Chapter 64
Checking in
Marta pulled up to Riley's house and saw no lights, not the porch light nor any inside lights were on.
Parking her little Suzuki jeep, she craned her neck, realizing that Riley's vehicle wasn't in its usual spot at the back corner of the house.
She might have gone to the beach with Bear, Marta thought.
Doesn't hurt to knock, she mused, just in case Riley had left her vehicle at the Lagoon and caught a ride home with someone else. Carpooling wasn't unusual among team members, especially to save on gas.
As she approached the house, though, Marta knew no one was home. She knocked anyway, calling out, "Riley? Bear?" a few times before pulling out her keys and unlocking the door.
Stepping inside, she pulled the door shut behind her and headed toward the kitchen.
It's funny, she thought, how everyone has keys to each other's places.
When she first moved here from New York, it had struck her as strange.
Back home, people would never give out their house keys.
But on the island, it made sense. If your coworker had too much to drink and someone confiscated their keys, you definitely didn't want them crashing at your place.
Better to take them to their own place to make a mess.
She chuckled, remembering when she'd helped Daniel home a few weeks ago. Her cheeks warmed at the memory of him, half-asleep, reaching out to stroke her cheek, telling her she was his favourite person. He didn't remember it, but she did. Oh, Daniel. One day, I'll tell you how I feel.
Scanning the room, Marta spotted a few notes on the table. She realized the second note was for her.
"Hey you! Nosy much?! Bear and I headed out for an adventure a day early. Off to the tiny island, then going to find eagle rays out by West End. Back before sunset tomorrow. Ciao, stalker!"
Marta laughed. Riley obviously knew someone would check on her. Marta couldn't remember which tiny island Riley was going to, but it didn't matter. It was probably better that she was gone while they figured out what Shelley was really doing on the island.
Marta, having glanced at the house, moved outside into the evening, breathing in the island air. She loved this time of day. In that instant, following dusk, as heat dissipated, and evening coolness settled in. I'm so lucky to live here, she thought.