“As far as I know?” Kacy says. “Coco and I haven’t talked much the past couple weeks. We kind of had a falling-out.”
“Did the falling-out have anything to do with Lamont?” Zara asks.
“No, no, it was over something completely unrelated. But we were still texting.” Kacy pulls out her phone. “So you should probably know… I have a text Coco sent a few days ago that says Leslee was trying to kill her.”
“What?” Ed says. “May I see that, please?” He pulls his reading glasses from his shirt pocket and enlarges Kacy’s text messages. There it is, from Coco: I can’t make the dinner. When I asked, Leslee tried to kill me. Literally nearly crashed us both in the car.
“What does this mean?” Ed asks. “What dinner?”
“Your retirement dinner,” Kacy says. “Tonight. I invited Coco, and when she asked Leslee if she could go, they were in the car together. Leslee hit the gas until she was going eighty-five miles an hour. On the Polpis Road.”
Even the Chief, who has seen his fair share of egregious speeding on this island, whistles. “It’s a miracle they didn’t crash.”
“Did Coco ever share how she felt about the Richardsons?” Zara says. “How she felt about her job?”
“You’re asking if I think Coco set the Richardsons’ house on fire,” Kacy says. “The answer is absolutely not. Coco wouldn’t do that.”
“You feel this because…”
“Because she’s a normal person, not an arsonist. Did she like the Richardsons? No, but she accepted them for the screwed-up people they are.”
“From what I saw firsthand,” Ed says, “I agree with this assessment.”
“Thank you,” Zara says. “This is helpful.”
“I’m not leaving,” Kacy says. She looks at Ed. “I’m not going anywhere until they find her.”
“Of course not,” Ed says. He and Zara step away. “Talk to Lamont again, then Leslee?”
“Read my mind,” Zara says.
They find Lamont pacing in front of the garage. When he sees the Chief and Zara, he says, “Any news?”
“You and Coco are seeing each other?” the Chief says. He can tell Lamont is deciding whether to deny it. “Let me save you the trouble. We know you and Coco are—or were at some point—involved.”
Lamont nods. “Yes. It doesn’t matter now anyway.”
“What doesn’t matter now?” Zara asks.
“If the Richardsons know. They had a rule… we didn’t want to lose our jobs…”
“Understood,” Ed says. “When did this relationship begin?”
“Fourth of July.”
That long ago? Ed thinks. And they managed to keep it secret? “Leslee never found out? Never suspected?”
Lamont sighs. “I think she figured it out yesterday, actually. She came upstairs to Coco’s apartment unannounced, which she’d never done before. She didn’t see me, but I’m pretty sure she knew I was there.”
“Did she say anything later?” Zara asks. “Did she act any differently?”
“No,” Lamont says. “We thought maybe she was okay with it. That’s why I did what I did on the boat.”
“Meaning?”
“Right after the Richardsons renewed their vows, when everyone was raising their champagne glasses, I kissed Coco.”
“You kissed her,” Ed says.
“Yes. We were in the cockpit, and no one was looking at us—all the guests were focused on Leslee and Bull—so I kissed Coco. And I told her I loved her. I whispered it.”
Zara considers this information. She pictures the sun setting, the romance of the moment. “What did she say?”
“She said she loved me too.”
“Did anyone overhear you?” Zara asks. “Did Leslee Richardson hear you, or Bull? Did either of them see you kiss?”
“There’s no way they heard us. Did one of them see us? Maybe. In the moment, I didn’t care. After that, Coco collected the glasses and went below to the galley. I turned the boat around, which required all my attention. Then Bull found out about the fire and asked me to take down the sails and motor home, so I did. When we got back to the mooring, Coco was gone.”
“Is it possible Leslee confronted Coco about her relationship with you but Coco didn’t tell you?” Ed asks.
“It’s possible,” Lamont says. “Why?”
“Maybe Leslee told Coco she had to stop seeing you and Coco was so angry that she burned the Richardsons’ house down.”
Lamont gives Ed an incredulous look. “Seriously? No. That did not happen.”
“Maybe Leslee was angry about the two of you breaking the rule,” Ed says. “She confronts Coco on the boat, she’s been drinking, she’s emotional from the vow renewal, and maybe it gets physical, maybe Leslee pushes her or backs her up against the gate that you told us doesn’t latch properly—”
