Page 124 of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

“Yes, thank you. As I was saying… If I die,” Connor says, “then Allison will benefit.”

“How?”

“Her remaining alimony will become due in a lump sum payment, and I have to maintain life insurance to cover the payout.”

Allison doesn’t say anything, just looks at Connor like a slightly proud parent for figuring this all out on his own instead of stumbling around in his usual fashion.

“Is that true, Allison?” Oliver asks.

“About the insurance? That might be in the divorce settlement. My lawyer took care of that.”

“Your very good lawyer,” I say, remembering our earlier conversation. “And the payout? It’s due if he dies?”

“Yes.”

“Has he been making his payments?”

“Until now.”

“But he’s in financial trouble, and my book sales are declining…”

“What do your declining book sales have to do with anything?” Isabella asks.

“I get a percentage of her sales,” Connor says. “Since she uses my name.”

My face burns, and I don’t make eye contact with Oliver or Harper. I’ve never told either of them this.

“Yes, yes,” Allison says, “all of that would give me an excellent reason to kill Connor, wouldn’t it? Except for two things.”

Why is it always two things?152

“What?”

“I didn’t do it.”

“No, you killed Shek instead,” Emily says. “He didn’t deserve that.”

“You have no idea what he deserved.”

“What’s the second thing, Allison?” I ask.

She looks at me frankly. “I have no motive to kill you.”

“You must hate me, though. For the affair?”

“A hate I’ve waited ten years to do something about? Please.”

I sigh. She’s right. And there’s the rub. When I look at the board, I come up against the same thing. No one has a motive to kill me and Connor. Not now, anyway. Not so many years after our crimes.

“I’m sure there’s some explanation,”153 Connor says.

“So no cuffs quite yet?” Allison says. “Though you did like to play a bit rough, didn’t you?”

Connor’s eyes narrow, and he’s about to say something when the lock on the door to the library squeaks.

We all turn expectantly toward the door. It opens, and a man walks through.

I suck in my breath, feeling like I’ve been put in a time machine.

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