Chapter 49
Action plan
"What the actual hell is going on?" Cam was trying to be his calm, easygoing self, but having someone show up unannounced had put his guard up, and this caused the entire room to stiffen.
"First, how did she get here? Second, why is she really here? And third, where is Riley?"
Gray ran his hands over his face, his frustration matching Cam's.
"Cam... everyone... I'm sorry. I do not know what's going on.
Dr. Terry didn't say a word about Shelley coming here.
Trust me, she would have warned me. She knows we don't get along.
Actually, it's more that Shelley makes me uncomfortable and can't take no for an answer.
As for how she got here... I'm clueless. "
"Cam?" Marta, who had been quietly observing from a corner, spoke up.
"Sorry to interrupt, but it's Tuesday, and Shelley said she just arrived?
That's impossible. There are no flights to the island on Tuesdays.
They come in only on Thursdays and Sundays.
So how did she just show up today? Either she's been here since Thursday or arrived on Sunday.
Either way, she's lying about something. "
Everyone turned to Cam and Gray, the weight of Marta's words sinking in.
"'What the hell' doesn't even begin to cover this," Gray felt a wave of nausea. He glanced out the window overlooking the lagoon, noticing that Riley was no longer visible. She could be anywhere by now.
"Okay, we need to figure this out fast. Gray, can you call your boss?"
"I wish I could, but she doesn't work on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
And now that I think about it, it's pretty convenient that Shelley showed up today.
I can try to reach the lab tomorrow and see if anyone else knows something.
But if I can't get through, we'll have to wait until Thursday.
" Gray was piecing together a disturbing puzzle.
"Now that you mention it," Gray continued, his thoughts racing, "something Dr. T said last week is starting to make sense."
"Don't leave us hanging!" Marta urged.
"Right, sorry. When I got that brief call out to Dr. T, she mentioned something about Shelley moping around because I'd been gone for a month.
I had told Dr. T that I could stay another two months, thanks to the budget I saved on housing.
She joked, 'Oh, Shelley won't be happy,' but I thought little of it at the time.
Now that Shelley's here... it's all clicking into place. "
The room was silent, everyone exchanging uneasy glances between Gray and Cam.
"Weren't you down on the dock with Riley and Phoenix?" Cam asked, concern etched on his face. Looking out the window, he knew Riley would retreat underwater with Phoenix if she got spooked.
"Yeah, that didn't go well. Shelley was condescending and found a way to 'trip' into me and cling on. Riley just got up, dove into the water, and took off with Phoenix." The murmurs of agreement from the room confirmed that it made sense.
"Damn," Cam muttered. "Alright, here's the plan.
Marta, take Daniel and find out who brought Shelley here.
Cici, go distract Declan and Shelley keep them busy.
Take them to check the solar generators or something, just keep them away from here for at least another 30 minutes.
Let's all quickly start closing up the lab so we can get out of here.
Then, Gray, you're with me. Let's take the boat across the jetty to the Thatchers and see if they actually got that new satellite phone set up. "
Everyone sprang into action, and as Gray watched his team scatter to help, he felt a deep appreciation for them. But he knew they were doing this for Riley because she was the one they truly cared about.
"Come on, Gray, we've got some investigating to do," Cam urged, snapping him back to the task at hand.