Evangeline Moffit had reddish-brown hair. Heart rate spiking, Ben hurried back to the hotel. He needed to pull up some photos and make some comparisons.
CHAPTER 16
At the last minute, Ben decided to stop back at Gail Boyce’s place of employment. He needed to talk to her. Was it possible she could pass for Crystal Benton? The more he thought about Evangeline and Benton, he could see that there was a fleeting resemblance, though Evangeline struck him as soft and feminine while Benton had an aura of hardness about her. He drove back down to the Queens’ shops, hoping that Boyce was at work now. He was in luck.
“She’s in the back helping those people.” The clerk pointed to an elderly tourist couple.
Ben walked down the aisle stuffed full of artwork and knickknacks. Three people were in the back, but Ben frowned and stopped before he reached them.
The person helping the tourist couple did not resemble the person Kimo Alonzo had described. The couple found what they wanted, and the woman he guessed was Gail Boyce turned to face him.
“Can I help you?”
Ben stared, the woman before him was short and round with multicolored hair, lines of pink and blue and orange. “I was looking for Gail Boyce.”
“That’s me. How can I help you?”
“Were you down at the beach last Friday, when the shark attack happened?”
She frowned. “No, I don’t do the beach. Skin cancer, you know. Why would you ask me that question?”
“Someone used your name on the police report written about the missing person, saying you were the first person who saw the shark.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, clearly upset at this information. “Why would someone do that?”
“Good question.”
Disturbed by this incongruity, Ben left the shop to return to his hotel. His phone buzzed. Mark calling. Ben answered and filled him in on the investigation so far. When he finished, Mark was quiet for a moment.
“The witness gave a fake name, and you think she really was Crystal Benton?”
“I do. I know Benton is here. I saw her. Can you check flight logs for me, find out when she got here and if she is still on the island? And there’s something else.” He explained to Mark about Elaine Jensen being hit by a car.
“How does that tie into anything? I’m not making the connection.”
Ben was at a loss; he couldn’t make a factual connection either. “I’m just throwing it out there.”
“Back to Benton and Moffit. Are you thinking they murdered his wife?”
“I haven’t gotten there yet, but I fear that is where the path leads. You must admit, it all appears suspicious. According to the police report, the Moffits arrived on island on Wednesday, and Friday morning Evangeline Moffit disappears, presumably eaten by a shark. It might have been Crystal Benton who got everyone on the beach thinking shark.”
“Still no sign of the body?”
“No. The search is over.”
“Hmm. I’ll check the flight logs and get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Do you want me to tell the police here what I’ve found?”
“I think we’re obligated. But wait until I can confirm the flight logs.”
Ben ended the call and continued to his hotel room.
Lainie forced herself to eat something downstairs at a coffee bar. She really had no appetite but knew she’d eventually feel the calorie deficit. The coffee was good, and she downed one large as she picked at a bagel sandwich and then ordered a refill to drink while she went to pick up a rental car.
Lainie had an Uber take her to the airport to get the car. Driving back to the resort, she stopped at the Queens’ shops to talk to one of the witnesses of the attack. Gail Boyce had seen the shark. Maybe she was the last person to see Evie alive. The thought gave Lainie pause. The loss of Evie drained Lainie. She still could not accept that her sister was gone. Taking a deep breath, she exited her car and walked toward the store.
A woman with multicolored hair stood behind the cash register.
