Page 80 of My Sister is Going to Kill Me

Liv accepted a piece of cake and cracked the brittle shell of caramelized sugar with her spoon. Now was not the time for calm. Someone had hurt Babette. While it was possible the killer was not among them, all the people who had the most to gain—or lose—from Babette’s leadership of CareFree were here, and Liv would have bet good money that the person who’d planned Babette’s death was one of them. There was more than enough love, greed, and tension on this beach to motivate a murder.

She scanned the group, considering the options. Charlie and Devon, the siblings in mourning. PK, the loyal assistant. Stefan, the secretive investor. Lucinda and Imogen, new ambassadors to the Babette empire. Fiona, cast out and now invited back for reasons unknown. Her dad, who had cadged a beer from Thor and plunked himself down next to Katy, gabbing at her about investment strategy in an overloud, jovial voice, to the apparent discomfort of the young woman.

Her father. What was he doing here? From the furtive looks and whispers around the circle of chairs, it was clear Liv wasn’t the only one wondering.

“Dad,” she said. Guy beamed at her, and Liv cursed the small, hungry part of her that still thrilled at his attention. “Why exactly did you come down here with Babette?”

“I don’t see how that matters now, Livvie.” He gentled his smile. “Poor woman. She was so brilliant. Dedicated. Did I ever tell you about the time—”

Liv cut him off. “You don’t hike. You don’t camp. You turned down the opportunity to come on this Essence Quest when you and Mandy were originally invited. And then Babette buys you sushi, and suddenly you’re Mr. Great Outdoors? Why?”

“It was time.”

“Time?”

Guy nodded. “I haven’t seen you in what, a year?”

“Three years.”

“I thought it would be fun to surprise you.”

“Here?”

Guy was still smiling, but it looked forced. “Let’s continue this conversation down by the river.” He motioned to her and her sister to follow him, moving away from the circle of camp chairs and stilted conversations. Mandy fell into step with him, and despite her annoyance, Liv did as well. The further they got from the others, the more her father’s body seemed to relax. Whether that meant he was more or less likely to tell the truth, Liv wasn’t sure. His presence here was still a shock, and not just to her. No one here knew him, except Stefan, who kept shooting glances their way. According to Guy, he hadn’t even known he was coming until the day before. It was the only part of his story Liv sensed was true.

“How long have you been advising Babette?” she asked him.

“Our engagement started informally,” Guy said. “It’s been a couple years.”

“And you never met PK? Or Charlie and Devon?” Liv looked back toward the group, hunting out the Sauvage siblings. Devon was in conversation with her brother, her hand clutching Charlie’s arm in a way that looked more controlling than consoling.

“The pressures on a CEO taking on investment for the first time are singular,” Guy said. “Babette needed someone experienced. Someone who could be discreet.”

“You.”

“Me. Is it really so hard to believe?”

His smooth words fell like barbed thistles on Liv’s ears. It was hard to believe. Impossible, even. But before she could question him further, Mandy spoke up.

“Dad can help us, Liv. He knows what she was thinking in the hours before she died.”

But so far, he wouldn’t tell her. And even if he did, Liv wasn’t sure she could believe him. She thought again about the message in Mandy’s hat.

“No one can verify Dad’s story about how he got here,” Liv said. “And the fact that his investment wasn’t kosher might have been what Babette was threatening you about.”

“What’s your point?” Guy asked.

“Some people might think you hurt Babette to protect your secret.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Mandy insisted. “Dad wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“How we got here doesn’t matter.” Guy put one arm around Mandy, the other around Liv. “What matters is that we’re together now.”

Liv counted to eight and backed out of his embrace. She considered herself a minor saint for not slapping him.

“And besides,” Guy continued. “I have a theory. There’s someone here I think might be involved in Babette’s death.”

“Who?” Mandy asked.