Three days later. Luther I open the door to two cops, one plain-clothed, and immediately know I’m screwed. If I hadn’t already guessed Jake was involved in something he shouldn’t be, this confirms it. The detective shows me his badge. “Luther Beckett? We’d like to ask you a few questions regarding an incident on Heart Island.” My pulse speeds but I keep my voice level and my body language relaxed as I allow them entry. “What kind of an incident?” The detective looks around my apartment before answering. “A bomb exploded. Don’t you watch the news?” To cover the rising fear, I fold my arms over my chest. “No, I don’t. Anybody hurt?” He shakes his head. “The damage was confined to the blast radius.” I work my jaw, trying to figure out what’s going on before I answer. “Where was the bomb located?” The detective doesn’t answer my question which causes even more unease to spread. “You’re in Jake and Mary Jensen’s employment on the island?” Since he already knows I am, I nod and hope I don’t get arrested for tax evasion. He pulls out his pad and jots something down. “And you spent the weekend working at the castle?” I nod. “That’s right.” He holds my stare for a few seconds then speaks in a monotone as if he’s bored. “According to Jake Jensen, you spent some time inside the Boathouse.” My heart starts to jump around as I immediately think of the tape Jake asked me to look over. “Do I need to call a lawyer?” The detective shifts his weight. “We’re just making routine inquiries and confirming the information Jake and Mary Jensen have already given us.” It’s a non-answer but a sure sign Jake told them he gave the footage to me. The detective is testing to see if I’m going to hide it. If I do, he can use it as probable cause to search for it. It’ll look worse than bad to have to explain I was tampering with it. I know exactly how this is going to go down. With my skill set, with my knowledge, I’ll be the prime suspect. Why the hell didn’t Jake call and warn me? The detective squares his jaw and asks me what I know he’s really here for. “You’re a Marine Reconnaissance Man?” It’s not even a question, it’s a statement, and I know what’s coming next. “I am.” His eyes narrow ever so slightly. “And was bomb-making a requirement of your training?” He’s either fishing or he thinks he has something on me. Either way, the footage I’ve asked Delta to screw with would have placed me in the location the bomb went off. That I work off the books, tax-free gives him enough cause to doubt my integrity. Worse, I stayed in the Boathouse after Jake told me not to. Blaire on camera is now the last thing I have to worry about. It’s me on camera, spending way too much time in the Boathouse when I wasn’t supposed to be that’s the issue. “No. It wasn’t.” He lowers his voice. “But you do know how to assemble one?” “Am I a suspect?” He’s too professional to answer directly. “Like I said, just routine inquiries.” Routine my ass. “Right. Then I refuse to answer until my lawyer is present.” “Mr. Beckett—” “Corporal Beckett,” I correct him. A flash of anger appears before he pushes his notebook in his pocket. “We have a warrant to search the premises.” He gestures to the cop beside him and all my muscles prime for a fight I shouldn’t even think about having. “Corporal Beckett, you have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an—” I don’t even listen as they read my Miranda rights and slap a set of handcuffs on me and haul me out the door to the waiting police car. *** Blaire Sitting outside a café, with a pot of tea, I’m waiting for Mary to arrive. I smother a yawn as watery sunlight creeps across the sky, making the smog turn into a murky haze. When I called Mary, I didn’t anticipate her already being in the city. But with the castle now a crime scene, she and her husband have been forced to stay in a hotel a few streets down from mine. I check my email on my phone while I wait, hoping to see something from the realtor confirming the house is listed when a shadow falls over me. I squint against the sun and find Mary smiling uncertainly at me. I put my phone away and gesture for her to sit down. “Thanks so much for agreeing to meet me. How are you?” She takes a seat and releases a breath. It’s obvious she’s been crying, and it looks like she hasn’t slept for a while. “I’ll be fine. Now we know who was responsible.” My eyes pop. “Oh? I thought they just had a suspect?” A weak smile tugs her lips upwards. “Well, Jake is convinced, and I’m afraid I am also.” She shakes her head and tears appear in her eyes. “I just can’t believe he’d do something like this.” My stomach tightens as I pour her a cup of tea and push it towards her. “I’m sorry, but you know the person