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“I thought it sounded reasonable under the circumstances,” Luke said. “It fit with our cover story.”
She groaned and pushed open the door. He was right. Letting the others think that they had been unable to follow the couples counselor’s instructions to avoid the distraction of sex was the most logical explanation for their late-night garden tour. But for some illogical reason it irritated her. She reminded herself that her nerves were already on edge.
“Okay, forget it,” she grumbled. She moved inside the cabin, flipped the light switch, and turned to face Luke. “Nothing we can do about it now. We’ve got bigger problems.”
“I admire your mature, professional approach to the crisis,” Luke said. He slipped the folder out from under his jacket and gave it to her. “Take this. See you in a few minutes. Lock the door until I get back. I don’t think the killer will make another move tonight, but no sense taking chances.”
She clenched the folder. “Killer?”
“Eddy Keever did not die of natural causes.”
She took a breath. “Murdered?”
“Yes.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that. But there were no signs of violence.”
“If I’m right, he was killed by paranormal means.”
Stunned, she stared at him. “What—?”
“Later,” Luke said. “I need to help Gill deal with the stretcher. This is a good opportunity to get a look at Keever’s cabin. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Meanwhile, like I said, lock the door and don’t open it for anyone except me.”
“You need to get over this bad habit you have of giving me orders. But yes, understood.”
She closed the door in his face, shot the bolt home, and crossed the small room to the table. She dropped the folder on the table and opened one of the miniature liquor bottles. It was turning into a very long night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The trek backto Keever’s darkened cabin was made mostly in silence. Evidently Nathan Gill did not feel obliged to offer any thoughtful Unplugged Experience meditations on the subject of death. That was a relief.
Inside the cabin they set the stretcher with its blanket-covered burden on the narrow bed. Luke stepped back.
“Did you know him well?” he asked.
“No.” Nathan studied the body for a moment. “None of us did. The Institute hired him off-site and sent him here. We were told he would be working nights like Pomona Finch.”
Luke surveyed the cabin as he followed Gill to the door. There wasn’t much to observe. The rustic space had a shabby, mildly cluttered, lived-in look. There was a small plastic baggie of what looked like dried, crushed mushrooms and a bong on the table.
“Looks like Keever found a way to relax after a hard night’s work in the conservatory,” he said.
Nathan glanced dismissively at the smoking apparatus. “Trustme, you would be looking for some distraction, too, if you were stuck on this island for a few months.”
“I notice you’re sticking it out,” Luke said.
“What can I tell you? The money is very, very good. And during the late summer and early fall there was other entertainment available. You’d be amazed by how many attractive women are interested in private mindfulness sessions.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Do you reallybelieve that Keever was murdered by paranormal means?” Talia sank down on the end of the bed, sipped some brandy, and studied the cabin wall that was less than three feet away. Her frazzled senses were settling down, but she was still getting occasional icy chills across the back of her neck.
“Yes,” Luke said.
She would not have thought it possible for him to move even farther into the cold, remote dimension she was starting to think of as the Luke zone, but he somehow managed to make that happen.
He carried the glass of whiskey she had poured for him across the cramped space to the wall where his jacket and shoulder holster hung on a hook. Reaching into a pocket, he took out the small, flashlight-shaped object he had found on Keever’s body.
He sat down beside her, close but not touching. The bedsprings squeaked under his weight. He swallowed some whiskey. She got the feeling he was giving himself time to work out how much to tell her. That did not bode well, she decided.
