Dead, Actually Part 10

Chapter Nine.

Any relief at leaving JoJo was short-lived. I should have known there was something wrong when I asked for Seth to put the heater on in the car. The Gold Coast was experiencing a spring heatwave. It was thirty degrees. Gorgeous weather and I was s.h.i.+vering like it was snowing. Seth even asked if I was sick.

In the back seat next to Macey, Sanctimonious Simon offered the suggestion that perhaps my temperature fluctuations were due to lack of sleep; that I should tone down my wild life, rest up and let up on the booze. Me? Snow White? Boring goody-goody Snow White?

And based on what? His in-depth knowledge of me? His a.s.sumption Id partied all night? Okay, that was it! Seth and Macey both dived to defend me, but I was over this holier-than-thou know-it-all! This was my fight. Uncaring of safety, I slipped open my seatbelt and spun to face him, ready to give him a mouthful.

He got it alright. But not exactly as Id planned it. The mouthful he copped was part scream, part froth.

She was there!

JoJo was there! Right in the middle between Macey and Simon.

Her smile was pure feline. 'Surprise!

And then she tucked her arm through Simons, staring at him like she was going to devour him. And not in a sultry way. I swear this chick only needed the knife, fork and tomato sauce! Sca-ry. Not that he knew. The guy was oblivious. Probably because he was too busy looking at me like Id flipped. For that matter, they all were. Except JoJo.

What was I supposed to say? I wanted to yell that she was supposed to haunt Simon not wind herself around him like some ectoplasmic body wrap. But I couldnt. Seth, especially, was still grappling with the whole ghost thing. More to the point, would they all want to know she was right there in the car with them? And would they believe me? Oh G.o.d, JoJo was trying to lick Simons ear! Eeowwwww. This was just so off. So wrong.

Another scream bubbled, this time one of disgust. By now Seth had pulled over and he didnt have to speak his expression told me exactly what he was thinking. That Id flipped. My answer was an apologetic half smile. 'Spider, I croaked. 'Big, ugly, hairy . . . man-eating, I finished, with a pointed glare at JoJo.

The response was silence. From everyone. No one said another word until we reached the marina. By then Id found a bright side to this situation if JoJo was so hot for Simon, maybe Id get my room back. And my bed.

Cheering.

Not surprisingly, we were the last ones to arrive. Everyone else was there waiting, all lined up along the deck, like black crows lining a telegraph wire. Every one of them was staring at us as we made our way from the car. For a party, it wasnt looking very festive.

I took a moment to take in their faces one by one. Maybe I thought Id see guilt oozing out of one of them. Maybe I thought Id developed some kind of power that would allow me to see right through them to their souls.

No such luck.

Because guilt oozed out of every single one of them. Every single one of them looked frightened. And every single one of them looked desperate. All ten of them. Put Seth and JoJo up there and youd have twelve very biblical. This was starting to resemble the Last Supper. Simon should be in his element.

And one of them was a blackmailer.

One of them had taken over right where JoJo left off . . .

That thought made me turn and look at her. She was perfectly still, also studying each of their faces. I wondered if, for her, it was like looking into a mirror. Because surely one of these people had a heart as black as hers.

G.o.d. Sometimes Im so deep I scare myself.

'What the h.e.l.l was that about? Macey hissed as we bridged the gangplank.

'What do you think? I hissed back.

Realisation dawned. 'Shes here? At my nod, Maceys brows rose in perfect sync with her curiosity, then blasted higher as further comprehension hit. 'She was beside me in the car? Beside me?? Eoww. I wondered about that smell Eau de Decay? Chanel Number Death? Where is she?

'See? I knew youd freak. And shes just in front of us. I didnt go into the whole Simon thing. Some things are just better blocked out of the psyche.

And I so wasnt surprised to see that familiar expression slide across Maceys face as she angled her head straight ahead. And projected her voice. 'Oh, look at those birds! Do they look like vultures to you, Willow? Good thing were not dead, eh? They pick over the flesh of dead people, you know . . . Pick, pick, pick . . .

Catching my eye-roll reply, she lost the grin shed been shooting at me. 'Not losing your sense of humour, are you, Cartwright?