they have?” She raises the tea to her lips and takes a sip before answering. “I thought he was a decent man.” I shake my head even though I’m growing more certain I know who the police are holding to blame. “You can’t mean your caretaker Luther?” A tear spills down her cheek and she hastily swipes it away. “I’m so sorry. I never would have placed you in danger if I’d known what he was capable of.” I flinch at the concern on her face. “But why would Luther destroy the Boathouse if he’s earning money from working for you?” She shrugs. “Maybe he wanted to make more work for himself? I think he liked to keep busy. There were rumors about him before we hired him. Jake wasn’t worried, said we should give him a chance.” I pick up my own teacup more to occupy my trembling fingers. “What kind of rumors?” She blows out a breath and looks over her shoulder. “I’m sorry. Jake will be here to pick me up soon we need to meet with the accountant.” I nod. “I can imagine you must have a lot to sort out?” She toys with the cup in her saucer. “Jake is taking care of most of it. Just like he was in charge of hiring.” “Did he hire Luther?” My eyebrows rise as she nods. “I’m not one for gossip, so I took him as I saw him. He did a good job, was gruff but never rude to me, but I never in a million years thought he’d hurt us this way. We’ve lost everything we worked so hard to build. It’s gone. All of it. The explosion damaged the structural integrity of the castle.” She starts to cry just as a black car pulls up. I frown as Jake gets out, dressed in an expensive suit. Jake’s shoulders are tense as he spots me staring and walks to our table. “Mare, we should be going.” Mary sniffs alongside him and dabs at her eyes. “I’m sorry, Blaire. You were asking about Luther?” A dark look appears on Jake’s face. “Mary. Go ask your sister to go around the block. Maybe go with her, clean up a bit.” Mary meekly rises, her gait a little unsteady, making me think she’s been taking sedatives. “Apologies. I’m not myself.” I manage what I hope is an encouraging smile as she wobbles towards the car. I shift my gaze to Jake and find him almost glaring at me. His voice comes out harsh. “Why are you asking about Luther? The man betrayed our trust, the police have the evidence and, it’s clear he tampered with the tape.” He tampered with the tape? Oh shit. I’m due to meet the detective in charge of the case in a few minutes, is that going to come up? Kate assured me they were just following procedure, but I’m beginning to think I might actually need her there just in case. Guilt knots my stomach as I see Mary climb into the car. “Of course, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset her, I only saw him a few times but I never would have guessed he was capable of such malice.” He sighs as though greatly perturbed by either me or our conversation. “I never would have hired him if I’d known how messed up he was. He’s one of the reasons I installed the camera, I wasn’t sure I could trust him.” My eyebrows rise. One of the reasons. “Oh?” He shakes his head. “Don’t suppose it matters now. It’s over.” A faint grin appears on his face. “Maybe we’ll invest a little wiser this time around.” I smile back at him, a nagging feeling growing that is overriding my caution. “Mary said the bomb did damage to the structure of the castle?” A slight twitch grows at the corner of his eye. “It did.” I try to keep my tone light. “But the bomb was in the Boathouse, how could that weaken the structure when it was so far away?” Something flickers over his face before he smiles widely. “I’m not an engineer. But I heard something about a shock wave.” A niggle starts to grow. “Oh, I see. Are you planning on fixing the castle? He snorts. “No. The damage was too extensive; it’s already starting to sink. It’s not even safe to enter.” My brow knots as a dozen other questions bubble up, but he’s already walking away. When he’s almost at the car, he turns and gives me an odd smile. “You can sleep easy now he’s locked up.” The gnawing feeling only grows as I catch sight of Mary’s washed-out face as they speed away. Why on earth would he say that about sleeping easier? The question is still nagging at me when I enter the police station. I follow the instructions given to me, growing more nervous as I wait for the detective to interview me. He arrives, smiling warmly and extending his hand. “Sorry to keep you. And don’t worry, this is just a couple of questions to confirm what we already know.” I follow him to his office, vaguely wondering if all the interviews have been as casual. He gestures to the chair as he sits behind his desk. “This is an informal interview. You’re free to leave at any time, and at