woke you,” Lozza said as they followed her into a stunning living room overlooking the sea.
“No worries. I worked late last night. I do readings online in time zones across the world. Sometimes that means crazy hours. Take a seat. Can I get you guys coffee, tea?”
“No. Thanks,” said Lozza. “We shouldn’t be long.”
They sat and Lozza got out her notebook. “Describe what you saw, please,” she said.
“I saw them quite clearly through the scope.” Willow nodded to the telescope on a tripod in front of the huge picture windows. “Gregg was with me. He saw them, too.”
Gregg grunted.
“What time was that?” asked Lozza.
“It was . . . just before six, I think. I was making coffee when I saw a boat heading out into the bay. I went to the scope to get a better look. I saw it was the Abracadabra. Saw the name clearly. And I saw Martin and Ellie on board.”
Lozza scribbled in her notebook, feeling hot and clumpy in her big boots with her stupidly frizzy ginger hair and peeling sunburned nose while Willow sat across from her in her pretty kimono and elegant home. Despite her late night and the shadows under Willow’s eyes, she still managed to look sexy.
“What were they wearing?” asked Lozza. “How did you know it was them?”
“I could see. Martin had . . . I think a tan shirt. Cargo pants. The same as he wore fishing the other day when they got into trouble on the bar. Bare head. Ellie had a pale-blue cap on. A royal-blue jacket. Her hair was tied in a ponytail. I noticed because it’s so long and was blowing in the wind. They were headed toward the Point of No Return. I was surprised to see them because Martin was supposed to be away on a business trip. And there were whitecaps on the sea. It was windy. Not ideal fishing weather . . .” Her voice faded.
Lozza glanced up. “Anything else?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Thanks,” Lozza said, closing her notebook and coming to her feet.
“Is Ellie going to be okay—can she have visitors yet?” Willow asked.
“She’s unconscious. Don’t know yet.”
Worry creased Willow’s brow. “I . . . I don’t understand. What . . . what does it mean that Martin is missing?”
“The boat is gone,” said Gregg as he stood up. “Martin and the boat.”
“So how did Ellie get back?” asked Willow.
“We’re trying to figure that out,” Gregg said.
Willow frowned at him. “I’m going to call the hospital. I need to see her.”
“Did you know Ellie well, Willow?” Lozza asked.
“We’re friends.” She sniffed her emotion back. “Ellie has confided in me, as a friend.” She hesitated. “I . . . Look, it’s not my place to say anything because . . . it’s personal. But . . .” Willow’s frown deepened. “Given the circumstances, it might be relevant. Ellie . . . she’d just gotten proof that her husband was having an affair.”
“What do you mean?” Lozza’s interest was suddenly piqued.
“She’d hired a PI to follow Martin and his mistress, and Ellie had recently received photographic evidence. She told me she was planning to leave him—return to Canada—before he got back from his business trip. But he must have come back early. Which makes it really strange that they’d even go out in the boat together. Especially since Ellie had such an awful experience the first time they went fishing. It doesn’t make sense. None of it.”
“Did you see the photos?” Lozza asked, her brain racing now.
Willow nodded, hesitated, then said, “Ellie had also apparently found proof her husband was moving money out of their joint account. She feared he’d married her in a rush to get access to her money. She even thought he might be drugging her.” Willow swore softly, rubbed her face, then said, “Ellie found a receipt for two plane tickets to the Cape Verde islands. The departure date was in two weeks, and they were not for her.” She paused. “I . . . I can’t believe this. They only got married in May. In Las Vegas. It was a whirlwind thing, Ellie said.”
Lozza stared at Willow. “You mean Martin was getting ready to bolt?”
“I’m not sure. It seems that way.”
“With his mistress?” asked Gregg.
“That’s what Ellie feared.”
“Who’s the mistress, Willow?” asked Lozza.
Willow looked out of the window, clearly conflicted.
“Willow—” Gregg pressed. “This puts everything in a different light. If Martin is lost out there”—he flung his arm toward the picture windows overlooking the sea—“it could be