Page 28 of Easton Island

Tiff swung the door open, standing in a way that partially blocked their view. Her eyes flitted from Morgan to Wyatt, who was still wearing his police uniform. “D-did…uh…something happen?” she stammered.

“Officer Dawson is a friend of mine,” Morgan said. “We were outside and noticed lights coming from the attic windows.”

“Lights?” Tiff blinked rapidly. “Where’s the attic?”

Morgan ignored the question. The woman was playing dumb, and she wasn’t buying it. Not for a second. “I would like to take a look around.”

“Austin is in the bathroom showering.”

“I found your website. You and Austin are vloggers who travel around the Great Lakes, posting videos about mysteries. You know about the Shifting Sands Medallion. Greg, my employee, noticed your recording equipment.”

“So?” she answered defensively. “It’s not illegal to record.”

“On private property?” Morgan pinned her with a pointed stare.

“I know the laws. I can record on private property if it’s a business, which this is.”

Wyatt shook his head. “Except for areas that are off-limits to visitors.”

Morgan caught a flit of movement behind the woman. Seizing her opportunity, she nudged Tiff aside and strode into the bedroom. Austin stood near the window, quietly watching the confrontation unfold.

Without slowing, she strolled into the main bathroom and walk-in shower. Sure enough, the door leading to the attic was open. A quick check revealed that the shower walls and floor were dry, meaning Tiff had lied.

Wyatt, along with the vlogging couple, caught up with her.

Morgan could feel the tips of her ears burn. She ran her hand along the glass enclosure. “If Austin was taking a shower, he’s some sort of magician, drying the walls, the glass enclosure and even the floor. There’s not a drop of water.”

“I…uh…guess I was wrong,” Tiff muttered.

Gritting her teeth, Morgan stepped into the shower and climbed the stairs to the attic. Confirming her suspicions, she found the lock dangling from the padlock eyelet. She spun around and looked down.

The couple hovered at the bottom of the stairs, watching her.

Not trusting herself to speak, Morgan made a beeline for the room where she and Wyatt had found the medallion. A small flashlight sat on the windowsill. On closer inspection she noticed the boards where they’d found the ancient artifact stacked off to the side.

Muttering under her breath, Morgan grabbed the flashlight and beamed it into the opening. Confirming it was empty, she slid the floorboards back in place. With a quick check to make sure nothing else had been disturbed, she returned to the top of the stairs. She pulled the door shut and removed the padlock on her way down.

“Would you like to revise your version of what you were doing?” Morgan held up the lock and the flashlight.

“We booked this suite to sneak into the attic and film a video about the medallion,” Austin said. “We were wrong not to ask for your permission, and we’re sorry.”

Tiff twined her fingers. “We’ve heard you rarely allow tours of the attic.”

Wyatt crossed his arms. “So you thought it would be easier to ask for forgiveness instead of permission in the event you got busted.”

“We knew Morgan didn’t live here, so we figured by the time we started recording, she would have gone home,” Tiff confessed. “What we really wanted, and should have done in the first place, was ask for an inside scoop. Would you have done that?”

“I’m not sure. I guess it would depend on how you asked, but this?” Morgan clenched the padlock in her fist. “Is unacceptable.”

“You’re right.” Tiff stepped out of the shower and hung her head. “We’ll pack up and leave.”

The couple shuffled out of the bathroom. After they left, Morgan climbed the stairs and placed the padlock in the eyelet before snapping it into place. She tugged on the base, making sure it was secure.

Wyatt stood waiting for her at the bottom. “They feel bad.”

“For good reason.” Morgan glanced at her watch. “I’m not kicking them out. It’s late, and they’ll miss the last ferry, if they haven’t already.”

“We all make mistakes.”