“Dad said I’m supposed to,” Gemma said. “But he didn’t tell me what time I had to be home. So maybe we could go out to the cliff?”

Alex grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

In another age, the cliff might have been called “Makeout Point” or something silly like that. It had a wonderful view of Anthemusa Bay, and it was rather secluded, surrounded by cypress trees and loblolly pines.

Alex pulled up the gravel path that wound through the trees and parked as close to the edge of the cliff as he could. Gemma had finally gotten her hair free of the mess her mom had put it in, and she got out of the car, letting the wind blow through her hair.

“It’s a beautiful day,” Alex said, getting out of the car after her.

“It sure is.” Gemma walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down, letting her legs dangle over it. “Come on.” She patted the dirt next to her. “Sit by me.”

When he sat down, he moved more carefully than Gemma and eyed the waves crashing against the face of the cliff warily. He slipped off his shoes before dangling his legs over the edge. Once he was settled, he took Gemma’s hand, holding it gently in his.

From this vantage point, they could see the entire bay. Closest to them were the docks where her father worked, large barges pushed up to the pier. Farther out, there were rows and rows of personal boats, some of them huge yachts and some boats even smaller than Daniel’s.

The public beach was full of people. It was a gorgeous day, and a holiday weekend, so it was packed. Red, white, and blue decorations were hung up anywhere there was room along the beach.

Where the soft sand along the coast started giving way to sharp rocks, the crowds disappeared. The rocks led up to a cypress forest, the same forest where Alex and Harper had found the bodies a few weeks ago. A thick belt of trees wound all the way to the cove, which sat almost directly across from the cliff where Gemma and Alex were.

Then, a few miles away from the cove, sitting by itself in the ocean, was Bernie’s Island.

“My dad’s renting out the island to Daniel,” Gemma said.

“Really?” Alex said. “That’s cool. Right?”

Gemma nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” She paused. “I guess Daniel is Harper’s boyfriend now.”

“Wow,” Alex said.

“I know, right?” She smiled. “I think they’re cute together, but I kinda never thought Harper would ever date. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do,” Alex agreed.

“But I’m glad she is,” Gemma said. “It makes me feel better about all of this. Now I know that no matter what happens, she won’t be alone.”