Cam looked at the doorway, realizing something was odd."Where's your luggage?"
Gray, now also wondering, looked at Shelley, waiting for an answer.
"Oh, a nice young man helped me out.He said I could leave my luggage and gear at the booth at the harbour.Should I have brought it?I didn't think lugging everything to Gray's place first thing made sense; we can deal with that later."She answered sweetly."I'll be staying with you, right, Gray?Tight research budget and all."
Gray felt the room freeze as everyone turned to stare at him, then back to Shelley.Though no one had come right out and said it, everyone knew that Gray and Riley had been spending their nights together recently.Cam wasn't a gossip, but Riley and Gray weren't as sneaky as they thought they were about their relationship.
"Shelley, that's not possible.I'm staying in a small studio—one bed, one room, for one person.You didn't seriously think you'd be staying with me, did you?"Gray's patience was wearing thin.The nerve of her, showing up unannounced and assuming she'd move in.He'd opted to stay at the staff housing for his extension because it was free.And now, after his last few nights with Riley, he figured he'd spend less time there, but he didn't want to assume or impose on Riley's space.
"Oh, Gray, don't be so modest!We're friends; it'll be fine.There's a couch, right?You can sleep there, and I'll take the bed!"
Gray stepped forward, about to retort.Cam quickly intervened, grabbing his arm in a firm grip."This sounds like a conversation for later," Cam whispered."I've got your back.Stay calm."
Cam turned to Shelley with a smile."How about you head out with Declan for a quick tour?Gray and I will join you soon.I've got something I need to show him right now."
Declan, catching the cue, jumped up."Right this way, Shelley.I'll give you the full tour."Before she could protest, Declan took her arm and guided her out of the break room with a charming smile.
Chapter 49
Action plan
"Whattheactualhellis going on?"Cam was trying to be his calm, easygoing self, but having someone show up unannounced had put his guard up, and this caused the entire room to stiffen.
"First, how did she get here?Second, why is she really here?And third, where is Riley?"
Gray ran his hands over his face, his frustration matching Cam's."Cam...everyone...I'm sorry.I do not know what's going on.Dr.Terry didn't say a word about Shelley coming here.Trust me, she would have warned me.She knows we don't get along.Actually, it's more that Shelley makes me uncomfortable and can't take no for an answer.As for how she got here...I'm clueless."
"Cam?"Marta, who had been quietly observing from a corner, spoke up."Sorry to interrupt, but it's Tuesday, and Shelley said she just arrived?That's impossible.There are no flights to the island on Tuesdays.They come in only on Thursdays and Sundays.So how did she just show up today?Either she's been here since Thursday or arrived on Sunday.Either way, she's lying about something."
Everyone turned to Cam and Gray, the weight of Marta's words sinking in.
"'What the hell' doesn't even begin to cover this," Gray felt a wave of nausea.He glanced out the window overlooking the lagoon, noticing that Riley was no longer visible.She could be anywhere by now.
"Okay, we need to figure this out fast.Gray, can you call your boss?"
"I wish I could, but she doesn't work on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.And now that I think about it, it's pretty convenient that Shelley showed up today.I can try to reach the lab tomorrow and see if anyone else knows something.But if I can't get through, we'll have to wait until Thursday."Gray was piecing together a disturbing puzzle.
"Now that you mention it," Gray continued, his thoughts racing, "something Dr.T said last week is starting to make sense."
"Don't leave us hanging!"Marta urged.
"Right, sorry.When I got that brief call out to Dr.T, she mentioned something about Shelley moping around because I'd been gone for a month.I had told Dr.T that I could stay another two months, thanks to the budget I saved on housing.She joked, 'Oh, Shelley won't be happy,' but I thought little of it at the time.Now that Shelley's here...it's all clicking into place."
The room was silent, everyone exchanging uneasy glances between Gray and Cam.
"Weren't you down on the dock with Riley and Phoenix?"Cam asked, concern etched on his face.Looking out the window, he knew Riley would retreat underwater with Phoenix if she got spooked.
"Yeah, that didn't go well.Shelley was condescending and found a way to 'trip' into me and cling on.Riley just got up, dove into the water, and took off with Phoenix."The murmurs of agreement from the room confirmed that it made sense.
"Damn," Cam muttered."Alright, here's the plan.Marta, take Daniel and find out who brought Shelley here.Cici, go distract Declan and Shelley keep them busy.Take them to check the solar generators or something, just keep them away from here for at least another 30 minutes.Let's all quickly start closing up the lab so we can get out of here.Then, Gray, you're with me.Let's take the boat across the jetty to the Thatchers and see if they actually got that new satellite phone set up."
Everyone sprang into action, and as Gray watched his team scatter to help, he felt a deep appreciation for them.But he knew they were doing this for Riley because she was the one they truly cared about.
"Come on, Gray, we've got some investigating to do," Cam urged, snapping him back to the task at hand.
Chapter 50
Underwater escape
