I was losing grip.
I was falling.
On my way to him.
The Girls
We told you we weren’t murderers.
But no one ever listens to the girls.
Marnie
I ran after Constance, reaching her just as she was about to topple overboard.
“Get away from there. Stop it! You have to calm down!”
My words were so cutting, I couldn’t believe they were coming from me.
“We need to save him,” Constance screamed. “We can’t let him go like that.”
I clenched both of her wrists and pulled her arms back to keep her from doing anything stupid.
“Heisgone,” I said, getting her firmly back on the boat. “It’s over.”
I’d used a little too much force, and Constance collapsed on top of me. My lungs felt crushed, like there wasn’t enough air in the world.
Odetta Olson hadn’t immediately run away.
She’dwatched.
She’d ignored Dorian Fisher’s hopeless pleas.
She’d leaned over, probably to make sure his body had hit the water.
There was no doubt in my mind that he was gone.
That she’dwantedhim gone.
Even from a distance, you could feel the determination driving Odetta Olson. She might not have come to this party to kill him. But once she’d started, she hadn’t looked back.
It made my blood turn to ice, but deep down I felt a pinch of respect for her. Of admiration even. This renowned Hollywood figure had been around long enough to know you can only ever count on yourself to get what you want.
The thought formed in my mind, just as I spoke it.
“We need to pretend this never happened.”
Lou had joined us, her whole body still shaking.
“You’re not serious,” Constance said. “We just witnessed…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
Ben’s words rang in my ears.Unless I drop dead.But he’d forgotten another possibility.Hemight still be alive, but his half-a-million-dollar deal was now sinking to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
“We weren’t here,” I said, taking tiny, ragged breaths.
Constance glanced at Lou for backup, but Lou was frozen.
