Page 18

Chapter Seventeen

I woke up Tuesday morning with a headache and a sore hip. I hadn't slept well after Allison's disturbing phone call. I'd wanted to talk to Andrew about it, but it was almost midnight before he returned, and by then I thought it was better to just let it all be until the morning.

But that conversation would still have to wait because Andrew was gone, leaving a note on the table next to me saying he was going for a run with Colin, and he'd be back by ten thirty for our eleven o'clock spa appointment.

I was dreading another day of smiling and pretending everything was romantic and wonderful, when it was anything but. It would take all my acting skills to fake our newly wedded bliss. I was going to have to tap into how I used to feel about Andrew, before I started to doubt everything he said, everything he did.

After showering and throwing on a sleeveless dress that Megan had approved for this particular photo shoot, I went into the living room, wondering if Andrew might have left his computer open or some other clue lying about, but there was nothing.

A knock came at the door, and I was happy to see Ethan through the peephole. I needed to talk to him about Allison.

I opened the door. "Good morning."

"It's not good," he said grimly. "Is Andrew here?"

"No. He went for a run with Colin. What's wrong?"

Ethan stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "When did Andrew leave?"

"I'm not sure. He was gone when I woke up around nine. He said he'd be back by ten thirty for our spa appointment at eleven."

"What happened last night after we talked?" Ethan asked. "What time did Andrew get back to your suite?"

"I think it was around midnight. But I didn't speak to him. Did you talk to Allison yet? Because she called me last night and basically threatened me."

"What time was that?"

"Around eight. She said I have nine lives, and if I don't stay out of her business, I'm going to get hurt. She's the one behind everything that is happening to me."

"Lauren—"

"All the signs point to her," I said, ignoring his interruption. "Everything from the message in the bridal suite, to my horse getting spooked, to her conversation with me on the boat. She's the only one with the motive to hurt me."

"Even if it was her, there's nothing we can do now," he said.

I didn't understand his grim tone. "Of course there's something we can do. We can talk to the police, get her arrested, questioned. We have to stop her from trying to hurt me again."

"She's not going to hurt you, Lauren."

"How can you promise that?"

"Because she's dead."

My jaw dropped in shock. "What?"

"Allison is dead. She was found on the ground in front of the model villas under construction on the hillside. It looked like she slipped through some temporary flooring on a balcony and was killed on impact."

I heard what he said, but it made little sense. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I saw her body. There will be an investigation, of course. But there were no active cameras in the area, and apparently, no witnesses. A maintenance person found her a little after six this morning. It looked like she'd been dead for hours. She probably fell sometime last night."

I shook my head in disbelief. "If she's dead, she didn't fall. Someone killed her." I frowned. "But who would kill her? I was so sure she was the one trying to kill me. Now she's dead, and I'm alive? I'm…stunned."

"Well, based on what you said, the person most likely to have killed her would be Andrew. If he thought she was trying to hurt you, and she was refusing to leave, they could have gotten into an argument. Maybe he shoved her. Maybe she fell. Either way, she ended up dead. Now, she's no longer a threat to you or to him."

"She did tell me she would make Andrew pay, but she didn't say for what." I felt sick to my stomach. "I can't believe any of this is happening. I can't believe someone killed her."

"I didn't say someone; I said Andrew. It sounds like they had issues that went beyond you."

"Andrew has never shown even a hint of violence. He's not a guy who yells or gets into fights. He's calm and controlled, and he's always looking for the upside." I stopped, realizing I was defending him again, and maybe what I was saying wasn't even true. I had seen more anger in him the last few days than I'd ever seen before.

"People often have more than one side," Ethan said. "Andrew had opportunity. He was out last night until midnight. At any rate, the coroner will figure out time of death, and then we'll determine where everyone was at that time."

"What did the Carringtons say? Did you talk to Victor?"

"Yes. I spoke to all three of them. They're very shaken up, to say the least."

"This is horrible. I didn't like Allison, and I wanted her to leave, but I never thought she'd die."

"The local sheriff's office has asked for help from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A detective will be arriving at some point to investigate. If he or she asks you questions about Allison, you should be careful what you say to him because the only other person who had a motive to kill her is probably you."

I stiffened at his words. "That's crazy."

