Page 29

Kincaid turns to face us, handing out pads of paper with golf pencils attached. “This is a very special spot. There’s a cliff wall about a hundred feet into the forest, running parallel to the beach. It’s perpetually wet with rain runoff, and the forest is mainly hemlock, which makes it a favorite of all types of fungi. Stay between here and the cliff, make lots of noise with your bear bells, and you should be fine. Spread out at least several yards between each other to ensure we’re getting a proper survey.”

“There’s no rules about foraging for the Madrona fungi?” Rav asks. “Because Nick certainly frowned upon that.”

Kincaid nods, his gaze going to mine. “I have been briefed about what Lauren and Sydney discovered yesterday.” I wince. The way he says it sounds like it wasn’t a good briefing. “We won’t be foraging at any rate; this is purely surveying. If you do find something, I brought my Polaroid camera, otherwise just make a note on your notepad. Don’t touch anything.”

Everyone starts walking off while Kincaid takes the rope from the Zodiac and fastens it around a giant piece of driftwood halfway up the beach.

“Will that hold?” I ask, wanting to stay and talk to him instead of surveying with the group.

“Should do,” he says with a grunt, pulling the Zodiac a couple of feet. He’s hella strong. “We’ll only be here about an hour. The tide is slack right now, best time for a beach landing. By the time it starts going out, we’ll be ready to go.”

He finishes and walks back to me, dusting his hands off.

“Black runners,” he comments, eyeing my shoes. “Smart. White ones get dirty very fast out here.”

I can’t help but stare at him, remembering last night. “This is going to sound odd, but…” I pause, waiting until everyone else walks out of earshot. “Were you in my room last night?”

He doesn’t even blink. “And why would you think that?” he asks, his voice flat.

“You ran past me down the stairs, didn’t even look at me. Before that, I heard a door close and someone locking it. It sounded like it was my door.”

“I had to go into Christina’s room to retrieve something for her. It was a pressing matter.” He frowns, folding his arms with a hint of a smile on his lips. “I suppose I should be flattered. First, you think I’m stalking you outside your window, now you think I’m breaking into your room. Tell me, did I take anything from you?”

“No,” I say, feeling flustered and wishing I hadn’t brought it up. “Just these shoes appeared when I couldn’t find them before.” I hold out my foot.

“So, you think I went into your room and gave you your shoes? Which I assume means you think I have some sort of foot fetish and stole them to begin with?”

“Well, I do now,” I joke, cheeks burning.

He holds my gaze for a few seconds.

“Did you take your pills this morning?”

I shake my head. “No, actually, I’m following your rules. Are you going to blame this conversation on that?”

He laughs. It’s a lively, genuine sound that makes my stomach flip, such a contrast to his composed exterior. “Perhaps. Did you write in your diary?”

“I forgot. But I will. I promise.”

“What about your appetite? Your sleep?”

I don’t bother filling him in about not getting back to sleep because I was too scared.

“Still tired, but my appetite has returned.”

“Good,” he says. He sucks in his lower lip and watches me for a moment, like he’s about to say something else. Then he nods at the forest. “You better hurry.”

I take that as a sign to leave him alone.

I nod and then scurry along the white sand until I’m entering the forest. I have a feeling that if it was a sunny day, this beach would look tropical. The air is filled with birdsong and the jingle of bear bells, mine attached to the bottom of my jacket. I try to stay away from the others. I don’t want to go too far, but I like the idea of exploring by myself. It’s always more fun for me to discover and survey on my own, going at my own pace and having conversations in my head that I don’t have to share with anyone.

I head to the right, where the slope isn’t as sharp and where a creek empties out into the ocean. I walk through the hemlocks until I’m at the base of the cliff, but I must be at the tail end of it because it’s not very high.

A twig snaps behind me.

I whirl around.

There’s nothing but the trees.