How did I do that?

Barbie grabbed my pen and wrote "knitter" on a sticky note before placing it in the middle of the island. We both stepped back and stared at my makeshift murder board. It needed some red string to complete the look. It also wasn't a lot to go on. Possibly the least I'd ever used to solve a murder. Still, Hadria had to have killed Melissa.

But how, when, and why? I still had too many questions. Ugh. I wanted to scream.

"This is a lot for a Monday, Vonnie," Barbie said and pulled out a mineral water from her fridge. She handed me one, but I raised my hand to politely refuse.

Instead, I went for a cupcake, removing one of the chocolate with chocolate ones from the bag. "You're telling me. I feel no closer to an answer and right at the precipice."

If Brenna was trying to pass off a fake Dooney, maybe Larken was right when she told us she suspected Hadria needed to sell her condo for money.

Barbie sucked on her disgusting water and selected a vanilla cupcake from the bag. "How are you going to prove it?"

"I have no idea." The next best course of action was to find out what cruise line Hadria used and see if I could hack their system and locate her reservation. I jerked my chin once in satisfaction at this new plan. Her story would break apart one chip at a time.

Barbie clapped her hands together. "This was exciting, but we're out of time for our morning walk. Maybe watching Nick cheat on three women will give you an idea."

"Do you think Hadria and Melissa were dating the same man?" I asked as she gathered up Biscuit's leash and clipped it to the collar. The two ladies had a forty-year age gap, but that didn't always stop a man. "Why would Hadria hate Melissa enough to kill her?"

Barbie shrugged. "No reason that I know of, but on this island, you can never be sure. Have you heard about Henrietta sleeping with her gardener?"

"I've heard." Did everyone on the island know about the affair? Well, everyone except Henrietta's father.

Barbie opened her door. "Let's do a quick loop once around the building before our stories. You can use the time to think of more clues. If I had to guess, I'd say Hadria was angry because her condo sat on the market so long. She probably blamed Melissa."

I nodded, but I didn't think of new clues. That's now how this worked. I had to find the clues and then think about them.

We walked the loop quickly and were almost back to Barbie's place as the woman in question exited the back side of the resort and walked with her daughter toward a lone golf cart parked on the side of the roadway.

"You guys head back," I said to Barbie, handing her NB's leash. "I'm going to ask Hadria a few questions, and I'll catch up."

"Don't take too long," Barbie said as she waved me good-bye and kept walking. "You'll miss Nick."

Brenna adjusted the scarf on her neck as I walked toward them with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Vonnie. I don't think we've formally met. My boyfriend is buying your condo," I said and held my hand out for both of them to shake it. "I heard you went on a cruise."

Hadria tucked a piece of her chin length hair behind her ear. "Yes, it was wonderful. The perfect trip to get away from some of this Florida heat."

"Where did you go?" I asked, sticking close to her to see if she flinched at any of my questions. So far, nothing.

Hadria had on a light blue jean jacket with small, glittery stones every few inches. It looked expensive. "The Mediterranean. I try to go once a year."

Really? A once-a-year cruise for the mom but a fake purse for the daughter. Something about these stories didn't line up, but who were the liars? Brenna and her mother or the locals?

"My boyfriend and I have been talking about visiting the Mediterranean." I clapped my hands together twice, trying to act as excited as possible. "How many nights did you cruise?"

"Ten days, but I spent an extra three in Italy before departing. If you can, I recommend it. Everyone loves the Mediterranean."

Brenna used her hand to cover a yawn as we spoke. "Mother, I'll see you at the condo. You can use the golf cart." They smiled at one another, and Brenna left us to finish our conversation.

"What cruise line do you prefer?" The more information I got out of her about the cruise, the sooner I could work on hacking their system.

Hadria gave me a secret smile. "Ritz-Carlton of course. It's the only one any of us use."

"Wow, I didn't know they had a cruise line." Did that make me poor? Yes, but I was so... "When did you make it home?"

"The day I accepted the offer, of course," she asked, getting a little shorter in her answers.

"Oh, yes. That's right." I closed my eyes and shook my head like I was chastising myself for being so forgetful. "For me, vacations are always more fun with a friend or lover. Did you have a friend with you?"

She lowered her gaze. "Yes, I met a friend from California, but she flew in separately."

Hmm. If I couldn't hack the cruise line, I could interview her friend.

"That always makes a trip more fun." I inched closer to her to watch her pupils with my next question. "Brenna's scarf is so gorgeous. Did you get that on one of your trips? She said you bought it for her."

No movement on the pupils.

"Yes, I bought matching ones for us last year on a different cruise." She took a slight step away.

"That's so sweet." I leaned in a little, getting right next to her. "I see she has hers. Do you have yours?"

Her pupils flashed. They widened and constricted right in front of me. She leaned back, took a breath, and shook her head. "I don't see why that is important."

Bingo.

