Page 52 of The Getaway

“Why don’t we just take Juliet upstairs?” Grant suggested, getting in between the two women. “Out of sight, out of mind?”

“Oh, so now, what? I’m under house arrest?” Juliet said, throwing up her hands.

“Just . . . maybe stay in your room,” Marley suggested, looking pointedly at Hazel’s hunched back. “Just until things . . . calm down.”

Marley reached for Juliet, and Juliet slapped her hand away. The smack was like a gunshot. Marley recoiled in shock, as did Suzy. She was pretty sure she’d never seen Juliet lift a hand to anyone in her entire life. Was it possible they had all missed a violent streak in her? That she was finally showing her true self?

Suzy started to sweat. Her brow felt wet, and her skin went hot under her bra. She had been barely holding it together herself. How much longer were they going to have to stay here, trapped by the raging weather gods?

“You know what? Fine. I’ll go lock myself in my room,” Juliet finally conceded. “If you all think I could have had anything to do with this, then I don’t want to be around any of you anyway.”

Just then, Suzy saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Two people had just walked into the great room from the east wing. Cole was one of them, and the other . . .

“Lily?” Suzy said, her vision going hazy.

But no, it wasn’t Lily. It was someone who looked a lot like her. Someone who Suzy hadn’t seen in person in at least five years.

“Juliet didn’t do anything, you Judases,” the woman said. “How about you let me tell you what I know.”

26

Marley

“Daisy? What the hell are you doing here?” Marshall’s entire face lit up, the trauma of the moment entirely forgotten amid his surprise. He closed the space between himself and his former sister-in-law’s little sister in three long strides. As he enveloped her in a hug, Marley wasn’t sure what to do with herself. The last person she expected to be crashing on the floor of a construction zone—besides maybe Lily herself—was Daisy. She had always had a complicated relationship with Lily’s little sister, ten years her junior. Primarily because, while Marley found the woman fascinating and fun to be around, their time together almost always devolved into some sort of fight wherein Daisy accused Marley of trying to usurp her as Lily’s best friend.

“Hey, bro,” Daisy said, reaching up to hug him. She was as petite as Lily, which meant she was a hundred pounds soaking wet and barely topped five-foot-two in bare feet. Marshall dwarfed her in her tiny white dress and sparkly pink sweater. Her blond hair was pulled back in a haphazard updo, and her youthful face was makeup-free, not that she ever needed makeup. Daisy was a semipro surfer who lived on the beach in California and pretty much only ever wore sunscreen on her skin. “Hi, everyone else,” Daisy said when Marshall released her. “It’s . . . something . . . to see you all here.”

“Oh, no way. That’s Daisy Fitzmore,” Florence whispered, and Vienna quickly snapped a photo from across the room.

Daisy gave the girls and Grant an odd sort of look, but they were busy editing the picture, and he didn’t seem fazed. “So you must be . . . Lily’s sister,” he said.

“That’s me,” Daisy said, reaching back to tighten the tie in her hair.

“And that was your stuff we found,” Suzy said, eyeing the sweater.

“Yeah, and I’ll take my candlesticks back, if you don’t mind,” said Daisy with a touch of sarcasm.

“I think you mean my candlesticks,” Hazel put in.

Daisy’s face went red at being addressed by Hazel. She didn’t look at her as she said, “They were a gift from me to my sister, so I’m taking them back. Suzy, you’ll get them for me, won’t you?”

Suzy didn’t answer, and Marley didn’t blame her. Hazel’s glower was a powerful force.

“Hey, Daze,” Marley said, trying to stop an argument before it could happen. She skirted around Marshall to give the girl an awkward half hug. “It’s good to see you.”

“I’m sure,” Daisy said flatly. The two words were full of accusation and judgment. She must have talked to Lily and known how pissed and upset Lily was that they’d come here without her. Had she spoken to her in the last twenty-four hours? Did she know where Lily was? “Well, since you’re doing the whole whodunit thing here, I saw Lincoln around two a.m. He was coming downstairs from the second floor, and he reeked of pot.”

Hazel’s eyes narrowed, and she looked at Sean, who had just admitted to being stoned. Sean raised his meaty hands. “Don’t look at me. I got high on the basketball court with Roddy and those guys from accounting.”

“Wow. The guys from accounting really know how to party,” Suzy said under her breath.

Something tickled at the back of Marley’s mind. She’d seen an ashtray on the ground . . . on the deck outside Juliet’s room. “Juliet?” she said. “Who were you getting high with last night on the sunporch?”

Slowly, everyone turned to look at Juliet. Marley could see her trying to figure out a way out of this one and finally giving up.

“Omigod, okay, fine. Lincoln came up to my room for a minute last night. After the guests went home,” Juliet said.

“I knew it!” Hazel shouted, and Grant had to hold her back from lunging at Juliet.