"Think about it, Lauren. You're in marketing. You understand spin. Your husband's ex shows up at your wedding, is flirting with him, trashes your bridal suite, pushes you into the water, is ruining everything, and you just want her to leave. You want someone to get her off the island."

My stomach churned even more at his words. "So, I killed her, or I told Andrew to do it?"

"Like I said, you should be careful what you say."

"I understand. What is Victor going to do? Will he call off the grand opening? Will he cancel all the reservations? His VIPs are coming in today. Tomorrow is the ribbon cutting, the kickoff party, and numerous other events. But how can we open the resort when there's been a murder on the grounds?"

"First, it's not being called a murder, but an accident. It will be reported that a designer working on the villa had an unfortunate accident and fell in a construction area she wasn't supposed to be in. And that the rest of the resort is in great condition, blah, blah, blah."

His words made total sense. That's exactly how it would be spun. And I'd be a part of that spin. I'd be called on to distract everyone with my romantic wedding story. "They're going to need me and Andrew to put on an even bigger show now. Victor won't want you questioning Andrew. Pointing a finger at him will be too risky," I said.

"I'm sure you're right. The investigation will have to be done quietly, but it will be done." He paused as the door handle turned, and Andrew walked in.

He was wearing running pants and a T-shirt that showed sweaty patches on his chest and under his arms. His face was also red and sweaty. He'd definitely gone for a run, which was actually a little odd, because I was the runner, not him. He usually preferred to go to the gym and do the elliptical or lift weights, but today he'd gone for a long run with his friend, and even that seemed suspicious.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Stark?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Ethan said. "Your friend, Allison McGuire, died last night."

Andrew sucked in a breath. I watched him closely, thinking if he were guilty, he'd certainly show it in some way, but all I saw was shock in his eyes and tension in the taut lines of his jaw. "I don't understand. Did you say Allison is dead?"

"Yes. She slipped off a balcony at one of the villas under construction. It appeared to happen sometime last night, but she wasn't found until this morning."

Andrew bit down on his bottom lip as he shook his head in confusion. "You're sure she's dead?"

"I'm afraid so. Do you know what she was doing there?"

"She was working on interior designs to show Victor," Andrew said. "She had permission to go into the model. Is that where she was?"

"She was found in front of that building, yes."

Andrew shook his head again, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could she have slipped off the balcony?"

"The railings were not yet installed, and the flooring was temporary."

"Are you sure it was an accident?" Andrew asked.

"We don't know," Ethan replied without showing any emotion. "Do you have reason to believe it wasn't an accident?"

"She works on construction sites all the time. She knows how to be careful. It seems suspicious."

"Her death will definitely be investigated," Ethan said.

"What's going to happen now?" Andrew asked.

"The sheriff's office is trying to locate her family. Do you have any contact information you can share?"

"No. Alli didn't talk to her family. Her parents were divorced. As far as I know, she hadn't seen them in years."

It was weird hearing him call her Alli . He'd never shortened her name before, but maybe that's because he'd finally let down his guard.

"I—I need some air." Andrew walked through the living room and out the double doors leading to the deck.

"He's shocked and upset," I said to Ethan.

"He seems that way," Ethan agreed, but his tone was so pragmatic I didn't know if he thought Andrew's reaction was real or just really good acting.

"He wouldn't have told you he thought it was suspicious if he'd had something to do with her death." I paused as my phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was Megan reminding us we were meeting in thirty minutes.

"Andrew and I need to get ready for our spa date." I let out a sigh as I met Ethan's gaze. "It feels wrong to go on with these photo shoots like nothing happened."

"Until you're told otherwise, that's exactly what you should do." He lowered his voice. "Don't press Andrew, Lauren. Leave the questions to the police, to me, to everyone else but you."

I shivered at the look in his eyes, the warning in his voice. "You don't want me to try to get information?"

"No. I want you to stay safe. Did you tell Andrew about Allison's phone call to you last night?"

I shook my head. "I haven't had a chance."

"Keep that to yourself for now."

I looked at the man standing out on the deck, the man I'd married a few days ago. He had his hands on the railing, and he was looking out to the ocean. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his tension, his distress. "I don't think he killed her, Ethan."

"Until we know who did, you can't trust anyone, not even your husband."