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"Wellit’s a sether, so of course we’ve been together There are only a handful of year-round staff, and I’m one of them, even if I am just the nanny when the family’s here I work as a housekeeper as well, and I help Jockie with the gardening But when Amelia’s on the island, she’s ht, asleep I have to sleep when she does or she runs uests were cooperative Others were so nervous they could barely remember their names when Nick asked, and a select feere irritable or downright co there The Snake Eaters, especially, were irate when they were questioned

Nick put the latter guests in a special list, which included all five of the Snake Eaters, to question theain Just to irritate the their head in with a rock," John English insisted "That’s just insulting"

"You’re da," Lenny Hardin sneered He was around Nick’s size, with dark hair and a receding hairline he tried to hide by keeping his head nearly shaved "If I was going to kill souy, I sure as damn hell wouldn’t use a rock Come on I bet even you Recon bitches kno to snap someone’s neck"

Solomon Frost was one of the Snake Eaters Nick actually liked He was lanky and laid-back, with close-cropped blond hair and a hard face that see my rounds The beach wasn’t part of our territory; we stuck close to the house I’ paid for this shit? Because you should be"

The one female Snake Eater, Avery Kline, was evenquestioned than the others had been "Do you knohat it’s like being the only woman on a team like this? I have to work twice as hard to prove nht, said it would uests feel more coirls weren’t even in their own beds ht anyway!"

Riddle Park, the silent Korean Snake Eater, had nothing to say about the night before Nick was searching his memory for the few bits and pieces of Korean he had learned to ask if the lish when Park leaned closer to hilasses he wore One eye was a ot up to leave

Hours into the day, after over thirty questionings, a picture of everyone on the island in his iPad, and an entire notepad full of notes, charts, and scribbles, Nick was ready to bash hilanced up when the door clicked shut, and he sighed in relief when he saw that his next intervieas Kelly

"Good afternoon, Detective," Kelly drawled He pulled up the stool opposite Nick and sat

"This is fucking exhausting," Nick said "Anyone out there look nervous?"

"Everyone out there looks nervous What the hell are you doing to people in here?"

Nick shrugged helplessly

"On the plus side, no one else has shown up dead"

Nick rubbed at his eyes, fighting the throbbing that had started up about an hour ago

"You okay?" Kelly asked, his voice going softer

Nick h hi the stress He reached across the bar top and took Kelly’s hand in his, kissing his pal to take ht?" Kelly teased

Nick responded with a low rumble, because he damn well reht They were both silent for a few moments, their hands clasped Kelly finally picked up Nick’s iPad and took his own picture,a face when he clicked it Nick chuckled and took it away fro froht that was off?"

Kelly shook his head "I’ve been trying, but I can’t think of anything"

Nick nodded That was the answer he’d been getting all day

Kelly stood and walked around the end of the bar, co his arainst Kelly’s chest and closed his eyes as Kelly rested his chin on Nick’s head He wrapped his arht They stayed that way for longin each other’s presence

"Ty is waiting for the next interview," Kelly finally said, his voice suddenly tense

Nick groaned, closing his eyes and burying his face in Kelly’s chest After interviewing Ty, they would have to switch and Ty would interrogate hi Ty about himself and Kelly, but he supposed there was no choice now It was his alibi, after all

"It’ll be okay," Kelly told him He patted Nick’s cheek and stepped back Nick’s hands fell away as Kelly headed for the door "Scream if he tries to kill you"

"That’s not funny"

"It’s a little funny"

Nick grunted as Kelly slid out of the room, and before the door closed, Ty had stepped in

"You look rough, buddy," Ty said with a s with a couple of aspirin, then took the stool across fro like his entire body was tu with nerves

"Anyone stand out?"

Nick forced hi I’ve been starting with the party and having the Most of the answers I’ are alcohol or someone else’s bed"

"Not surprised," Ty said with a huff "Why the party? Why so early?"

"Doc’s te for the night being cold, that puts us around "

Ty frowned hard, leaning his elbows on the bar "So hehe probably left the party and then bought it How’d his watch break at three so?"

Nick raised an eyebrow and nodded He’d been asking hi "I have no clue I have two theories, though Want to hear them?"

"Yeah"

"A few people have said they noticed he was ht It could have been broken, frozen at that tied "So time of death would be tricky way out here, so they wound the watch to a later time and smashed it Made it an easy TOD Made sure someone saw the his head

"That’s what I’d do, anyway In a pinch Hope no one would bring out the turkey thermometer"

"You’d make a really scary serial killer, Irish"

Nick tapped his pen on his pad of paper, staring until Ty shifted uneasily "Okay Walkwith Stanton I think I left the patio twice over the course of the night to go take a piss Then ound up in the garden watching you smoke a joint with rumbled as he wrote the rest down "Did you see the victi in the study"

Nick added Ty to the list of people who hadn’t seen Milton after the ti He’d obviously not returned to the patio that night, and that gave thehly a ten-hourfor the cri, anyone who struck you as behaving oddly?"

Ty gave it so his head "Honestly, I wasupanyone else"