Page 74 of Death of a Grill Master

She’d come to make sure the evidence she’d planted had been found.

Hayley made a mental note: Keep a closer eye on Nancy Larkin. And her husband, Roger, for that matter—who could have easily fit into that wet suit.

Hayley parked outside the Island Times office to find Bruce already at one of the outdoor café tables next door with a laptop open, blueberry scone half-eaten beside his coffee.

“Good morning,” he said. “You’re up early.”

“Someone left me a present behind the bar,” she said, pulling out the chair across from him.

Bruce arched an eyebrow. “What kind of present?”

“Two scuba tanks. Clean. Labeled. Practically gift-wrapped with Zane’s name on them.”

Bruce whistled softly. “Someone’s trying to build a narrative.”

“That Zane’s ditching evidence,” Hayley said. “And they’re working fast.”

Bruce nodded, then opened a file on his screen. “Got another update. Tina’s sister is flying in. Wants to finalize things, clear out her apartment.”

Hayley exhaled. “So she knows.”

“She knows Tina drowned, yeah. But there’s more. She told me Tina emailed her two days after the fireworks. Said she recognized someone while swimming the night of the fireworks and it freaked her out. Wouldn’t say who, just that she didn’t feel safe. Her sister said she sounded ‘off.’ When she wrote her back asking her to give more details, Tina never responded.”

Hayley’s stomach sank. “That’s the day she vanished.”

Bruce nodded. “She might’ve seen too much.”

Hayley sipped her coffee and felt her suspicion harden.

Tina had definitely seen someone.

And that someone was in the video on her phone.

Someone connected to Hank.

Now she was dead.

And Zane was being lined up to take the fall.

Hayley’s next stop was Liddy Crawford’s real estate office. The storefront looked like the inside of a coastal-themed Pinterest board—everything whitewashed wood and ocean blues. Inside, Liddy glanced up from her laptop.

“Well, well,” she said, surprised. “You here to buy that adorable bungalow in Otter Creek or just to sweep me off my feet for a decadent early lunch?”

“Tempting,” Hayley said. “But I’m actually looking for Tyler.”

Liddy fanned herself with a property brochure. “Your loss. I was planning on lobster mac and cheese and a chocolate martini. Don’t tell my trainer.”

Hayley laughed, then walked past the lobby into the back office, where Tyler was typing at lightning speed while sipping something the color of pond scum through a metal straw.

“Hayley!” he said brightly. “Want a protein ball? They’re quinoa-based.”

“I’ll pass.”

She explained what had been found behind the bar.

Tyler immediately frowned.

“I placed that tank order,” he said. “Four total. Two went to the shop. Zane took the other two to clean at home. That’s the last I saw of them.”