The Perfect Getaway, page 18
“So why was it that Miss Graham had suspicions about the two of you, then? Why did she see what none of your other friends did?”
“Megan saw what wasn’t there. She worried about my friendship with Laura. How close we are. But she isn’t jealous. It isn’t like that at all. She trusts me. She knows I love her. We are engaged, for crying out loud.”
The officer stared at me, still and quiet for a moment too long. “What about Miss Graham? She is a newer member of your group as well, correct?”
“Yes.”
“How do the people in the group feel about her?”
“They like her, I think. She’s been part of the group for just over a year. She is the first serious girlfriend I’ve had in years.”
“Since Mrs. Walker?”
“Laura and I weren’t even that serious. And, no, there’ve been others since her anyway. But not in about seven or eight years, I guess.”
Knowles turned back to the officer, whose name I still didn’t know, and nodded. The man stopped writing. “Is there anything else you can tell us about either the death of Emily Bennett or the disappearances of Laura Walker or Megan Graham? Anything at all that you think might be able to help our investigation.”
“No, there’s nothing else. Just,” my voice cracked, and I paused, collecting myself, “just find them. Please.”
“We’re going to find them, Mr. London,” Knowles said, and I watched as the other officer slid the pen into his shirt pocket, followed by the notepad. “It’s a small island, and we have a very limited amount of suspects. We’re going to find out the truth about everything.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Andy
When the evening arrived, the sun lowering on the horizon, they finally released us from our huts. I’d told the police everything—every last horrible detail, and I knew what was coming.
I walked toward the water, wondering what it must’ve been like for Emily. How it must’ve felt as the water filled her lungs. It must’ve burned… Had she known it was the end? Given up early and let it happen? Or did she fight with everything she had to the bitter end?
Fresh tears filled my eyes at the thought. I missed her so much it hurt.
I wish I’d been there.
I wish I could’ve saved you.
When the water hit my bare toes, I sank down onto the sand, bending my knees up in front of me and wrapping my arms around them. I couldn’t deny the guilt I felt, though the police assured me it was misplaced. I had done the right thing, told the truth, but it didn’t make it any easier.
I’d broken a pact, betrayed a friend.
Still, Emily deserved justice for her death. Even if it meant doing something I’d never thought I’d do. I was a loyal friend—always had been. I’d never betrayed my friends, not in high school when it meant taking the blame for a note being passed I hadn’t written, or in college when it meant being expelled for a fight I’d only been trying to break up.
But this was different.
It had to be.
I hadn’t heard them approaching me over the sound of the ocean’s roar and my own tears, so when a hand touched me, I jerked my arm back, ready to attack.
“Andy?” Natasha asked, hardly fazed, sinking down beside me in the sand. “You alright?”
Jaren sat down beside her, and Nick and Brad took the space on the opposite side of me. They wanted to be there for me. To comfort me. They had no idea what I’d done yet.
“It was just hard, you know?” They thought I was talking about losing her, about talking about it to the police. I let them keep thinking it.
“I know,” Natasha said, resting her head on my shoulder. “But it’s over now. The police will talk to Manu. They’ll figure out what’s going on and get us out of here safely.”
“At least now Emily can be laid to rest,” Jaren said, staring out at the ocean.
“And hopefully they’ll find Laura and Megan,” Brad said. He was fighting back tears, refusing to look at any of us, though I didn’t know why it mattered. We were all a blubbering mess anymore. “I saw them unloading the dogs off the boat earlier. They asked for pieces of Laura’s clothing and had the dogs walk around our hut to get a good feel for her scent.”
“Yeah, they asked for a piece of Megan’s clothing, too. I haven’t heard them bark yet,” Nick said. “That’s got to be a good thing, right?”
I sniffed, wiping my cheek on my shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll find them.”
“Do you think we’ll get to go home tonight?” Jaren asked. “I mean, when the police leave?”
“I don’t want to leave until I know what happened to Laura,” Brad said quickly.
“Me either,” Nick agreed. “I won’t leave until we know they’ve been found. Safe or…otherwise.” He ran a finger over his nose, shaking his head. “I can’t imagine going anywhere until we know the truth about what happened.”
I nodded because none of it mattered. By the time we left, they’d all know the truth about everything.
Like I already did.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Nick
The dogs were called out of the woods after dinner, their officers behind them. There were no signs of Laura or Megan, and I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.
The overall feeling among the group had grown more grim, our hopeful tones at the arrival of the police shifting quickly. Nothing had been figured out. They were still missing. We had no answers.
As more time passed, the possibility of them no longer being on the island at all grew more and more worrisome and undeniable in my mind. Something was wrong.
More wrong than I’d realized.
Where were they?
The police showed no signs of leaving as the evening drug on, their boats still rising and falling with the tide near the pier. They’d had their meals inside in the dining room, while we ate under the pavilion in silence. I didn’t think it would take so long, if I were being honest. I thought they’d have us on the boats already, be moving us to safety, but it hadn’t happened.
In fact, aside from the questioning, the officers hadn’t spoken to us at all. Manu was treating them as if they were the guests, waiting on them hand and foot. The employees had practically forgotten we were still there. Our usual eight waiters had been reduced to two, and our stewards were nowhere in sight.
