Unease continues to haunt me, so I set the photo down and walk over to the luggage. First is a small yellow suitcase. It opens easily. Inside, delicate lace underwear, a cocktail dress. An overnight bag for someone looking to impress, or take off on their honeymoon.
The second case is empty, as is the third. Now, this is strange. Where are her belongings? I’m positive she didn’t come to the Starline Hotel with empty suitcases. Not to mention, there is nothing hanging in the closet, either… just empty, rusted coat hangers.
I look around the room, feeling unsettled. Feeling as if I’m not alone.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
—JAMIE
There are moments when youreconsider your life choices. Did I go on this adventure to hang out with Noa again? Mostly—I’m not going to lie to myself about that. But did I expect to end up at an abandoned hotel, breaking and entering, hoping to solve a decades-old murder? Absolutely not.
I guess that’s my fault. Should have expected anything.
The Everglades stretch around me, humming with heat thick enough to choke on. It definitely smells like there’s something dead here, some animal carcass rotting nearby. I shift my stance, my sneaker sinking an inch into the soft, marshy ground. Every sound—the ripple of water, the rustle of reeds—has my nerves on edge. I know there’s wildlife out here. Things with teeth. Things that don’t care that I’m not part of the food chain.
In my pocket, my phone buzzes. I sigh, knowing that it’s probably my mother. But when I check the screen, I see Jordan’s name instead.
A flash of anger washes over me, hot and fast. My fingers tighten around the phone as I instinctively reach up to touch the bruise under my eye. It still stings.
Jordan followed Matteo after he hit me. She didn’t stand up to him or call him out—not for what he did to me; not for what he did to the surfboard. I shouldn’t even care—it’s not like we’re close friends or anything.It’s just that… I don’t like bullies. I’ve spent my entire life with my father, so yeah, I don’t like bullies and I don’t like the people who enable them.
And now, I can’t help but wonder who Jordan has really been sneaking around with when she tells her mother that she’s with me.
“Not my problem,” I mutter under my breath and click Ignore on the call. I shove the phone back into my pocket.
A gust of wind rattles the leaves in the trees. I glance around, still uneasy, and then look up at the hotel. Noa and her friends have been inside for a while. Not that I’d want to switch places—I’m fine out here. The thought of stepping in that haunted-ass hotel creeps me out.
Then, behind one of the windows, I see a flash of movement.
For a split second, I literally think it’s a ghost.
When my brain finally makes sense of it, I recognize Noa inside. A second later, the others appear beside her. They seem to be talking, looking around.
Relief loosens the tension in my chest, and I laugh at myself. My eyes are playing tricks on me out here. I glance around again, uneasy. Although I should probably wait since I’m not part of their group, that doesn’t mean I’m not invested. I want them to win. I want to be with them.
I walk to the trellis and grip the rusted bar. I yank a few times, testing its strength. It holds. Barely. I start up the trellis, moving slow, wincing at every creak of the metal. My pulse hammers as I climb, the ground way too far below for comfort. But somehow, I make it to the second story, climbing through the broken window.
My sneakers crunch on the broken glass as I step into the room. There’s an open suitcase on the bed with several pieces of clothing hanging out of it, like it’s been rummaged through. Which is unsettling, considering this room is moldy and rotten—the smell alone is terrible. The suitcase is a sign of life in an otherwise dead space.
I follow the sound of voices into the hall. A door is ajar at the end,and I make my way there. Before I can reach it, I hear what sounds like a motor. Quickly, I try the closest room door. It opens, and I dash to peer out the window.
Driving very slowly past my boat is a Sealine T50—a hell of a ride to take into the marshes. There are two guys aboard, but their faces are obscured by the hanging branches. I hold my breath, waiting to see if they’ll dock. They don’t. They pass by and move farther down the shoreline.
But my gut says they knew this place was here—again, why take a boat like that into the marsh if you didn’t already know what you were looking for? They’re probably going to turn around and come back.
I rush from the room, and push open the door at the end of the hall. It flies open, the handle lodging into the wall behind the entrance, and Noa yelps. The three Chasers stare at me in surprise.
Noa’s eyes are alarmed. “Jamie—”
“We got to go,” I cut her off, waving them toward me. “A boat just drove by.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, her voice sharp.
Tech doesn’t hesitate—he pulls open his backpack and begins stuffing in piles of old-looking papers. Shawn scrambles to help him.
“It was a nice boat,” I continue, breathless. “Seemed to slow—checking things out. I’m guessing they’re going to come back. Looked like there were two guys on board, and to me, it seemed like they knew this place was here.”
Shawn curses under her breath, and exchanges a worried look with Noa. Tech grabs a few more things to put in the bag.
