I fold my arms and turn back to Russell. “So, you came on this trip for revenge? Is that why you killed Gigi? And the captain?” Fear explodes in my chest as Russell’s eyes lock with mine. Is he planning to kill us all?
“Yes, I lied about who I was, but I’m not here for revenge. I just want to know what happened to Courtney.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
“What about the note from Courtney that Gigi found in the bathroom?” I ask, feeling stupid for believing Courtney could’ve still been alive after all these years, knowing what had happened to her in those woods.
“What note?” Russell asks.
Emma narrows her eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t know. The note accusing one of us of murdering her.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My eyes meet Beth’s. She looks as unconvinced as I am. He had to have written the note—it makes perfect sense. He was hoping to force a confession out of one of us. I drop my gaze to the floor. Out ofme.
Russell’s expression goes hard. “Didone of you murder her?” He looks between the three of us.
My insides scream with guilt the moment Russell’s eyes lock with mine. I feel Beth’s eyes on me too.
“Of course not,” Emma says.
He folds his arms. “Then what really happened that day?”
“We already told the police, and the press, and everyone what happened.” Emma throws up her arm. “How’d you manage to get on this boat?”
Somewhere below, the hull groans. I exhale a silent breath as Russell returns his attention to Emma.
He runs his hand through the top of his hair. “A month ago, I found out about your trip through Gigi’s Instagram when she posted a photo of this boat docked at the Elliott Bay Marina. So, I went down there, found Nojan, and told him about Courtney’s disappearance, and paidhim to let me replace the first officer on the trip. I promised not to cause any trouble; I just needed to know what happened to my sister. And now there are only three options.” Russell closes his palm and holds up one finger. “Either you all killed Courtney.” Two fingers. “Or one of you killed her and the rest helped cover it up.” Three fingers. “Or—” He pauses, looking between the three of us. “Since there’s a murderer on board, maybe one of you killed Courtney on your own and lied to the others about it.” He gestures toward Gigi’s stateroom. “And you’re killing again to keep your crime a secret.” Russell lowers his hand and steps toward Emma. “I’m going to find out which of those it is.”
“Why would any of us kill the captain?” I ask him. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Emma shoots Russell an accusatory look. “Unless it was you. Making sure no one would stand in your way of offing us, one by one.”
Russell shakes his head. “Whoever killed the captain put all our lives in jeopardy. I didn’t come out here to die—or to kill anyone. I just want to learn the truth about my sister.”
Beth scoffs. “You really want us to believe that’s—”
A wave slams against the side of the boat. Beth falls to the floor, landing on the mess of broken dishes, while Russell and Emma are thrown against the galley cabinets. I stumble sideways, slamming into Russell.
I teeter off balance, and he wraps a strong arm around my waist. I envision Gigi’s corpse in the next room and try to pull away, but the motion of the boat keeps me glued against him. I push off his muscular chest with my palms, but he tightens his hold on my back. My pulse races as I anticipate his hands moving up to my neck, snapping it while Emma and Beth are distracted by the wave pummeling us.
I’m about to cry out when he loosens his hold. His hands move to my hips. I sway to the side, my eyes meeting his. Russell steadies me as water pours in through the broken window before he lets go. A clunk resounds from inside Gigi’s stateroom. I cringe, realizing her body must’ve fallen off the bed. I back away, gripping the countertop besideEmma, hearing myself shriek as I brace for us to tip over for a second time. Instead, we level out, and the water stops pouring.
I exhale and stand up straight, assessing Russell’s unreadable expression before checking the floor behind me. “Beth? Are you okay?”
Beth nods, getting to her knees beside the couch. “I’m good.”
“Shit,” Emma mutters, pushing off the kitchen cabinets. “I have to get back to the helm. We’ve lost our autopilot, so we’ll need to tie a line to the wheel to maintain our course when no one’s at the helm.”
“I’m going to cover that window.” Russell brushes past me. “Then, I’ll see if I can figure out how to get the power back on.”
Emma casts a glance over her shoulder on her way up the companionway. “I need someone to untangle the storm jib while I steer.”
“I’ll do it.” Beth uses the couch to push herself to her feet.
“I’ll help you,” I say, glancing at Gigi’s stateroom, thinking about her head wound before following Beth up the stairs. Did she hit her head or had someone struck her while the rest of us went below? It was dark, chaotic. My mind shifts to the captain’s cut tether line, sliced clean with a knife. That was no accident.
“We’re turning back, right?” Beth asks Emma.
Emma shakes her head on her way to the helm. “First, we have to get out of this storm. Then I’ll head southeast, which should put us on course for southern Oregon or Northern California—south of the storm.”
