Killer Remains (Skeleton Island #2)

Chapter 1

ONE

S ee you in court.

That was the last thing she’d said to him. And she’d meant it.

Unfortunately, there had been no court and no way to stop the corrupt land deal from going through.

That didn’t mean Xanthe was giving up. Oh no. She would not stand by and let this obscene development proposal destroy the place that had captured her heart and soul.

And there were plenty of other locals here on the island who felt the same way.

“So, what’s the plan?” her friend and colleague Dr. Allistair Canton asked from beside her in the front passenger seat.

Xanthe used her mirrors as she parallel parked along the curb half a block down from City Hall. “We stop this development.” It was the best she and the others could do now.

The land sale was a done deal. There was no way to save the precious research station her team called home that had stood on that priceless oceanfront property for the past seventy-five years.

It had been greedily gobbled up by the same development company from the mainland whose proposal she was here to stop.

If it went through, the forest surrounding the research station would be ripped down to make way for a huge luxury resort.

The loss would be catastrophic for their research team. For the whales and other sea life they were trying to help protect. And for the fragile local environment she was determined to save.

“Okay, cool, but I meant for right now. Am I supposed to like, sit up front for moral support or something during your presentation? Want me to clap when you’re done?”

“That’d be appreciated, yeah.”

“Cool.” He shot her a sideways glance, dark curly hair tumbling around his shoulders in perfect ringlets. “You ready for this?”

“ Oh yeah.” She’d been prepping for this from the moment she’d found out about the public meeting.

“Figured. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m good.” She turned off the ignition and paused a second to check her appearance in the rearview.

Most days she didn’t give a shit about the way she looked beyond decent basic grooming.

And didn’t usually care what anyone else thought of her.

But today she’d pulled out all the stops and made more of an effort with a business outfit, a bit of hair product, and some subtle makeup.

She liked to think of it as war paint, and her outfit was a kind of armor.

Professional and polished Xanthe was here to get their attention, then kick ass and take names.

“I look okay?” She ran her fingers across her dark bangs that were swept to one side, her pixie cut longer on top and at the front and short at the back.

“You look hot.”

She laughed because Allistair had zero interest in women. “Don’t get used to it. I’ll be back in my yoga pants and fleece without makeup tomorrow at work.”

“You’re hot both ways.”

“That’s very sweet of you. And I really appreciate you being here for this.”

“Yeah, no problem. You know I got your back.”

“I know.” Allistair was about as ferocious as a teddy bear, but he was a good person, her friend, and an even better scientist. She checked her watch, a gift from her late stepdad that was waterproof and had an orca on the face.

Perfect. She would be in the room only a minute or two before the meeting started.

“All right, let’s go.” She grabbed the leather briefcase she never used, now containing her laptop, and stepped out into the cool dusk.

It was the perfect early autumn evening, the air crisp and tinged with the salty tang of the ocean a few blocks down the hill. All along the street, streetlamps lit the changing and fallen leaves with a golden glow.

She tugged at the hem of her barely used suit jacket and smoothed a hand down the front of her pencil skirt before starting up the sidewalk. The high heels pinched her toes with every step, reminding her why she never wore them.

Evil, misogynistic things. Literally invented by a man to show off a woman’s legs and ass.

She might hate the principal behind them, but as a scientist, she couldn’t ignore the data. Tonight she wasn’t above using every single asset available to her.

She had this one shot to make a deep impression if she was going to have a chance at changing any minds. The people in that room were about to see her in a way they couldn’t dismiss or ignore. If she could use her physical attributes to help her achieve that, then so be it.

Also, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit she was looking forward to making him sit up and take notice.

She shoved aside the slight buzz of nerves fizzing around in her stomach as she climbed the steps. No time for that weak bullshit. This was war.

Game face firmly in place, she entered the historic brick building in the heart of Whalebone Cove’s business district. All two little blocks of it.

Allistair kept pace with her through the lobby and up the steps to the room where the meeting was scheduled to be held. He grabbed the heavy wooden handle of the door before she could, pulled it open, and gestured for her to precede him with a gallant bow.

“After you, m’lady.”

“Thank you.” Head held high, mental shields up, she swept through the door and strode down the center aisle without looking around.

A sort of hush fell over the room, then a low murmur flowed through the audience. The room was packed, standing room only at the back and sides.

She kept her gaze locked straight ahead until she reached the front row where her labelled seat waited. Catching a glimpse of him sitting across the aisle as she sat, she quickly looked away. They would face each other soon enough.

