“Well, let’s not jump to the worst possible conclusion before it happens,” Rowan suggested. “Try to look on the bright side. We still have time.”
“Not much.”
“Time is time.”
“Yeah, well ... .” Quinn offered her a lopsided smile. “Have I told you how pretty you look today?”
Rowan glanced down at her simple T-shirt and shorts. “I look the same as I always look.”
“Pretty.”
Her cheeks flushing with color, pleasure spreading through her chest, Rowan leaned closer. “You’re really good at making me feel like the prettiest woman in the world. Have I told you that?”
“A few times.” He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I like hearing it, though.”
“I like saying it. I also like telling you that I love you.”
“I like hearing that, too.” He gave her another kiss. “We’re going to figure this out. I have faith. If we don’t ... well, we’ll deal with it then.”
IVY AND JACK’S PLATES WERE heaping with enough food that Quinn could do nothing but arch an eyebrow as they settled across the table.
“What?” Jack’s tone was challenging. “Do you have a problem with breakfast?”
Quinn shook his head. “No. Are you trying to stock up so you can hibernate or something?”
“Ha, ha.” Jack bit into a slice of bacon. “The food is good, and I rarely get breakfast meat unless we go out. I’m taking advantage of the situation to bulk up.”
Rowan snickered at Jack’s enthusiasm. “I don’t see how you live in a house without meat. I would like to be high-minded and quit eating meat, too — I love animals — but I don’t think I’ll ever make it to that point.”
“It’s not so hard once you dedicate yourself to the decision,” Ivy said. “If I was vegan, I would probably feel differently. I tried going vegan for a few weeks, in fact, but it didn’t go well. I like cheese and eggs too much.”
“If you were vegan, we would need separate refrigerators,” Jack supplied.
“I like how you would still make it work; you would simply need another appliance,” Quinn noted, chuckling. “That’s true love.”
“It definitely is,” Jack agreed, watching as Ivy heaped butter and syrup on her French toast. She was nervous but didn’t want to show it. He could read her better than most and he hated the antsy energy fluttering around her now. “Make sure you bulk up, honey. I think it’s going to be a long day.”
Ivy smiled, but the expression didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “Right.”
Quinn’s gaze was pointed as it locked with Jack’s more militant stare. “How was your evening?”
“If you’re asking if Ivy did as you requested and tried to revisit what happened on the deck the night Emily Little died, you can rest easy.”
“You went back?” Rowan was officially intrigued as she held her coffee mug. “How did it go?”
“It was ... different,” Ivy replied, unease settling on her diminutive shoulders. “I essentially woke up in the tiki bar.”
“Alone,” Jack stressed. “I wasn’t with her.”
Guilt rolled through Quinn’s stomach. “Why weren’t you with her?”
“Because he couldn’t fall asleep,” Ivy answered for him. “He was too keyed up, frustrated. He got there toward the end, but it was late in the game.”
“And she was already surrounded,” Jack muttered.
“Surrounded?” Quinn’s brow wrinkled. “I don’t understand.”
“It was weird,” Ivy explained. “Your friend Demarcus was there at the start, talking to me. He seemed to know what was going on.”
“Demarcus?” Rowan made a face. “But ... how? Are you saying he can dream walk, too?”
“I don’t think so, although I guess it’s always a possibility. I think I didn’t want to be alone so I created someone to talk to. Demarcus is always in the tiki bar so I put him there again so I wouldn’t be afraid.”
Jack’s jaw tightened as he moved his hand up and down her back. “Honey, maybe you should eat your breakfast first. We can talk about this later.”
“No, I want to talk about it now,” Ivy said. “It’s important.”
“What happened after you talked to Demarcus?” Quinn queried.
“He gave me a flashlight.”
“Because?”
“Because it was dark and the blackout was coming. I thought it was a nice gesture.”
Quinn had no idea what to make of that. “Okay, well ... um ... .”
“When the power went out, I knew where to go,” Ivy said. “By the time I got down there, Emily wasn’t alone. I wasn’t inside her mind this time, which was a relief. I could see her, hear her. She was afraid and said she wouldn’t say anything, that she would leave the group and nobody would be the wiser.”
“Did you see the person who killed her?”
Ivy exchanged a weighted look with Jack. “That’s the thing. It wasn’t one person.”
“There were five people there,” Jack volunteered. “I showed up at the end and I counted five figures. Before you ask, we couldn’t make out any of the faces. It was dark and even with the flashlight, the figures that approached Emily were shrouded. Maybe because Ivy is limited to what Emily saw that night.”
“Or maybe the truth was too terrible for Emily to comprehend so she wasn’t thinking as fast as she normally would’ve been under less tragic circumstances and that’s all that registered in her memory,” Ivy countered. “Maybe the truth was too terrible to grasp so she only absorbed what she could handle.”
“That sounds ... awful,” Rowan said, shaking her head. “If it was five people, though, what are we going to do?”
