A tear rolled down Georgette’s face—not for herself, but for her foolish sister. Her foolish, dead sister. Nothing had ever been enough for Jamie.
“Jake never slept with Jamie. Couldn’t stand her, actually.” Gunther caught one of her tears on his fingertip. “Now, let’s get to work. What did she write in those postcards she sent home every day?”
“Stupid tourist stuff.” Georgette raised her chin and rolled her aching shoulders. “You already know there was nothing in the locker, because you put Hallie’s bones in there.”
The switch Gunther had been rubbing between his palms dropped to the ground, and he lifted his head. “Locker?”
A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face. He had to know about the locker. He’d stashed Hallie’s bones in it. “Th-the locker at the airport. Jake and I thought Jamie and Jean-Claude hid something there...but all we found were bones.”
“She doesn’t know anything, Gunther. Let’s turn up the heat.” The torch Bones had in his hand flared to life, and he swept it close to the kindling he’d piled at her feet.
“Youfound Hallie’s bones?” Gunther’s eyes became slits as they shifted from her to Bones. “How did you find out about the locker?”
“The postcards.” Georgette licked her lips. “I assumed that when you stole the postcard from my room, you’d figured out that the numbers on it were the combination to the airport locker. We came to that conclusion when I talked to Mrs. Bonnaire.”
“Mrs. Bonnaire.” Gunther snapped his fingers. “I knew that brain of yours would come in handy. Curiously enough, I didn’t steal that postcard from your room and have never seen it.”
Bones thrust the flaming torch toward her face as the orange flickers danced in his glassy eyes. “Let’s do this, Gunther. Let’s light her up.”
“Whodidsteal the postcard?” Georgette coughed at the smoke wafting in the air around her.
Gunther drew the weapon from his pocket. “That would be Bones.”
Bones stopped waving the torch around. “I didn’t steal any postcard.”
“I sent you to Georgette’s room to snoop around. You claimed you found nothing.” Gunther raised the gun and pointed it at Bones. “In fact, you found the postcard with the combination, and you knew about that locker from your sister. You cleaned it out for yourself, didn’t you? Cleaned out my drugs that Jamie and Jean-Claude had stashed there.”
Bones’ Adam’s apple bulged in his neck as he swallowed. “I didn’t see no drugs in that locker. I found out about the locker later and thought it would be a good place to put the bones.”
“You’re lying.” Gunther steadied the gun. “Tell me where the drugs are, and I’ll let it go. You can keep working for me like before.”
Georgette sucked in her lower lip. The drugs had been in Jamie’s airport locker until Bones replaced them with his sister’s remains. Bones had double-crossed Gunther, and now he’d pay. And her? Gunther would never let her go.
She just hoped he’d put a bullet in her head instead of burning her alive. Jake would never know what had happened to her—and she wanted it that way for his own safety. Maybe he’d think she went back to North Dakota.
“I don’t have the drugs. I swear, Gunther.”
Gunther released the safety on his gun and leveled it at Bones’ head. “I don’t believe you. Tell me where you put them.”
“Put the gun down, Gunther.”
Georgette cried out as Jake emerged from the bushes, pointing his own weapon at Gunther. “Be careful, Jake.”
The corner of Gunther’s mouth turned up. “This is between me and my employee, Jake. I’ll let you have Georgette, and the two of you can run off and let me finish my business.”
“Your dirty business.” Jake dug his bare feet into the sand. “I can’t do that, Gunther. This is my island.”
Gunther swung his gun from Bones to Georgette, and she squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the bullet that would end her life.
A shot rang out, and her eyelids flew open. Gunther had dropped to his knees, his eyes round and blood spurting from the side of his head.
Georgette screamed.
Gunther fell face forward, the gun still clutched in his hand.
“Now you.” Jake turned his weapon on Bones, whose mouth hung wide open, spittle on his chin.
Then Bones’ body jerked, and he lunged at Georgette with the torch. “You do it, and she’s toast. I’ll burn this bitch to the ground.”