“Okay. I’ll think about it. I’ll deal with it. Zoe, sorry, but I told people I was going to the bathroom and we’ve been on the phone forever.”
“Call me tomorrow when you get a chance. Promise.”
“I promise. I’ll be safe.”
Abigail hung up the phone. She wanted to sit for a moment, digest all the information she’d just been given, but she knew she’d been away too long. She stood, began to wend her way back through the desks toward the door that led to the hallway, when it swung open and one of the staff members came in, flicking on a light. “Oh hello,” he said to Abigail.
“Sorry,” Abigail said. “I was just using the phone. Mellie showed me where it was earlier.”
The staff member—she recognized him as one of the servers in the dining room—shrugged and said, “That’s fine.”
“Hey,” she said. “I was just wondering. I’ve been talking with a friend who’s not doing so well. If I needed to get off this island, how long does that take?”
“You flew here, right? It’s about twenty minutes.”
“No, I mean, how long does it take to arrange a flight, get someone to come here from the mainland?”
“Not very long. Casco Air always has a plane available, unless the weather’s bad.”
“Thanks. Just checking. What’s your name?”
“It’s Aaron, Mrs. Lamb,” he said, and something about the fact that he knew her name made her feel a little on edge. Did all the staff know everything that was happening with the guests? Well, of course they did. There weren’t that many guests, and Bruce was a part-owner, after all.
Back downstairs Bruce and Alec were still in their chairs, still talking, and Jill was sitting near them, staring at the back of her hand. For a moment she had thought Jill was looking at a cell phone, but of course she wasn’t. As Abigail walked toward the group, Bruce looked up at her and made a face that she immediately read as, Save me from talking to this guy any longer.
Abigail went over and touched Bruce’s shoulder, told everyone she was exhausted and wanted to call it a night.
CHAPTER 16
The next morning Abigail told Bruce about her plans to meet Jill at the pool before lunch.
“You’ve made a friend,” he said.
“Not really. She’s just … I think she’s feeling a little outnumbered here on this island by all the men.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he said. “How about you?”
“Oh, definitely outnumbered. You’re more than welcome to come, though. Remember that we weren’t supposed to separate.”
“Come where?”
“Swimming. With Jill and me. She’s going to invite Alec, too.”
“Alec’s trying to get me to invest in a movie about a serial killer who’s killing one woman in every state in the country. He goes, ‘You know how some mountain climbers want to bag the biggest peak in every state? This killer wants to bag a woman in every state and get away with it.’”
“Sounds horrible,” Abigail said.
“I agree. It will probably make a fortune.”
They were eating breakfast outside on the veranda. It was still cool, but the skies had cleared and everything was bathed in a soft morning light. Abigail had actually slept the night before. She hadn’t thought it was possible—her mind buzzing with all the new information she’d gotten—but after going over and over her conversation with Zoe on the phone and with Jill after dinner she’d actually slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. When she woke up, there had been about two minutes during which she just lay there in the comfort of the bed, her mind blank, before it all came rushing back. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Zoe had said about Scott Baumgart, real name Eric Newman, and how his wife had drowned on their honeymoon. It was obvious that what had happened with him was a driving force behind him being here stalking Abigail, but was he some kind of psychopath, or was he simply grieving? And what was the deal with Jill, and an ex-boyfriend of hers showing up during her honeymoon? What were the chances that something so similar would happen to both Jill and Abigail?
Bruce stirred beside her in the bed, and Abigail formed a plan. This morning she would go and see Jill at the pool. If they were alone, she’d tell her what was going on with her and Eric Newman. It would be good to get another opinion. Abigail decided that the best thing to do—no matter how dishonest