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“Trevor and Diana knew each other?” I asked.
“Yyyessss.” She drew out the word as if hesitant about saying anything.
I pushed. “How?”
CeeCee bit her lip. “Well, Trevor said they had met once through mutual friends, but he didn’t really know her. Claimed she had wanted to do a business deal with him, but it was too small for his company. They only handle big projects. I don’t remember the details. He didn’t tell me much, but when he turned her down, she was really angry.” She frowned. “I don’t know why people are so mean all the time. My mama always said if you can’t say something nice, keep your mouth shut.”
I tried not to sound too curious but couldn’t help myself. “What did Diana say?”
I willed her to tell me, but didn’t push, not wanting to come off as nosier than I’d already been.
“Well, she didn’t actuallysayanything. It was like, she just completely cut me out of the conversation. She turned herbackto me.”
“Rude,” Sherry said.
You’re one to talk, I thought.
“It was like I was nobody,” CeeCee said, “and I know I shouldn’t be upset about it, but I was tired, and she was mean, and I said something to Trevor. He promised she wouldn’t bother us again.”
Promised? I wondered what he said—or did—to keep Diana away from CeeCee.
“And,” she continued, “she didn’t.” She nodded forcefully and drained her champagne.
The takeaway was that Diana had known Trevor before they saw each other on the island. She knew something about him... and his business. Had she been blackmailing him? I wanted to review her notes again. Maybe there was some clue I missed. If she wrote about him and I had a detail, I might be able to break her code.
Sherry got up and walked toward Brie, then Brie immediately came over to us, plopped down next to me. “Look,” she said, and showed me the photos she’d taken on her phone.
“Nice,” I said. “I like how you framed the resort here. Your camera is better than mine.”
“Maybe I’m just a better photographer,” she said with a laugh.
“You are,” I concurred. “I point and shoot and sometimes get lucky.”
Brie showed me an app she had on her phone and explained how she used it to edit her photos. CeeCee asked Brie to show her how to take better selfies, and Brie was happy to demonstrate. She tilted her head toward me, held the phone high, and said, “Smile!”Click click.
“The trick is coming from above, not below, but hold your arm like this—” she demonstrated “—so you don’t get a weird angle and the camera doesn’t go out of focus.”
CeeCee practiced making duck lips and acting sexy and coy. “Trevor will love these!”
Brie said, “No duck lips. It’s so 2010.”
“What?” CeeCee’s lips quivered.
“Smile wide, like this.” Brie demonstrated.
“Really?” CeeCee copied her, looked at the picture. “You’re right! So much better!” She leaned over and hugged Brie. “Thank you!”
“Sometimes, it’s a plus being the youngest in the room.”
Chapter Thirteen
“A good detective never overlooks the small details.”
—Robert Crais,The Last Detective
The hike back down the mountain went much faster, and the four of us parted by the waterfall in the lodge. Brie said, “See you later at the beach party, Mia?”
“I’ll be there,” I said. I didn’t really have a choice since all the restaurants were closed for the weekly Caribbean luau. It was late afternoon, and the resort was surprisingly quiet. Staff was setting up for the party on the beach side of the pool deck, a couple of people I didn’t recognize sat in the Blue Dahlia (Jason still wasn’t behind the bar), and two families with kids ate together in the restaurant.