Her Sister's Secrets

by V. J. Chambers

  If it had been summer, I might have seen some young people on the street, coming back from the bars and going to their houses or condos. But I didn’t see anyone.

  Eventually, my forehead sweaty, I made it to the condos next to the marina.

  I had to climb the fence to get into the condos’ lot. It wasn’t a big fence. It was about waist-level, and it was constructed of long, thin plastic pickets. So, it wasn’t hard to climb or anything. But while I did it, I kept looking around to see if anyone was watching me, because I knew that I didn’t want to be spotted. I had no way to talk my way out of this.

  But I cleared the fence without a problem and then I scurried across the lot. I could hear the ocean now, its soft roar. I could smell it.

  When I walked by the side of the building toward the beach, lights came on.

  I stopped, heart in my throat. I looked up, at the balconies of condos a story above my head.

  There was no one there.

  I looked behind me, in front of me.

  No one.

  Motion lights, I realized. They were attached to the side of the building and programmed to come on for the people who lived in the condos.

  Taking a shaky breath, I continued on my way.

  When I got to the beach, though, I wasn’t alone.

  A man and a woman, both laughing, were coming up out of the water.

  When I saw them, I halted, pausing in the shadows, unsure of what to do.

  The woman picked up a towel from where it was lying on the beach and wrapped it around her shoulders. “It’s cold,” she said. “Let’s go inside.”

  “Wuss,” said the man, but he picked up a towel too.

  Good, I thought. They’re leaving.

  Except they didn’t leave. Instead, they started kissing.

  I watched, hoping they were going to kiss a little bit and then head back inside.

  But they kept kissing. They kissed and kissed, and then the man was lowering the woman down to the sand, and they were still kissing, and I started to get really worried. What if I was stuck here while they, like, had sex or something? I didn’t want to see that. Maybe I should clear my throat or something, let them know I was here. Then, probably, they’d be embarrassed and run off.

  Right?

  Oh, hell, I wasn’t supposed to be here.

  But the woman pushed the man off. “Down, Sparky,” she said, laughing. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

  And they finally did leave.

  I stayed still in the shadows, and they walked right past me.

  Once they were gone, I made my way down to the water. I took off my shirt and my shorts and left them in a pile next to my towel. But I fastened my keyring to the armband that held my cell phone. I didn’t want to risk losing my keys. Or worse, my car.

  I waded into the water.

  It was a little cold. I cringed.

  But I kept going, walking out further and further. I could see the boats in the marina now. There was a big, thick stucco wall separating the condos’ beach from the marina, but once I was out in the water, the marina was right there.

  All of the sudden, the bottom dropped out from under me. I couldn’t touch and I had to start swimming.

  I swam. It was a little tougher than I thought it would be to swim this far. I didn’t do a lot of swimming, and I wasn’t in the best of shape. But I managed it, and soon enough, I was next to the first boat parked at the marina. I held on it and caught my breath, resting for a moment.

  This wasn’t Drew’s boat. I couldn’t see Drew’s boat now, but I’d know it when I saw it.

  Once I felt a little rested, I let go of the boat and swam to the next one. Not Drew’s boat either. I kept going. After about ten of the boats, I had an awful thought. What if Drew had taken his boat somewhere else, and I didn’t know about it?

  Then all of this would have been for nothing.

  Hell, what if Drew was out on the boat now? What if he’d decided to go out for a midnight boat ride? I couldn’t get into the marina after hours, but someone like Drew would have a key and access whenever he wanted.

  I treaded water, worrying over it.

  And that was when I saw Drew’s boat.

  Oh, thank God! I swam for it.

  When I got to the boat, it was too high up for me to pull myself onto it from the water, so I had to swim over to the marina dock, scramble up there, and then climb into the boat. I stood on the deck of the boat, and I felt conspicuous.

  I crouched down.

  I made my way over to the cabin, and I moved the cushion off the bench seat for the keys. They were right there, where Drew had gotten them before. I unlocked the cabin and stepped inside.

  Oh, man, I was dripping. It hadn’t been a big deal before, on the boat’s deck, but now I was thinking I was going to need to find some way to wipe up the water.

  But if I used one of Drew’s towels, that would let him know just as surely that someone had been on the boat.

  Damn it.

  I didn’t know what I was going to do about this, but I’d worry about it after I had the picture of the necklace.

  I climbed down into the cabin, and then I went across the kitchen area—

  Bang.

  Ouch.

  I’d just collided with the side of the sink. I rubbed the spot and cringed.

  Probably a good idea to get my phone out of its case and use its screen to see what I was doing, huh? I did that.

  Then, in the scant light of its screen, I crept into the bedroom.

  The necklaces had been in this closet, I remembered. I opened it.

  And there was all of Violet’s stuff. Her deodorant and her swimsuits and various other sundries.

  But there were no necklaces.

  What the hell? Had I been wrong? Or had Drew moved the necklace, knowing it tied him to Violet?

  I began to sort through the rest of the contents of the closet. Shirts, skirts, tote bags, a tube of mascara—

  A noise overhead. The boat rocked.

