Page 132 of Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds

“But you are coming with us snorkeling, right?” Brie pushed.

“I said I would.”

“You don’t want to.”

“I don’t know what we can do that’s going to show your dad Sherry’s true colors.” I told her what Braden said yesterday about Sherry’s finances. “I have no legal way to go deeper into her finances, but she’s in bankruptcy and has to sell her house.”

“It’s something.”

“She could have a sob story or a legitimate reason like her mother had expensive cancer treatments or even that she was conned. She already hates me, so I can’t befriend her. She thinks I’m trying to steal your dad from her.”

“What if... oh, light bulb!”

I didn’t like Brie’s tone. “What?”

“You don’t have to do anything. But we can make Sherrythinkyou’re flirting with my dad... and that he’s receptive.”

That seemed far-fetched. “How?”

“Leave it to me.”

“Brie—”

She put her hand up. “I know what I’m doing. You just need to be yourself. Change nothing.”

“All right,” I reluctantly agreed. “But if this works, I have something for you to do. I have an idea how we can find the documents that Amber and Parker are looking for.”

“Whether it works or not, I’m all yours. Now eat fast. We have to be at the dock in five minutes.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

—Lee Child,The Affair

I didn’t think that Brie’s plan was going to work, but I didn’t say anything because she was ultra-confident.

Instead, I did exactly what she told me to do, starting with sticking by her side and laughing at her jokes, both the good and bad.

There were two distinct groups on the snorkeling trip. Two families with a gaggle of kids between the ages of eight and twelve who all stuck together and outnumbered the adults, then the rest of us. Sherry, Andrew, and Brie; Doug and David; and the horny honeymooners, who seemed to have tamed their PDA. They still couldn’t keep their hands off each other, but they didn’t have their lips locked half the time.

It was a beautiful day, and while Iwastired, I was glad I’d come. The island was a thirty-minute ferry ride. Though uninhabited, there was a permanent cabana, a dock and boathouse, and a row of portable toilets. The island was a government-owned nature preserve; St. Claire maintained the facilities and paid a fee for use.

The reefs were along the eastern side of the island, so we walked fifteen minutes with our gear. Kalise provided a safety lesson, then a bit of history about the reef and the island itself.

Doug had brought an underwater camera and seemed especially excited about the trip. When I caught his eye, he pointed to David, who was listening intently, then gave me two thumbs-up. I supposed that meant he and David had worked things out. I was glad.

St. Claire had amazingly clear water. But this place, which Kalise called Pedro Point, had water so clear we could see details on the sandy bottom far from shore.

Kalise brought the kids and parents to one area, and the rest of us went with staff farther along where it was less noisy, but no less beautiful. Brie and I hung back with the others, and we watched Sherry cling to Andrew, walking a dozen feet ahead. He didn’t seem to mind, and I—not for the first time—thought Brie might be too close to the situation. She loved her dad and didn’t want anyone to take her place. It was normal, and she’d outgrow it.

Except... I didn’t like Sherry, either, and I didn’t trust her. She was mean. And her attitude on the ferry back from St. John was definitely suspicious.

Brie started laughing and playfully hit me. “Are you serious?” she said.

It took me a second, but I caught up. “Totally,” I said with a snicker.

“And?”