And yes, she copped another eye-roll. 'Well gee, not that thered be any reason for that to happen. Right?

She tucked her arm through mine. 'Chin up, Wills. Youre not on your own with this.

Yeah well, funny, but thats what it felt like.

We cut the conversation as our feet hit the deck. The boat was huge, a ma.s.sive gleaming white thing of beauty that bobbed on the gentle swell of the deep waters of The Spit marina. It was named for Demi, her sixteenth-birthday present, but everyone knew it was a tax dodge for her dad. Still, that didnt stop her being Queen of Everything. White sarong tied low, beaded aqua bikini, perfect tan, she held court smiling and making small talk. Giving the occasional order. Caterers were handing out chilled gla.s.ses of champers and prawns on sticks as we climbed on board. I nabbed a sparkling water and slurped a huge gulp. The aroma of barbequed fish and steaks wafted across the deck and two guys and a girl in uniforms scurried about and got us ready to sail.

I watched them all around me the A-listers in their element. Bored. Childhood-deprived. Not that mine was much better. Thankfully my grandparents had kept my life relatively normal.

But then looking around, I didnt suppose too many of them were complaining now.

Despite all that, I wasnt going to be a hypocrite. Even though after last night they were looking a bit grim, and even though I didnt eat animal products much there were still worse ways to spend a Sunday.

Then my eyes found JoJo. All Id had to do was find Simon. She was hanging off him like last years accessory terrified of being cast aside. Naturally Simon was a hit. It was like every girl on that boat sniffed out the fresh meat and moved in for the kill. Shoulders back, chest forward . . .

I claimed a yellow, floral, padded sun-lounge up on the top deck. The white fringe ruffled in the ocean-scented breeze and above, the huge sails, still secured, strained against their ropes as though they were trying to get free, anxious to sail away. I totally empathised. The sun-lounges covering was warm and it felt great against my back. Better still, the seat was a great vantage point. From here I could watch everyone.

And it was interesting.

They were all going through the motions theyd trained in so well. Small talk. Flirting. Drinking. Eating. (Unless you were an Angel and then you pretended to nibble. Id never seen so much food NOT pa.s.s someones lips.) But even with my scant experience, it was pretty obvious that, just like last night, this was a party without the party.

Laughter just didnt sound true.

Talk was forced.

Eyes wary.

There was an elephant in the corner and no one was going to mention it yet every single one of them was aware of it looming there in the shadows.

JoJos legacy.

Or maybe they had their own legacies. Pete hadnt even looked my way since we got on board, which was a good thing but totally weird, since hed been all over me the past few days. Right at that moment, though, he had his hands full with other stuff. He and Chloe were really getting into it and not in a good way. Their voices were low, but I didnt have to be smart to see it was no love-fest.

I also didnt have to be smart to see that I was a popular topic of conversation with them all, judging by all the little looks shot my way.

Great.

Macey wandered over with a plate of fruit skewers to share and proceeded to dip each piece into her champers before swallowing it down. 'Remind me, she drawled between mouthfuls, 'does silicone float?

'Why?

She shrugged. 'Just thinking. Im hoping it does because I havent seen many life rafts and if this baby goes down, I reckon we should just tie all those Angels to the side. Theyre bound to keep us afloat.

As the boat began moving away from the marina, Simon sprang up the stairs, oblivious of JoJo attached to him like glue, and leaned back against the rail beside us, eyes gleaming as they raked over Kristie as she paraded past.

Seth wandered up and took up his place on the other side of me, against the rail. So close I could feel the heat radiating off his body. Oh, wait. Maybe that was my heat radiating out because the guy certainly had a way of making me totally combustible.

And aware. I tried to ignore him but it was hopeless and finally I braced myself and turned. His eyes were hidden behind his Ray-Bans, his face framed by the sun and clear blue sky, totally cool fedora perched on the back of his head, forehead hair tickled by the breeze. Even without those incredible eyes visible, he was gorgeous.

'You feeling okay now? he asked softly.

As I stared back at him, so many emotions welled up. Yeah, I was confused, but I also felt this amazing connection; like he was always there, you know? Whether Seth was crazy about me like I was about him or not deep down, and all this JoJo stuff aside, I knew he cared. It might not be the same caring, but he cared.

