“There are loose ends. Amy might suspect you were the Kathy I talked to.”

“Unlikely. Why would she make the connection?”

“I would,” Matt said.

“She’s not as smart as you. She’ll be up for first-degree murder and she’ll focus on you. She’ll make herself look like a fool. Also, I have an ace in the hole. I might be able to convince my partner he was with me tonight and saw Amy push David overboard. That would seal her fate.”

“He must be a hell of a partner.”

“He’ll want to protect me. He knows what I’ve gone through lately.”

“The bad man? The one who hurt you?”

She hesitated. “Yes.”

“Who was that guy? Is he still alive?”

She shook her head. “I can’t talk about him right now. We need to find your boat and get you on your way. Just promise me you won’t try to contact Amy ever again.”

Matt hesitated. “I’ll stay away from her.”

“You swear to God?”

“Yes.”

She patted him on the shoulder. “You’re free now. You can put this nightmare behind you. Don’t worry about Amy, she’ll get what she deserves. I’ll see to it.”

“You can’t let her go?” he asked.

“No way.”

They located his boat a half hour later. The GPS led them straight to it. Matt turned on his light and lassoed the ship with a spare rope. He was able to transfer his equipment without having to get wet again. Kelly wanted him to get back to the marina ahead of her. She believed Amy would opt for silence when she was arrested. She intended to push Amy in that direction because she wanted to give Matt as much time as possible to clean up his apartment and get out of town.

“Shampoo the carpet if you can,” Kelly said as they were about to part. “Use plenty of chemicals. Remove my bugs. They’re on the living room lamp, behind the kitchen painting, and under your bed. You’ll have a few hours at least. Amy will get a high-priced lawyer who won’t allow her to say a word until he’s present.”

“You’ll immediately accuse her of pushing David overboard?”

“Yes. I’ll have to in order to arrest her.”

“What if your partner refuses to back you up?”

“David is missing. Plus, as far as Carl Techer will be able to tell, Amy was the one who set up this whole trip. She was the one who insisted on going back early. With my finger pointed at her, things will not look good for Amy. Don’t worry, I’ll be all right.”

“I do worry. I hate that you were dragged into my life.”

She smiled and hugged him. “I don’t.”