Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Mary smiled, no fear in her eyes. She had nothing to hide, and she was more than willing to speak her mind. She followed him into the diner. She stood several feet from him, hands clasped together.
“You left in a rush last night,” Durante said.
“I left when the storm demanded we leave.”
“Did you see anything on the way down the mountain?”
“I saw a road that wanted to destroy us,” Mary told him. “I also saw men who think every disaster is a personal invitation for heroics.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that half of this island will volunteer to be a hero when the cameras are clicking,” she answered. “Some will even bring a shovel.”
Durante looked at her as if he wasn’t sure whether to write down her words. “Did you return to the airport last night?”
“Nope. I was sort of busy.”
“Can anyone confirm that?”
Mary smirked. “I can confirm it.” She gave a humorless laugh. “If you want a list of people who enjoy watching me sleep, I can provide that, too. It’s longer than the list of solved cases.”
“I think I’ll pass,” he said.
“It was hectic when we came to town. People were coming and going, and none of us got much sleep. As for alibis, that’s going to be difficult, Sergeant, as no one is watched twenty-four-seven.”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he said, his voice sure.
“I hope so because your record of solving crimes isn’t too great.” She glared at him. He glared back. Her daughter would hang between them for the rest of their lives.
“We’re done for now. Don’t go far.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She exited the room.
Efrain came next.
“Start from the beginning, when you arrived.”
“We came to assess damage. We saw the display and called it in.”
“Display?”
Efrain shook his head. “That’s what they made Candy, a display for all the world to see how much smarter the killer is than the rest of us. They’ve been able to display all three bodies with no one any wiser to who they are.”
“Did you notice anything suspicious from the night before?”
“I was having fun, laughing, talking, sneaking off with a woman. I wasn’t looking for a murderer,” Efrain said with disgust.
“Who did you sneak off with?” Durante asked.
Efrain shifted, uncomfortable for the first time. “Do I really need to give that information?”
“In a murder investigation? Yes, you do.”
Efrain said the name. A few more questions were asked and answered, and then he was released.
Each person was given the same ending statement: to plan on not leaving the island any time soon. It was going to get very claustrophobic.
Durante paused to refill his coffee before the next person was brought in.
Zach moved forward, leaning against the wall.
“You’ve been present for all three murders.”
“Unfortunately, I have.”
Durante paused a moment as he studied Zach. “How would you describe your relationship with Candy?”
“We were friendly.”
“Romantic? I’ve been told she had a lot of partners, and didn’t commit.” He didn’t add that Zach felt the same.
“We were never romantic,” Zach answered.
“Not even once?”
“Not a single kiss,” Zach said.
“Did you and her speak last night?”
“I told her she sang beautifully,” Zach said, a bitter edge slipping into his voice. “I guess that means you should arrest me.”
Durante didn’t comment on that. “What time did you leave the airport?”
“I don’t know the time. We left after the power went out.”
“Why didn’t Candy go with you?”
“She ran off. We couldn’t find her, and we knew we had to get off the mountain before we were all trapped with little food and scared people. She chose to run off. We didn’t think that meant everyone should suffer.”
“That’s pretty cold.” Zach flinched. He felt the same, but what else were they supposed to do?
“We did what we had to.”
There was another pause. “Did you return at any time before arriving with Efrain?”
“No.”
“Can anyone confirm that?”
“Maybe the cameras on the island,” Zach said.
“Not when the power’s out,” Durante pointed out. “That’s pretty damn convenient, wouldn’t you say?”
Zach shook his head. “I’d say it’s the opposite of that.”
There was another long pause. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Like I have somewhere to go,” Zach muttered. He walked away. He knew it was simply a matter of time before the deputy threw handcuffs on him. The man was itching to do it.
As he left the room, Durante’s radio crackled. He moved to the corner and spoke privately as Torie came in. She sat, then got back up and began pacing, as if sitting might imply guilt. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle. Durante walked to her.
“I heard you and the victim argued.”
“Everyone argues with everyone on this island,” Torie said.
“I’m specifically talking about last night.”
“We made a truce last night. We were fine,” Torie said.
“That’s not what witnesses are saying.”
“I’m sure there are some who will attest to that. Candy and I had problems, but that didn’t mean I wanted to kill her. I couldn’t do something like that.”
“Jealousy is a fine motivation.”
Torie glared. “I have nothing to be jealous of with that woman. I’m smarter, prettier, and far more balanced. She’s nothing, a drifter who moves from man to man to get what she wants,” Torie spat.
