Deception Cove

But he had allowed himself to get suckered into the doomed project on Rainshadow, and now he was engaged in some serious damage control. He could not afford to lose Ethel Whitcomb’s patronage, not now that his own fantasy of a brilliant future was about to crash and burn.

He had to maintain his connection with Ethel, and that meant he had to nurture her obsession with avenging her son’s death. Ethel had vowed to make Alice North’s life a living hell and she had spent a great deal of money to do that.

Ethel was the ultimate stalker, Aldwin thought—a head full of obsessive revenge fantasies and all the money in the world to make those fantasies come true.

He suppressed a sigh. Just because you were rich, connected, and powerful didn’t mean you weren’t a whacko.

“When I discovered that Fulton was in an MC contract with Alice North, I told myself it wasn’t important,” Ethel said. She rose from her chair and went to stand at the window. “He certainly was not the first man of his class to use an MC to placate a mistress. When I confronted him, he assured me that it was just a short-term fling. He said she had insisted on the arrangement and he saw no harm in it. The MC was supposed to be a trinket, like a nice piece of jewelry, to satisfy her. But she wanted more.”

“I understand,” Aldwin said. Surreptitiously he checked his watch. He had heard the story many times.

Ethel clenched one hand into a fist. “Alice North wanted a full Covenant Marriage. As if a Whitcomb would marry a woman of her sort. When she realized that she was not going to become Fulton’s CM wife, she murdered him. Why couldn’t the police see that she killed him?”

Because there was no evidence, Aldwin thought. Thanks to a useful item of Alien technology that killed without a trace. But he didn’t say it out loud. He and Ethel had been over this territory a thousand times in the past year. Ethel had run up against one thing her money had been unable to buy—the criminal justice system. Which was actually rather astonishing, in Aldwin’s opinion. A year ago he would have bet good money that with Ethel Whitcomb pushing for an arrest, the system would have obliged. It had come as a bit of a shock when Alice North had walked free. Evidently not everything was for sale down there at the Resonance City PD. He would have to keep that in mind.

“I just cannot comprehend Drake Sebastian entering into an MC with that woman,” Ethel said. “Everyone knows the Sebastian men don’t do MCs with their mistresses.”

Aldwin cleared his throat. “The family standards may be slipping. There was that divorce a while back. The Sebastians tried to keep it hushed up, but everyone in their circle knew about it.”

“Yes, I know,” Ethel said. “But this tacky MC coming on the heels of that dreadful scandal just makes it all so much worse. Drake’s mother, Samantha, must be furious. I can’t even imagine what Drake’s grandfather is thinking. And as for Drake, it’s no secret he is set to take over the business next year. Why would he embarrass his family like this?”

Aldwin was quite certain he knew the answer to Ethel’s questions. There was only one logical reason why Drake Sebastian would have gotten himself involved in an MC with Alice North. It was the same reason that Fulton had married the woman. The Sebastians had concluded that they needed Alice’s assistance to find the crystals. The fact that Drake had whisked her off to Rainshadow immediately after the ceremony said it all. Not like the island is any woman’s dream of a honeymoon paradise, he thought.

He did not want to contemplate what would happen if Drake was successful. If the Sebastians found the two crystals, they would also find the Dream Chamber and the bitch, Zara Tucker. That could not be allowed to happen. Aldwin knew that Zara would take him down with her in a heartbeat.

It was all falling apart. Aldwin was now in survival mode. He hoped that Rainshadow blew sky-high and soon, taking Zara Tucker with it. The biggest mystery in this whole mess was why he had allowed Tucker to drag him into the project in the first place.

The panicky feeling was getting worse. He was not claustrophobic, but Ethel’s study seemed to be closing in around him. It was getting hard to breathe.

“You’ve got other things on your mind, Mrs. Whitcomb,” he said gently. “We can discuss the plans for the new wing of the museum some other time.”

“Yes,” she said, bleak and bitter. “Some other time.”

“I’ll see myself out,” he said.

Ethel did not respond. Aldwin left her standing at the window as she gazed out at the spectacular view.

Chapter 24

“THE FIRST STEP IS TO MAKE A LIST OF MEN WHO MIGHT be vulnerable to Zara’s talent,” Drake said.

“That shouldn’t be difficult,” Fletcher said. “Not that many people left here in town, and between the four of us we know them all.”

They were gathered in Looking Glass Antiques. It was early morning but the sky was once again dark and heavy. Alice knew there would be no sun that day. The lights were still off, leaving the shop steeped in shadows. The place was crammed with antiques, and all of them had a paranormal provenance. The combined currents that emanated from the objects infused the atmosphere with a faint, hair-lifting buzz.

Alice stood quietly, lounging against a counter with Houdini tucked under one arm. Drake laid out his plans to Charlotte, Rachel, Jasper, and Fletcher. She was glumly aware that she had nothing to contribute to the strategy. Her brief moment of feeling like a member of the group had dissipated. She could not assist with the task of winnowing down the list of suspects because she was not well acquainted with anyone on the island. She had no talent for aura reading, like Rachel. And she had only arrived yesterday, so she could not determine various timelines and alibis. The best she could do in a pinch was bend a little light and vanish. She was just the magician’s assistant.

Drake was the magician in this situation. He had taken charge with the ease of a natural leader. No one had even blinked when he had announced that he had a strategy and he wanted help implementing it. Alice had the distinct impression that the others were relieved that someone had a plan. There was nothing worse than sitting around waiting for disaster to strike.

“Are you sure you don’t want to bring Officer Willis in on this?” Rachel asked.

“I wish we could,” Drake said, “but I don’t think we should take the chance. Unfortunately, for now he’s on the list of suspects. He’s an ideal target for Tucker—young, single, male, and well positioned to know what is going on here in Shadow Bay.”

“What about Myrna Reed?” Charlotte asked. “I know that Slade trusts her. She’s been a police officer here on Rainshadow for years. She knows all kinds of secrets.”

“Her input would be valuable,” Drake said. “But informing her of this project would put her in a difficult situation with Kirk Willis. In addition, because of her close ties to the community, we can’t be sure where her loyalties lie. She might feel bound to protect some of the people on the list. For now, this stays with the six of us.”

“Understood,” Jasper said.

“I agree,” Fletcher added. “We’ll get started on the list immediately.”

Charlotte looked at Drake with a speculative expression. “What happens if we come up with a likely suspect?”

“I’ll have a short conversation with him,” Drake said.

Jasper raised his bushy brows. “And if he isn’t feeling chatty?”

“He’ll tell me what I want to know,” Drake said without inflection. “I’m sure of it.”

Jasper nodded, satisfied. “You need any help with that conversation, feel free to call on Fletch and me.”

In that moment, Alice glimpsed a few of the hard edges under the surfaces of the two retired ghost hunters. They might be an artist and a gallery owner now, but they had survived for years in the underground catacombs. It was tough, dangerous work and it had left its mark on both men.

Drake smiled. “Count on it, you will be in on that conversation.”