Page 26

I rested against the old wooden veranda railing, my eyes locked on the horizon where dark clouds churned like turbulent thoughts. The wind, signaling an approaching thunderstorm, rustled the palm trees into a flurry of whispers.

The main house welcomed me back as I stepped inside. Guests had gathered, waiting for lunch, some already clutching drinks to quell the unease we all felt but couldn’t shake. I greeted my friends, Michelle and Jen, who were deep in conversation until I joined them.

“Ladies,” I nodded. “Seems like a storm is brewing out there.” They both smiled, nodding awkwardly, and I decided to let them continue their hushed discussion.

I picked up a plate to get some shrimp when I heard footsteps behind me. Not the soft kind, but deliberate and purposeful. I straightened, my instincts sharpened by years in the field. I turned to see her—the ice queen in all her splendor.

"Beatrice," I said, keeping my tone steady, my eyes narrowing slightly as I assessed her. I had hoped to encounter her here. "What can I do for you?"

"Let's skip the niceties, Eva Rae. We both know this isn't a friendly visit." Her voice cut through the room with the precision of her well-tailored suit.

"Then let's dive in." My response was brief, ready for the verbal duel to commence.

"Your investigation," Beatrice started, her steely gray eyes fixing on mine, "has it uncovered anything about Victoria?"

"Should it have?" I countered, leaning back against the table.

"Stop playing games with me, Eva Rae." She stepped closer, her voice lowering to a sharp whisper. "You and I both know that woman holds secrets darker than those black clouds approaching."

"That’s your sister. It seems a little harsh. Claims like that need proof, Beatrice." I held her gaze, refusing to waver under her intense scrutiny.

"Perhaps," she said, her lips curling slightly, "but intuition often leads where evidence eventually follows."

“Sure,” I said, getting tired of her games. Beatrice was definitely playing her own agenda right now and had been ever since deciding to bring Emilio or Javier here to upset her sister. But why? What was she up to?

"You need to look closer at Victoria," Beatrice continued, her tone sharp. "Mark's mother has a history of her own—a lover."

I could see the threads of her words weaving a complexstory, hinting at secrets buried deep within the very fabric of Mark's family history.

"Hm…," I said, letting it hang in the air between us. "You seem quite invested in Mark's death, Beatrice. Is there a personal stake in all of this?"

Her expression remained impassive, but I caught a flicker of something fleeting in her eyes before it vanished behind a mask of icy control.

"I have my reasons," Beatrice replied cryptically, her gaze piercing through me. “I’m also his aunt.”

Before I could probe further, a sudden crash of thunder reverberated through the house, followed by a blinding flash of lightning that illuminated the room in stark relief.

"We'll continue this later," Beatrice stated with finality, turning to leave as the lights flickered momentarily, casting eerie shadows across the room. I watched her depart, her figure disappearing into the dimly lit hallway as the storm unleashed its fury outside. The tension in the air lingered long after she had gone.