do it?” Kari asked.

“Oh, I think he did, but not for the reasons that the police think.”

“Why did he kill Mrs. Livingston then?”

“You may not know this either, but one of the reasons Guy and Lucy moved to Maui was to start over. He’d had an affair where they used to live, and she left him. He eventually got her back, and that’s why he’d given her the necklace and bracelet. It was for their anniversary and it was a celebration of their new love.”

“Pretty heartless of her to sell it then.”

“I thought so too, and I’m a little embarrassed I didn’t question that behavior more. But I was hired to find the jewelry and I did. I think I got so caught up in the fake robbery scheme that I didn’t bother to look beyond that. Then Lucy was killed and that changed everything again.”

“Why would you need to question her behavior? She did what she did.”

“Yes, but Lucy obviously loved Guy. She had to love him enough to overlook the affair and be willing to move thousands of miles away to give their marriage another shot. A woman who would do that isn’t likely to then embark on her own affair and sell off a treasured anniversary gift.”

Kari didn’t respond, so I continued.

“I actually met with Lucy’s lover. His name’s Bret Hardy and he told me that she suspected Guy was having an affair again. He said that Lucy was so convinced that he was cheating that she started to monitor his phone, his computer, even his credit card bills. But she couldn’t find any evidence.”

“Maybe she got it wrong.”

“That was a possibility, but I decided to explore it anyway. Guy had me convinced that he didn’t kill his wife. Actually, let me rephrase that. He opened my mind to the possibility that he didn’t do it. The way I saw it, if he didn’t kill his wife, then maybe his jealous lover did. So, I decided to find his lover and question her.

“At first, I thought it was this woman named Bella Bridges. She was his business partner. A beautiful woman, but he hadn’t expressed any interest in her. She did provide one important piece of information, though. She said that they had their afternoons free since they performed their photoshoots in the early morning and early evening.

“That’s when I realized why Lucy hadn’t been able to find any evidence of Guy’s affair. There was no evidence that she could see. He didn’t have anything on his credit card because he never took his lover to a hotel. She came to his house. He also never used his cell phone because there was no reason to. He saw her all the time. The computer was a slightly different story. There was nothing on his home computer, but his work computer had the evidence. Did you know, Kari, that today’s cameras store metadata on all the photos you take?”

“I don’t really think about it much,” she said.

“They do, and that’s how I was able to determine that Guy conducted a dozen photo sessions with his lover, all taken on the bed he shared with his wife.”

“You saw those, huh?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“They don’t prove anything but the fact that I posed for him.”

“Sure. I know that. But here’s what I think happened. You and Guy felt safe to conduct your affair during the afternoons since Lucy worked at a bank. Those are about as regular hours as you can get. She left work early the day she was murdered. She told the manager she was sick, but I think she’d figured out what her husband was doing. She went home early to catch him in the act, and she did. She must have been horrified when she realized her husband’s lover was an underage girl. He’d already done that before, and she was foolish enough to believe he wouldn’t do it again.”

Kari paused a long moment.

Then she said, “She threatened to turn him in for statutory rape. He panicked and he grabbed the gun from his nightstand.”

“He shot her and then told you to go home.”

“The idiot thought he could get away with it. He thought he could tell the cops that he found her like that, and they’d believe him.”

“You realize you obstructed justice when you didn’t tell the police what you knew.”

“What are they going to do to me? I’m a minor. I’m the victim here. Guy took advantage of my innocence.”

“Your innocence?”

“None of this matters anyway. He’s about to be convicted for murder and it’s your word against mine. We’re out in the ocean. No witnesses to our conversation,” she said.

I pointed to a boat about fifty yards from us.

“See that boat over there?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“There’s a detective onboard with a parabolic microphone. She’s recorded every word we’ve said. That’s why I shifted my board in this direction.”

“Nice trick, if it’s true.”

“Say hello to Alana. She’s quite the surfer too. She might even be able to show you a thing or two.”

“I doubt that.”

“I appreciate the lesson, Kari. I think I’ll take the board in now.”

Kari said nothing.

I paddled the board back into shore. I didn’t attempt to ride the waves. I didn’t want to look like a fool after my conversation with Kari.

I walked back to my car and retrieved my phone from the glove compartment. I dialed Alana’s number.

“Did you get all of that?” I asked.

“Loud and clear.”

“What do you think will happen to her?”

“Tough to say. I’ll give this recording to the DA’s office and they can decide what to do with it. She’s right when she said she’ll be viewed as one of the victims, at least that’s how her attorney will make it seem.”

“You saw the photos I saw. She’s not so innocent.”

“I agree, but the law’s the law. She’ll probably skate. Fortunately, the same can’t be said for Guy Livingston.”

I ended the call with Alana and found a public restroom where I changed into dry clothes. I didn’t drive home to

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