Page 3 of Trick of Light
“Because…we have discovered that another of Marianne’s descendants is still alive here on Sea Smoke Island! Sasha’s great-great-grandfather, Aaron Mackey, left the island in nineteen-twelve with the others, but I located some property records that show his sister never did. They lived on a remote point of the island that the Carmichaels weren’t interested in. Aaron transferred the property to his sister and she stayed on the island, along with her children. I’m fascinated to know how she managed that, given what was going on at the time with the construction of the Lightkeeper Inn. Anyway, one of her descendants still occupies that land.”
Heather scooted to the edge of her seat. “This is amazing. Who is this mystery descendant? Do I know this person?”
Gabby had purposefully kept the name to herself to maximize the “discovery” thrill of this moment.
“You might. Her name is Tamara Brown. The family changed their name after nineteen-twelve.”
“Tamara Brown…I do know her.” Heather tapped a finger on her chin, summoning memories.
“Tell us what you know.”
“Well, she’s kind of a recluse. She has a cabin in the old southwest woods, where almost no one lives. She’s a midwife, I think. Or something like that. She grows herbs and makes weird concoctions…oh wow! Just like her ancestor!”
“The healing gene is strong in that family.” Gabby glanced over at Sasha, who beamed with pride. “So that’s where we are now. Our next step is to pay a visit to Tamara Brown and see what she knows about her ancestor’s most important possession.”
“Why would she tell us? I doubt that ‘wielding it wisely’ involves talking about it on a podcast.” As she spoke, Heather craned her neck to see what was going on outside the conservatory’s glass walls. She gestured wildly to Gabby, who turned to see what she was watching.
A young woman in a chambermaid uniform and a head scarf was staggering across the manicured lawn, clutching at her throat. She was trying to say something, but nobody seemed to hear her. From inside, they certainly couldn’t.
She dropped to her knees on the grass. Was that blood coming from her mouth?
Gabby and Heather both jumped to their feet. Sasha was already ahead of them, running toward the inn’s stately foyer.
But someone else was already crouching next to the young woman, trying to render aid.
Barnaby Carmichael. Son of the owner of the Lightkeeper Inn. Arrogant and annoying, but apparently good in a crisis.
2
Barnaby stepped back while the medivac paramedics loaded the victim onto a gurney. He’d done his part, along with the young woman who had introduced herself as Sasha, an ER nurse. They’d kept the victim—who he recognized as one of the cleaning staff—from choking on her own blood. Since she was clearly going into shock, he’d wrapped his own zippered hoodie around her.
“Her name is Safiya and she works here at the inn,” he told the paramedics. “It looks to me like she ingested something. She’s on the household staff, so it could have been a cleaning product.”
“We got it from here, Mr. Carmichael.”
Barnaby felt his jaw clench. He wasn’t “Mr. Carmichael.” This wasn’t his world. He didn’t usually live at the inn, or on Sea Smoke Island at all. The only reason he was on the island right now was because the family was falling apart and someone needed to hold things down as best they could.
He glanced behind him at the crowd of gawking guests. “Everything’s fine,” he called. “She’s in good hands.”
Could he tell them all to get lost and put down their damn iPhones? With the Lightkeeper Inn’s clientele, you had to be careful. They were all top dogs in their own worlds and didn’t take kindly to anyone bossing them around. Wealthy people could be the biggest pains in the ass. Since he himself technically was one, he knew it all too well—although he’d been working hard on the pain-in-the-ass part since the age of ten.
“Fresh coffee on the terrace,” he added. “Croissants, wild blueberry jam, you name it.”
Bit by bit, the crowd dispersed, losing interest once the helicopter had lifted into the air. He’d called for help right away, since he’d seen something similar on a backpacking trek in the Himalayas. When someone was coughing up blood, especially with traces of white foam, they needed immediate medical attention beyond what the island could provide.
“Good job there,” he told Sasha, who was looking ruefully at the blood on her shirt.
“Thanks. You too. Are you a paramedic?”
“I have EMT training, but no. I’m…well, I’m…”
“He’s the boss around here.”
They both swung around to see Gabby Ramon approaching, along with Heather McPhee, who was currently dating his brother Luke. The podcast crew…fucking awesome, exactly what this moment needed. As if a zillion cell phone videos weren’t enough.
“I’m not the boss,” he clarified, annoyed. “I’m temporarily helping out while?—”
“While the rest of his family deals with their legal issues.”
