When I reach the bottom of the steps, I unclip the tether from my life vest. After tossing it onto the deck, I pull the door closed.
My ears feel numb from the cold as I sag against the wall, relieved to be out of the violent, deafening wind.
“Gigi,” Beth repeats, swinging her phone light around the cabin.
Gigi emerges from the stateroom shared by the captain and Adam, holding a small piece of paper in one hand. She looks startled by our presence.
I open my mouth to ask, but Beth speaks first. “What were you doing in there?”
Gigi’s mouth drops open in the bright light from Beth’s phone, exposing her straight white bottom teeth. “Nothing. I thought it was my cabin. I got confused in the dark.”
I recall her reaction when the captain announced we might have to turn back due to the weather. And what Beth read about Gigi’s personal and professional life being upended, how much Gigi has to lose if this trip were cut short.
“Oh, come on, Gigi.” Beth juts out her arm to keep her balance as the bow pitches over a swell. “I read about your fake following, the lawsuit, and how your husband’s leaving you and taking half of your money with him. That’s why you freaked out when Nojan said we might have to turn back.”
Gigi’s large eyes brim with tears. “Fine. Yes, my life’s a mess. Happy?”
“Why did Nojan sayyouwere paying him and not your sponsor?” I ask.
Gigi’s chin quivers. “I lied—there’s no sponsor paying for this trip. I saw that this San Diego yacht-rental company that I’d rented from in the past was paying to have a new sailboat delivered, so I sold my Lamborghini and paid Nojan to take us along. I was hoping the content would boost my real followers and save my career.”
“And now Nojan’s dead.” Beth steps toward Gigi, stopping when their faces are only inches apart. “You’re desperate to have your posts go viral. Having our captain go overboard would definitely do it. You’d get millions of views. You want us to believe you didn’t have anything to do with that? That you’re not capable? You pushed Courtney off the raft that day, and then you tried to make us all think she fell. But I saw what you did.”
I gape at Beth, knowing she must be lying, trying to bait Gigi into a confession. Beth and I have spoken about this many times over the years, but neither of us saw what happened.
Gigi throws her hands in the air. “I didn’t—”
Beth points her finger at Gigi’s face. “You waited until Courtney lost her balance over a rapid, and you leaned to the side, forcing her into the river. Then, when she reached for your oar, you pulled it out of her reach and paddled away.”
My gaze settles on Beth’s silhouette as Gigi looks between me and my best friend. If Beth’s telling the truth, why didn’t she ever tell me?
“Fine.” Gigi folds her arms. “I wanted her to fall in, okay? To teach her a lesson. But there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel horrible for what I did. I had no idea we would never find her. I just wanted to get even for those photos she spread around the school.” Her voice breaks. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
I tear my gaze from Beth and see Gigi’s lower lip tremble in the glow of Beth’s phone light, recalling the painkillers she’d disguised as seasickness pills. She looks stricken. I believe her.
“I didn’t—” Gigi blinks away tears that brim her eyes. “I didn’t mean for Courtney to get hurt.” She closes her eyes, her voice lowering to a whisper. “Or to never come back.”
“And the captain?” Beth’s tone is steady, almost flat, as if she’s completely unmoved by Gigi’s confession.
I’m reeling from the announcement that my best friend of twenty yearsknewall this time that Gigi forced Courtney into the water that day. And she didn’t tell me. I assess Beth’s form in the darkness, shrinking away from my lifelong friend. The floor rolls, throwing us all off balance. I stumble backward, slamming into the bathroom door. Beth catches herself on the companionway steps as Gigi presses a steadying hand on the kitchen counter.
“I didn’t kill him!” Gigi shrieks.
Beth pushes herself upright and turns to Gigi. “Did you even stop to think what would happen to therest of usif you killed the only person who knows how to sail?” Beth’s accusatory tone is no longer calm but now laced with panic.
I survey Gigi, envisioning her making that calculated game-winning chess move on her phone. Could Beth be right?
“Beth, enough, okay? I think I know whodidkill him.” Gigi shines her phone light on the small piece of paper in her hand. An involuntary shiver travels down my arms at the sight of Courtney’s note.
“Oh, please.” Beth exudes an exasperated sigh. “You want us to believeCourtneykilled the captain?”
“Listen.” Gigi wraps her long fingers around Beth’s wrist. “I was trying to see if I could find the rest of the notepad that Courtney’s note was taken from. In case Adam wrote it.”
Beth looks skeptical. I look toward the cabin Gigi emerged from when Beth and I came below.
Gigi lifts a hand to her forehead. “And I guess I was checking for Courtney.” Gigi points to the bottom of the note. “Look at the tail on they. That’s exactly how Courtney used to sign her name. Don’t you remember?”
I swallow, staring at the paper in Gigi’s hand.
