Kelsey didn’t answer.

She gazed out into the flickering darkness, at the glare of the fire, the patina of the sea…but what she saw instead was that strange, dark look on Neale’s face that chilled her soul.

Chapter 17

THE LIFEGUARD STOOD IN the shadows, oblivious to the noise and the laughter on the beach.

They shouldn’t be here—they had no right—this was his beach and there was so much to do…

He stared down at his fists and saw that they were shaking.

Isaac! Isaac knew who did it!

He would be sad to have to kill him, of course—he really liked Isaac—but he didn’t really have a choice now.

And Kelsey…well…it would only be a matter of time and she’d figure it out…

Kelsey was too smart for her own good.

People like that just ended up getting hurt…

He covered his face with his hands and felt the cold sweat pouring off him. He always felt like this—sick and sad and empty—when it was time for the game to be over. When it was time to do what he had to do.

Like last summer with Rebecca…after all the planning, the waiting…and it had been so easy, luring her into the water like that…

It had been one of his best tricks.

He smiled and started toward the light, a noiseless shadow, invisible in the crowd.

Tonight. He’d get them both tonight.

Poor Kelsey…

No lifeguard could save her now.

Chapter 18

“I DON’T LIKE THE looks of that sky,” Justin squinted against the wind, forcing his hair back from his eyes.

“I don’t, either,” Neale agreed. “Did anyone hear a weather report?”

“Chance of a storm, but not till tomorrow—” Skip stiffened in his chair, gave a sharp blast on his whistle. “Hey! You two clowns over there, cut it out right now! You want to get yourselves killed?”

Kelsey and Donna exchanged looks as Neale and Justin ran off to break up a fight in the water. After a brief struggle in which the perpetrators were separated, Skip seemed satisfied and settled down again. Donna eyed him acidly.

“No beer? Or is your whistle spiked?”

“My dear, I’m on duty,” Skip reminded her self-righteously.

“Well, I’m off duty. Permanently.” She marched away, and Skip held up his megaphone, shouting after her.

“Yeah, well, why don’t you fix up your attitude while you’re at it, huh?”

“Shut up, Skip!”

“Don’t test me, Donna—don’t even think about making me jealous, you hear? It won’t work! You’re dead if you do!”

Kelsey gasped, staring up into his face. It looked eerie and unnatural, half in and out of shadow. “Do you think it will storm?” She hurried to change the subject, folding her arms around one of the wooden posts, staring up at the mass of thick darkness. She would have preferred never talking to any of them again, but a feeling of uneasiness had settled over her, one she couldn’t seem to shake, and the boiling clouds overhead weren’t helping any,