Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ORION
I walked around the island, surveying the area for clues about the dead man. Was he a random person who had fallen off his boat and washed on to my shore? Was he murdered on my island? Had he been lurking and gotten injured by the laser traps I’d placed near my home? But these traps weren’t meant to kill anyone, they would only subdue the trespasser. He’d have to be near my home for that to occur. But my security system would have alerted me of his presence. The coroner’s report would provide me more details, but that wouldn’t happen for another week.
I walked through the woodedarea behind my house and glanced at the devices installed in the trees. Nothing seemed out of place. Then I strode around, reviewing the construction of my abstract building and the guest house. They were close to completion. My mom had left this island to me, and I’d taken care of it. For the longest time, I didn’t know what to do with it.
Quintile Island was my sanctuary from my chaotic life.
This place possessed a peaceful atmosphere that was difficult to explain. Anyone who dared desecrate that would pay.
Most people knew Quintile Island was private property owned by one of my many companies. The small circle of people who knew it belonged to me were mostly family and a few business acquaintances.
A thought trickled into my head. Was Jasper behind this? He’d been harassing me about selling it. Maybe he was creating bad press to force me to sell it. Jasper could talk someone to death, but I didn’t know if he had the guts to kill anyone.
I looked at the picture of the man on my phone. “What were you doing on my island, Aaron Turnerfrom Massachusetts?”
Records showed he was a lawyer working for a New York law firm and often traveled to Europe.
My legal team didn’t work with him or his firm. Aaron owned two boats, but they were docked in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It was possible he was on a boat with friends and drowned. But his family and friends should have looked for him.
Did Aaron Turner know my mentor? Though I’d been close to The Condor, he’d never been to this island.
This private sanctuary wasn’t a tourist attraction. Several signs had been posted around the shore to alert people it was private property and cameras were in use. How had Aaron been on the island without the cameras catching him?
Was I being paranoid? Or had someone known where the cameras were positioned and avoided them successfully?
I strode to an area that had been sectioned off for solar panels that my energy company had developed. These advanced panels hadn’t reached the market yet. I wanted to test them first. This island ran onsolar energy, of which I had enough for the entire year.
The speed with which these panels collected and replicated solar energy excited me. I had so many projects going on that made me proud. I thrived on innovation and inspiration. But it required me to divide my energy in so many different directions. So many areas to manage, which meant I could’ve gone wrong somewhere.
I had a feeling I was missing something important. But I couldn’t pinpoint it.
I’d called off the construction team for the week. The Swedish authorities would visit me tomorrow. I had to make sure everything was squared away before I returned to the States.
Elena’s face popped into my vision. I missed her. She’d become more important to me than she realized.
That kiss.
The kiss we’d shared touched me to the core. It was like I remembered something deep within me. The closer I got to her, the more I remembered things about myself—what made me happy.
But then Elena had hesitated, and I knew why. She wanted to know about the ring on my necklace. I’d want to know too if she wore a ring that had belonged to another man.
I walked through the woods back toward my house and stepped on something. As I bent down to pick up a gold button with a mandala in the center, my necklace fell to the ground.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the gold chain and gold ring on the dry leaves. Was the universe helping me? Now I had to put it back or tuck it away in my pants pocket.
Picking up the necklace, I noticed the clasp had broken after so many years of having no issues.
I hadn’t met a woman who touched me the way Elena had. My chest constricted as though it knew what I was about to do.
“I’m moving on, Kate. I hope you’re happy for me.” The necklace and ring warmed in my hand. I imagined the warmth as confirmation from the universe. My body felt lighter as I tucked the necklace into my pocket.
Then I turned my attention to the button. I’d never seen the gold mandala before. It could belong to one of the construction workers or one of my men monitoring the island while I was away.
I’d send itto the DNA lab for them to analyze. In half an hour I’d be meeting with two members of my team. Urgent meetings had come up, requiring me to go to Sweden. I had to call Elena to let her know I wouldn’t be back for another week.
What was she doing now? Was she missing me?