Page 90 of Beach Bodies

‘What?’ I say, wrinkling my brow.

‘Oh my god. You could have been a victim, Lil!’ says Nadine. ‘They’re calling him– or her– the Beach Body Killer, and that podcaster we’re obsessed with is doing this whole series on it! The first episode is to die for. First of all, his voice issosexy, and then the way he describes the sand and the water? It almost makes you want to be there, living the resort life, except…’

‘Murder!’ says Nate, with an exaggerated pop of his eyes that makes everyone laugh.

‘Lil, it’s the podcast we were all into last year,’ says Phoebe. She slams her palm on the table for emphasis, making the silverware bounce. ‘You. Have. To. Listen.’

‘Yeah, OK,’ I say.

‘It’s calledWho Killed Me?, remember?’ says Nate, pullingout his phone. ‘I know I texted you the link last year. Here, I’ll send it to you again.’

‘You can give us the insider info so we can guess the killer!’ crows Phoebe, and everyone raises their cocktail glasses, laughing and toasting to the imaginary victory of figuring out who was behind the deaths before the end of the season.

At that point, only two episodes have dropped, and my name is yet to come up.

It happens in Episode Three, unleashing a bevy of texts from my friends.Are u OK? OMG Lily, I can’t believe that guy is dragging your name into this! Call me! LMK what you need!

No one asks the most important question: did you do it?

But that’s OK. Even if they asked? I’d lie to them.

The days slip past. I find myself talking out loud to Jessica as I move through the house doing this or that, or go to the store, or walk in the park.

‘Daisies or roses?’ I ask her out loud, as I contemplate the fresh flowers at Trader Joe’s.

A man in running clothes turns and says, ‘Excuse me?’

‘Sorry, nothing,’ I say, and grab the roses– pale coral-coloured things with a red edge, as though they were dipped in blood.

Taste of Heaven, to my credit, is running flawlessly without me, and I can feel myself peel away. I’ve hired good people; I let them do their jobs, just making a few decisions here and there. I even remove my name from the website. Better to start detaching– I don’t want my plummeting reputation to bring the company down.

August is hot as a sauna. I stay inside and cook simple,small meals for myself. I consider getting a cat from a nearby shelter, which doesn’t make any sense if I’m going to prison soon, but it’s a good distraction nonetheless. My best hope is that, if I do end up sentenced to prison, it will only be for attempted murder, since Serena didn’t actually die and there can’t be hard proof for the others, but… we’ll see.

‘Do we like the tabby or the black one?’ I ask Jessica, as I click between their little bios online. ‘The tabby is playful, but maybe his energy is too high for the space? And Gus is so cute. Look at that little white spot on his nose. Adorable.’

Beth Ann calls, but I don’t pick up. Is she listening to the podcast? I delete her voicemail without listening. The only reason I’d want to talk to her anyway is about Jessica, and I’m done beating my head against that particular wall.

My friends gradually stop texting. It’s no surprise; by Episode Five, which drops on Labor Day, I’m looking pretty bad, though Vic and Sean are still active suspects, which is of course a strategic drama-building choice since by now Daniel knows that neither of them did a thing.

Episode Seven drops in mid-September. As usual, I stay up until midnight so that I can listen the second it’s released.

Daniel launches in, describing the party at Island Vibes, and how he raced after me and Serena.

‘The waves are wild up there, and it was dark,’ his voice says, deep and mesmerizing, drawing me back into the scene until it feels like I’m reliving it with him. ‘My heart was thundering in my chest; I was running towards what I believed to be Lily’s final kill. I had to stop her. Then, I heard Lily cry out for Serena to stop, that Serena was drunk and the waves were too dangerous. My mind was racing. Could I have beenwrong about Lily? Was she actually looking out for Serena? Then, as I’m running through the sand, I see Serena slip– a big wave crashed into her, and down she went, in a flash. You have no idea how powerful those waves are on the north side of the island. It sucked her under; no one could do anything, not even Lily, who was just feet away from Serena. I ran into the water. It was cold and I almost lost my footing. I grabbed Serena under the arms, and dragged her back to the beach. When we reached the sand, Serena was no longer breathing.’

My heart pounds and pounds as Daniel’s voice carries me forward.

‘But then, Lily dropped to her knees by Serena. In a twist I never saw coming, there on the beach, I watched the woman who I thought was a killer bring Serena back to life. CPR is a violent thing. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched someone be resuscitated, but it doesn’t look gentle. I watched Lily slam life back into Serena as if her own life depended on it.’ He pauses. ‘At this point, I could tell you who the Beach Body Killer is. But I think you already know, don’t you? Vote on the website, and make sure to come back next week for the Tell-All episode that will answer every question, and reveal not only the killer but the question that’s been torturing me all summer. Why? Why does someone kill, and what is it inside them that drives them to take a human life– not just once, but over and over? What life story leads to that decision?Who Killed Me?You’ll find out soon. Until then, this is your host, Daniel Lukiewicz.’

There’s a little ditty of transitional music, then a female voice says, ‘Subscribe toWho Killed Me?today, and be the first to hear the explosive Season Two finale! This episodeis sponsored by Hank’s Vegan Hot Dogs– a frankfurter so juicy, you’ll never guess it’s not meat– and Hannah’s Closet, a non-profit that provides business-appropriate clothing to facilitate the return of ex-cons to the workforce.’

And it’s over.

There’s a sudden blare in my ear and I jolt upright in bed. My ringtone. I have a phone call piping straight into my earbuds.

I grab my phone to answer, and my heart goes still.

It’s Daniel’s number. No longer through WhatsApp, but I’ve looked at it enough that I recognize it right away. I answer.

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