Why did every morning have to come so quickly?

I clicked the end of NB's leash to his collar and slipped on my shoes. NB might have been the reason I had to put on clothing so early in the morning, but he was also a great reason to sneak around when I needed. Broadrick and I both knew the dog had a bladder the size of a walnut, so he never questioned my actions when I had the dog in tow. He was the perfect accomplice.

"You're chipper this morning," he said as he watched me prepare for my morning activities.

Damn, I didn't know why he was always looking fine. I gave him a quick whistle. Women-not me, but some women-spent hours primping in the bathroom, and men were out here putting on a pair of jeans and a polo looking ready to walk a runway. It annoyed me. "No more Christmas stealing plans in the works?"

"Ha-ha," I deadpanned. He had a point, though. Something about that morning felt... lighter. Happier. "I guess I feel better today."

And then the reality of the situation hit me. What did it say about me that I'm happiest sneaking around behind everyone's backs searching for a killer?

I shrugged at my thought. Oh well.

"We're going to take a nice long walk around the island and get some fresh air," I said, opening the door to our room.

Broadrick walked closer. "You want to get together for lunch?"

"Sure." I smiled. Lunch with my hot boyfriend sounded nice. The island wasn't turning out to be all bad. I had sun, a nice new condo, a hot boyfriend, and a murder to solve. What more could a girl ask for? "I'll stop by your office at lunch."

I gave Broadrick a quick wave good-bye and started toward the far side of the island. The sun hit my cheeks, and I lifted my face to it. I might have left out a few things about our morning plans, but I highly doubted he'd care. They were mostly trivial.

Yesterday, I struck out with the owner of Melissa's longest listed property, but thankfully she had more than one. The second longest was on the second floor one building over. We reached it and took the cement staircase in hopes fewer people saw us.

Condo 212 had a brown welcome mat in front of the door. I kept NB far away from it as I knocked on the door.

No one answered.

I knocked harder and checked my surroundings. Another thirty seconds passed with no movement.

Hmmm.

NB sat down beside me as I stared at the door. I tipped my head at him. "Worst-case scenario, I can tell the police I got lost." Being new to the island had a few perks. NB didn't respond, which I took to mean he found my genius-level logic acceptable.

With NB's permission, I covered the door handle with my palm and twisted it.

Locked.

"Man, these rich people don't trust anyone." Why would one billionaire steal from another? Although, the fact they hired an elite private force of ex-military professionals to guard their island should have given me a clue about their trust issues.

We made our way out of the building, and rather than turn toward the beach or back to our room, I slowed by the building we'd soon call home. "A little peek won't hurt anyone."

NB seemed to agree, and he pulled me toward the building. He really was a great excuse to go anywhere I needed. With a quick glance behind me, we slipped into the courtyard from a side entrance and used the back way to gain access to the hallway for our new home.

I kept a tight hold on NB as we stopped by the wooden door. We'd have to get a mat. The one on the other property really spruced up the area. NB pulled us toward Barbie's door further down the hallway, but I kept his leash short.

Our new door had a big lockbox on it, the type realtors used to keep properties locked up, but this one looked brand new and heavy. It was definitely different from the one Larken opened when we toured the condo the first time. The lock had a keypad to open it, and I had no way to see which numbers had more finger oil on them to break the code.

"We'll have to give it the old-fashion try," I said to NB as I attempted to open the door.

Locked.

I figured, but you had to make sure. It was more than just wanting to have another look around the place I'd soon call home. At some point last night, while tossing and turning, I'd made the simple decision to solve Melissa's murder. If the cops wouldn't do it, I had to step up to the plate. If nothing else than to clear Larken's name. It was my duty to save our realtor.

Everyone I spoke to mentioned Larken's feud with Melissa. If the police ever investigated, my realtor would be their first stop. I just didn't believe she had anything to do with it. I refused to admit it, which meant I had to find the actual murderer before the cops came looking for Larken.

One last case, and then I'd hang up my PI hat for good. Seriously.

I leaned up against the door. If only I could get in to see the place one last time before they finished the cleanup. I tried the handle again. Just in case.

Still locked.

A dog barked from the outside patio, and NB strained at his leash, trying to get reach them. It was time for us to go.

"Hello, Vonnie," Barbie called before I had a chance to make my escape with NB. "Did you come to watch our afternoon soaps?"

I winched; thankful she was too far away to see my reaction. "NB and I were on a stroll, and we did a walk-by. They accepted our offer on the condo."

Barbie's smile grew. She had on an all-yellow pantsuit with wide-legged bottoms. We looked like quite a pair, with my faded jean shorts and oversized T-shirt. "That's amazing and look, our walks are already syncing up."

"That is definitely something." Did she mean to make a period joke?

Behind Barbie's perfect outward appearance, she'd shown me a snarky side here and there. What kind of attitude was the prim and proper woman hiding behind all that linen?

"Afternoon stories?" NB and Biscuit sniffed one another as she opened her condo door.

I hesitated for less than a second and then followed her inside with a shrug. "Sure."

A small part of me wanted to watch Nick get his ass handed to him for cheating on two women, but other reasons had me walking over Barbie's threshold.

Things like her shared balcony space with the next-door condo. Even though the homes were on the ground floor, the balcony spaces were connected by small pieces of patio. Some even had gates to section off their area of land. I couldn't wait to make our outdoor space into a place for NB and me to chill in the afternoons. But right then, I was most interested in sneaking out of Barbie's home and gaining access to the empty condo.

Barbie settled in on her long couch in front of the giant television as I unhooked NB. He ran right for the food dish, spilling pieces over the floor.

"What are you feeding Biscuit? NB seems to love it," I asked, sitting on the opposite couch that still had a view of the television.

Barbie shook her head as NB ate all the kibble he'd dumped on the floor. "Our chef makes a fresh batch of food for Biscuit every three days. I can ask her if she's taking on new clients."

"Oh, um..." I stumbled over my words. We were not hiring-a-dog-chef rich. Barbie must have forgotten that we were island help. "Yeah, let me know. I'll talk to Broadrick about it."

I imagined the raised eyebrow expression he'd give me. They'd be halfway to space when I brought it up.