"I just want to compare them. You know, see the quality." Make sure both are in someone's possession and not sitting in the evidence locker room at the morgue on the mainland.

Hadria stepped away from me. "Well, I'm sure I can show you mine another time. Now I really must be going."

"Wait!" I reached out to stop her.

A hand came back and wacked me on the shoulder before Hadria pushed me away. The woman had some strength on her, and I stumbled backward, trying not to lose my footing. She turned and, with a quick jog, ran for her golf cart.

"Wait, I just have another question." I ran after her, keeping pace.

"Leave me alone," she yelled and slapped at my hand again. "Help!"

I jerked to a stop as people on the street turned to watch our interaction. The delay gave Hadria time to get into her golf cart and back out of the space. She whipped the cart around and headed toward her building at full speed. I ran after her, making it two blocks before my lungs forced me to stop in the middle of the street and struggle for air. With giant gulps coming in, I rested my hands on my knees and tried not to die.

Hadria killed Melissa with a knitting needle, and now I had to get a confession to put her behind bars. If she was onto me, I needed to hurry, but I couldn't do it alone. I turned around and started off toward the security offices. My feet made it about two steps before a sharp pain stabbed me in the lung and I doubled over. Great, I'd die here surrounded by paradise. How would they explain that in my obituary?

A golf cart drove past me and slowed. The driver leaned over to the side and yelled, "Are you okay?"

I raised my hand and gave him a thumbs up before wincing as I stood and hobbled my way toward Broadrick. The pain left me halfway to their office, and I finished the distance in a slow jog. I pushed through the glass door and stumbled into the main lobby. Four heads huddled in a circle turned toward me.

Cary, the secretary, had obviously returned to her post. She stood up from her chair like she planned to jump over her desk and rescue me. The three men around her-Broadrick, Dalton, and Tony-straightened their stances, but none made a move to help the dying woman.

"This can't be good," Dalton said.

"Gather the horses, men. We're going to war." I waved my index finger around my head. "Oh, and someone bring a camera."

"What kind?" Tony asked.

"Hand held," I yelled back as I reached the main door again. For some reason, they weren't right behind me, ready to go. I clapped twice. "Let's go. This is important."

"For real?" Broadrick asked, as he inched closer, but he didn't seem ready to go all in.

I threw my head back to the ceiling, my side finally free of all the pain. "Yes, I promise. Come on."

Tony slipped past me and held the door open for our crew to leave. "Cary, you stay here. We'll be right back."

Oh, if things went as planned, they wouldn't be back too soon. There'd be people to arrest and police reports to file.

"Don't get shot this time," I said to Tony as I walked past him out the door.

He kept pace with me as I started down the walkway. "Oh, we're making jokes about it already?"

"Too soon?" he followed me as I turned toward Brenna's home-the place where her mother lived. I doubted she'd go back to the condo. She didn't have any belongings there, and she drove the golf cart toward the far end of the island.

Tony kept pace with me. "Yes, it's too soon!"

"Did someone bring a camera and handcuffs?" I peeked behind me to ask Dalton and Broadrick as they brought up the rear of our group.

Dalton shook his head. "We all have cell phones, Vonnie. And no one uses handcuffs anymore, but I always have a zip tie in my pocket. I doubt we'll need it."

They kept zip ties in their pockets? I mean, handy, but also weird. We were going low tech on this capture, but the ending would be the same. Without access to Anderson's fancy county stuff, I'd have to invest in some spy gear for myself.

"Where are we going, princess?" Tony asked, his steps double the length of mine, forcing me to pick up the pace. The spot in my side twinged.

I huffed in a breath. "Brenna's apartment. Her mom killed Melissa, and now she's getting away."

"You sure?" Broadrick asked as he came up on my other side. "This isn't like Larken?"

I nodded, no longer able to speak. The men quickened their steps again, leaving me slowly falling more and more behind. The three of them made it to the building a full minute before me and were hashing out a plan by the time I reached the front door, out of breath.

"We can't just go up there and zip tie this woman," Tony said. "What's your grand plan?"

Shouldn't he have asked that before we ran here? "We're..." I folded over, using my hands on my knees to keep me up. "Upstairs."

"Are you okay?" Broadrick asked, leaning over me with a hand on my back.

I pushed it awa by standing up. "Just...come...on."

Broadrick gave me an arm to lean on as our group made our way through the building up to Brenna and Hadria's condo. You'd think all the walks with NB would have conditioned me better. I guess two weeks wasn't enough time. That sucked because we were definitely hiring a dog walker after this. We stopped beside their door and Tony knocked. The door opened as the side of his fist connected with the wood.

"That looks like an open invitation to me," he said.

Dalton nodded and pushed the door further open with his index finger. "In after me."

"Oh lord," I said and walked past the three of them. It's a sixty-year-old woman who lives on an island of rich people. She's not packing heat. They'd put away too many drug dealers.

"What are you doing?" a woman's voice spoke in harsh tones from inside the condo.