“That seems like motivation to me.”
“It’s not. She was nothing. She would’ve disappeared soon. She slept around. I’m sure there are a lot of people who wanted her dead.”
“Including you?”
“I didn’t want her dead. I wanted her to wear the shame she deserved. I wanted everyone to see who she really was. Now, she’ll be a martyr. That’s the last thing I wanted.”
“She walked away from the group, and you followed,” the deputy said.
“I tried, but it was raining so hard I couldn’t keep up with her. She looked back. She even smiled like she knew a secret. Then she was gone.”
He paused for a long time. “Did you come back here last night?”
“No.” Torie’s chin lifted. “If you’re going to arrest me, do it now. I’m sick of being haunted by a woman who wrote lullabies and took what she had no business taking.”
“If you want to confess, we can get that arrest over with,” he said.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Torie shouted.
“Don’t go anywhere. You’re on the island until further notice.”
“I can’t stay forever. I have a family to get back to,” she said.
“Let them know your vacation has been extended.”
She hung her head, but nodded. She walked out with a lot less confidence than she’d walked in with. This was getting them nowhere fast. But that didn’t mean they could stop.
Harmony came in with her shoulders back and her lips turned up the slightest bit, trying to show she was relaxed. She was failing.
“I heard you and the victim spoke quite a bit.”
“Yes, I enjoyed speaking with Candy.”
“What about?”
“Songs. Fear. Love. Loss. Escape.”
He focused on escape. “Escape to where?”
“Escape from the island.”
“For you or for Candy?”
“Both. Sometimes I look at this place as a refuge, and sometimes as a prison. Depends on the circumstances.”
“How are you looking at it right now?”
“Besides the murders, it’s been a good visit.”
“That’s a strange way to put it,” he pointed out.
“Just being honest.”
“Who else did you speak with last night?”
“A lot of people. Cass. Torie. Tosh. Zach. Mary. Dozens of new people I’ve never spoken to before. I love hearing people’s stories.”
“Did you hear any threats?”
“What do you mean by threats?”
“Did you hear of anyone speaking ill of Candy?”
Harmony shook her head. “Threats are rarely spoken. That’s what makes them so damn effective.”
Durante let out what might’ve been a laugh. “Trying to make a crime scene poetic?”
“I write what people can’t or won’t say,” Harmony replied. “Apparently, someone else on this island is doing the same.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“People are getting strange texts. Rumors are spreading. And murders have become art. That adds up to someone writing a story.”
Something flickered in his gaze, brief and sharp, before he masked it. “And you’d know how that story should end, wouldn’t you?” Another pause. “Are you the author?”
She laughed. “I’m always writing, Sergeant. I’ll be doing it on my deathbed, worried about leaving a story unfinished. I can’t do that to my fans.” She paused this time. “But, I’m not the author of this story.”
He studied her for several heartbeats. “Do you enjoy this?”
“I enjoy nothing about death,” she said evenly.
“I do, however, prefer understanding ignorance. If that looks like enjoyment from a distance, that’s a problem with geography.
I love life, and I take it all in, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the glorious.
I can find a story in everything. That doesn’t make me a killer. ”
“It makes you cold.”
She smiled. “Some might say that. But, I donate. I cry at Christmas commercials. And I have a very clear line between harm and mercy, so I don’t think I’m that big a monster.”
“I don’t think any monster believes they’re the bad guy.”
“That’s also true. But, am I the monster for writing the book, or are you the monster for reading it . . . and liking it?”
He opened his mouth to speak, shut it, glared at her, then waved his hand. “Stay close, Harmony. You won’t be leaving anytime soon.”
“I wouldn’t think of going anywhere. I love this place.” She stood and walked out. Durante gave a disgusted sigh. She pissed him off for some reason.
He moved over to the windows to see the witnesses standing in circles outside. He wished there was a magic wand he could wave to point out the guilty person. Things just didn’t work that way in the real world.
Cass slid in the door next. She was smiling, looking unconcerned.
“Where were you when the power went out?”
“I was near the stage.”
“Did you see Candy leave?
“Yes! I was shocked because the storm was really blowing at that point. Of course, there was a lot of alcohol flowing, which causes people to make poor choices.”
“Did you try to go after her?”
“Nope. I was busy.”
“Can anyone vouch for you?”
“I was with Harmony the entire night,” Cass said as she shifted in her seat.
“Did you two stay up all night?”
