An image of Russell making Nojan stand on the rear platform before shooting him in the chest fills my mind. But that couldn’t have happened; we would’ve heard the gunshot. But there was lightning that night. If he’d timed it right, the thunder would have covered the sound.
“Yeah, okay.” I’m glad Russell can’t see the look on my face as I shove the barrel back into the waist of my sweatpants, alarmed at how close I came to confessing I had his gun while he was within earshot. I wait until he disappears from the doorway and then lean my elbows onto the countertop.
“Beth,” I keep my voice low as she continues to rifle through the drawer. “I found a gun in Russell’s bag. A pistol.”
Her hand goes still inside the drawer. “Where is it?”
“In the back of my sweatpants. But I need to find a better hiding spot for it in our room before it slides out.” I keep one hand on the handle, afraid if I let go it will fall to the floor and go off, shooting a stray bullet God knows where.
Beth looks over her shoulder, lowering her voice to a whisper. “If he’s the killer, and he’s had a gun this whole time, then why hasn’t he shot us already?”
I shrug, my gaze darting to the open doorway to the deck. “Maybe he’s waiting for one of us to confess to killing Courtney. Hoping we’ll crack.”
“He’s going to notice it’s gone. Maybe you should put it back.”
I gape at Beth in the darkness. Is she crazy? “So he can shoot us in our sleep?” I shake my head. “No. We need to incapacitate him. Gigi had prescription opiates that she was disguising as seasickness pills. I recognized what they were when they dropped on the floor. We can use them to drug Russell. Crush some up and put them in that wine.”
“Are you saying wekillhim?”
“No!” I exhale and lower my voice a few decibels. “Just knock him out for a while.”
“But don’t we need him to help sail? What if we run into bad weather again?”
“We have Emma.” I motion toward her stateroom. “She’s a better sailor anyway.” Unless she’s the one we should be afraid of. But so far, I trust her over Russell, and we can’t incapacitate the only two people who know how to sail at the same time. Not if we want to make it home. I bite my lip, deliberating. What if I’m wrong?
If Emma and Russellareworking together, it will be two against one instead of two against two. That should at least help our chances.
Beth goes quiet, seeming to mull it over too.
“Beth, he’s an ex-Marine. He’s been trained to kill. And I think he’s planning to kill us all.”
“Okay, fine.” Beth resumes searching the drawer. “But I can’t find a bottle opener.” She looks up. “What if he doesn’t want wine?”
“Then we’ll put it in his coffee when he wakes up.” Hopefully, he doesn’t notice his gun is missing in the meantime. “Here, I’ll look for the corkscrew. You get Gigi’s pills.” I’m surprised at the waft of emotion that engulfs me at saying her name, even though we’d hardly spoken in the last twenty years. “They’re oxycodone, but she might have been hiding them in a different bottle. I didn’t see what was on the label. Just bring out all the pill bottles you find, and I’ll show you which ones to use.”
Beth lifts her flashlight toward me. “You wantmeto go into her room, alone with her dead body?”
She’s right. I’m the nurse. “Fine, I’ll do it. We need to hurry before Emma wakes up and Russell goes to bed.”
I step forward, but Beth raises her palm.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll find them. You hide the gun. And get the corkscrew. I plugged in your phone while we still had power,” Beth says. “You should be able to use it as a flashlight.”
Beth goes toward Gigi’s stateroom, and I don’t stop her. But only because I’m dying to get Russell’s gun out of my pants. I’ve never so much as held a gun before, and I’m terrified Russell will come down and catch me with it. Then what would I do?
I go into my own room to hide the gun before searching for the corkscrew. I can’t risk having the outline of Russell’s pistol bulging from the back of my pants if he comes back downstairs.
My eyes strain to adjust to the darkness as I scan the small room I share with Beth, trying to think of a place Russell won’t look. It won’t be long until Russell realizes his gun is missing. And I need to make sure he doesn’t get it back.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Present: Day Five at Sea
I shut the door behind me and feel for my phone, finding it plugged in at the end of the bed like Beth said. I turn on the screen, seeing it still has 70 percent battery. My lungs deflate with disappointment at the now familiar words in the top corner.No service.
I remove the gun from my pants. For lack of a better option, I slide it under my pillow at the head of the bed, although when I do it, it feels stupid, like I’ve watched too many seasons ofJack Ryan. But I can’t think of a more protected hiding spot while I’m asleep. I smooth my pillow and contemplate throwing the gun overboard. I’m no match for Russell’s strength—none of us are. At least with his gun we have a fighting chance.
Suddenly, I recall smelling Courtney’s perfume before falling asleep on the couch. How could I have forgotten? I need to tell Beth.
