lodge. “There’s one more for you,” Chip said to the pilot.
“No problemo,” the pilot said, while at the same time Eric said, “It’s actually just going to be Abigail and me,” his voice unnaturally loud. Then Eric turned to Bruce, pointing an index finger at him, and said, “You’re staying here.”
“We can all go,” Abigail said quickly. “It’s fine.”
Bruce laughed and said to Eric, “Uh, I can decide if I’m going or not.”
“You’re not going,” Eric said. He turned to Abigail. “He was going to throw you out of the plane.”
Bruce said, “What the fuck?”
Then Chip took a step toward Eric and said, “Whoa, whoa, what’s going on here?”
“It’s what they did to Jill Greenly,” Eric said directly to Abigail, now lowering his voice as though it were the two of them having a private conversation. “They told her she could leave and then they threw her out of the plane.”
The pilot laughed nervously. “Are you talking about the couple I took back yesterday afternoon? No one threw anyone out of my plane, trust me.”
Eric looked directly at Abigail. “I talked to the woman who works at the lodge, right after you and I talked. Mellie. She told me that’s what happened to Jill, that she was thrown out of the plane as a punishment.”
“Mellie told me they’re still on the island,” Abigail said. Her stomach was starting to hurt so bad it felt almost like a cramp.
“Stop. Everyone stop,” Chip said. “No one is throwing anyone out of a plane. I don’t know what Mellie told you, but anything she says you should take with an enormous grain of salt. Let’s just say that she is less than trustworthy.”
“She told me that Alec and Jill are still here on the island,” Abigail said again, hoping to establish just one fact that they could all agree on.
“I hired Mellie as a personal favor for someone, but she is a bit of a fantasist, to put it mildly.” Chip turned to Abigail and said, “Alec and Jill Greenly are not on this island.” Then he turned to Eric and said, “And Jill Greenly was not thrown out of an airplane. No one has been thrown out of an airplane. I promise that I will have a conversation with her and find out what exactly is going on.”
“I don’t care whether you have a conversation with her or not,” Eric said. “I just know that I’m getting on this plane with Abigail, just the two of us.” He turned and looked at her and said, “I don’t care what you do when we land. I don’t care if you don’t talk to me again, but I need to see that you get safely off this island.”
Bruce smiled at Eric, creasing his forehead, and said, “There is no way I’m allowing you to leave with my wife. It’s not going to happen. So either shut the fuck up and we can all take this plane back together, or, if you say another word, then I’m not letting you on this plane. I think Chip will back me up on that.”
“You hired me to sleep with your fiancée. You piece of shit.”
“You murdered your wife,” Bruce said. Then he turned to Chip and said, “Chip, can you call Bob and have him come and deal with this guy before I have to do it myself?”
“Why don’t we let Abigail decide?” Eric said, then turned to Abigail and added, “Whatever you want, I’ll do. If you want me to back off, I will.”
All the men turned intently to Abigail. For a moment she felt dizzy and wondered if she was going to faint, but then it passed, and she just felt exhausted, and sad, her throat aching like she was about to cry. The rain had plastered her hair to her head, and she felt cold.
“I want to go alone,” she said. “Just me. I want off the island.” Once the words were out, she realized how badly she really wanted that. To be alone on the plane leaving this evil place, Bruce and Eric left behind. “That’s what I really want,” she said aloud. “I want to be alone, and I want to get away from here.”
She looked at the pilot, who seemed to be enjoying the drama. He shrugged as if to say he’d be happy to take her alone. She nodded toward him. “You ready?” she said.
First the pilot laughed, and then Chip joined in. Abigail, confused, looked around. It was only