“Let’s get started.”
Beck surveyed the swath of patio that stretched before him. It was a pretty design, the pavers spiraling outward from the center. A flower bed along one edge sported palm trees and ornamental grasses. A café table with two chairs sat off to one side. “Where do we start?”
“I checked around the flower bed last time, and along the walls,” said Sierra. “I also checked the light fixtures. But all my sister told me to do was to look under the terrace, so . . . I’ve sort of been avoiding the obvious.”
They both stared down at the spiraling pavers. There must have been a thousand of them—easily three hundred square feet of outdoor living space to explore. And they didn’t even know what they were looking for. An incriminating photo? A murder weapon?
“And the police didn’t find anything?” Beck asked.
“That’s what they told me, but I’m pretty sure they half-assed it. They made it clear they thought I was making it up to waste their time.”
Beck frowned. He didn’t want to believe that any detective worth their salt would botch such a clear lead. But then, he hadn’t wanted to believe that the show’s producers would manipulate the contestants to fabricate more drama, and he’d clearly been proven wrong on that front.
A loud screech made him jump. But it was just a bird in one of the palm trees—not the creak of a gate, not the trill of an alarm, not Elijah or Lisa coming to ask what on earth Beck and Sierra were doing.
Every second they stood there was wasting time. Adi and Carter had thought they could distract Lisa and Elijah for at least an hour, but that hour would go fast.
“I’ll start at the center and work my way out,” said Sierra. “You start on the outside and work your way in. I figure, if I was going to hide something under this terrace, I’d either put it beneath one of the exterior edges or right smack in the middle.”
Beck picked a spot in the shade of the villa’s overhanging roof and dug his fingers beneath the first paver—a reddish square block about the size of his hand. It took some wiggling before he was able to pry it up from the sandy layer underneath. He looked at the sand. He looked at the bottom of the paver.
It was . . . just a paver.
He set it back into place.
One down. Countless more to go.
“So, do you think Jarius was the one who locked us in the freezer?” he said, shuffling on his knees to the next group of pavers. “Maybe he wanted to get back at Carter for throwing up on him.”
“It tracks,” said Sierra. “For whatever reason, they’re targeting us with their snags. They must see us as a threat.”
“Well . . . we are, aren’t we? I mean, you have experience on the show, and Carter’s a Solve Specialist, and Adi’s so good at anagrams and word puzzles, and I’ve built my own rooms, so I like to think I have some idea of how the Game Master’s mind works.”
“And yet, we bombed the first two rounds.”
Fair point, although Beck had faith in his team. He knew they could beat Jarius and his cronies. He knew they could make it to the finale. He knew—
Familiar-flavored voices caught his attention. Carter and Elijah were heading their way, arguing.
Beck froze, a paver in his grip. His eyes met Sierra’s.
“I’m sorry!” Carter was saying. “Elijah, wait. Come back. Please!”
“This conversation is over,” said Elijah. “You want to rehash season four, fine. But I’m not going to be strong-armed into talking about Alicia’s private business. I’ve already given my statement to the police.”
“Okay, okay!” As they came closer, Carter’s voice became increasingly desperate. “No talk of Alicia! Totally fine. I had no idea it was such a sore spot. Let’s finish the interview.”
“Maybe later. I’m not in the mood anymore.”
Beck held his breath, hoping Elijah would go around to the front and give him and Sierra a chance to slip out the gate.
But no—he turned down the path. He was heading toward the terrace.
Beck nestled his paver back into place and bounded to his feet. “I’ll distract him,” he whispered. “You go out through the front.”
Sierra started to disagree, but Beck bolted forward and grabbed the gate, yanking it open just as Elijah was reaching forward, key in hand.
Elijah yelped and jumped back.