Allistair slipped into the chair beside hers, leaned toward her slightly. “This is awesome ,” he whispered, enjoyment clear in his voice. “You should’ve seen the looks on their faces.”

Yeah, because no one here had ever seen her like this before. But secretly, she was more interested in the reaction of the man on the other side of the room.

Xanthe didn’t reply, her professional demeanor firmly in place.

She’d survived her long, grueling PhD and the subsequent in-person viva voce where she’d been mercilessly grilled by a panel of experts in her field.

She’d faced down renowned academics online and in person when she’d disagreed with them.

Had stood her ground when challenged by her peers and other experts at academic conferences.

Had become an expert on the joys of dealing with various government agencies and navigating their mind-numbing bureaucracy to secure funding over the years.

This was nothing compared to all that.

Except that this mattered to her as much as her doctorate and professional reputation as a scientist. Maybe more.

Skeleton Island had been her home for more than six years now.

It was changing, and in her opinion, not for the better in many ways.

Increased development and commercialization threatened to erode the precious fabric of the island and the strong sense of community people here loved so much.

The local ecosystem was already fragile and under siege. More erosion, runoff, pollution from all the construction, plus increased boat traffic meant disaster for the dwindling Chinook salmon stock and the Southern Resident orcas that depended on them.

The mayor approached the podium at the center of the stage and tapped the microphone before clearing her throat. An unassuming woman in her 50s, Marilyn had been born and raised here on Skelly, and was the island’s longest-serving mayor. A living legend in the community.

“Good evening, fellow citizens. Thank you all for coming out tonight on this important occasion regarding the proposed development at Cedar Point we’ve all heard so much about.

At this time, I would ask the chairman of the board of the development company to come up and tell us a little about the project. ”

The forty-something chairman stepped up to give his talk, introducing the company and explaining the proposal for the obscenely expensive oceanfront resort.

“This luxury property will be unlike anything Skeleton Island has ever seen,” he finished proudly several minutes later, a high-resolution image of an artist’s rendering displayed on the large drop screen behind him.

“Our team is incredibly excited to begin this project and to make it a world-renowned destination.”

Xanthe restrained herself from making a face. It already was world-renowned—for its natural beauty and quaint lifestyle.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” a familiar voice called out from behind her.

Mae. Another local Skelly legend who had lived here even longer than the mayor.

Xanthe smiled as the chairman’s expression faltered. Read the room, buddy. People around here wanted to preserve Skelly, not sell it off piece by piece to rich outsiders so they could make a profit. Developers would destroy everything that made Skelly so unique and incredible.

He cleared his throat, then turned and smiled at the mayor. “Thank you, Mayor.”

“Thank you,” Marilyn murmured with as much enthusiasm as someone about to undergo a pap smear and stepped back to the mic. “With that, I’d like to call on one of our most respected residents on the island—our local orca expert, Dr. Xanthe Lazos.” She nodded at Xanthe.

Xanthe stood and made her way up to the podium, armed with her laptop, a mountain of data, and a whole lot of outrage. Presentation loaded and ready, she set the computer on the table beside her and turned to face the audience. She spotted a lot of familiar faces in the crowd.

Mae, Willow, and Tripp sat near the front of the room. Her work team was farther back off to one side. Allistair gave her a double thumbs-up from his seat at the front.

And then there was him . Blaine Slater. Her arch nemesis, sitting on the left side of the room with the air of a man who owned the place.

She angled the mic up so she wouldn’t have to lean down to speak.

“Good evening. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Dr. Xanthe Lazos.

My field of expertise is cetaceans, though my work specifically focuses on our local Southern Resident orca population.

” She looked straight at Blaine as she finished, ruthlessly squelched the unwelcome leap of attraction as their gazes collided.

Nope. He was beautiful, there was no denying that. Tall. Powerful. Dark blond hair a little longer in front, with clear hazel eyes and an air of absolute confidence that was inherently attractive. Commanding in his business attire.

He also represented everything she despised about capitalism. A rich, arrogant asshole who thought he was better than everyone else because of his bank balance and treated the world like it was his own personal playground.

People like him didn’t care who they hurt, or who or what they destroyed in the process of making their business deals, so long as they got what they wanted.

Getting richer.

No surprise, he didn’t look away from her stare. The inherent challenge made resolve harden like steel in her soul.

You’ve just met your match , she told him silently before shifting her focus back to the larger audience. The citizens were depending on her to lead this fight. To win it.

No pressure.

She drew a breath. Resumed her presentation. “I’m here tonight to tell you why this proposal would not only be a colossal disaster for our beautiful island, but for its fragile and irreplaceable local ecosystem as well.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is called a mic drop.