Secrets Between Them

LEANING AGAINST THE FERRY railing, Nick Lancaster squinted at the horizon and wondered if the faint outline of land ahead was Summer Island. His adrenaline surged, making him as lighthearted as a kid at Christmas. Almost there. Finally. If the island weren't so bloody remote, he would have been there sooner. But it had taken him more than a week to drive from New York City across the country, then over the border to Vancouver. Of course, he could have flown, but he hated flying and besides, he liked having his own vehicle. He'd bought his Land Rover with the royalties from his first book and there was an attachment there that amused his friends and family to no end. Once in Vancouver, he'd caught the ferry and began the forty-minute crossing to his final destination--the vacation home of deceased jazz singer Simone DeRosier. By now Nick knew almost everything there was to know about the musician: her early childhood in Hartford, Connecticut, her distant relationship with her professor father, her marriage to communication magnate Harrison Kincaid and all the details of her fabulously successful career. Then there was her death. It had been reported as a suicide initially and that was what had initially attracted him to her story. Why would a world-famous star with a doting husband and a young daughter take her own life? Turned out she hadn't. She'd been killed. And with that turn of events, he'd been hooked. For the past twelve months he'd devoted himself to this project. Still there were unanswered questions. Summer Island had to be the key. Simone had spent her vacations here, from when she was a teenager until the day of her death, three years ago. She'd met her best friends on Summer Island, the so-called forget-me-not friends she'd immortalized in her Grammy-winning song of the same name. Including Simone there'd been six of them at the beginning. Now only four were still alive, and three of the four lived on the island. Nick intended to talk to them all, but one in particular had captured his interest. The outside world didn't know much about Jennifer March. Somehow her friendship with the big star had escaped the media scrutiny of the others. Nick had first gotten wind of her in an old article inVanity Fair.Simone had mentioned a friend, Jennifer, whom she loved like a sister. Later, he'd found a photograph taken after one of Simone's New York City concerts. The star had her arm around a pretty blond woman. Usually Simone was photographed with men, so this was a real aberration. The blonde hadn't been identified in the accompanying article, but Nick's curiosity had been roused as soon as he'd seen it. Could this be the Jennifer he'd been looking for? It turned out his hunch had been right and his subsequent research had led him straight to Summer Island. He'd had a break when he discovered that Jennifer's family owned a bed-and-breakfast on the island. It had seemed like the perfect omen. He'd asked his agent to book him a room at Lavender Farm for the month of September. Michele, of course, had been only too happy to oblige. She was as excited about this book as he was. The little blob on the horizon was bigger now. Nick looked around the deck and noticed a man standing a few yards to his left. "Excuse me. Is that Summer Island?" "Sure is." "That's what I thought," Nick said. "Thanks." He started to head below deck and as he passed by, the other man smiled. "I hope you enjoy your visit. Summer Island is a pretty special place." "Yeah," Nick replied. "So I've heard." There was something familiar about the man, but by the time Nick had gone to the washroom, then ordered a coffee, he'd forgotten all about him. AFTER THE FERRY DOCKED, Nick drove his Rover from the parking level, down the ramp and onto the main road. He stopped at a big sign. To the right lay the north end of the island where his bed-andCarmichael, C. J. is the author of 'Secrets Between Them', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373781195 and ISBN 0373781199.