When night came, I half expected them to ask us to give up our huts for the officers, but I quickly remembered the extra huts past ours as the parade of men dressed all in black made their way down the shore. I could see them now, from where I was standing on the dark sand. Two officers had taken posts outside of the huts, walking across the sand with flashlights in hand.
I should’ve been sleeping, but it was no use. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been awake, but the idea of sleep was enough to send my stomach spinning. I needed to be awake in case someone else needed help. Every time I began to doze off, I’d hear Emily’s scream, hear the sounds of Laura tossing rocks at my window, and remember the far-off look in Megan’s eyes when I’d seen her last. It was enough to drive me crazy.
I’d been walking across the shore. Pacing. Running. Trying anything and everything to wear myself out. I needed to sleep. I needed to get some rest before I started hallucinating, but it just wasn’t an option.
As I moved across the sand, I looked up as a light flicked on in a hut up ahead. One of ours.
Who was awake at this time of night?
Relieved to have someone to talk to, I pushed forward. It was the second hut from the right. Andy’s.
I jogged up the incline, hoping everything was all right and it was just a case of not being able to sleep, but as I drew closer, I froze. The light flicked off just seconds after it had come on, but I knew what I’d seen.
No.
My heart leapt, my feet moving faster through the sand. Not fast enough. I couldn’t move fast enough. Sand dug in between my toes, my calves burning as I pushed, my lungs gasping for air, heart pounding in my chest.
It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t real. Could I be hallucinating after all?
I reached the stairs to his porch, grabbing the railing and hauling myself up. I grabbed the handle of the sliding glass door and stared inside, seeing the moonlit outline of what I thought I was seeing. What I, at the same time, hoped I was seeing and very much wished I wasn’t. Andy held Laura in a tight embrace, the moon’s glow casting a shadow across their faces.
She is alive.
She is a liar.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Laura
The sliding glass door slid open in an instant, and we broke apart. I gasped when I heard it, saw the shadow of a man in the doorway. We’d been caught. Andy would be furious with me. I wasn’t supposed to come. I wasn’t supposed to have left the safety of my hiding spot, and I certainly wasn’t supposed to turn on the lamp to give others a peek inside the hut.
“What the hell?” Nick asked, his voice way too loud. I couldn’t totally see him, but I knew the voice. I’d know it anywhere.
“Nick, what are you doing here?” I asked, walking toward him, keeping my own voice low.
“What am I—” His mouth opened and closed as if he were forming words, but no sound came out. He blinked back fresh tears—I could see them glinting in the dim light—and leaned forward, pulling me into a hug. I breathed in the scent of him—warm. Safe. “Thank God you’re okay.” He kissed my cheek, pulling back, his hands still on my shoulders. “I thought you were dead. I pictured all of these horrible things…” He trailed off, dropping his hands from my shoulders and looking at Andy. I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. “This is why you were so interested in my feelings for Laura. You two were…” He pointed back and forth between us, and I flushed red, thankful he wouldn’t see it in the darkness. Shadows couldn’t reveal my embarrassment.
“God, Nick. No. No, Andy and I aren’t together.” I put a hand to his chest. “It’s nothing like that.”
“What, then?” he asked, shaking his head. “I don’t understand. Where have you been? Did he tell you the police are here?” He pointed out the door. “They’ve been looking for you. We have to go tell them you’re alive.” He pulled me into another hug, and I inhaled his scent again. I wanted to savor it. Even without the usual aroma of his cologne, his scent was so familiar. It felt like home, a place I desperately wished I could be.
“They know, Nick.” I patted his chest again. “The police know. Look, we have a lot to tell you and not a lot of time, okay? Let’s just sit down, and I promise I’ll explain everything. How did you—how did you find me anyway?”
“I was walking on the beach…looking for you. I haven’t been able to sleep. I saw you through the window. I-I couldn’t believe it.” There were fresh tears in his eyes again, and he shook his head. “I can’t believe it.”
At Nick’s words, Andy grumbled, glancing outside to see if anyone else was coming. “You shouldn’t have turned on the lamp, Laura.”
I didn’t respond, though I knew he was right. It was why he’d turned it off immediately after jumping out of bed. I shouldn’t have come, but I had to talk to him. I had to know what was happening. If we’d been seen, the plan would be ruined. I watched his expression, and only when he nodded and his shadowed face moving in the moonlight gave me the go-ahead, did I exhale with relief. I turned to Nick. “I’m sorry, Nick. I’m sorry I worried you. If I’d had any other choice, believe me, I would’ve told you.”
“What are you talking about? Why couldn’t you tell me? Where have you been?”
“I've been here. I've always been here.” I paused, trying to study his face in the moonlight. “There's so much to tell you, and it starts with the fact that we know what happened to Emily.”
“Oh, God,” came the instant response. “You know who killed her? How? Who?”
From behind me, Andy touched my shoulder. “Laura, you really shouldn’t be here. I can fill Nick in on what’s going on, but you should go back. If anyone else saw him come here, it could ruin everything.”
