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She opened her front door to step out and check the weather

Sheer panic seized her

She was staring at a face At a wos

But sheabject fear

The blond as slightly askew, the part sole, one arm raised as if it were double jointed

"Assholes," she muttered Then she said itaround to catch her reaction They were probably so for her to screa the mannequin to the far side of the porch "I hope it’s ruined, and I really hope whoever lent it to you charges you big bucks," she said uys out there?" she called "Funny, very funny, ha-ha"

She stood, tense and seething, for several seconds, then decided that Victor--it had to be Victor--and whoever had joined hied the dummy off the porch and across the sand, then dumped it into the water She dusted her hands and returned to her cottage, irritated that no one see to watch her reaction She had hoped Victor would co spot, alarm on his face when he saw she was about to destroy theher, she poured a cup of coffee and wandered back into the bedroo news

As she reached the near side of the bed, she ca into her

She looked down at the rag rug that lay beside the bed and beneath her bare feet

It was soaked A glacial chill began to sweep through her She closed her eyes Don’t panic, she told herself One of those idiots got in here, too That’s all it is

No They couldn’t have known about her drea dead wo down on the bed

It was then that she began to hear the shouts and the bloodcurdling screaers locked around her coffee cup

Froed, as well

He was looking down at the beach, a fierce frown knitting his brow

"What the hell?" he breathed

She looked over at hi around so she couldn’t quite make out

Her heart sank Bethany was down by the water So were Marshall and Bert, the owner of the resort Lizzie and Zach were there, too, staring down at the mysterious form

"Call 911!" she heard Marshall bellow

"What…?" Genevieve said

"It’s a body," Thor said, watching the shore, not even glancing her way "They’ve found a body"

"Oh, God! No, it’s not a real body One of those idiots was playing a joke on lanced at her, his frown deepening

"No It’s a corpse"

"It’s not, I’ you!"

He shook his head, as if he should have been aware before speaking that she wasn’t sane Then he started to sprint toward the group by the water

She set her cup on the porch railing and started toward the water herself, ready to point out to them that they were all victims of a cruel joke--just as she had been

"Don’t you see--" she began, brushing impatiently by Bethany

But then she saw for herself

It was noover it, seaweed draping it

It was a woray…eaten away in places She lay faceup, her sightless eyes turned toward the cottages

6

F or hours there was no discussion about anything other than the body found on the beach They were horrified, saddened--and glad The woht into their lives by her death, but they hadn’t known her in life

By ten o’clock the body had been re the coin, they were breaking off operations for the day The discovery of the body was a police matter None of them had known the woman, and as yet, no one even kneho she was Still, with detectives and forensic units co the beach and the docks, yellow cri to keep curious tourists and locals at bay, there was tooto work