“And not necessary. Quit worrying and take the chips.” Grinning, Alex left them. She walked to the kitchen area, amazed that the storm could be raging all around them, the electricity was out—probably all through the Middle Keys, at the least—but thanks to the generator, she still had the ability to see and make tea. She turned up the radio and heard the newscaster. They were taking a pounding. It could have been much worse, if the storm had been able to pick up more speed.
“Anyone else want anything?” she called, expecting them to ask for a round of beers.
“Naw, thanks,” Jay said.
His polite refusal went all around. Alex found it very strange. Poker and beer always seemed to go together, along with an assortment of snacks. None of these guys wanted anything.
It was as if they were all determined to keep a totally clear head.
The game continued as she made her tea. Though on the surface it appeared as if they were just playing cards, she had a feeling that for John and David, it was much more. They challenged one another at every turn.
She sipped her tea, half listening to the game, half to the radio. In a minute, she was going to try to sleep. When she woke up, the storm would be over. The islands would be in a state of wreckage, but hopefully, it would be more trees and foliage than homes and buildings.
But what then? Would she finally get a chance to talk to Nigel? Would they find the truth behind Seth Granger’s death?
And what about Alicia, the treasure and the dolphins?
She finished the tea and stretched out on one of the cots. Her eyes closed, then opened suddenly.
Because someone in the room was doing a great deal more than bluffing at poker. Alicia Farr was dead. And Seth was dead, and…
Very likely, someone in the room had committed murder.
David.
No.
Why would he kill Alicia? He had plenty of money from his own enterprises. Of course, he spent it, too. His excursions were costly, and not everything he did was financed by a major corporation. But why kill Alicia? He couldn’t go after treasure alone.
And she herself was still in love with him. No matter what had happened, she’d been eager to sleep with him again. Even now, she was sure he was using her. She was apparently the key to something, somehow. Damn Daniel Fuller, even if he had passed on! Why had he dragged her into this?
Then there was John Seymore. Claiming that he, too, had come to protect her. Said he was working with the FBI, even had a great-looking ID. And hey, why not try to seduce the woman he was there to protect? He’d used her, too. But until she’d talked to Laurie tonight, she had liked him, really liked him. And she’d believed he was genuinely interested in her, too, because her instincts had said so.
So much for instincts.
And now…
How could she trust either of them?
She was never going to get to sleep.
“Hey!”
She jumped at the sound of Jay’s voice. She rolled over to look at him. He was listening intently to the radio.
“We’ll be in the eye of the storm in about half an hour.”
He was right. Listening, Alex realized that the brutal pounding of wind and rain was easing somewhat.
“When it comes, I wonder if I should take a peek at the damage,” Jay said.
“It’s going to be the same damage in the morning,” David advised him.
“Yeah, but we’ll have at least twenty minutes before it starts up hard again,” Jay said.
“This storm is a fast mover,” David reminded him.
“He’s losing. He just wants to opt out of the game himself for a few minutes,” Len said.
“I think we’ll all be opting out in a few minutes,” Hank said. “Looking at our sleeping beauty over there, I’m feeling the yawns coming on myself.”
“We should all get some rest,” David said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a real bitch around here after it lets up.”
“It will take a few days to get our little piece of the world up and going again, sure,” Jay said. “Depending on the damage the main islands face. They’ll have electric crews out first, then road crews…we’ll have people out next. It’s just a matter of repair and cleanup. We’ve done it before, we’ll do it again.”
“Actually, I wasn’t referring to the storm damage,” David said.
“Oh?” Jay said. “Then what?”
“Nigel was supposed to becoming out today to talk to people about Seth Granger,” David said.
Len exhaled a snort of impatience. The others must have stared at him, Alex thought, because he quickly said, “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know if it’s the right term for a man or not but he was one hell of a prima donna. He thought money could buy him anything, and he was rude to anyone he thought was beneath him. He drank like a fish. If he hadn’t drowned, he would have died soon of a shot liver anyway. I’m sorry a man is dead. But I can’t cry over the fact that he got drunk and fell in the water.”
“But what if he didn’t just fall in the water?” David said.
“You were all there with him. What the hell could have happened? He stepped out for air, lost his balance and fell into the drink. Case closed.”
“I’m not sure Nigel sees it that way,” David said. “Besides, there’s more.”