Page 42 of The Weekend Getaway

Relief flooding her, Sarah accessed the message.

Grace

Leaving the island now. Waiting for water taxi at boat dock. Don’t stay here. It’s not safe!

CHAPTER 42

JASON

It was better to be safe than sorry.

Wasn’t that the saying? Better to know than not know. And now he knew.

Bringing up the rear behind Chris and Mia, Jason walked slowly, lost in his thoughts. When the three of them struck out, compelled by Mia’s command, which felt more like a challenge, or a dare, Jason wasn’t sure if it was a good idea—even though he’d suggested it.

Grace had been so adamant about what she’d seen, so insistent about her claim that Alex’s head had been chopped off and eaten by vultures, that Jason had started to think maybe she had seen something. Maybe they needed to find out if Grace was going crazy, or not. Mia and Chris doubted Grace, but Jason was worried. If Grace had seen Alex’s head, lying on a dirt path, separated from his body, then?—

Jason hadn’t wanted to think about it.

He still didn’t want to think about what it would have meant if Grace had been telling the truth. Not that Jason believed she’d outright lied. At least, he didn’t think she’d lied, because why would she? Why make herself look insane, eliciting doubt and suspicion? More likely, Grace had seen a dead animal. Something that looked like a human head. The vultures might have spooked her, and after the drinking last night and Phil’s threat to ruin them all, Grace’s mind could have been playing tricks on her.

“Damn it …” Chris muttered, stumbling as he hurried forward, waddling along the path back to the villa, nearly tripping over his own feet as he fought against large, waxy leaves and branches that smacked him in the face. When Chris led them to the spot where Grace claimed to see Alex’s head, he’d announced, with a hint of smug triumph, “See, there’s nothing here. I told you Grace didn’t see anything.”

“And as I suspected,” Mia had said. “We came all this way for nothing.”

Jason asked, staring at Chris, “And you’re sure this is where Grace said she saw …”

Chris blinked, then said, “Yeah … I mean, yeah. This is where Grace told me she saw … it.”

Nodding, Jason said, “Because there are a few more trails leading into the rainforest from the villa.”

Shrugging, Chris wiped his face, sweaty from the humidity despite the shade of the tree canopy. “So?”

Jason had forced himself to temper his frustration. “So … maybe we should check the other trails.”

Chris shook his head. “I don’t think so. Waste of time.”

“I agree,” said Mia, already turning, heading back. “Grace didn’t see Alex’s head because Alex left the island with Phil.”

Which Jason didn’t believe.

Mia had never been a very effective liar. She was good at parroting Alex’s lies but didn’t do well telling her own. Question was, had Alex told her to tell everyone that he’d taken Phil to the mainland? And if so, why? Alex’s idea about Phil having an unfortunate accident came to mind.

We get rid of Phil before he gets rid of us.

Alex’s harsh, blunt words snaked into Jason’s head, cold and sinister.

Following his assertion, there was a slight meltdown of disputes and rebukes. Everyone spoke at once, condemning the idea, disavowing any part in even the thought of it.

“Get rid of Phil,” Grace had said, her voice high and strident as she confronted Alex. “You want to kill Phil? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

A glimmer of shame, regret possibly, crossed Alex’s face, but not long enough for everyone to notice before his expression was steel again, his eyes stony. “What do you think Phil plans to do to us?”

“He’s not gonna kill us,” Chris said. “He wouldn’t go that far.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Jason had agreed, wishing he’d been surprised by Alex’s suggestion, but he couldn’t put murder past Alex.

“Phil wants to ruin us,” Sarah said. “Not cut our throats.”

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