  Someone was on the boat.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  I switched off the light on my phone and looked around frantically for somewhere to hide. I didn’t really see any place. I wedged myself behind the door to the bedroom. As long as it stayed open, I’d be hidden.

  I waited, listened.

  The boat swayed.

  Someone was swearing. “Where are the keys?”

  Oh, crap! I should have left them there. How was I supposed to know that someone would come on board the boat?

  “Okay,” muttered the voice up top. “Where’d I put the spares?”

  That was Drew. I recognized his voice. Oh, hell, he was on the boat, and he had killed Violet.

  This was not good.

  I looked down at my phone in my hand, and I didn’t think I could risk calling anyone, but maybe a text?

  My fingers flew over the keyboard. Hi, Oliver, it’s Emilia. I think I’m on a boat with Violet’s murderer at the Siesta Key Marina.

  I waited.

  Okay, Oliver said he always had the phone on him, but that didn’t mean that he was actually going to answer my text. Or, hell, what if he called me back?

  I pressed the volume button on my phone until it went to vibrate.

  “There’s the keys,” said Drew’s voice. “I wonder what I did with the other ones.”

  He was drunk. I could hear the way his voice was slurred. What had happened since he’d dropped me off?

  My phone vibrated.

  I almost cried out, I was so startled, but I managed to keep it in.

  A text had come in. That’s insane. Why would you be doing that?

  Well, I was looking for evidence, I texted back.

  I was hoping you were done with this. Are you ever going to be done with this?

  No, I texted back. Not until I have justice for my sister. Can you help me?

  Yes. Fine. I’m on my way.

  I closed my eyes and clutched my phone to my chest in relief.
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  And then the boat’s engine turned over.

  Oh, crap. We were moving!

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  I texted Oliver again. The boat’s moving. We’re going out onto the water.

  No immediate response.

  I decided to give him more information. He doesn’t know I’m on the boat. I’m hiding in the cabin.

  Good, stay where you are. I’m going to get in touch with the Coast Guard.

  Oh, thank God. This was all going to be okay. I just needed to stay calm and keep hidden, and Oliver and the Coast Guard would be here soon. I took several long, deep breaths.

  But then I heard Drew coming down into the cabin. “Hello?” he called. “Is there someone down here?”

  I held my breath.

  “Why is it… wet?” said Drew.

  Oh no, oh no, oh—

  Drew snatched me out from behind the door. “Emilia?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  I was still half behind the door, and I threw my weight into it, pushing the door into Drew.

  He dropped my arm and collided with the wall behind him.

  I pushed around the door, running into the living room area. I tripped over Drew’s foot, and went sprawling face down. It hurt. I cried out.

  Drew was yelling. “What the fuck?”

  I pushed through the pain and got to my feet. I scrambled through the living area to the steps. I hurried up them, banging the door at the top.

  Drew was right behind me.

  I shut the door in his face. I ran for the edge of the boat, clutching the railing, and stared down at the dark water below. In the distance, I could see the marina, growing smaller and smaller. Could I swim there? It was probably better to jump overboard than to be on here with a murderer—

  Drew vaulted through the door and seized me by the arm.

  I hit him—a slap across his face.

  “Ow!” he roared and grabbed the wrist that I’d struck him with.

  I struggled, trying to pull away from him.

  He held onto me tightly. “What the hell is going on, Emilia? Why are you on my boat?”

  “Where is Violet’s necklace?” I said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The necklaces in the closet down there. Did you move them?”

  “I did, actually,” he said. “I took those necklaces somewhere for safekeeping.”

  I snorted. “Or to cover your tracks.”

  “Cover my…? What are you talking about?”

  “I know, okay, Drew?” I said. “I know what you did to Violet.”

  His nostrils flared. “And what’s that?”

  “You killed her.”

  His eyes widened and his lips peeled back from his teeth.

  I shrank from him.

  And he let me go. He threw his hands into the air. “I knew you thought that. I knew it.”

  I turned back to the railing. Okay, now was my chance. I had to jump.

  “What are you doing?” He grabbed me again, pulling me away from the railing. “Were you about to jump?”

  I kicked at him.

  He evaded my foot. “Stop that!”

  I raked at his face with my free hand.

  He shrieked, ripping my hand away from his face. And then he pinned both my arms to my sides and held me in place. Our bodies were inches apart, and he was breathing fast. His face was bleeding from where I had scratched at him.

  My breath was coming in gasps too. “You raped a girl at the boarding school. You said it was in your blood, and maybe you were right. Did you mean to kill Violet, or did it just get rough accidentally?”

  “I didn’t rape anyone.” He wheezed. “And I didn’t kill Violet.”

  “You don’t have to lie to me anymore. I know everything.”

  “You don’t know anything,” he said. “That girl at school? That’s a whole crazy story that I don’t feel like getting into, but I didn’t even have sex with her, okay? I told you about those paternity tests.”

  “You were jealous because Violet was sleeping with other people.”

  “I wasn’t. I told you already, it was casual between us.” He glared at me. “Look, it was the other guy, he was the one who was pissed off. She kept dragging her feet breaking it off with him because she said he was going to lose it.”