“We need to find out why someone would want to kill Margaret,” Quinn said. “She’s the key to all this. I think Emily was collateral damage because she either knew who killed Margaret or there was a reasonable assumption that she would figure it out.”
“I get the feeling you’re right,” Ivy said. “Emily seemed to understand why she was dying. She tried to negotiate right up until the end.”
“And she couldn’t manage to do it,” Quinn mused. “Still, five people, how are we going to figure out who those five people are?”
“I think that will be easier than it sounds,” Jack suggested, catching the security chief off guard. “Demarcus said that Emily was drinking with people in a bar the night she died, right? You mentioned that, said they weren’t mourning properly.”
“I believe I said they weren’t broken up by what happened,” Quinn clarified. “You’re basically right, though.”
“Emily wasn’t alone in that bar,” Jack said. “She was with people. It makes sense that the people she was with — at least some of them — are the ones we’re looking for.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Quinn and he wasn’t happy that Jack came to the conclusion before he could. “Crap. That does make sense.”
“I figured you have cameras there,” Jack added. “We can go through the footage.”
“We definitely can.”
“What should we do?” Rowan asked. “You can’t cut us out of this.”
“No,” Quinn agreed. “I was thinking that you guys could head up to the deck, watch that executive group, and take some photos. If someone else is in danger, you’ll see. If someone is missing from that group, you’ll know. We want to keep an eye on them, especially since we’re docking in a few hours.”
“What do you expect to find in that amount of time?” Ivy asked. “How do you plan on narrowing this down?”
“I don’t know,” Quinn answered honestly. “We have to start somewhere, though.”
QUINN AND JACK EXCUSED themselves to the security chief’s office right after breakfast. Jack left Ivy with a kiss and a promise that — no matter what — if the case wasn’t solved by the time they docked in Nassau, they would return to their vacation and let it go. Ivy didn’t believe him, but Jack was firm. He had no intention of l
etting their first true vacation together be derailed.
“How is Ivy really doing?” Quinn asked as he booted up his computer. “Is she okay?”
Jack eyed him for a long beat. He wanted to be mean, kick Quinn in the kidneys and tell him that he shouldn’t have forced Ivy’s hand. Instead, he merely shrugged.
“She’s okay,” he said finally. “She’s strong.”
“She’s definitely strong.”
“That’s the first thing I noticed about her,” Jack admitted, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “She was mouthy ... and opinionated ... and bossy ... and barefoot at a crime scene. The sun caused the pink in her hair to shine in a way that made it look as if she had a pink halo.”
Quinn snorted. “I think you’re carrying things a bit too far.”
“Oh, I know. That’s how I remember her, though. I wasn’t looking for love and I got smacked over the head with it. She had enough strength at the beginning for both of us.”
“I think you probably had strength, too. You just didn’t realize it.”
“Not the strength she did.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sorry I asked her to go into the dream. I thought you would be with her. I wouldn’t have asked if I knew she would be alone.”
“She seemed fine, if a little confused, when I found her,” Jack said. “She wasn’t afraid. She’s rarely afraid of anything. I was the one who was afraid when I saw how many figures were surrounding her.”
“I find that interesting,” Quinn agreed, focusing on his computer as the screen came to life. “I’m going to pull up the video feed from the Neptune that night. At least we’ll be able to see who Emily was with. It makes sense that at least one or two of those people followed her to the deck.”
“I’m pretty sure Guthrie is one of them.”
“How?”
“It’s a feeling I can’t shake,” Jack replied. “The way he stepped in and took over the leadership role. He acts as if he’s been waiting for the opportunity for quite some time. As if he was somehow anointed.
“The thing is, when I was talking to Brenda Farmer, she made it sound like the original threesome was always supposed to be equal,” he continued. “She wasn’t sorry about Margaret’s death, but she seemed ... puzzled. I think that’s the best word to describe her reaction. She was puzzled by how everything went down.”
“She could simply be a good actress,” Quinn suggested, his eyes narrowing as he studied the footage. “Okay. Here we go.”
“She could be a good actress,” Jack agreed, moving behind Quinn’s desk so he could watch the footage over his shoulder. “I’ve been fooled by good actors and actresses before.”
“Like your partner?”
Jack nodded, his shoulders stiff. “I didn’t see him for what he was until it was too late. I should have. The signs were all there. I was blind to it, though. That’s one of the reasons I was determined to keep people at a distance when I moved to Shadow Lake. I thought it would be easy to segregate myself.
“I had grand plans to live on the river and spend all my free time fishing,” he continued, smirking at the memory. “Then, on my second day in town, we got a call about a body in a ditch. When we pulled up, there was a woman standing there. She had her hands on her hips and her skirt billowed in the breeze and I remember thinking I didn’t have the strength to stay away from her. Right from the start, I knew she would change things for me.”
Instead of laughing at Jack, Quinn merely nodded. “Rowan and I met under different circumstances. I get what you’re saying, though. I thought I wanted to be alone until I met her. Then I couldn’t imagine being alone. Right from that first meeting I was hooked.”
