Page 73 of It Happened on the Lake

“Public knowledge.”

That much was true, so she shouldn’t have been surprised. There had been a lot of talk about the dispersal of the Dixon fortune at the time of Gram’s death. Some of her assets had been donated to the university, some to St. Catherine’s Hospital, and the bulk, including the island, left to Harper.

And of course Rhonda would want to dig further. She’d probably probe about what had happened the night Chase disappeared and her grandmother died. All part of the island’s “interesting history.” At the time her father had shipped Harper off to California to live with a second cousin of his so that she would avoid excessive and seemingly unending interviews by the press and possibly the police and somehow, hopefully, regain her anonymity. He and Marcia had arrived a few weeks later.

But she refused to dwell on all that now. And she certainly wasn’t going to discuss it with a reporter, any reporter. “Wait a minute. How did you know I’d be here?” she said, motioning toward the police station.

Rhonda ignored the question. “There’s talk that you might put the island up for sale. So a feature on it would be great publicity, you know. That island’s got a lot of history, and it’s unique, the only one on all of Lake Twilight.”

“How long have you been waiting here for me?”

“A while.”

“You didn’t answer my question. How did you know I was here?”

Rhonda started to hedge. “Well, I—”

“From Beth Alexander?” Harper guessed.

“No, she didn’t tell me you would be here, but she did mention that Detective Watkins had tried to talk to you at the hospital.”

“And—?” Harper was getting angry.

“Your car has California plates.”

“That you checked somehow? Ran my plates somehow?”

“No. No. It was just a lucky guess.”

Harper couldn’t believe it. Nor could she believe that she was standing in the rain discussing it. “So you waited for me?”

“I figured you needed the car.”

“We’re done.”

“No wait. The article would be good publicity for you, for the island.”

“What? No.”

“Just listen. So much has happened there! And just last night you saved Cynthia Hunt from drowning.”

Uh-oh. So this is where all the interest is coming from, Harper thought as the rain peppered the ground and pinged against the Volvo’s roof and hood. “I don’t know what you heard, but I didn’t save anyone. Look, it’s raining. I’ve got to go.”

“But you got hurt,” Rhonda said. Again, she was staring at the bandage on Harper’s chin.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“And Cynthia Hunt—”

“I didn’t save her,” Harper cut in angrily. Would this woman never quit? “I really have to go.”

Rhonda wasn’t taking the hint. “I know, she passed on earlier and God rest her soul, but you’re the one who saw her last, who tried to get her off that boat before it burned to a crisp or sank. Dear God in heaven, Ican’timagine.”

Harper opened the car door. “As I said, I’m leaving.”

“But wait!” There was a strident edge to Rhonda’s voice. “Isn’t that what happened?”

“Something like that.” Harper slid behind the wheel.

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