Page 86 of Meet Me at Sunset Cove

Waylen slid back into his seat, frosting coating his lips, a chocolate cupcake half devoured in his hand.

“Aw, come on, Waylen,” Miles groaned. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to wait until the cake is cut to go in for dessert?”

Waylen blinked. “Really?”

Miles dropped his head into his palm.

Evan and Jude surged to their feet as their mom stepped up to the table.

“You look stunning, Mom.” Evan wrapped her in a hug, while Jude shook their new stepdad’s hand.

And then they traded. “Really beautiful, Mom.” Jude said.

The twins had made the trip out to Chicago a few times, along with Waylen. And of course, Miles lived out here. It seemed Hunter was the only one who saw the man as a stranger when his mother’s new husband stepped up beside her.

Mom turned to the table, her smile bright. “Carlisle, I want to introduce you to my youngest, Hunter.”

Carlisle extended a hand, and Hunter took it, gave it a firm shake. The man looked to be in his late fifties, with graying hair and a thick mustache, a strong jawline, and brown eyes. He fit in next to his bride.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Hunter said, stuffing his hand back into his pocket.

“Likewise.”

“What do you do?” Hunter asked, making the effort to get to know the man.

The man lifted a shoulder. “I work in the FBI. I investigate fraud. Digital forensics, actually.” The way he said it make it sound as though that should mean something to Hunter. “It’s a shame, that video of your fiancée. Linda told me about it,” he went on. “Hope you know it’s a fake.”

Hunter frowned. “What?”

Carlisle cocked his head, as though this was information everyone should have already known. “It’s a deepfake.”

All eyes at the table turned up to Hunter, who studied Carlisle, trying to wrap his head around what he was being told. “How can you tell?”

Carlisle’s brows lifted, and he pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll show you.” He opened his browser and pulled up the video, Daisy’s face filling the screen. “First of all, let’s zoom in on her mouth as she speaks.” He enlarged the video. “It’s hard to tell, but in just a few places, the words she’s saying aren’t completely in sync. Just a word here and there.”

He zoomed back out and scrolled to a later part of the video. “And here.” He paused the video, moving it forward frame by frame. He pointed to Daisy’s smile. “See how there’s no outline on her teeth here?”

Hunter frowned, staring at the image.

“And most importantly…” Carlisle scrolled forward again. “Listen.” He lifted the phone so that Hunter could hear over the dinner music. The sound of distant traffic layered over birds and waves.

“Cars,” Hunter breathed. Whoever made this video obviously had never been to Jonathon Island.

“Bingo,” Carlisle said, one eyebrow cocked in self-satisfaction.

Hunter couldn’t believe it. His chest loosed, letting him take his first real breath in days. The video was a fake.

Hunter slumped back to his seat. What had he done?

Waylen cleared his throat, and Hunter glanced up at him. “I don’t know if this is a good time, but…I picked this up outside the house. I was waiting for the right time to give it to you. It’s from Daisy.”

He slid a dirty envelope across the table, and Hunter picked it up, his fingers numb, and opened it.

He studied the contents for a moment, his heart racing. And then turned back to his brother. “Go grab Evan and Jude. We gotta go.”

“Yessir!” Waylen said, grinning as he scrambled out of his seat.

Hunter turned back to his mother. “I love ya, Mom. Congrats to both of you…I hope it’s okay, but?—”

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