this time, I won’t be taking any record. This is just to speed along our inquiries.” I release a breath and prepare to evade, avoid and do my best not to confuse the matter any further. My resolve lasts until he asks his first informal question. “We’re trying to pin down Luther Beckett’s movements over the weekend and up until the arrival. There was a tape, but Jake Jensen believes it to have been tampered with.” Mouth running dry, I nearly choke the reply. “Tampered with how?” The detective smiles. “Well, I’m not sure. The owner believes he saw something on the live feed that is no longer there—” Without meaning I interrupt him. “Live feed? There was a live feed of the camera footage?” He nods slowly. “The owner connected a camera for security purposes. He informed us that he systematically checks on it when he’s away from the island. His wife corroborates that he was checking in on Luther over the weekend.” I’m beyond shell shocked, so I sit, almost gaping at him as I try to keep my composure. My thoughts are spinning wildly as I consider what that means. My toes start tapping as every possible thing Jake could have seen appeared on camera. No wonder he was behaving so oddly. The detective is staring at me, and I can barely breathe. He said this was informal, that I was free to go, and right now I’m not sure I can be here. I get to my feet, head light and breathing too rapid. “Um, I’m sorry. I’m not feeling very well. Could we do this later?” I don’t give him an opportunity to answer, just spin on my heel and hurry out of the building. Luther did what he said he wouldn’t, and I have to consider it wasn’t just for me. There is a distinct possibility Luther removed evidence of him planting explosives. *** Luther 10.25pm When my eyelids are drooping and I’m in danger of falling asleep in the holding cell, my lawyer appears and like a Knight in Shining Lip gloss, Delta is with him. While my lawyer disappears to work his magic, Delta leans against the bars. “See, military men, too much damn trouble. There I was minding my own beeswax when I get a call from your lawyer.” I nod. “Did you give it to my lawyer?” She rolls her eyes. “Of course, I did. And I did a little digging. Two million dollars worth of digging.” I lean against the bars. “Two million dollars?” She nods. “The insurance payout Mary and Jake will receive.” My fingers grip the bars tighter as anger builds. “Two million dollars for the Boathouse?” At the sound of footsteps, she lowers her voice. “No, according to the assessment the castle sustained considerable damage too.” I shake my head and keep my voice low to match hers. “How big was the bomb? The Boathouse was twenty yards away from the front door.” She waits until a police officer has walked past before replying. “I don’t know. I haven’t had time to take a look at the report.” A smirk grows despite my situation. “You mean hack?” She lifts her shoulders as if it’s not a big deal. “I’ll do what I can to help. Since I’m now the only person who can.” I work my jaw as I hear my lawyer’s angry voice as he stalks towards us with the detective who arrested me and the night sergeant in tow. “You began questioning my client without first reading his Miranda Rights, is this your first case detective?” Delta’s lips twitch into a grin. “Looks like you’re out of here. You should know something about the camera before they release you.” “What?” “The CCTV wasn’t just recording. The footage was getting sent to Jake’s cell phone too.” All the air leaves my lungs. “He was watching me?” She sniffs. “Pretty simple set up really. All you need to do to connect the CCTV to phone with a SIM card. Then you can connect CCTV cameras using the Internet. He could check in anywhere with WIFI.” My fists ball at my sides as I snatch my last opportunity to get information. “Where is he now?” I growl. She shrugs just as my lawyer and the detective arrive. “Probably on his way to destroy the rest of the evidence,” she mumbles. She steps back to allow the sergeant to unlock the door. My lawyer is pissed, and I probably should be too. But I’m too angry with Jake for setting me up to aim that at the detective who thought he was doing his job. I know I shouldn’t but I pipe up when my lawyer is chewing him out. “Did you find any other explosives inside the castle?” My lawyer sends me a look as the detective almost glares at me for his mistake. “Should there be?” “The Boathouse should have confined the damage.” The detective narrows his eyes. “You suddenly acquire a degree in engineering? Or do you know something else about the bomb you’d like to go on the record about?” My lawyer places a hand on my forearm and aims a warning look. “If you were doing your