“I guess we’re both a little schmaltzy, huh?” Jack smiled when he thought of what Ivy said to him in bed that morning. “We’re kind of alike ... even though we don’t want to admit it.”
“We definitely don’t want to admit it,” Quinn agreed. “Here’s the group that night. Both Guthrie and Farmer are with Emily, and they seem intent on talking to her.”
Jack furrowed his brow as he studied the footage. “Who are these two women with them?”
“Um ... .” Quinn tugged the manifest from the corner of the desk and started checking thumbnail photos. “That is Bonnie Rigby and Lettie Sanders. They’re assistants for Guthrie and Farmer.”
“Which makes sense.” Jack’s mind was working fast. “Emily was probably close with Bonnie and Lettie because they were all assistants. They probably shared information.”
“And maybe Bonnie and Lettie are the ones who told Guthrie and Farmer that Emily knew something,” Quinn deduced. “You’re right. That does make sense.”
“There’s another guy there, though,” Jack said, pointing toward the figure at the far end of the bar. “Do we know who that is?”
“Um ... .” Quinn pursed his lips as he looked for a match on the manifest. “I’m not sure. I ... wait. Here he is. Richard Johnson. It says he’s part of the executive committee, although I’m not sure what he does with the group. There are long biographies for everyone but him.”
An alarm began dinging in the back of Jack’s mind. “That sounds suspicious, doesn’t it?”
“It really does.” Quinn rolled his neck until it cracked. “Why would they keep his position with the group under wraps like that?”
“I guess it’s possible he’s simply a journeyman of sorts. Maybe he does multiple things and hasn’t settled into a simple position yet.”
“Or maybe it’s something else,” Quinn said. “Either way, we need to question these individuals. I’m thinking maybe we should do it in a group setting.”
Jack was surprised by the suggestion. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll call them all in, let them sit in the interrogation room together, make them sweat.”
“And then what?”
“And then we’ll question them about what we know, bluff, and hope one of them takes the bait.”
“What happens if they don’t take the bait?”
“I have no idea. We don’t have a lot of time, though. It’s the best idea I’ve got.”
“Then we should probably see if we can make it work.” Jack was resigned. “I want Ivy here for it, though. I know she doesn’t have a law enforcement background, but she deserves to see this through to the end.”
“I won’t cut her out.”
“Because Rowan will make you pay if you do?”
Quinn’s smile was sheepish. “And a few other reasons. That’s the main one, though.”
“You might be surprised. They could see something we don’t.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
Nineteen
Collecting the members of the group wasn’t easy. Quinn sent his workers to do the deed, stressing that it was simply because they needed answers to fill out reports for the mainland police when they landed. Johnson and Guthrie put up the biggest fights, which was telling in Quinn’s book. Still, he treated the men with a welcoming smile and profuse apologies.
“I’m really sorry about this,” he started.
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t be doing it,” Guthrie suggested, his eyes filled with fire. “I’m pretty sure you don’t have the authority to question us.”
“Yes.” Brenda Farmer bobbed her head. “Shouldn’t we have lawyers for this?”
“That’s certainly your choice,” Quinn said. “If you feel you need an attorney, we have two on the ship to act as representatives.”
“Attorneys that are on your payroll,” Guthrie pointed out.
“True, but they work for their clients, which would be you in this particular case.”
“So you say.” Johnson was disgusted as he folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t think I’m going to agree to this. You can’t make me.”
“You’re right. I can’t make you answer questions.” Quinn’s voice was smooth, earnest. “I can, however, lock you in a holding cell until we land back in Florida in three days
if you don’t choose to answer questions.”
“That’s the exact opposite of due process.”
“And yet you agreed to those terms when you checked in.” Anticipating trouble, Quinn had collected copies of their intake documents and provided Johnson the one he signed upon checking into his room. “If you look right there, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
Johnson frowned as he read the document. “I don’t remember agreeing to this.”
“And yet you did.”
Johnson’s eyes were cold when he lifted them. “So, you’re basically saying that you’re going to lock us up if we don’t answer your questions.”
“I’m saying that we’ve had two murders since we left port and both are members of your group.”
Farmer uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other as she glanced between faces. “I don’t understand why you picked the five of us, though. That doesn’t make sense to me.”
“You’re one of the two leaders of the group now,” Quinn pointed out. “Who else should be answering questions?”
“I ... .”
“As for your assistants, we have a separate room for them,” Quinn barreled forward. “They’ll be questioned by a different team.”
Whatever Johnson was expecting, that wasn’t it. “Why are you separating them?”
Quinn didn’t answer, his smile enigmatic. “Are you ready to get started?”
ROWAN WAS THE ONE who suggested isolating the assistants. The idea came to her shortly before the security guards tracked down the necessary group members. She figured they were the least likely to have been involved in actual violence, perhaps feeling guilty because Emily was once a friend. Also, once they weren’t under the thumbs of the bigwigs, they were more likely to talk.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Ivy asked, a carafe in her hand as she watched the young women settle at the conference room table. They looked confused and unsure of themselves.
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