Page 135 of Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds

Several people from inside the cabin came to the deck to watch the lightning show. It was pretty spectacular, though a little creepy. I was glad we’d be back at the resort soon. Brie went to her dad, and Sherry immediately followed, kissed Andrew, then leaned against the railing.

Brie said something, but I couldn’t hear it. Sherry looked angry and Andrew confused.

The ferry slowed a bit as we neared the island. Then a wave had the boat moving up and down to the point my stomach was a little queasy. I took a couple deep breaths, getting my bearings. Then I heard a scream and a splash.

“Sherry!” Andrew shouted. “Woman overboard!”

A bell rang, the ferry’s engine cut off, and David grabbed a life preserver and rushed over to Andrew. He tossed the ringout to where Sherry was flopping in the water. She struggled to swim toward it, and I noticed there was blood on her head.

Andrew kicked off his shoes and jumped into the water. He swam over to Sherry, bringing the ring to her. She grabbed it with one hand, then clung to Andrew with the other. She was sobbing and gulping for air as the waves became more violent from the incoming storm.

I went to Brie’s side. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. One minute she was standing there. The next, she fell through the gate.”

I noticed then that one of the railing gates was unlatched. If someone had leaned against it, they easily could have fallen over the side.

“You didn’t—” I said quietly.

“No!” Brie said when she saw what I pointed to. “Shedid it.”

“Why?” I asked.

“For attention? Dammit, she set this up, I know it.”

We watched as David and one of the crew helped Sherry back onto the boat, and then Andrew followed. Sherry wrapped her arms around him, sobbing.

“Let me check your head,” David said. “You must have hit it falling over.”

“It’ll be okay,” Andrew said to Sherry. “You’re okay, thank God.”

Sherry looked directly at Brie and me, smiled slyly, then buried her face in Andrew’s shoulder.

We docked at three that afternoon. The sky was no longer blue, and darker clouds looked ominous on the horizon with lightning flashing in the distance. I was exhausted and tired. A hot shower, then Brie and I would come up with a plan to beat Sherry.

Then I’d spend the night with Jason. That made me smile.

I was the last in line as we walked up the dock to the waiting shuttle. The kids had run ahead along the beach to the resort without their parents.

Andrew had his arm around Sherry and she now sported abandage on her head, which I thought was overkill. Brie stopped and walked over to the side of the dock to take a selfie with the storm clouds as a backdrop.

“Brie, hurry up, Sherry needs to get into some dry clothes and relax.”

Brie looked at me and rolled her eyes.

“Ohmigod!” Doug shouted. “Is that a person?”

Everyone turned to the southernmost edge of the dock. Eli and two of the deck hands jumped off the ferry and joined the group. They all stopped at the edge of the rocks that led down to the beach.

Something was wrong. I hurried over to Brie’s side as David and Eli climbed down the rocks. Brie took my hand and squeezed.

The fall wasn’t steep, though it could be dangerous because of the rocks that had been built up to create a breakwater between the dock and employee housing.

There was a body on the rocks. A seagull stood on his head. David reached the body and shooed the bird away.

That’s when I recognized Gino Garmon.

He was very, very dead.