Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
PRESENT DAY
Josie
My ride drops me off on the curved driveway of the wedding venue, and I head for the door of the building.
Madeline, Garrett, and my mom were supposed to pick me up today, since Ian had some sort of errand to run.
But then Madeline called in a panic to tell me that her rehearsal dinner dress had gotten caught in the screen door, and Serena was on her way over to help her repair it.
Tonight will be a wedding rehearsal on the beach and then dinner and drinks in the restaurant upstairs.
It’s only for Madeline and Garrett’s closest friends and family, so nobody will mind if the couple is twenty minutes late or if the bride has a patch on her dress.
But I understand why my sister wants it to be perfect, so I took a Lyft over here to make sure everything is set up properly.
I’m hurrying toward the door when a man comes around the corner of the porch and steps in front of me.
I don’t pay much attention to him as I move aside to let him pass, except he doesn’t follow my lead and move the other way.
Instead, he stands there, his tall frame and wide shoulders blocking my path.
My instincts immediately go on high alert.
I look up in his face, and a quiet gasp spills from my lips.
He’s the man who was looking at me through the window of Serena’s shop the other day. And maybe the man from the sidewalk by the bookstore, too. I stumble backward.
“Josie,” he says, reaching out to stop me.
“Don’t touch me,” I hiss, fumbling in my purse for my pepper spray. “How do you know my name?”
“Look, if we could just go somewhere private to talk.” He holds up his hands as if to show he’s harmless. But harmless men don’t stand threateningly in women’s paths. They don’t stare at them from sidewalks.
I pull out the pepper spray and aim it in his direction. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Why are you following me?”
“I’m not following you,” he insists.
But he is, I know he is. “I saw you on the street the other day. And when I was in the dress shop.”
“I needed to make sure it was really you.”
I stare at him, my chest filling with dread. “Who do you think I am?”
He pauses as if he’s considering his words. I hold my breath. Finally, he says, “I think you’re the girl that was at the Langleys’ house the day Christopher died.”
My pulse pounds in my ears, and I drop my hand to my side. Is this really happening? Is this the moment I’ve spent the last decade dreading? I know who he is. There’s no other explanation. “You’re the security guard, aren’t you?”
He gives a sharp nod. “Yes.”
It doesn’t mean he knows anything. It doesn’t mean he saw anything. Except why would he be here if he didn’t? Why would he be following me around town and approaching me like this? “What do you want?”
“I want to talk about what happened to Christopher.”
My hands shake. Whatever he has to say can’t be good.
He must have seen everything on the dock that day.
He knows I pushed Christopher into the water.
He knows I killed him. Is he going to try to blackmail me?
Threaten to turn me in to the police? Mom was right to be nervous about me being here on the island.
What was I thinking, running around town with Ian for the last few days as if I belong here on Sandy Harbor?
I should have stayed out of sight, at least until I could tell Ian the truth.
And then it hits me. Ian. I planned to tell him everything after the wedding. But now this man is here to blow it up before I have the chance.
Behind me, I hear a car turn into the driveway. The security guard looks over my shoulder, and his expression darkens. I spin around to see Madeline and Garrett arriving for the rehearsal with Mom in the backseat.
The security guard must recognize them too, because he swears under his breath.
Maybe this means he’s the guy that’s been creeping around Madeline.
Both she and Garrett have been plagued by this man for over a year, fearing Madeline might be in danger, and it was me he was after this whole time.
A crushing mix of guilt and sadness presses down on me.
This is just one more way I’ve caused my sister pain.
The security guard gives me a look that’s almost pleading. “Can we just go somewhere to talk for a few minutes? That’s all I ask.”
I can’t let this ruin Madeline’s wedding.
I’ve got to get this guy out of here before she and Garrett see him.
When they’re blissfully on their honeymoon, I’ll open up to Ian about everything, I’ll talk to this guy, I’ll face whatever consequences are necessary.
But please, not now. When I glance behind me, Garrett is helping Mom out of the car while Madeline leans in to get her purse.
I spin back around to face the security guard. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to scream for help.” Of course I’m bluffing. Screaming would draw everyone’s attention, and that’s the last thing I want. But he doesn’t know that.
His eyes dart from me to the parking lot. “Fine,” the guy says. “But we need to talk. Soon.” He disappears around the corner of the building, back where he came from.
My whole body is shaking, shivering like it’s cold out even though it’s a perfect eighty-degree day. I can’t help worrying over the way he emphasized soon. He’s been tracking my sister since she moved back here over a year ago, probably looking for me. How much longer can I put this off?
From across the parking lot, Madeline calls my name, and I force myself to smile and wave.
I need to get it together. I can’t let her see me freaking out over this.
The guy wanted to talk privately, which means he wants to deal with me personally, not my family.
So, I’ll stick close to them, and we’ll make this a perfect wedding for Madeline.
And when it’s over, I’ll tell Ian everything and we’ll face this together. It’s going to be okay.
It has to be.