She wanted to protest, but there was already so much Trevor had been keeping from her.
He continued. “Something tells me they’ll have their own set of rules moving forward.” His face was bitter.
“I don’t know. If they are on this island, it has to be the staff, right? We just need Trevor with us first.”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
“Coffee?”
“Sure.”
He left her behind and she rewound the footage of Trevor to play it back again. She couldn’t find anything.
She went even further back, watching intently for anything significant at the high speed. Then, she spotted something. No, not something. Someone. She stopped the footage to watch Skye standing atop a grassy hill beyond the walls of rock. A man was approaching. Something peculiar caught her eye and she rewound. When doing so, she discovered something. The camera shorted out and glitched, the footage twitching and settling back upon the man’s arrival, making it look as though he appeared from nowhere. She reeled it back and watched the same glitch happen again.
Chapter Seventeen - Erin
Trevor’s return should have rendered a slap, but she withheld. Right under your nose. He cheated on you. There is no remorse. Not an ounce of it. Erin was foolish for believing in him, for trusting him, and she now came to the painful realization that this probably wasn’t the first time he had cheated. She was so stupid. But he was the exact guy she wanted for years. Ask and she received. To a goddamn tee.
The walk to the rocky ridges was a long one filled with silence and concerned glances from Trevor. He kept asking if everything was okay. Sure, honey. Though she didn’t trust Trevor, she didn’t trust Stefan either. The only thing she trusted was her instinct to leave.
There was a sweetness rolling through the tropical breeze, one in which smell nearly became taste. Coconut and a hint of pineapple lingered as Erin walked through the trees with a miserable stone in her shoe. She stopped to pull it out and saw a drone fly overhead. How are those things controlled?
They reached the small channel of water to find a dock where the small fishing/scuba boat was tied off. The thought of stepping one foot on that boat made her cringe. Stefan walked toward it.
“Where exactly are we going?” she asked.
“To the other side.”
“Other side?”
“Trust me.”
Trevor extended his hand and she took it begrudgingly.
Around the cliff and past the two grassy hills, they continued on across slightly choppy waters. Stefan turned the boat gradually, as the nose now directed toward trees coming out of the water. It appeared to be a sunken island with a small patch of land in the center. A flashlight mounted to the front of the boat directed them through the night and around palm trees halfway out of the water. They weaved in and out of trees until they found a clear path toward sand. Stefan hopped off first to tie off the boat and then went to help Erin out. Trevor intercepted and took her hand, making sure she didn’t fall into the water. And who said chivalry was dead?
Stefan kept the headlight shining straight ahead and also pulled out a flashlight of his own as they walked into the night, the boat light losing its strength as they walked to the center of the hidden island. The backs of Erin’s arms were covered with goosebumps, the breeze cooler now. She examined the backs of her arms, colored with an unattractive purple/reddish blend, unlike Skye’s beautiful bronzed skin.
They followed Stefan toward the cabin surrounded by trees and tall grass. The windows were cracked and thick with cobwebs and caked on dust. Finally, the tension was dismantled. “You’re sure about this, Stefan?”
“Of course, I’m sure. It’s where I put it.”
“What then? Buried it?”
“Nope.”
There were holes chewed through at the base of the cabin. If the light breeze were to increase at all, it’d blow the whole thing over.
Stefan paused and exhaled. He looked back at Erin and Trevor with an apologetic stare before turning and entering through the rickety door. It squeaked upon their entrance, as did the old dirty floors beneath their feet. The flashlight beamed around the walls, their surroundings coming to life, but there wasn’t much to look at. The place had been vacated long ago.
Stefan tapped his knuckles against the wall repeatedly. Meanwhile, Erin wandered over to the kitchen area, where a picture sat on the table. Difficult to see at first, she moved toward Stefan’s flashlight to get a better look. The photograph, much like the old weapons they had found, was authentic. She wiped away the dust with her finger. In it stood a group of people all smiling, looking happy. Vacationers maybe? Based on the way they dressed and the fact that it was black and white, she guessed 1930s maybe. Then she discovered something within the photograph that could not have been so. In the background, there was a woman carrying a basket of clothing. She was beautiful. It was Teresa.
Erin stared at the photograph in disbelief. Voice was gone from her throat. She was about to get the attention of the guys but decided against it. Calm yourself. They planted the photo to freak you out. A little convenient to be just sitting out isn’t it?
Stefan smashed a small hole on a hollow spot in the log cabin wall. Peeling apart splinters of wood, he opened up the wall enough to retrieve an axe. With it came a note, but Stefan didn’t bother to read it, simply dropping it to the floor.
“Now what?” Trevor asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. It’s their game now. I was assuming there’d be a note with the one I made. This one is mine.” He pointed to the scroll of paper on the dirty floor.
“Remind me who they are?”
“The staff. I don’t know. Who else?”
“Great, anyone bring a deck of cards?” said Trevor.
“Patient cousin—”
“Patient? Are you kidding me? Where are they?”
“First, I need you to calm down. Second, I need you to believe wholeheartedly that I have nothing to do with your friend’s disappearance. What I had organized was meant for everyone, you have my word.” His brow furrowed as he chewed on his fingernails. “Maybe Bruce?”
“Wholeheartedly is a big ask. What about Bruce?”
Erin pocketed the picture, listening to their conversation, but also waiting for something to happen. Maybe another note will slide under the door?
“Bruce was here before I was. Part of the agreement involved him staying.”
“Yeah, you told me this.”
“Well, maybe he had a problem with the sale. It’s possible the previous owners sold because of him.”
“Is that what you’re saying?” Trevor’s face was turning angry.
“No! I’m not saying anything. I’m just brainstorming here.”
Erin cut in. “What were they like in person? The owners.”
He looked sheepishly at the floor.
“You didn’t meet them, did you?” Trevor asked.
“They were unreachable. I dealt with the realtor.”
“Jesus! So you got this place for a fraction of the market value, I’m guessing. They hauled ass out of here, didn’t they? Otherwise why wouldn’t they keep it as an investment? Wow, Stefan. They were practically chased out of here then, I bet.”
Stefan was quiet for a moment. “What does that even mean? Chased out of here? What for?” Nobody replied. “I don’t know who they are. I didn’t get any names.”
“Nice research, Stefan. Really. Nicely done.”
“There he is on his high horse again. Rolling in, just in the nick of time, hey? Shouldn’t this discovery please you?”
“Why would it please me?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’m a fuck up. And you love it. Oh yeah, you are just basking in it!”