouldn’t view it that way.
I studied Brittany’s body first. I saw no obvious signs of trauma. No blood around the body or on it, no bruising or marks on her neck. Maybe she died of a heart attack, or an embolism or aneurysm. An aneurysm could explain her previous erratic behavior at the flower tent, possibly. Not sure it explained the pile of vomit lying next to her now, though.
I got down on my hands and knees and sniffed at her face. There was no definite odor of alcohol, but there was a sickly sweet smell near her open mouth. I imagined most florists carried a sweet scent around them. June did.
Thinking of June, I wondered why her gloves were here near the body. Were they actually June’s gloves? If they were, why did Brittany have them? Had she been wearing them for some reason? And why was Brittany in the maze in the first place? I thought it had been off limits to the public for the duration of our relay race, but she’d been here—and that man earlier, too.
When Sheriff Jackson finally arrived at the gazebo, he found me crawling on the ground next to the body. I’d spotted marks on her knees, bits of gravel imbedded in the skin. I figured she must’ve fallen to her knees first before flopping over to her side.
“What are you doing?”
I glanced up at him. He was still wearing his shorts from the football game, but he had changed into a different t-shirt. His face was a mask of concern—whether it was for me or for the victim, or maybe both, I couldn’t tell.
“Just looking,” I said as I got to my feet.
He glanced at the body, then at me, shaking his head. “You have got to be the unluckiest woman I have ever met.”
“Or maybe I’m just the right person at the right time.” I shrugged. “I think about if someone else, like Ginny, had found Brittany. She would’ve been traumatized for life.”
He rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “You should’ve become a cop. You definitely have the stomach for it.”
I perked up at that. It was as close to a compliment as the sheriff had ever given me. “Really?”
Ignoring my eager response, he moved around Brittany’s body, scrutinizing it, then pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. “So, tell me the story.”
By the time I told the sheriff how I came across the body and what I noticed, Dr. Neumann had arrived along with Deputy Shawn.
Dr. Neumann nodded at me, then snapped on latex gloves and proceeded to examine Brittany’s body.
Deputy Shawn sidled up next to me. “You know if you keep finding dead bodies, someone’s gonna start thinking you’re the one making them dead.”
I gave him a hard look. “You know if you keep wearing that uniform, one day someone’s gonna charge you with impersonating a cop.”
He smirked at that, and I knew he was formulating a retort in that pea brain of his, but before he could say anything else, Sheriff Jackson got in his face. He put out his hand. “Give me the camera, and you go out and canvass the crowd for anyone who came into this maze in the past two hours.”
“That’s a lot of people to talk to.”
“Then you better get your ass going. Now.”
After glancing at me, Deputy Shawn reluctantly handed the camera over to the sheriff, then stomped away from the gazebo and disappeared into the maze.
The sheriff fiddled with the camera. “No one thinks you’re killing people,” he said, without looking at me.
“I know.”
“Shawn can be a real jackass.”
“I know that, too.”
He side-eyed me and offered me a smile, then he was standing over the body, taking pictures, while Dr. Neumann apprised him of what she knew so far.
“Time of death wasn’t that long ago. There’s little rigor and no real lividity. Maybe two to four hours. I won’t have a narrower window until I can take the liver temperature.” She stood. “No sign of injury or trauma. So, I can’t speculate on the cause of death, either.”
“I think she might’ve been drinking or under the influence of something,” I said.
“What makes you say that?” the sheriff asked.
“She was displaying odd and erratic behavior at the flower tent earlier. She was sweating, and she didn’t seem stable. She fell over onto the displa
y table.”
“Could explain the vomit.” Dr. Neumann nodded. “I’ll make sure to get bloodwork done to check for drugs or poisons.” She stripped off her gloves and shoved them into her pockets. “I’ll send in the guys to collect the body.”
“Thanks, Doc.” The sheriff nodded at her, and she left.
I watched as he continued to take photos of Brittany and the surrounding area. I was surprised he hadn’t asked me to leave. Maybe he assumed I was made of stern stuff and could handle it.
I could, most definitely, but I didn’t want to. I was getting a bit tired of being strong. Sometimes a girl just needed a breakdown. And a tall glass of red wine. Oh, and an entire tub of mocha-coffee chocolate-chip ice cream all to herself.
When he was done, he came over to me where I sat on one of the benches. He sat beside me. “When one of the other guys gets here, I can walk you out.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“Do you…do you want me to walk you to your suite or something?”
Surprised by the offer, I shook my head. “No, I should probably find Lois and Samuel and let them know what’s going on.”
“Right.” He nodded, then set his hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to about it?”
“I’m fine. Nothing a stiff drink, a long bath, and a sleeping pill won’t fix.”
“It’s okay to not be okay, Andi.” He squeezed my shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot of crap in the past few months.”
I met his gaze, realizing how incredible his eyes were. Icy blue, but sincere. Some would call them cold, but I found them alluring. “So have you. And you’ve had to deal with my annoying habit of sticking my nose in things that maybe I have no business being involved with.”
His lips curled up into a grin. “You’re not that annoying.”
“No?” I licked my lips. They were suddenly dry.
“No.”
It was the most inappropriate time to be feeling something for the sheriff, but it was there anyway. Deep inside my chest, inside my belly. A slow-burning emotion that I was surprised existed at all.