“Hang on a second,” Nick said, pointing at Andy. “You’ve known where she was all along? All this time? We spent an entire day in the jungle looking for her, and you’ve known everything?”
“I had to keep it up, man. It was for her protection.”
“For her protection? What does that even mean?”
I cleared my throat, trying to hide the tears that were coming no matter how hard I tried to fight them off. “If you’ll let me talk, we’ll explain everything. But, like I said, you should sit.” He was never going to forgive me.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Laura
THREE DAYS EARLIER
“I can’t believe our drinks are empty again,” Emily said, a brilliant, charming smile on her face. She leaned her head back in the chair. “They may as well leave a few refills next time they come.”
“I don’t have time to wait,” Natasha said with a quick laugh. “I had mine finished before y'all even started.” She started to lean up. “I’m going across the hall to get more. Everyone want the same as what they have?” She pointed at each of us. “This round’s on me.”
I laughed at her ridiculous joke, the wine aiding my good mood. “I can go this time, Tash,” Emily said. Natasha hated nicknames, hated it even more when someone took it upon themselves to create one for her, but to my surprise, she smiled. “You went the round before last, and Megan went last time. It can be my turn. I need to stretch my legs anyway.”
“Okay, you won’t hear me complain about having to do less work. Go for it.” Natasha sat back down, and Emily sauntered out of the room. After we heard her footsteps growing fainter, she smiled at me. “Little Miss Thang ain’t so bad after all, I guess.”
“She’s sweet,” Megan said, her head leaned back, cucumbers on her eyes.
“Young,” Natasha agreed. “But sweet.”
“What do you think the men are talking about?” I asked thoughtfully.
“Oh, honey, that ain’t even a question. The question is, do you think they’ve ever stopped talking about her?”
I laughed. “Ah, I know. Brad denies it, but she is pretty.”
“Unfairly pretty,” Natasha agreed.
“Half our age,” Megan said. “With skin that screams it.”
“It’s enough to make you sick, isn’t it?” Natasha asked with a laugh. “But hey, if she’s going to keep vacations like these coming, Jaren can keep right on staring for all I care.”
I smiled, but it was less free than hers then. I didn’t want Brad to stare at her. Not the way I’d seen him. Footsteps were headed back in our direction, and I looked up, the conversation cut short. “Hey, Laura, would you mind helping me?” Emily’s head popped in the room. “Mina is right in the middle of something, and I told her we could bring our own drinks back, but I don’t want to try to carry the drinks alone.” Without a pause for my answer, she went on. “I figure since Megan and Natasha have already gone, it’s our turn.”
I nodded, attempting to dry my feet before standing up. It seemed silly that she’d made the trip to ask for my help when she could’ve brought half the drinks this time and half next. It was the same amount of trips either way, but it didn’t matter. No point arguing. “Yeah, of course.”
“Thanks.” She waited for me to join her in the doorway before leading me across the hall. To my surprise, instead of heading into the dining room, she pointed toward the exit door. “Sorry, I just really needed to get you alone.” She laughed, covering her mouth. “Wow, that sounded creepy. Um, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?”
I hesitated. What did she need to talk to me about? Had she overheard us talking about her? A million thoughts swam in my mind, and I nodded silently. She pushed open the door, and the moment I stepped outside, sand began to cling to my still-damp feet. We stopped in front of the building, a few feet from the door, and she leaned back against the wall. Her expression was conflicted, a wrinkle forming between her brows.
“Is everything okay?” I asked when she didn’t immediately begin to talk.
She wasn’t meeting my eyes, her hands behind her back against the building as she stared out ahead of us. “I need to tell you something.”
“Okay…” My mind went to the strange interactions I’d seen between her and Brad, and I knew what she was going to say before she even said it. My shoulders tensed, and I wondered instantly why I’d agreed to come with her. What was I going to say? How was I going to handle the news that my husband was cheating on me? It was going to destroy me. It was going to destroy Andy. What were we—
“I’m your daughter.”
My body convulsed—my full body rolling like a wave at the news. “What?”
She met my eyes then. “You had a daughter twenty-two years ago that you put up for adoption.”
It wasn’t a question. She knew the one thing no one in my life did—not my parents, not my friends, not my husband. “What are you talking about?”
“You did, didn’t you?”
I studied her face, her chin, her eyes. Did she look like me? Maybe, but it was faint. The dark hair wasn’t mine, but the high cheekbones were familiar. The cleft in her chin, identical to my father’s, couldn’t be mistaken. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I was adopted by an amazing family, but I was always curious about my biological parents. Last year, my parents were killed in a car accident. I used some of their life insurance money to hire a private investigator. The adoption records were sealed, and my parents had never been able to tell me anything about you, but the investigator thought he might be able to find you anyway.” She tilted her head to the side, playing with the end of her hair. “I don’t blame you…or-or expect anything from you. I don’t want to disrupt your life, and I’m sure you had your reasons for giving me up.” She paused, and the tears in her eyes matched my own. “I had a really great life. Two parents who loved me so much. I don’t need anything from you, but I just… I want to know you. I want to know where I came from.”
