It’s not great, but it’s the best excuse I can fumble through onsuch short notice.
Tomas stares at me, and for a moment I think he’s going to call me out, brand me a liar. But then he gives me a wary smile, one that almost sends me to my knees in relief.
“Okay. But where is…”
“Oh yeah, the bathroom. It’s over there,” I say pointing to the back of the boat.
Tomas nods and heads in that direction. I steal a glance at Nick, but he doesn’t seem to notice—or care—what we were talking about.
I take a deep breath and twist the cap on Adrien’s bottle before stuffing it back into her bag.
***
It’s a good plan if I do say so myself. Replacing Adrien’s seasickness pills with the extra-strength laxatives my physician had prescribed me before the trip in case of tummy issues. I really can’t imagine anything more wonderful than flawless, always put-together Adrien, shitting herself on a fancy yacht in the middle of the ocean in front of everyone. I came up with it during my conversation with Claire the other day. Kyan only likes perfect things, those that sparkle. And once he sees Princess Adrien dethroned, he’ll want nothing to do with her. Plus, it has the added bonus of embarrassing the shit out of her—pun very much intended—in front of everyone.
Twenty minutes after I successfully switch the pills, we’re all back on the lower level, huddled around the tables as Nick drones on about the safety precautions we need to follow while we’re outsnorkeling. But I’m barely listening.
Instead, I’m watching Adrien. She’s sitting a few tables over from me with her eyes pressed tightly closed, her skin gradually turning greener. She winces every time the boat shifts.
Finally, Nick stops talking. I watch Adrien reach for her bag, her hands rummaging until she pulls out something. The orange prescription bottle.
This is it.
My heart is pounding, my hands nearly trembling with anticipation. Will she notice the difference in the pills?
Slowly, she unscrews the top of the bottle and pours two into her open palm. Blood pounds in my ears as she pauses, looking down at them.
And then she reaches for her water.
I release an enormous breath, a smile rippling across my face as she raises her palm to her mouth.
And at the very last second, just as she’s about to place the pills in her mouth, Tomas is by her side, his hand on her arm.
He says something to her that I can’t hear over the others’ conversation, and she lowers her hand.
And then they both look over at me.
I’m caught.
22
Claire
Now
I drop the camera as if it’s burned me. Once it’s crashed to the floor, I notice a red light blinking from the back of it.
There’s only one person who could be behind this.
Randy.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I think about the way his eyes seemed to follow the girls in our group anytime we’d walk past the front desk, or the dirty looks I’d see him shoot at the guys behind their backs. But this is a new low.
How long has this been here? He had no idea we were coming back. Hell, evenwedidn’t know we were coming.
Which means Randy didn’t just install these for our return.
He’s used these cameras for previous guests. And maybe, just maybe, he’s had them for quite a while. In which case, they may have captured something that can help me figure out who killed Phoebe.
