"So, you think he knew who I was when he invited me?"
"I think he knew before he ever started talking to you."
"Why would he do that?" Bellamy asks.
"They're offering drugs to their guests to give a boost to their resort activities," I say. "Who better to have on their side than crooked law enforcement? They must have brought Luke in as a connection. He comes here enough that he knows the clientele, and he has sway over them."
"So, they use him like a saloon girl," Eric continues my thought process. "He pays attention to the guys at the resort and chooses ones he thinks are good for wanting to enhance their stays, hangs out with them, and then brings them to the lounge. He probably gets a cut of the cost or his own drugs free."
"But why didn't he give you the code words?" I ask. "I can't imagine you would be the first person he would do that for, so he knows what he's doing. Why would he let it drop like that?"
"Distracted?" Eric suggests. "It's been a while since he was here at the resort, so he was getting antsy to get in for his own foot rub and enhanced cigar?"
"Or he changed his mind. Something about the way you reacted told him you weren't the kind of guy they wanted around to help," I add.
I look down at my phone, and Bellamy gives me a questioning tilt of her head.
“What are you checking?” she asks.
“The time,” I say. “There isn't anything on the hiking trails that says they close at a certain time, is there?”
“What are you up to?” she asks.
“I need to go back up to the cliff,” I say. “I need to check something.”
“It's really getting late,” Eric says. “You shouldn't be walking around up there in the dark.”
“I'll be fine,” I tell him. “This can't wait until morning.”
“Then I'm coming with you,” he insists.
“No,” I say. “If we're right about Luke considering you to be added into the drugs loop here, they already have eyes on you. You don't want to call more attention to yourself. All I'm going to do is walk up there and back. And I'm going to take a direct route, rather than the long twisted one Bellamy decided would be a good idea. It shouldn't take long.”
She’s pouting at me, but Bellamy looks relieved I'm not going to be adventuring around the islands all night.
“How about me?” she asks. “Do you want me to come?”
“No,” I tell her. “The two of you need to stay here and be visible. Make sure people see you. Get dressed up and go have cocktails in the lobby or go for a stroll on the beach. Swim. Do something and make sure you talk to people. Maybe even request a couple of things from the desk or one of the managers. Make it obvious that you are just having fun and enjoying the resort.”
“Why would we do that?” Eric asks.
“Because what kind of best friends would allow someone to go creeping around on barely tamed island hiking trails by herself at night?” I ask.
"That's not reassuring, Emma," Bellamy calls after me as I head to the door. "You're not making me feel better."
The door closes behind me, and I rush for my room before she can come out and argue with me. Grabbing the small day pack I brought with me, I toss a few supplies inside and leave. Just like it has been the last few nights, the resort is alive in the fragrant night air. Couples milling around, men making their way out to the lobby, women on the prowl going to the pool or the beach to try to make a catch before bed. A few glance my way, and I make it a point to smile at them, giving them a full view of my face and exchanging a couple of words when I can.
I'm planting seeds, dropping breadcrumbs. People will know where I am and when.
The path Bellamy took us on the other day was winding and complicated, giving us a meandering tour of a large section of the island. I go for a more direct route. It's still not a fast or easy trek, but it cuts the transit time down to a more manageable forty minutes, and I'm not as tired when I get to the top of the cliff. There is still a disconcerting twinge in my lower back that reminds me I need to get back to my jogging and maybe take my seasonal clothes off the workout machines where I hung them in my house.
I make my way to the edge of the rocks and look out over the water. The waves look like tiny slivers of silver and black, reflecting off dueling patterns of starlight and shadow. But the moon is nowhere to be found. The clouds have come in, and the moon only shows its face in short, quick flashes before peeking back under the cover of darkness.
I doubt the flashlight on my phone I used to help me get here is going to do much good, so all I can do is get closer and try to see what might be ahead of me. Everything is still too dark, and I look around to find an alternative. There's another outcropping of rocks to one side. It's not as high as the one where I'm standing, but it seems to push out further into
