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Upstairs, I found Cody in the midst of his announcement, the crew gathered around him on the pool deck.

Allison and Jennifer were there too, but I didn’t see Gisèle and Samira anywhere.

I hovered at the edge of the crowd as Cody spoke, fascinated by his transformation this afternoon.

For as long as I’d known him, he’d always seemed so unassuming; the milder-mannered, meeker brother.

But it had been years since I’d spent any time with him, and I’d never seen him in a business environment.

Perhaps this stronger, sharper Cody was who he’d always been at work.

He did run a multi-billion-dollar company, after all.

And now…would Tyson’s shares go to Cody? Or to Samira?

“We appreciate your discretion during this trying time,” Cody concluded as the chief steward handed out NDAs and pens. “Any questions?”

A hand went up and Cody pointed. “Are you all still having dinner on the boat tonight?” the chef asked.

Cody looked over at Allison. “We have to eat,” Allison said.

“We’ll be staying overnight,” Cody added. “For containment purposes.”

“When will the Wi-Fi be turned back on?” a guy in the back asked.

So that was why my text to Rosa hadn’t gone through.

“After the public announcement has been made tomorrow morning,” Cody said.

As the crew signed their documents and handed them over to the chief steward, I made my way to the railing on the far side of the ship.

Even with the protection of my hat and dark glasses, the glare from the sun on the sea was so bright that it was hard to make out any details across the water.

Our dinghies were no longer moored in front of the big rock, but the Search and Rescue boat and the police boat were still there.

I wondered where they’d found Tyson and what had happened to him, what his final moments had been like. I thought of Laurent, of how harrowing it must have been to discover Tyson unresponsive. It had been an hour now since they reeled him in. What were they still doing over there?

A heavy hand on my shoulder startled me and I turned to see Cody. “Audrey, can you come with me?”

I nodded, uneasy as I trailed him up the two sets of stairs to the primary level and across the living area. Before we could step into the office, the door to Tyson’s suite opened and Gisèle emerged, closing it behind her with unsteady hands.

“How’s Samira doing?” I asked.

“Not well.”

Cody loitered in the doorway of the office, waiting for me. “The crew’s on the main deck, if she needs anything,” he offered.

She nodded, starting down the stairs as Cody beckoned me into the office, shutting us inside.

A large built-in lucite desk faced the view, with two barrel-backed white velvet chairs opposite it and a wall of mostly empty white shelves behind it.

Cody sat heavily into the white leather desk chair and dropped his forehead to his hands.

I took the chair opposite him, waiting for him to compose himself.

“Sorry,” he said after a moment, looking up.

“You’re handling everything really well, all things considered,” I said gently.

“Thanks.” He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I’m glad it looks that way. I’m—” He closed his eyes and took a breath, stopping the tears before they fell. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d have to deal with.”

“Have you heard anything about what happened?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

“You guys fought before the dive.” It wasn’t a question. We both knew I’d seen him exit Tyson’s room enraged. But I hoped it would elicit some kind of explanation.

He leaned back in the chair. “I didn’t mention that you and I had spoken last night, but I did tell him I realized the timing of your visit couldn’t be coincidental.

He got angry and accused me of blackmailing him, which I told him was preposterous.

That’s when you saw me storm out. You talked to him after that? ”

I nodded. “He told me he’d taken out the money the blackmailer demanded and wanted to meet them this evening. I tried to talk him out of going, but he seemed set on it.”

“Do you think this blackmailer has anything?” he asked.

I paused. “There were keys in the lining of Ian’s shoe. My contact on the police force told me, but it hasn’t been mentioned publicly. One was to his safety deposit box.”

“Have the police opened it?”

I shook my head. “Figuring out which box would be impossible without any more information.”

“Did you tell Tyson about the keys?”

“No. I’d planned to, but he was so antagonistic when I got down here, and so paranoid…

I decided not to mention it. The blackmailer hasn’t said anything about them either, but maybe that was what they planned to reveal at the meeting this evening.

I mean, Ian told us he kept the keys in his shoe—he could have told anyone else too. ”

He nodded, following along. “You think Ian told people he was blackmailing us?”

“It certainly seems that way.”

“So, Tyson would’ve been afraid there was some evidence inside the lockbox that Ian had been blackmailing us, which would have given us a motive to kill him.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “But even if this blackmailer did know about the keys, they couldn’t know for sure what was inside the lockbox. Hell, none of us know that.”

I could see the gears in Cody’s mind turning as we looked at each other, both of us at a loss. “Can you think of anything else they might have?” I asked.

He rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “No.”

I couldn’t either, unless there were things Tyson hadn’t shared with me…which was entirely possible. Probable, even. But also impossible to know. I sighed. “Then I don’t see what good could come of meeting them.”

He clicked the end of his pen. “So how do we find out who it is?”

“Does it matter anymore?” I asked. “It was Tyson they were blackmailing, and he’s gone. You’ve got bigger things to deal with now.”

He let out a groan, dropping his forehead to his folded arms on the desktop.

“Did you have operating instructions in place in case Tyson wasn’t able to perform his duties as CEO?” I asked.

He nodded. “I’m interim CEO.”

“And do you know how his shares will be conferred?”

“No. That’ll be in the will.”

“The police will be asking, so you’ll want to get ahead of it,” I said.

“I’ll make a call.” He looked like a lost little boy. “Anything else I should do?”

“Get yourself a lawyer if you don’t have one already. A criminal defense attorney. Sooner rather than later.”

He blinked at me, unsettled. “You think that’s necessary?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” A tear escaped his eye, and he quickly wiped it away. “Thanks, Audrey.”

“Have you called your parents?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I should do that.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” I knew Tyson’s relationship with his parents had been strained, but my heart went out to them, and to Cody, having to tell them they’d lost a son.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob. “I’m sorry, Cody.

You’ve always been there for me. If there’s anything you need, please know I’m here. ”

He didn’t turn. “Thanks.”