Page 40 of The Night Island

Talia aimed theflashlight at the dead man and watched Luke search the body. The swift, efficient way he went about the task told her that this wasn’t the first time he had done that sort of thing.

“What are you looking for?” she said.

“Something that might tell us why a man who looks like he was in good physical condition dropped dead out here in the middle of the night.”

“Any sign of injury?”

“No. None.”

A chilling possibility struck. “Luke, what if some of these plants are poisonous? Maybe you should leave him alone. Get away from those ferns. We’ll wake up the Venners and let them handle this situation. They’re in charge here.”

“He looks like he worked in these gardens. He would have known if there were dangerous plants in the vicinity. Also, the lodge has been in operation for nearly six months. If guests were getting killedby poisonous plants, someone would have complained online.” Luke paused and sat back on his heels. “Huh.”

She saw that he had extracted an object that looked like a flashlight from the pocket of the dead man’s tool belt.

“Find something?” she asked.

“Maybe.” He got to his feet and slipped the object inside his jacket. Then he paused and pinned her briefly with his heated eyes. “Are you all right?”

She folded her arms around her midsection and focused on her breathing. “I’m great.”

“You’re not great.”

“This is my second dead body this week,” she said coldly. “And the week’s not over. I’m having a little trouble processing, okay?”

She groaned. She should not be snapping at Luke. It wasn’t his fault that she had happened across a dead man.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“Are you going to—?” Luke asked.

“Pass out? No.” She made herself start down the path that led to the Venner cabin. “Let’s wake up management.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Ashort time later,management, in the form of Clive and Octavia Venner, stood on the path aiming flashlights at the body. They were not alone. Clive had alerted Nathan Gill, who had grabbed a first aid kit. He was now crouched beside the dead man, checking for a pulse.

Marcella Earle had been awakened by the commotion and had come outside in a bathrobe to see what was going on. She had shrieked at the sight of the body. That, in turn, had brought Oliver Skinner and Jasper Draper to the scene.

It occurred to Talia that the only one who was not there was the Night Gardener.

“It’s Eddy Keever,” Octavia said. She stared at the body, transfixed. “The assistant gardener.”

There was more than shock and dismay in her demeanor, Talia thought. Something about her posture and the way she was looking at Keever sent a message of dread and maybe a whisper of panic.

“No sign of injury,” Nathan Gill said.

“Overdose,” Clive declared. “We knew he was using. The Institute should have let him go weeks ago.”

“It’s not that easy to find employees with his particular skill set who are willing to commit to life here on the island for extended periods of time,” Nathan pointed out quietly.

“Can’t blame people for not wanting to work here,” Oliver Skinner muttered. “I’m already bored.”

Marcella took a step closer to get a better look. “Last year I came across a body while I was showing a house in Seattle. My clients freaked out. Killed the sale, of course.”

“Are you sure he died of an overdose?” Jasper Draper asked.

“Hard to say.” Nathan got to his feet. “Could have been a heart attack or stroke.”

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