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CHAPTER

THIRTY-ONE

Things are going swimmingly.

I love that word. It sounds so fancy.

And it seems so perfect for this situation.

People turning on each other. Bad things happening. Paranoia rearing its gloriously suspicious head.

It’s all so beautiful, really.

To be honest, everything has been easier than I’d thought it would be.

With any luck, I’ll get my way, and no one will be the wiser.

I stand near a column as the concert is about to begin.

To my knowledge, no one knows what’s really going on—no one except me.

There have been murmurings. People have been getting nervous because there have been so many incidents. And Darla? Well, her accident had been truly that.

Just think . . . without me here, that might have been the only accident that happened on this retreat. What fun would that be?

I’ve overheard people talking about Josh, how he might not be the right fit for Benchmark.

I’d seen that one all along. It was nice to know others were seeing it now also.

I only hope Maddie doesn’t make this any more difficult.

I mean, I could have just killed her outright.

But my plan is much better because it involves suffering.

My smile slips.

People really should mind their own business.

I’m not done yet.

Lessons still needed to be learned.

And I can’t wait to see everything play out.

With that, I begin to sing along with the performer on stage as he belts out “Livin’ the Vida Loca.”

How appropriate. How very, very appropriate.

My voice gets louder as I fully embrace the lyrics.