Every Vow You Break(48)

“I did appreciate it,” Abigail said, spacing the words. “But because of what I saw last night I would like to leave. If you don’t understand that, I don’t know what else to say.”

“Fine,” Bruce said, and walked toward the kitchen.





CHAPTER 20

Abigail left the bunk and began walking up toward the lodge. The men were still at their archery, and every time she heard the sound of an arrow hitting its target her body tensed. As she climbed the stone steps that led to the entrance to the lodge, the doors swung open and Chip Ramsay was exiting. “Abigail,” he said. Then, after really looking at her, he added, “Everything all right?”

“Bruce said there’s no way to get off the island today,” she said, stopping in front of the doors.

“I’m so sorry about that. He told me how much you wanted to leave, and I get it, but I’ve been talking with Sean all morning at Casco Air and there’s just no way. They’re down two planes, and they’re totally booked. Bruce told you they’d be here first thing tomorrow morning, right?”

“He did. The thing is that I would really like to leave today.

There must be another plane service.”

“There isn’t really, not for this area.”

“But what would you do if there was an emergency? If someone needed medical help?”

“Do you need medical help?” Chip asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

“No, I’m just wondering.”

“We’d notify emergency services, of course, and I suspect they’d send a helicopter. It’s actually never happened before, knock on wood.” Chip reached back and knocked on the door to the lodge.

“All right, thanks,” Abigail said. “I do want to make a call. Is there someone upstairs in the office?”

“Aaron’s up there, last I checked. If he isn’t, then just come and find me. I’m sorry about this, Mrs. Lamb. Really, if there was anything we could do to help, we’d do it.”

“When did the plane come yesterday to pick up Alec and Jill Greenly?”

He thought for a moment. “About three o’clock.”

She pushed through the doors into the lodge. It was clearly lunchtime, the bar now open, and Abigail spotted Porter, holding a draft beer. He had one elbow on the bar, leaning at a rakish angle, and Abigail thought, He’s pleased with himself. He spotted her and lifted his head in greeting, a half smile on his lips. Her instinct was to walk away, but she went toward him, said hello.

“I didn’t see you at the pool this morning,” he said.

“No,” she said.

“You okay?” he asked, putting his beer down on the bar as though he wanted to free his hands. She wondered if she looked like she was about to faint.

“I’m okay,” she said. “Just not feeling well, and I was hoping to get off this island today and I just found out that the plane can’t come until tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” he said in his slight accent.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“Of course.”

“Did you know Jill Greenly, the other woman who was here with her husband?”

“Ah,” he said, and raised his eyebrows a little. “How did you know that?”

“She told me. You two had been engaged?”

“A long time ago,” he said. He picked up his beer again and took a long sip.

“You must have been surprised to see her here.”

“Yeah, I was shocked. I don’t know if I was as shocked as she was, but it was a big surprise to her. An unpleasant surprise, probably for both of us.”

“Because of your past relationship.”

“It did not end well.”

“Yeah, she told me.”

“She told you what?” Porter asked, a catch in his voice.

“Oh, not much, really. I barely knew her.”

“Lucky you,” he said. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound bitter, but …”

“But you are bitter.”

“Yes, I guess. I’d have been better off never having met her,” he said, and Abigail thought he was holding back. For some reason, she heard Bruce’s voice in her head, saying the words “spoiled bitch” with so much hatred in his voice.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. She’s gone.”

“What do you mean, she’s gone?” he asked.

“I mean she’s left. This island.”

“Has she?” He looked surprised, and it was clear that Porter, at least, hadn’t heard the whole story about what Abigail had seen the previous night. Either that or he was pretending he hadn’t heard.

“She left yesterday afternoon with her husband. By plane.”

He looked confused for a moment, but all he said was, “Oh, I didn’t know that,” his eyes searching the room as though he were looking for someone. Abigail looked up at his jawline, noticed a small muscle twitching. Clearly, even the idea of Jill Greenly made him anxious.

“I’ll let you go, Porter,” she said, and he looked back down at her, scratched at his collarbone with his free hand. It drew Abigail’s eyes to his open shirt; he was wearing some sort of necklace made from braided leather. Whatever was hanging from it was hidden by his shirt.