Chapter Forty-Eight
Mandy’s victory felt sour. She had achieved one of her goals: She’d stopped their raft from traveling further from Liv and
the others. But she hadn’t considered how much stopping would feel like being stuck. She’d destroyed their boat, infuriated
her father, and beached them on a pile of cracked rocks that, according to Thor, was not named Bloody Ledges because of a
Wild West showdown, but in honor of all the rafters who’d stubbed their toes on the brittle slabs, dotting the sandstone with
blood.
“Cuts don’t heal easy in the desert,” Thor said. He was the only one who seemed unfazed by their new situation. “Hard to put
you back together when the heat and the dryness want to rip you apart. Watch your step.”
Guy, still barefoot, plunked himself down with a frustrated groan. Mandy offered him the water filter and a dented thermos.
At least those had been securely strapped in with the crate of energy bars and the radio. But her dad waved her off without
a second glance.
“So, Captain,” Thor said to Mandy, “what’s next?”
“Yes,” Guy said. “Please illuminate us on your brilliant plan.”
“Well,” Mandy said. “We’ve got food and water. And the radio. I’m assuming it works even if it’s gotten wet. We can call the
park police.”
“And tell them what?” Guy asked. “That we stole a raft and left two dead bodies and a murderer behind us?”
“I was thinking we could do one better.”
“What’s better?” Charlie asked. He looked tired, but less jittery than he had on the river. Maybe being on dry land—even a
bloody sandstone ledge—felt safer to him than the motion of the water.
“We’re not just going to report a crime,” she said. “We’re going to report a criminal. If we can tell the police who the killer
is, they’ll see us differently.”
Guy let out a dry bark. “Now you know who the killer is?”
Mandy stared at her dad in frustration. She hated to see him this way, biting and bitter, especially when it was directed
at her.
“I don’t know who murdered them,” she said deliberately. “But I’ve narrowed it down. And I think, with all of us”—she gave
Charlie a small nod—“we can figure it out.”
Before Guy could protest further, Charlie leaned forward. “What do you know so far?”
“I was thinking about what Stefan called the killer. Remember, Dad?”
“Lady,” Guy grumbled.
“That’s right. Lady. The Regent Group was organized into four departments. Love, attention, distraction, and yearning.” She took a breath. “I
think the secret investor is the person who killed Babette and Stefan. The lady behind L-A-D-Y.”
To her surprise, her dad burst out laughing.
“A woman! I should have known.” Guy turned to Mandy, his face shining now. “You know, that investor gave Babette an eight-foot
pink salt healing crystal as a gift. I assumed it was a woo-woo dude, but this makes more sense.”
“You think this lady is on our rafting trip?” Charlie said. “She showed up, what, in disguise?”
Mandy nodded. “Or under false pretenses. Your whale is famously secretive, right? Anyone who met her had to sign NDAs up the
wazoo. Maybe that’s why Babette wouldn’t tell anyone who it was she was afraid of. She couldn’t.”
“There are no investors on this trip besides Stefan and you.” Charlie looked at her pointedly. “And you’re not a whale.”
“I’m not even the investor, really,” Mandy said. “It’s my dad’s money. I’m just the front man. Like Stefan was.”
Charlie whipped his head around. “You’re our first investor?”
Guy gave him a sly grin.
“I’m sorry I was rude to you earlier,” Charlie said mechanically.
“Water under the bridge.” Guy smiled again. “You can make it up to me by rescuing CareFree.”
“The product is not going to be impacted,” Charlie said.
“Really?” Mandy asked. “Even if it turns out your biggest investor murdered two people?”
Charlie dropped his eyes back to the mushed energy bar in his hand.
“Who do you think it is?” Thor asked.
“A woman on the trip who has a bigger stake in CareFree than they’re letting on. Someone with a huge pile of cash and the
ability—and desire—to keep their investing secret.”
Guy looked at Charlie. “How much did you and your siblings inherit when your parents died?”
“You think I’m the secret investor behind all of this?”
“No,” Guy said. “You and Babette put your money into starting the company. But I wonder what Devon did with her share.”
“I’m not sure,” Charlie said. “We never discussed it.”
“It could be Katy,” Mandy said. She turned to Thor. “You said she was a trust fund kid.”
“I know who it is.” Charlie looked upriver, his face set. “Fiona.”
“The blonde with the blinky masks?” Guy asked.
“Cross me and you’re dead too,” Charlie muttered. He took off his Babette hat and let it rest upside down on the ledge, the ominous white words marching
across the filthy fabric.
“I’m lost here,” Thor said.
Charlie swallowed. “Fiona Moon was involved in the early development of CareFree. She had good ideas, but she hated reporting to Devon. She wanted to be in charge. A year and a half ago, she went to Babette and told her Devon was steering the product in a direction that would never be safe to go to market. Babette came to me and Devon. We disagreed. Fiona didn’t like it.
And then, fourteen months ago, the third focus group failed. ”
“Failed?” Thor said.
“There was an accident. Justine Long, a twenty-six-year-old test subject, was exposed to unsafe materials. She died. Everyone
was upset, but I always wondered . . .”
“What?” Mandy said.
“I wondered if Fiona was happy it happened. Because she thought it would stop the project.”
“You think Fiona killed Justine Long intentionally?” Mandy asked.
“Maybe not. But I do think she came on this trip to confront us. There’s no other good reason for Fiona to show up now. Devon
fired her after Justine died, and Babette gave her plenty of shares to stay quiet. It worked. None of us have heard from her
for months. And now, suddenly, she shows up, saying Babette invited her? She must have been lying. You saw how she reacted
when the helicopter didn’t drop Babette on the beach. Fiona wanted to go back to the rim right away. But then I guess she
found another way to get what she wanted.”
“How?”
Charlie looked out at the gurgling river. “The water bottle. The one I found in Babette’s lap. Fiona has the exact same one.
Maybe she doctored it to poison my sister.”
“Hold up,” Guy said. “If Fiona didn’t think CareFree was safe or if she didn’t trust you, I could see wanting to kill the
product. But if Fiona was secretly Stefan’s boss, she’s the biggest investor in CareFree. Why would she put all her money
behind a product she didn’t believe in?” Guy shook his head. “And how does a dermatologist have a secret second life as a
multinational investor?”
“Fiona comes from serious wealth,” Charlie said. “Her dad was one of the pioneers of the microprocessor boom in South Korea. I don’t think she does much doctoring these days.”
“So you think . . .” Mandy said.
“I think there are two reasons to make a big investment in a company,” Charlie said. “To make money off of it or to bleed
it dry. Whoever killed Babette and Stefan wasn’t doing what was best for CareFree. They were doing what was best for themselves.”