job instead of harassing an innocent man you’d be investigating all possible suspects.” Since this discussion isn’t going anywhere helpful, I walk away from them both and leave my lawyer to tear the detective a new one. “Don’t go anywhere,” the detective calls after me. I narrow my eyes as I push the doors open to the night air. I don’t answer him, just head towards the marina. *** Blaire 11.43pm I’m dozing, almost ready to succumb to sleep, when my phone chirps beside me. I groan, ready to swear at whoever is calling this late. In case it’s Chloe, I check my phone and have to blink to make out the caller. “Mary?” I hear her crying and wonder if she dialed me by mistake. “Mary? Can you hear me? What’s going on?” I sit on the edge of my bed and press the phone against my ear as I make out her heavy breathing. “Mary? Mary, can you hear me?” Her voice comes out weak. “Blaire? Oh, I’m sorry. I, I, I didn’t know who else to call.” There’s a slight slur to her voice that makes me wonder if she’s drunk. “What’s wrong?” Her voice is nothing more than a rasp. “It’s Luther. He’s been released. Jake is so angry. I’m worried he’s going to do something stupid.” My stomach flutters as I listen to Mary start to cry. “What do you mean? Where is he?” She sniffs. “I’m not sure. He left a few minutes ago. But, I think, I think he took the keys to the castle. But we’re not allowed back.” I stare at my bare toes, heart in my throat as I try to think. “Have you called the police?” She starts to cry harder, and I can barely make out what she’s saying. “Mary, I want to help, but I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.” Her voice comes out an octave above a whisper. “I don’t know what to say. I think, I mean, I don’t know if Jake might do something.” My frustration increases as I try to piece together what she’s saying, or rather what she’s not saying directly. “Why don’t you want to call the police, Mary?” “I can’t say,” she whispers. I curl my toes on the carpet and try to find the right words. “Do you think your husband set the bomb, Mary?” She sobs louder muffling her reply. “I don’t know.” I take a deep breath and release it slowly before working up the courage to ask her another question. “Did you see any of the camera footage from the weekend I spent on the island?” I hold my breath as the seconds pass by agonizingly slowly. “No.” I release it in a rush. “Did your husband?’ “Yes. He was glued to his phone. We had an argument about how much time he was spending checking in. I thought I understood after Luther was arrested, now I’m not so sure.” I shake my head, still not sure why she’s calling me of all people. Either she has no friends or she’s not thinking clearly. “I really think you should call the police and speak to them. I’m not sure what I can do to help.” Her voice comes out a wobble. “Of course, I’m sorry. I’ve been so muddled since it happened. I don’t feel safe. I can’t sleep. And now Jake is gone, and Luther has been released. I don’t know what to do. I didn’t know who else to turn to.” “Do you want me to call the police for you?” “No. No. I just wish I could go to the island, and just check on him. But I can’t go alone.” I grimace. So that’s why she’s calling me. Does she really expect me to go back to the castle? “I don’t think that’s a good idea. The castle isn’t safe. And it’s a long way to go—” Her sob cuts me off. “I understand. Really. I’m so sorry. I, I didn’t have anyone else to, never mind. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m sure he’s not going back. I mean, you’re right, I’m probably overreacting. And I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt Luther if he was there too.” Hurt Luther? She sounds so desperate, but it’s thoughts of Luther that tugs painfully at me. “What makes you think Luther would return to the island?” “Well, I don’t know. He still has belongings there, or maybe he’s hidden evidence. Maybe he’ll try to get it back?” I’m still mulling it over when she sighs wearily. “Please, forget I called. I’m just a mess right now. I’m so sorry for troubling you. I can take the boat by myself.” I frown. “The boat? I thought it was destroyed?” She’s silent for a moment. “Jake took us out on it just before the explosion.” “That was convenient,” I mutter. “Pardon?” I chew my lip. “I was just saying that was lucky you were away at the time.” Her voice is shaky as she replies. “I don’t feel lucky. I feel like a fool for trusting Luther. What if he hurts Jake?” I release a breath and run a hand through my hair. “You’re a few blocks away from me?” “I am.” I know I’m going to regret it before I utter the words. “Wait for me outside. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”