Page 149 of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

“Wh… I… I was just returning Isabella’s lipstick. She left it in the bathroom.”

“What is your problem, Emily?” I say. “Do you honestly think that Harper tried to kill me? Or killed Shek? Or tried to kill Connor?”

Emily shrugs. “Yeah, I can kind of believe all of that. She told me that she didn’t want you to stop writing your books. That she was mad at you about it. And she inherits everything if you die.”

“What about Shek?”

“Shek probably saw something he shouldn’t and couldn’t keep his big mouth shut,” Guy says.

I follow their logic and then reject it. “If Harper wanted me dead, why do it on this tour? We live together. She has plenty of opportunity to do away with me.”

“But then she’d be the prime suspect,” Guy says. “Whereas here…”

“There are plenty of suspects to go around…” Allison says. “Isn’t that what we’ve been proving with this?” She points to the easel.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. But why would she try to frame me for Shek’s death?”

“Someone tried to frame you for Shek’s death?” Oliver says.

“That has to be what happened. That device that was used to kill Shek, it was in my backpack, and the other master key was in my purse, the one from Rome. I found it the other day. That’s what made the police think I did it. But I didn’t. Which means someone is trying to frame me. Why would Harper do that?”

Emily shrugs again. “I’m not saying I have it all worked out. But do I believe she’s a viable suspect? Definitely. Means, motive, opportunity. She has all of it. And especially if you aren’t going to write anymore, now’s the time to strike. When’s the next time that she might have this kind of chance?”

“Harper,” Allison says, “aren’t you going to defend yourself?”

Harper is completely still next to me.

But I know that doesn’t mean anything. She’s always taken a moment to process.

“See, she doesn’t even deny it,” Emily says. “And then there’s the Connor stuff.”

“What Connor stuff?” I say, dread building inside of me.

“Her and Connor.”

“There is no her and Connor.”

Emily tilts her head to the side. “Not anymore. That’s the problem. He broke her heart when he ended their affair.”

Wait, what?

“Harper, is that true?”

“Why would I make that up? Besides, Connor told me all about it when we hooked up at Books by the Banks. How he’d bedded both sisters.” She looks around. “Come on. Remember at dinner a couple of nights ago when Allison asked if he’d slept with every woman at the table and he said yes?”

Ugh. I do remember that. I hadn’t thought through what it meant because I didn’t want to know.

I still don’t.

“I thought you knew,” Emily said.

“I hadn’t made the connection,” I say, but as I say it, I’m not even sure that’s true.

I’ve been worried something was going on between them for a while, all the hints I tried to ignore. The way she was around him, the way he looked at her, those moments between them in the church in Rome. And then…

“That’s why you let him read your pages,” I say to Harper. “That’s why you trusted him with your work? Why his opinion meant so much to you?”

She nods her head slowly, coming out of whatever haze she’s been in. “I’m sorry.”