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I wanted to correct her and tell her that what I knew about murder methods wasn’t professional. Chatting with my colleagues and work friends had me picking up information that had come in handy with what happened to Jeannie.
But I stopped myself. I didn’t want to appear to distance myself from Mallory’s request. Especially not if she found out about Wendy’s potential involvement with this supplier.
An icy sensation crept across my skin and all the hairs raised in quick succession.
The feud. Would the emergence of this unknown supplier throw fuel onto an already out-of-control fire?
“Sure.” I twisted my fingers together in my lap until pain spasmed through my joints. “Absolutely.”
I braced myself against the speedboat steering wheel as a large wave nudged the boat’s nose into the air.
The boat hit the water, and I lurched forward, clinging to the wheel. Seizing the throttle, I dialled it back a notch.
The seas had gotten choppy as the winds grew wilder.
I would have to make this trip quick.
Wispy clouds streaked the sky as the sun sank toward the horizon, tinging the heavens with pinks and oranges.
I had wanted to explore the site of Tyler’s death with Kira and Allison in tow. But the moment their parents learned what they had been involved in, they had summoned their children home.
Technically, Dad had summoned me, too, after a phone call when I got out of Mallory’s office. But I told him I had forgotten something at the scuba office and had to go back to get it.
I used my keys to get into the storeroom, changed into a wet suit, grabbed an oxygen enchantment and a pair of flippers, and hopped into the speedboat.
Despite what had happened to Jeannie, I couldn’t allow myself to get distracted. Tyler’s murder was my first concern, given that his mother might also be in danger.
The deadly potions and spells circulating Dusk, and even the Arrowood household, would have to wait. Trust the entire island to go down the pan the second I arrived home.
I parked the boat up a short distance from the crevice where we had retrieved Tyler’s body and dropped the anchor.
The chances of finding a clue around here weren’t high, but the next time I crossed paths with Ben Everhart, I wouldn’t have him accusing me of not being thorough.
I tucked the talisman containing the oxygen enchantment into the gap in the neck of my wet suit. Magical wet suits could hold many talismans and spells that would aid in maneuverability in the water.
The oxygen one was my favourite. It made me feel like a mermaid. If only.
I sat on the edge of the boat and toppled off backwards into the water.
I was suddenly light, both in body and in soul. Kicking out, I propelled myself through the blue waters toward the sea floor about ten feet below.
If only I could free-dive this. I would have loved to swim this without equipment. But on the hunt for belongings, I needed the air if I wanted to avoid bobbing up and down.
Although, my free-diving wasn’t exactly up to scratch after years of using gear.
A familiar tingling sensation curved around in a circular motion on my arm. Excellent. What better time was there for a bit of luck?
Sunlight shimmered down from above, casting its glow onto the silty floor. If it weren’t for the growing roughness of the waves, I couldn’t have asked for better conditions to search.
I dove deeper, trying not to disturb the silt. The swells encouraged me along like a parent to their child on a bike with no stabilisers.
Anything that had fallen off Tyler or his killer could have gotten swept away by the current or even eaten by wildlife. But if there was one thing professional scuba diving had taught me, it was that objects could get stuck in, or on, the most unsuspecting of things.
A metallic glint caught my eye as I shifted to the side, allowing the sunlight past me. I didn’t get my hopes up. There was plenty of trash to be found on the seafloor.
But as I dusted the sand away, a watch face glinted up at me, its glass heavily cracked. I grabbed it and withdrew it out of the sand, holding it up to my eyes.
My stomach rolled. Was this Tyler’s watch, or did it belong to the person who had killed him?
