Page 32 of The Night Island

“Then why are you watching me as if I might leap over the counter and attack you?”

She planted both palms on the counter. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m just not sure what to do with you. I’m not accustomed to having a man sitting here in my kitchen at breakfast.”

He stared at her, trying to analyze the new data. “Huh.”

“Exactly. Huh.” She took her hands off the counter and turned to yank open the door of the refrigerator.

“Why not?” he asked before he could stop himself.

She swung around. “For the same reason that I never spend the night at a date’s apartment. It’s a bridge too far. I know it’s ridiculous, but that’s just how it is. I’ve got issues when it comes to relationships, okay?”

“What kind of issues?”

“Commitment issues.”

“No problem.” He relaxed. “I’ve got commitment issues, too. Now that’s settled, let’s move on to more important stuff. What’s for breakfast?”

“You’re very good at compartmentalizing, aren’t you?”

“Just trying to lighten the atmosphere.”

She gave him a steely smile. “It’s not working.”

“All right, let’s deal with the elephant in the room. Do you think you’ll be okay sharing a cabin with me on Night Island? Because if there’s going to be a problem, we need to discuss it now.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t have a panic attack. I only get those when I find dead bodies.”

He watched Talia’s profile now as the ferry drew closer to the island. He was not sure what to make of the troubled look in her eyes.

“Having second thoughts?” he asked. “You can stay on board and go back to the mainland.”

She shot him a glare that would have done credit to a basilisk.

“Right,” he said. “We’re both getting off the ferry.”

“It’s not as if we’ve got a better lead, is it?”

“No,” he said. He had a sudden urge to put his arm around her shoulders, draw her close, and reassure her. He reminded himself he had known her for a little more than twenty-four hours and that they were working an investigation. It wasn’t as if they were lovers, or even good friends, for that matter. They were allies. Besides, she had been right—he was not the hugging type. “If it makes you feel any better, my intuition tells me that this is where we need to be.”

She reached inside her coat. He knew she was touching the crystal in Hatch’s necklace. “Mine does, too.”

“Are you getting anything off the crystal?”

“The vibe is stronger than it was on the mainland, but it’s distorted.” Talia frowned, concentrating. “It’s as if there’s some other energy in the atmosphere around here that’s interfering with the currents.”

“Any idea what that indicates?”

“Nope. This is the first time I’ve experienced this kind of static.”

He and Talia were not the only people on the ferry who werebound for the Unplugged Experience. An hour and a half ago when they had arrived at the pickup location on the mainland they had found three others waiting. None of them had appeared enthusiastic about spending a few days living the tech-free life. All three had been on their phones, determined to make one last connection with the plugged-in world before going into unplugged exile.

Oliver Skinner had the edgy, can’t-stay-off-his-phone vibe of a tech worker who had grown up on a diet of high-octane video games and energy drinks. Marcella Earle, aggressively friendly, might as well have hadborn for salestattooed on her forehead. It had come as no surprise when she had introduced herself by handing out business cards indicating she specialized in Seattle real estate.

The third individual, Jasper Draper, got Luke’s vote for the guest who most regretted signing up for the Unplugged Experience. He explained that he had a travel blog and that he had decided to do a feature on the fad for tech-free getaways.

“None of us actually left our phones at home,” Talia said. “Do you think the staff will try to confiscate them?”

Oliver Skinner, standing nearby, looked at her. “From my cold, dead fingers.”

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