Page 56

“I have pictures of it, so there’s no use denying it,” I said, locking the cage. Now to show her a way out. “But I don’t want to throw you under the bus if there’s a plausible explanation.”

She glanced at Rémy and Laurent, who sat on the opposite side of the boat, out of earshot with the sound of the motor.

The others were on the first dinghy. “Fine,” she acquiesced.

“It was a stupid mistake. I was using EPO to increase my red blood cell mass after a hiatus, and it worked so well…I got sloppy. That blood test ended my career.”

“But no one ever knew about it,” I said. “You retired before it came out.”

“That was the deal I struck.”

“How did Tyson get hold of it?”

She shook her head. “Who knows. But he’d decided Cody was to blame for leaking the environmental report, and he was using the blood test to pressure me to vote him out. If I didn’t, he’d slip that blood test to the press.”

“Is that why you killed him?” I asked.

Her head whipped toward mine. “I didn’t kill him. I was getting what I wanted. Tyson was bringing in another investor and had agreed to let me sell some of my shares to him once I voted Cody out.”

“So you were willing to screw Cody over, even though it was you who leaked the environmental report?” I pressed.

“I didn’t—”

“I saw you, Allison. I was at Le Ti that night.”

Her jaw tensed. “I didn’t have a choice,” she muttered. “I didn’t like it, but I had to save my own ass.” She leaned closer, her voice urgent. “I may be a liar, but I’m not a murderer.”

She could be lying about that too, of course, but in my line of work, I’d learned to trust my instincts, and I didn’t believe she was.

Allison might be duplicitous, but she was too rational to let her hate for Tyson get the better of her if she was already getting what she wanted from him.

“Did Cody know Tyson was trying to vote him out?”

She shook her head. “No.”

We docked next to the angular police boat and the officers helped us board, directing us to the interior, which was gray and bursting with gadgets and screens. The sides were lined with benches, and I took a seat next to Laurent, who gave me a reassuring glance as we lurched forward.

The engine was loud enough that conversation was next to impossible as we cruised around the edges of the island, my dread growing heavier the closer we got to Gustavia.

A pair of Jet Skis streaked by, and I could see surfers waiting for waves offshore and beachgoers frolicking on the golden sand, oblivious to the morbid scene on this police boat.

A phone dinged, and then another. We were back to service.

I felt my own device vibrate and pulled it from my pocket to see my home screen lit up with messages that had come in since the news of Tyson’s demise had been posted fifteen minutes ago.

Rosa alone had texted me seven times, increasingly worried when I didn’t respond.

I pulled up my news feed to see that word of Tyson’s death had spawned a cornucopia of articles about him, spanning the gamut from his professional achievements to his tumultuous personal life, but thankfully, no one had yet gotten hold of the information that he had not three but five children.

I knew I needed to break the news to Benji and Alex before they learned it from someone else, but I wasn’t about to make that phone call in front of everyone.

As I composed a text to Rosa telling her not to let the boys watch the news, my phone began to ring, and her name flashed on the screen. I considered. The engine was loud, but Cody and Allison were both talking on their phones. I should at least let her know I was okay. “Rosa,” I answered.

“Oh my God Audrey, what the hell?” she cried.

“I can’t really talk right now, I’m on a boat and it’s loud.”

“I can hear that. I read it was a dive accident? What happened?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” I said. “But yeah. I’m not gonna be able to come back immediately. Are you okay keeping the boys a few more days?”

“Of course. Don’t even worry about it.”

“You’re an angel, thank you,” I said. “Tell the boys I love them and I’ll be home soon. I’m just a little sunburned.”

“Got it,” she said, receiving our code word. “Stay safe.”

“Oh, and Rosa,” I said, catching her before she hung up. “Please don’t let them watch the news.”

Once we’d hung up, I pocketed my phone, looking out the window to see the green trees give way to red rooftops, the buildings getting closer together as we neared Gustavia.

I rubbed my sweating palms on my jeans, scanning the faces of the others on the boat, who all looked just as anxious as I felt.

I knew Laurent would vouch for me, and I felt relatively certain Rémy would as well. Samira and Gisèle might, though I doubted they’d stick their necks out for me if it might compromise their own defense in any way.

The captain cut the engine and the water slapped the side of the boat as we cruised into the harbor.

Jennifer rose from the bench to peer out the window behind me at the row of docked yachts, but the boat rocked, sending her stumbling backward.

As she reached up and caught a grab handle, her shirt lifted, and a jolt of recognition went through me.

On the left side of her torso was a long, jagged scar.