wyer had saved me I had been floating in the water in nothing but a tiny pair of black undies and an even skimpier strapless bra. My face burned, wondering how much, exactly, he, Graham, and Mr. Hathaway had seen.
"Miss Brennan, I'm Officer Marshall; this is Officer Gravois," the white policeman said, pulling a small notebook out of the pocket of his shirt as he nodded at his partner. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay. Tired," I replied.
He smiled slightly, but his partner maintained his dire expression.
"That's understandable. But when you feel up to it, we'd like to ask you a few questions about your accident," Officer Marshall said.
Accident? I felt an instant flash of shock and anger. The nurse removed the blood pressure gauge with a loud rip and I struggled to push myself up onto my elbows. The pain in my muscles was excruciating, but I managed to get there. Again, the bandage on my neck pulled at my skin, and I placed my hand over it, trying to calm a burning sensation beneath the dressing.
"I can talk about it now, thanks, and it wasn't an accident," I said. "I was pushed."
"What?" Sawyer blurted.
"Pushed?" the nurse echoed.
13
"Excuse me?" Officer Gravois asked dubiously, speaking for the first time. He had a French-Caribbean accent, like the nurse did, which somehow made him sound even more condescending than he looked.
"Someone on the boat tried to kill me," I said firmly. "They tore off my necklace and shoved me overboard."
I winced, remembering the priceless jewels Noelle had lent me. Jewels that were now lost forever. That explained the burning sensation on my neck. The bandage must have been covering a cut left by all those diamonds and sapphires.
"Someone shoved you," Officer Marshall said flatly.
Their doubt shot under my skin and I pushed myself up higher. The nurse procured some pillows from a closet at the foot of the bed and pushed them behind me, helping me to sit up.
"All I remember is this musky smell... like cologne or perfume," I said. "And then someone ripped off my necklace and pushed me. That's how I got this cut." I turned my head so they could see the bandage. "Whoever did this is a thief and a murderer."
"That would be attempted murderer," Officer Gravois corrected with a chuckle. His partner hid a smile behind his hand. I noticed he was holding a pencil, but had yet to write down anything in his trusty notebook.
"You don't believe me?" I demanded.
"Perhaps you are confused," Officer Gravois said. "Or perhaps you feel embarrassed because the entire St. Barths police force was sent out looking for you for hours. You want to make it seem as if you are a victim, not a mere . .. what is the word . . . klutz?"
Okay. Now I was pissed.
14
"I'm not a klutz! Someone wants me dead. How can you not believe me?"
"You were drinking, no?" Officer Gravois said.
Suddenly I felt even more alone than I had out in the open ocean. I needed help. Someone was trying to kill me and these were the people who were supposed to help. It was their job. But apparently they were too lazy to do their job and preferred instead to mock me. Desperation burbled up in my veins, making my heart race like I'd downed ten cups of espresso.
"Actually, no," I spat. "I had one glass of champagne. If I were drunk enough to imagine this entire thing, do you really think I could have treaded water for that long?"
"It wasn't that long," Officer Marshall said, flipping the pages in his notebook to check it. "It was only about three and a half hours."
"That's a long time!" Sawyer and I said in unison.
I glanced at Sawyer, grateful that I had someone on my side. The cops looked at each other, clearly amused by our overly dramatic antics.
"Look, you don't understand. This isn't the first time," I said, growing more frustrated. "First, someone spooked my horse and almost sent me headlong over a cliff. Then my Jet Ski went haywire and exploded, and now this. Someone on the island is after me."
My heart pounded as I told the story. I realized with a start that whoever was after me would probably try again. No. Notprobably. Definitely. They'd already tried three times, so clearly, they were determined to get the job done. I swallowed hard, trying to dampen my fear.