And all I could manage was a nod.

Like a newsflash, right then I knew that being Seths 'sister was way better than never having him in my life at all. Anything else was going to be icing on the cake. Icing on the cake? Oh G.o.d was it really bad and pathetic to hope that the icing had it all? Smooth, creamy, sprinkles, nuts and a huge cherry on the top? Was it bad to secretly want the works?

It was like Macey read my mind, or maybe she just sensed my desperation, because she led Simon, with a fuming JoJo in tow, down to the other end of the deck, letting me enjoy this moment with Seth, whod suddenly leaned in close.

'Ive dropped a few hints about the phone, and apart from Davo looking like he wanted to toss me overboard, I havent had any bites. Any ideas?

Fighting back frustration that now hit from two fronts, I let my head fall to the side. 'Not yet . . . My eyes were back on the people around us. 'Fill me in on some of them.

Seth followed my gaze and shrugged. 'Theres a lot of bad blood between them all now. Chloe and Pete had a thing for a while. It fell apart a couple of months ago and they kind of hate each other now.

'Ten points to Chloe.

Seth shook his head. 'Cut him some slack, Wills. His dads a mongrel, always pus.h.i.+ng him. Always at him to prove himself. With a sigh he shoved the fedora to the back of his head. 'The past couple of months, though, hes been out of control. Booze, pills, and its like hes on some kind of mission with chicks. He shot me a look, but I answered with a shrug. What did he want me to say? Maybe nothing, because he continued with barely a missed beat. 'I tried talking sense into him, but hes not listening. His dad really wants Pete to go into the family law firm, but the way hes headed . . .

He let the sentence hang. Okay, maybe there was a reason Pete was a jerk, but it wasnt making me feel any warmer towards him. 'Does Pete want that? To be a lawyer?

'I think he wants the money that goes with it. You know that his dad and Demis dad are partners in it, right? Its huge. I think Pete wants a bit of that action. The catch is that his dad wants him to hook up permanently with Demi.

'Was his dad against him being with Chloe?

Seth shrugged. 'Dunno. Her mums loaded; made a fortune years ago, and youd think with Chloes dad being a politician that it could be a benefit to Mr Hamill. Money and power. But then again, Chloes dad stands for some weird family-values stuff thats a bit out there. Hes got a lot of knockers.

I sighed. There were soap operas that were less complicated than this bunch. 'What about the others?

His frown was thoughtful. 'Jades dads in jail: some malpractice thing. There was talk that hed been s.p.a.ced out on a development deal that went bust. He lost a bundle and started drinking and apparently operated on someone while smashed. Then there were some wild rumours about her mum. After that Jade went weird for a while, which is pretty understandable. His eyes narrowed. 'Apart from that? Their lives are all pretty intertwined. Zack and Demi got into it for a while. Mitchs the geek, hes the go-to guy for computers. Hes a pretty cool geek. But quiet, you know? Teahna has been with Pete and Christian hes a definite player. Davo has been off and on with a few of them. A few of the others have been together for a while. Ive heard Kristie plays pretty loose. Lately its like none of them want to get into it with each other. He played with his black fedora again, pushed it back and then pulled it forwards.

'So, do you reckon all this tension between them is because of JoJo?

He shrugged again. 'Could be, but I didnt make that connection before the past few days. Shes always been in the middle of everything. Not sure how any of that helps, though . . .

That was the trouble with investigating, I supposed. You turned up a lot of stuff, but probably most of it was stuff you didnt need. The problem was sorting which bits were useful. I sighed and watched Kristie disappear downstairs.

Then my heart lifted as an idea hit. 'Hey! Do you reckon whoever has the phone could have it on them? Here? Of course, thats a.s.suming its a girl. I mean, they have handbags.

'Wouldnt that be risky? Having the goods on them?

'Probably. But its worth a shot. I mean, I noticed a few girls coming up from below deck and their bags werent with them. I figure they must be in some kind of stateroom or cabin down there.

He shook his head. 'If youre thinking of raking through bags . . .

