She went into the guest bedroom and found the folder with the printouts she’d made of Jimmy Zee’s reports on his investigation.

He’d covered most of the bases with his interviews, she had to admit, but there was something missing. She’d seen, firsthand, how dogged Zee could be once he got his teeth into something. Neesa had said an investigator came to see her, but his report said he hadn’t been able to locate her. Which was a lie.

He was thorough and professional when he wanted to be. So what had happened with the Jazmin Mayes investigation? Why had it taken a rookie cube rat like her to figure out what a cesspool the Gulf Vista was?

She made some more notes on index cards, bringing them up to date. There were still plenty of loose ends, she knew. Herman Byars was still at large. And she hoped Rae Hernandez would follow up and question Brian Shelnutt about his role in the affair.

But she couldn’t help feeling jubilant. Neesa Vincent was not just involved in the murder, she was a credible witness. And Neesa’s testimony should prove that Herman Byars had killed Jazmin after her shift ended.

Now she had to persuade Brice to renew his efforts for a settlement with the hotel’s insurance company. And in the meantime, figure out whether Jimmy Zee had a financial incentive to look the other way when presented with evidence that could have cost the Gulf Vista millions.

And there were still so many unanswered questions about Brice and Jimmy Zee’s possible involvement in the forty-year-old disappearance of Colleen Boardman Hicks. Had Brice lied about his connection to the missing woman? Did Zee know more about the case than he’d admitted? Why had her mother collected all those old newspaper clippings about the case? And how had the long-missing police file ended up in a box of her father’s belongings right here in the attic of Coquina Cottage?

Drue paced around the kitchen, trying to make sense of things. Finally, she decided to reach out to the one person she thought could.

She called his number and was disappointed when the call went directly to voice mail.

“Hey Ben. Where were you when I needed you last night? Call me, okay? I have big news about the Jazmin Mayes case. There’s been an arrest. For real! And I really, really want to talk to you about Jimmy Zee. Okay, bye.”

Her cell phone rang five minutes later. It was Ben, and he sounded out of breath.

“Hi,” he said. “Sorry I couldn’t pick up. I’m actually at a gaming tournament, and we’re on a short break. What’s the big news?”