Page 134 of Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds

“Two husbands, one dead,” I said, sounding a lot braver than I felt. But there was space between us now, and I could scream before she could do anything to me. “What did Diana have on you? I mean, you were in the same sorority, after all.”

Her face darkened. “Stand down. This doesn’t concernyou.”

Suddenly, her face changed, all sunlight and joy. “Andrew, over here!” She waved at someone behind me.

I turned and saw Andrew and Brie swimming toward us.

“They want us to head back early,” Andrew said. “There’s a storm coming in—nothing big, they said, just overnight rain—but the ocean is getting choppy.”

As if on cue, wind came in off the ocean and chilled me, and I spotted distant clouds to the east.

Andrew and Sherry went ahead; I hung back with Brie.

“What happened?” she said.

“I really don’t like Sherry. She called you a brat.”

“Really?” Brie laughed, but I didn’t think the situation was funny.

“Diana had something on her. I think she’s dangerous.”

“Like, killed Diana dangerous?”

I didn’t respond because that was exactly what I’d been thinking. Tristan said they had a suspect, but I didn’t see that young man Georgie killing anyone. I’d really thought it was Gino... but now?

“I don’t know. But she’s definitely up to something.”

“I’m going to tell my dad.”

“We have no proof. We need to find something first, something tangible.”

“How?”

“By figuring out every line Diana wrote in her book to see if it points to specifics.”

“I’m in,” Brie said. “But aren’t you going to see Jason again tonight?”

“I plan to,” I said, finally smiling again. We emerged from the ocean and headed up the beach toward the dock. “But we have time this afternoon. Can you come by?”

“I’ll be there as soon as I take a shower.”

The waves were choppy as we headed back to St. Claire, the dark clouds coming toward us faster than we were moving, but thecaptain assured us that we’d all be back at the resort before the first raindrop hit the island.

Everyone was inside the cabin except Brie and me. I’d had it with Sherry. She deliberately cut off my air supply when we were snorkeling, but I couldn’t prove it. I was more concerned about Brie and what she would face when they returned to Arizona.

“I have to convince my dad that she’s bad news,” Brie said.

“Tomorrow there’s a big dinner and dance up at the Sky Bar,” I said. “If we spend this afternoon and all day tomorrow trying to find what Diana knew about her, maybe we can expose her.”

“What if we ask Amber?” Brie said.

“Are you serious?”

“We know they were involved. Amber knows about the book and probably also the blackmail, and she only seems to care about finding the documents. What if we figure out where the documents are, and trade that information for dirt on Sherry?”

I liked that option. “We have to find the documents first.”

Lightning flashed in the distance. “Wow,” Brie said. She craned to see St. Claire. It was at least ten minutes away.

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