She looked at him like he was dumb. “Of course not. Did I not mention the alcohol? When the adrenaline wore off after a couple of hours, we crashed hard.”
“That’s convenient,” Durante said.
“It’s the truth,” Cass shot back. “The truth still matters when it comes to law and order, just in case you forget.”
“What I know is that people have forgotten how to tell the truth.”
“Well, it’s a good thing your opinion isn’t the law,” she pointed out.
She left, and Durante hung his head. He was just about done.
Tosh came in next. He looked wrecked. He’d been in a dysfunctional relationship with Candy.
“I have nothing helpful for you,” Tosh said before he could ask a question. “I have a lot of regrets, though.”
“Who did you leave the party with?”
“I was alone. People were piling into vehicles, but I waited as long as possible to see if Candy would come back. She didn’t.”
“Were you the last to leave?” Durante asked, sitting up a little higher.
“No, I was one of the last, but Efrain made sure everyone got out. His airport crew were the last to leave.”
“Where did you go when you got to town?”
“Home.”
“Was anyone with you?”
“Not a soul. I’d had enough of people at that point. Some wanted to cling together. I wasn’t one of them.”
“So, you have no alibi.” It was a statement.
“I have a lot of alibis for coming off the mountain. None for when I got to town.”
“You were the closest to Candy.”
“I don’t think anyone was truly close to Candy.
She was a free spirit. Did we have sex? Yes.
Were we a couple? No. Was it fun? Yes. Would it have lasted long?
No. Did I want it to end the way it did?
Hell no. I liked Candy. It wasn’t love, but it was fun.
Her death is tragic. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. ”
“That’s why it’s called murder,” Durante said. Tosh flinched. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“This is home. I have nowhere else to go,” he said.
He walked out.
Everyone was ready to leave the airport, but the sergeant was taking his time with interviews. He clearly wanted to make them uncomfortable.
Hours passed as interviews stacked like dominoes.
Accusations.
Defensiveness.
Fear.
Anger.
No one had a solid alibi.
Everyone had a motive.
Everyone looked guilty through someone else’s eyes.
Harmony drifted over to Zach, who’d been keeping his distance from everyone. His arms were folded, his hair blown into an unruly mess, and his clothes wrinkled. She put her hand on his arm.
“How are you holding up?”
“Terribly,” he said. “I hate that I keep finding them.”
“You’re everywhere that matters,” Harmony said. “Of course it’s you finding them.”
“Maybe I should never leave my house.” He paused and rubbed his face. “I’m scared it’s one of us, one of our group.”
She gave a sad smile. “It clearly is.”
He looked at her, searching. “You sound so sure.”
“The arrangement of the bodies has been . . . intimate,” she said. “It’s calculated. Someone wants the island to witness their story.”
“Then we’re simply puppets in their play.”
“Yes, we are.”
Cass stepped closer. “Speak for yourselves. I refuse to star in their trauma.”
Torie stormed toward them. “How long is this going to take?”
“All day,” Evans called out.
They turned to look at him as Durante walked up.
“More likely, all week,” Durante added.
“Are you going to post guards at all exit points?” Mary questioned.
“If that’s what it takes,” Durante said, his voice serious.
Zach stiffened as Durante addressed him. “Zach. Efrain. We’re not done.”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“Then tell me again,” Durante said. “I want to understand why you keep finding dead people.”
Torie scoffed. “Power trip, much?”
“I don’t love anything about this,” Durante said.
“I’m tired of being portrayed as a villain,” Torie said to no one and everyone at once.
Durante looked at the rest of the group. “Unless your name is called out, we’re done for now. Keep your phones on, though.”
Certain names were called, their shoulders sagging. The rest of the people scattered—some slow, some bolting. The island was feeling smaller by the minute.
Harmony looked back at the patio, not understanding what she was feeling.
“Whoever’s doing this knows how to get attention,” she murmured. “They know how to make us look.”
“What does that mean?” Cass asked.
“It means we need to look back.”
Harmony exhaled. The murders weren’t random. They were escalating. The killer knew the terrain—and the people—too well.
Just as they started to turn away, a faint thump rolled across the sky. It was soft at first, then grew, beating like a second heartbeat over the island.
Cass froze. “What’s that?”
Harmony knew. “Air Rescue 5.”
LA County wasn’t just coming. They were almost here.
And when homicide landed on Catalina, nothing about this story would stay quiet anymore. Even so, though, the night still belonged to the true storyteller. And whoever they were, they didn’t seem to need sleep.