Page 24 of Bay of Plenty

Book club was breaking up, and CeeCee and Sarge were waiting with her, laughing. CeeCee punched Sarge’s arm, like, “Oh, Dad, you’re so embarrassing.”

Kui looked at me and raised an eyebrow. See?

Yoga was a five-minute walk away, under the palm trees next to the Surf Life Saving Club.

On the way, I chatted with CeeCee, pretty in cloud-patterned yoga shorts and crop top. She was dainty, from her lips to her feet. We talked about what we’d done after high school. At dinner last night, she’d been covered up, and because she seemed fearful of Snow, I’d worried her clothes were hiding bruises. Now that she was wearing something more revealing, I checked her arms and neck. Her skin was clear.

Turned out she had done a postgraduate business degreeat a prestigious university in Sydney, Australia. I barely concealed my surprise. The few times I overheard her speak, it was about shell bracelets, tanning, and Snow. I tipped my head to the sky. That was the second thing I’d gotten wrong about her. I also wondered if she helped with the winery accounts.

“I had to come home.” She sighed blissfully. “I couldn’t be away from Snow. He’s the love of my life.”

I nodded, at a loss for an answer, and watched Kui and Sarge ahead of us, talking about a book. Hobbling slightly, Sarge leaned into her, hanging on her every word, one hand adjusting his trendy yoga pants. My fingers turned clawlike at how close he was to her.

“Sarge has updated his look from the tight rugby jerseys,” I said. “Is this a three-quarter-life crisis?”

“He’s got a secret crush on Kui,” CeeCee whispered. I suppressed a shudder at the thought.

CeeCee tucked her tiny hand into the soft crook of my arm. Why did this small gesture feel familiar and comforting?Oh.Yeah.Janey had done that too.

I knew not to show my feelings about Sarge, and I exchanged a grin with her over an old man’s crush. With the warmth of the sun overhead and her breath on my ear, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to chat with her. She’d always seemed such a follower in high school, with no thoughts of her own, but she was articulate, witty, and passionate about eco issues and running a sustainable business. The light beamed through the palm trees like a window had opened, as if we might become friends.

Kui turned to ask CeeCee’s opinion about one of the book’s characters. While they were occupied, Sarge shot me a gimlet-eyed glare, tarnishing the air between us like oldrust. He hadn’t properly investigated Janey’s disappearance, and I didn’t trust him. Clearly, he was wary of me too. If Kui confided in him about our investigation, he could ruin it. Of course, she wouldn’t do that because it would put Kingi in danger.

Anxiety must have shown on my face. CeeCee assured me. “The crush? It’s not reciprocated. Even if it was, Kui would never betray Clarebear,” she added, referring to Sarge’s wife, who was known for wearing bells on her skirts and sandals.

Wait. Sarge wasn’t wearing shoes. Neither was Kui or CeeCee.

Seagulls squalled over a group of school kids who whirled past on bikes and scooters, surfboards under their arms, obviously wagging school.They aren’t wearing shoes either.

Sarge had said Janey’s shoe prints at the top of the cliff proved she’d jumped off. At the time, I’d begged him not to believe that. None of us ever wore shoes up there or anywhere, so it had always angered me that he’d made up such a blatant fallacy. And here we were, twenty years later, without shoes. It made me furious he’d dismissed it.Why had he?

Was it sloppy police work to close the case quickly? Or had there been more to it?

Chapter Fifteen

After yoga andan afternoon of showing Declan the beach and town and visiting Dad, we had an early dinner of leftovers. We video-called Dad. He asked about Declan, who squeezed into the screen, a reassuring hand on my shoulder. It felt nice, warm, and I laid my own hand on top of his. Mum broke down at the end. We sat on the sofa for a while, my arm around her, and Declan made her a cup of tea.

Declan went back to the bedroom to call his sisters. I talked to Mum for a while longer, then headed to my room.

No sign of Declan. Maybe he was down at the beach making his calls? I slid open the bathroom door to brush my teeth. Declan was emerging from the shower. The steam parted. To a sight that was—oh!Ooooh.

“Shit!” He snatched a towel from the rack and slung it around his hips.

“Didn’t see anything.” I squeaked out the fib, covering my eyes. The steam scene immediately jettisoned from my brain because, you know, professional.

I waited in the garden to let him dry off and get dressed.

He called the okay, and I joined him. “Sorry, I should have knocked,” I said awkwardly, my eyes trained on the floor.

“I didn’t realize that lock doesn’t work.” He cleared his throat.

I changed into my night shorts and tank. Declan sat on the bed as I lined up the pillows down the middle with ridiculous precision. I tried not to notice how his sweatpants outlined his thighs. A hot blush erupted on my neck and throat.Eyes up, Joyson. Now I wasmorenervous about being in the same bed, knowing it was going to be difficult to sleep.

Declan scrolled down the screen of his laptop. He glanced up and stuck his head back down. He didn’t seem that comfortable. Was he nervous too? For the same reason? He peered at the screen. “My port contact said the heroin was likely shipped in bottles because the last thing officials do is open wine bottles—that requires different paperwork, which is harder to obtain.”

I found myself staring at him.

“Hey, is something going on?” His brow was furrowed. “I feel like you didn’t sleep that well last night. I should sleep on the floor tonight.”

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