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“Samuel,” Maire said sharply, and he stopped speaking. Camille was staring at them, her eyes hungry for more details.
A terrible thought came to her. Maybe Camille was in on it. Maybe this was all one big double cross. Camille always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else, and she was the one who kept planting the seeds of doubt in their minds. She needed to get Samuel alone and make sure he stuck to their story.
“Like I said,” Camille said, holding up her hands. “I don’t want to know any details. Let’s just go look for the laptop and files and go from there. We have to hurry.”
“Why don’t you two go look for the laptop and I’ll look for Fern,” Samuel said. “Maybe I can talk some sense into her. She could go to prison for extortion.”
“No, we all stay together,” Maire interjected. She needed to keep Samuel close, if only to make sure he kept his mouth shut. They needed to be a united front. “And we should find Ned,” Maire added. “God knows what he’s up to.”
“No,” Camille said. “I say we forget about him. He’s poison. You saw the questions Fern was asking him about sexual assault and NDAs. We already know he’s dangerous. Let’s focus on the laptop for now.”
Maire had to admit that Camille was right. It was probably better to have Ned off on his own somewhere right now. He was too unpredictable, too volatile. She glanced at Samuel. He simply nodded and the three of them moved into the hallway. They all looked around in search of the red lights of the cameras. They weren’t being filmed—for now.
Camille led the way down the dark corridor and stopped in front of a door with a key card entry. “I’ve seen Fern go in and out of here. I think it’s her room,” she whispered. She tapped the card against the entry panel but the indicator light glowed red. The key didn’t work.
“Where now?” Maire asked, her heart thudding. She was only supposed to come here, play this stupid game, win as many challenges as she could, and go home with enough money to pay Dani’s medical bills. Seeing Samuel... She hadn’t expected that. Hadn’t expected the stir of old emotions. He wasn’t a bad man, just like she wasn’t a bad woman. They had just made some really bad decisions that haunted them through the years. Old ghosts looking for retribution.
“Downstairs,” Camille said softly. “There’s another room I saw Fern going in and out of. Let’s try that.”
The group moved swiftly but quietly down the marble steps, pausing when they heard the murmur of voices. Maire was sure they would be caught. Then what? Would the whole world learn what she and Samuel had done? She thought of Keely and Dani. They would never look at her the same way again. So what if they lost the house? They could find somewhere else to live. Shar would gladly open her home to them. She should have stayed home and found another way to get the money.
Maire vowed to herself that if she got out of this mess, she would go back to Calico and find a different job, one with health benefits and a good retirement plan. She belonged home with her girls.
Camille slowed her steps. “It’s that one,” she said. “Keep an eye out for anyone coming and I’ll go in and get the laptop.”
Samuel rubbed a hand over his goatee and nodded. He had finally given up the pretense. He wanted that laptop as much as the rest of them. Camille waved the card in front of the entry panel and a green light popped on. “It worked,” Camille said with relief. “If the laptop is in there, I’ll grab it.”
“Wait,” Maire said, snagging Camille’s sleeve. “Give me the card.”
“Why?” Camille asked in confusion. “I’ll be just a second.”
“We don’t know what you’re going to do once you’re in there. Give me the key,” Maire said more firmly.
“Fine,” Camille said, handing it over. “But I’ll be right out.” She opened the door and slipped inside the dark room.
“What do you think?” Samuel asked.
“What do I think?” Maire repeated angrily. “I think we’ve been screwed. But by who? There’s no way Fern was behind all of this. Not by herself. She’s barely holding it together as it is.”
“Then who?” Samuel asked. “Why?”
Maire didn’t know if she could trust Samuel, but what choice did she have? “It has to be someone the five of us all have in common. Someone who wants us to pay for what we’ve done.”
“So someone who was at the lake that night,” Samuel said. “But no one saw us. We were nowhere near there when he was found. We were so careful.”
“No,” Maire said. “We weren’t. We weren’t careful at all, and I think it might be too late. We’re already dead.”
“You think you know who it is,” Samuel said. “Who?” he grabbed Maire roughly by the arm. “Come on, tell me.”
“Think about it, Samuel. It can only be one person,” Maire said sadly.
“No,” Samuel said, shaking his head. “No way.”
Maire opened her mouth to argue but a cry pierced the air.
“Fern,” Maire said instead. “That has to be Fern.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