  “What other guy?” I said. “You knew about another guy, and you didn’t tell me?”

  “Well, why would I? I don’t like talking about that. He was a cop or something.”

  “A… a cop?”

  “Yeah, I think his name was, uh, Oliver?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Oh, my God, I was an idiot. I was a freaking idiot.

  Oliver Patterson. He maneuvered his way into taking my case. He got that other cop to let him talk to me, and then he told me that there was nothing there and that the police wouldn’t look into it any further. And then he kept calling me, checking up on me, to see if I was still trying to solve the case.

  What had he just texted me?

  Are you ever going to be done with this?

  He didn’t have a crush on me, like Phin had thought. He was just worried that I was going to figure out he murdered my sister.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered. “Oh, my God.”

  “What?” said Drew. “What?”

  “Let go of me,” I said.

  “No freaking way,” he said. “You’re going to try to hit me again. Or you’re going to jump overboard. And it’s not safe out there, and I’m not letting anything happen to you. I will keep you safe for Violet’s sake.”

  “I won’t,” I said. “I won’t do any of that. Just let me go.”

  “I don’t know. I think you’re only saying that.”

  “Drew, I was just texting a cop named Oliver who knows that we’re out here on his boat and said he was on his way to find me.”

  He let go of me. “Why?”

  “Because I thought you were the murderer, and I thought he was going to save me,” I said.

  “But why were you texting him in the first place?”

  “That’s a long story,” I said.

  I could see lights approaching from the direction of the marina. “Is that another boat?”

  “Yeah, maybe,” said Drew.

  “That’s probably him,” I said.

  Drew walked over to the side of the boat and peered out at the light. “I can’t see what it is. Looks like a small boat.”

  There was a loud cracking sound.

  Drew squealed.

  And then crumpled.

  I ran for him.

  He flopped onto the deck lifelessly, his eyes wide. Blood was pouring out of a wound on his chest. He’d been shot.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Okay, okay, what were you supposed to do when someone had gotten shot like this? Put pressure on the wound, right? Okay, I could do that.

  I jumped up and ran down into the cabin of the ship and grabbed up as many towels as I could. I would put them against Drew’s chest and push and soak up the blood, and maybe he’d be okay, and if I just concentrated on that and not on anything else—

  When I got back up to the deck of the boat, Oliver was climbing over the railing. His boat was next to this one, and they were lashed together with rope. He had his gun out.

  I stopped short.

  “Evening, Emilia,” said Oliver. “Well, I guess it’s technically early morning.”

  I swallowed. “Look, I’m going to go put these towels on Drew’s wound and apply pressure—”

  “No.” He knocked the towels out of my hands. He grasped my hand and pulled me closer to him. He looked down at me with a sad expression on his face. “This is really shit, you know? This is just shit.”

  Was I supposed to say something? I looked down at the towels. When I’d had something to do, a goal in mind—save Drew—this had all been easier to take. But now, I was starting to realize just how bad this situation was for me. I started to shake.

  “
God damn it,” said Oliver, shaking his head. “I’m really sorry about this.”

  “Okay,” I said in a tiny voice. “So, don’t do it.”

  “I didn’t want to,” he said. “I tried to get you to back off. But you wouldn’t. I mean, whoever sent you that letter, they weren’t helping. I guess you still don’t have any idea who sent the letter?”

  I hesitated. And then I nodded furiously. “I do know. But I’m not going to tell you unless you take this boat back to shore and let me go.”

  “Nice try,” he said, sighing. He looked me over. “Such a freaking waste. All of this is just…” He shut his eyes and then opened them. “Damn it.”

  I licked my lips. “Listen, Oliver, it doesn’t seem to me like you want to hurt anyone.”

  “I don’t,” said Oliver. “And I didn’t want to hurt Violet either. I never wanted her dead. Hell, I think I was falling in love with Violet. But then she had to go and say she had been screwing some other guy the entire time we were together? I mean, who does that?” He let out a harsh breath.

  I didn’t say anything. I just watched him with wide eyes.

  He dragged me over to one of the bench seats on the boat and sat me down. He sat down next to me. He kept hold of my hand and kept his gun in the other hand. He put the barrel against my forehead.

  I whimpered.

  He removed it. “She told me that and I just… I don’t know, I lost it. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I can’t figure why she’d tell me while we were swimming anyway. What kind of person tells her boyfriend to go for a romantic night swim and then says, ‘Oh, by the way, I want to break up, there’s someone else.’ That was the shittiest thing she could have done.” He didn’t sound angry. He sounded regretful. “I pushed her under. I… Damn it.” He scratched the top of his head with the barrel of the gun. “You have no idea how many times I wish I hadn’t done it. I wish I could go back in time and undo all of it. I don’t want her to be dead.”

  I breathed. I watched him. “Okay, well, then, you don’t want to kill anyone else, do you?”

  “No,” he said. “I really don’t. That’s why it’s a hell of a shame that you couldn’t let go of all this. Now, I was worried about this letter writer person, but if they knew anything, they would have told you. You were still barking up the wrong tree with this guy.” He gestured with his gun at Drew’s body. “Why’d you think it was him anyway?”