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“Of course it’s chocolate.” Natasha looked between Meg and Dalton. “Wait, you saw whales? Here in the sound? When?”

By the time they called it a night, Meg was feeling more than a little tired. Maybe it was the wine coolers or the second slice of cake, on top of an amazing dinner. She was waiting for Watson to do his business so they could get on the boat when she heard voices.

“I know something’s wrong,” a woman said to Meg’s left. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

They were walking toward the parking lot to which Dalton had walked Natasha with her now-empty cooler a few minutes ago. Dalton was waiting for them on the boat.

“Just leave it alone. I can’t talk about it,” a male voice answered. “I might be heading to Portland for a few weeks. I’ve got a job lined up, so don’t freak out if I disappear.”

“Sure. Why would I worry about you?” the woman said as they came around the path and saw Meg and Watson.

“Oh, hi, Meg. Heading home?” Violet asked.

“Yeah, tomorrow’s a long day at the bookstore, so I’m getting back.” She glanced down at Watson, who stood next to her. “I like to walk him before he gets on Dalton’s boat and has bad ideas.”

“He’s so cute. I bet he never has bad ideas.” Violet reached down and rubbed Watson’s head.

“Sure. The dog’s perfect,” Nate muttered as he kept walking.

Violet rolled her eyes. “I better go. The king is in a bad mood tonight.”

“It was nice to see you,” Meg called after her. Then she turned and headed back to the beach and Dalton.

When they headed back to the marina, she told Dalton about Nate’s news.

Dalton glanced toward the shore as she told him. “I heard he got fired from Island Diner last week for not showing up. I guess he’s gone through all the employers on the island. Violet needs to dump that loser.”

Meg wondered if Nate’s situation was more pressing.

The guy hated anyone who seemed to have money or was, in his eyes, not a local.

Had he fought with Robert Meade and now felt compelled to leave town?

It was a possibility. Of course, anyone who was on the island the day Meade was killed could also fall into that logic.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She was chasing zebras.

She’d written the rule for her book last week.

Hoof sounds are more likely a sign of horses than zebras .

Her uncle probably had another suspect besides Lilly Aster now, especially since he’d all but told Natasha that he knew she didn’t kill the guy.

When she got home, the lights were off at the main house.

Not the time to go banging on the door to ask who was next on Uncle Troy’s list of suspects.

Or even to tell him that she had a “feeling” that Nate was a killer.

Besides, did she even know Nate’s last name?

Nate, the guy who hung out at the bonfires and dated Violet.

She didn’t think that kind of evidence would clear Lilly Aster.

She took Watson for one more short walk around the property after Dalton dropped them off. As she waited for him to finish, she saw a light turn on in the main house. Then it went off.

Probably Uncle Troy or Aunt Melody in the kitchen to grab a drink. They wouldn’t be watching for her to come home, would they?

Meg and Watson climbed the stairs to the apartment and then headed to bed. Tomorrow was almost here, and she had a job she liked to go to.

As she lay in bed, she thought about her night. Dalton and the whales. Then seeing Natasha at the bonfire, eating the to-die-for cake, and knowing her friend was happy. Maybe coming home hadn’t been such a bad idea.

* * *

The ringing phone woke her the next morning at eight. Sunlight streamed into the bedroom, and Watson was curled up next to her. He growled lightly when she turned to grab her phone. “Hello?”

“Oh, I didn’t wake you, did I? I wanted to let you know that your mom is coming over to have breakfast with me, and I didn’t want her to find you in bed. Especially since you had a late night.” Aunt Melody was too bright and chipper for this time of the morning.

Meg slid her legs off the bed. “I was getting up.”

“Perfect. Then come over and eat with us. I’m making omelets. I got some mushrooms at the farmers market on Saturday that I need to use up. I always buy too much produce there.”

After hanging up with her aunt, she checked on Watson, who looked perfectly comfortable, clearly conveying that he wished to sleep for a while longer while Meg showered. It was a good thing they didn’t go to the bonfires every week.

She clicked on Watson’s leash and headed down to the backyard as soon as she heard her mom’s car pull up.

Thank goodness for her aunt’s warning shot.

She was a grown woman, but still, she didn’t want her mom griping about her sleeping habits, especially since she’d been out late with Dalton. Bainbridge was a small town.

Inside the gate, Meg let Watson off the lead, and he went to his favorite couch on the porch. She lightly knocked on the patio door and heard Aunt Melody call out for her to come in. When she entered the kitchen, the orange juice and coffee had already been poured.

“This looks amazing.”

“I figured you’d like a home-cooked meal. You’ve been eating out a lot.” Aunt Melody winked at her. “How was dinner with Dalton yesterday?”

“We saw whales from the patio.” Meg slipped into her chair and sipped her coffee. She needed to change the subject.

Mom stared at her from her spot at the table. “Have you taken the time to talk to Romain since he’s been back? I think you should—”

“Felicia, let the girl be. What you want for Meg is for her to be happy. Romain messed up that version of life. Now she has to find a new path.” Aunt Melody sat down and put a napkin on her lap.

“Now, let’s share food and gossip. What have you heard about who killed Robert Meade?

Troy has been unusually tight-lipped about this investigation.

I’m worried that he truly thinks Lilly might be involved. ”

Meg listened as her aunt and mom talked about the current investigation and what people around town were saying.

Meg had to agree with her aunt. From what she knew, Lilly Aster was the most likely suspect, even if she and Aunt Melody knew that the woman wouldn’t have done this.

Now that she had Natasha mostly cleared of any wrongdoing, it was time to make sure Lilly was off Uncle Troy’s suspect list. And someone else was on it.