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"You found Georgia and Travis?" David asked

She nodded gravely

"You found the bodies?" Sean asked

"I did," Vanessa said "Lew and Jay came quickly down to the beach, then the others…and then the Bahaht, though," Sean said "Georgia and Travis were found dead Georgia had been running down the beach Where was Travis?"

"No one knew," Vanessa said

"Then why didn’t you look for hie prank being pulled on Georgia Jay was aggravated with hio down the beach--Lew, Jay and I--and there was nothing there Except--"

"Except?" Liam asked

"The sand where we later found the two had been churned up It looked as ifstuck in the sand"

"And that didn’t bother you?" Sean asked

"We were fil an elaborate prank, and, as I said, that Travis was involved in the prank I’m afraid that a lot of pranks are carried out on film sets," Vanessa said evenly She took a deep breath "Anyway, Georgia was in terror--she wasn’t going to stay on the island She was having an absolute fit, so Carlos said that he could take her into Miaht it was best But Georgia and Travis were found on the beach, and Carlos and the boat disappeared"

"I’m not sure there’s much of a mystery there," Sean said "Apparently, Carlos stole the boat after he killed the two"

"I don’t believe it, not for a minute," Vanessa said "The police, the Coast Guard, the FBI--every known agency looked for the boat and Carlos, but it was as if they had vanished What you don’t understand is that Carlos Roca wasn’t capable of doing soentle people I’ve ever ation, but I do remember it," Liam said "And I’encies believe that Carlos Roca didpeople and steal the boat"

"I don’t care what they believe!" Vanessa said

She was surprised when Sean said, "Of course, there’s another scenario Soht have already taken Travis That person either killed Carlos first to take control of Georgia or had Carlos knocked out sorisly deed on the island and dumped Carlos in the Atlantic"

David leaned forward "Okay, here’s the curious part--where was Travis? Had he been killed and his body hidden? And was it possible for soo after Carlos and Georgia in the boat, get back to the island without being seen, find the one body, stage the gruesoet rid of Carlos? And hoith the alarotten aith the boat? Everyone in the Bahamas, South Florida and all of the Caribbean would have been on the alert"

"Well, stealing the boat, gassing it up, changing it--that seeree with you--where Travis hen the whole thing started would be a nice piece of the riddle"

"Dead," Vanessa said softly

"Probably dead, but where? And hoas he killed, and then not found until later?" Sean mused

"These are the questions everyone has asked tiain, and they haven’t found the answers But they aren’t people who know the legends, know the area--"

"Snacks and beer!" Katie announced cheerfully fro cheese and other ingredients on the coffee table and passed around the tray she carried with ice-cold beer bottles

Vanessa accepted a beer with a gaze that said both "Thanks" and "How could you have left me alone in here?"

Katie s, "and there isn’t a better mystery out there!"

"I have a lot of work to do now," Liam said "And it’s a bad ti has been decided," Sean said

"We’ve all agreed to talk about it We’ve talked about focusing on a nuends, but we haven’t decided what our focus is going to be," David said "It’s Sean’s decision I a locally, but Sean’s been doing the budget,and research, so it’s his decision"

"Yes, but if you’re thinking about the story, I ought to be on the trip," Liam said He looked at Vanessa "It hasn’t occurred to you to be afraid? The killer or killers were never caught They ht still be out there," he said

"Afraid?" she asked softly "I still have night, and I see the heads and the ar terrified of the dark for nearly a year And then I got very angry, and I finally figured out that I’d probably have night to discover the truth I think the killer is a coward--he worked in the dark, at night I think there has to be a way to stand against hi hiive hi as he can never do anything so horrible to anyone else, ever again"

She stood up They were going to agree, or they weren’t

"I’ll let you all talk," she said "Katie knohere to find me Thank you for your time"

Afraid? Yes, she’d been so afraid…

Her only fear noas that they would say no

The Happy-Me sat off the coast of Bihton and their friends Gabby and Dale Johnson had planned on caotten lazy They hadn’t tied up at the dock because they’d kept the boat in the shalloater, and talked so late that the sun had gone down