I knew what he was going to say, and put out my hand to stall him. 'I think I know a way to take the risk out of the mission. I could see the arguments building, but I wasnt going to let him talk me out of it. "Oh, come on, whats the worst they can do if I get caught? Make me walk the plank? I looked down at the pa.s.sing water which was now a much darker, deeper green, at the white wash churning against the sides of the boat and admitted to a moment of doubt. 'But, like, they wouldnt, would they?

Seth rolled his eyes, and the pause gave me time to quickly spill my plan and then take off. My eyes zoomed in on my target. First point of business: separate her from Simon. Pity I hadnt had any surgical training.

It wasnt as hard as Id imagined, and within minutes I had her pinned against the rail. Alone. 'I need your help, JoJo.

Her eyes opened wide but I was learning the way to deal with her was to treat her like she treated everyone else. Badly. She pouted and tried to push past, but I sidestepped and blocked her again. One teeny part of my brain wondered what anyone who saw me square-dancing with the breeze would think, but, really, it was a minor concern. 'Im busy.

'And youre about to get busier. Come on, youre coming with me!

Instinctively I reached out to grab her, but she backed away and then my heart stopped beating completely. Shed gone through the rail! Right through it! Into the wat- 'Oh G.o.d! I dived forward, only halting my own fall when she laughed. Cruelly. And in a way that was so JoJo.

Yes, okay, so she was dead. A spirit. For a second Id forgotten a person cant die twice, no matter how hard you wished for it to happen. Heart still racing, my eyes widened as she hung suspended over the water, before floating back to the deck. Calling her a b.i.t.c.h was way too mild, but my fright-frozen brain couldnt come up with anything else.

'Ooooh, you might try to be tough, Willow Cartwright, but I can still play you. You could never be enough for a guy like Seth Pentecost.

And yes, my hands stretched out to push her back, this time right into that water! And hold her down! Not that it would have helped. Besides, I needed her. And Im a pacifist. Really. I am. And she was dead. And she was just trying to wind me up, she couldnt hurt me. 'Im not discussing this anymore. If you want to be free of me, then come with me now.

Her eyes narrowed as she floated back onto the deck alongside me. 'Dont ever think you can control me, Willow Cartwright.

'Youre kidding, right? That little display was just to prove whos in charge? Really? I shook my head. 'Seriously, JoJo, whoever screwed you up did a good job. Now, can we go ahead and do what we came for?

'You only had to ask.

Which is exactly what Id done. And I just barely squashed the urge to scream long and loud as we made our way down the boat.

I found the cabin with the bags. There must have been thousands of dollars worth of designer leather on that bed. Casting an eye over them, I suddenly felt sick. Really sick. Privacy invasion is so not my thing, but honestly I had no idea where else to start. I checked that JoJo was still with me, and only just stopped myself from asking her if she could hear my heart thundering. It was then I faced my moment of truth: could I really trust JoJo? I mean, she was invisible, and that made her the perfect lookout. But the girl was also pathologically devious even when you were trying to help her; like, the last person anyone should ever, ever trust. But of course I did, which made me pathologically stupid. 'Keep watch in the hallway. If anyone comes you have to yell and warn me, I told her. 'And remember, JoJo, this is for you. You help, or I walk.

Okay, it was a weak argument. If I walked shed just walk with me, it meant nothing, but for some equally ridiculous reason it worked. Pity the plan didnt . . .

The good news was that I got through nearly all the bags. Part one of the bad news was I now knew things about some of these girls that might just give me nightmares for the rest of my life. Part two of the bad news was that while I found plenty of stuff to incriminate them for having bad taste, poor hygiene and really, really bad judgement as far as I could see, JoJos phone wasnt there. And that posed another little problem: given that all the phones looked alike, how was I supposed to recognise hers? All I could do was hope shed yell if I held up the right one!

Part three of the bad news was that I got caught.

It was Jade who walked in on me. Like Kristie, I never really thought that she fitted into the A-list mould. So what were they? JoJos p.a.w.ns? Which, I thought in a burst of brilliance, was possibly enough to make them want more? That point was moot at the moment, because I could tell she was about to scream.

I was right.

'What do you think youre doing? she screeched.

My eyes flew past her to JoJo, ready to attack, but what I saw confused me. JoJo was fading, translucent and she looked really, really tired. Mind you, that didnt shock me half as much as the fact that she was whispering the word 'sorry as she faded to nothing . . .