Colleen Coble Read Online Free

Earl Grey. You?”
    “Coffee for me.” She went back to the living room and carried her box of coffee supplies back to the kitchen. “I brought my own.” She pulled out the cups she used. “Ben bought these for me.” She held up the pottery mugs decorated with sea turtles.
    Pearl’s smile faded. “I was so sorry to hear about Ben, honey. I’m sure you’re still grieving.”
    Amy’s throat closed, and she swallowed hard. “I wanted to ask you about the accident. You were one of the first on the scene, weren’t you?”
    “I was on my way home and saw the Coast Guard cutter on its way in. I wanted to invite Alec to dinner so I went out to the pier when it docked.”
    “What did Alec say?”
    “He told me that Ben was missing, presumed drowned. Then he showed me the surfboard with the shark bites on it.”
    “Did you see any blood?”
    Pearl’s forehead wrinkled. “No. I’m so sorry he drowned, honey. I know it has to be hard.”
    “I don’t believe he drowned.”
    Pearl’s wise eyes were studying her. “You have more information?”
    Amy hesitated, then nodded. “His death was no accident.”

T HREE
    T he only way Amy would be able to erase the skepticism on Pearl’s face was to show her the e-mail. She went to the living room, retrieved her purse, and extracted the paper. “I got this two weeks ago via e-mail.”
    Her expression troubled, Pearl unfolded the printout. “From someone named ‘A Friend’? That person must have started an e-mail address especially to do this.”
    “I know.” Amy watched while Pearl scanned the message.
    Pearl laid the paper on the table. “It’s pretty cryptic, Amy. It’s likely a prank.”
    Amy snatched up the note. “A prank? Listen to this: ‘Dear Amy, You might want to take a trip to Hope Beach. There is more to Ben’s death than you realize. Your brother had secrets—secrets that led to his death. Hypocrisy is one of the worst sins a man can commit. I hate to say it, but he deserved what happened to him.’”
    Pearl sipped her tea, then put the cup back in the saucer. “It sounds to me like someone disliked Ben. There’s no mention of murder.”
    Would this be everyone’s reaction? Amy held up the note. “Read between the lines! ‘Secrets that led to his death.’ Doesn’t that sound like murder?”
    Pearl held her gaze. “Honey, there are sick people in the world.People who like to hurt others. This sounds to me like that kind of person. Did you show the police?”
    Amy dropped the note to her lap and stared into her coffee. “Yes. They think it’s a prank. They traced the IP address to a library in Richmond. They checked the log-ins, but the name used ended up being fake. I think that’s suspicious all by itself. If someone had nothing to hide, why not use his real name?”
    “Pranksters don’t want to be caught.” When Amy opened her mouth to protest, Pearl held up her hand. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t investigate. I’ll admit it’s troubling. But it doesn’t say someone killed him. Maybe Ben was involved in something that led to his death in another way. He may have been so distraught over it that he took his own life.”
    “He was surfing.” Amy should have known better than to talk about it yet. Not until she had something concrete to go on.
    The doorbell rang and Amy rose. “I’ll be right back.” When she threw open the door, she didn’t recognize the young woman standing on the porch. She appeared to be in her late teens. Her long blond hair streamed over a white tank top that showed toned arms. There was a sullen slant to her full lips, but behind the insolent expression in her dark blue eyes, Amy saw desperation. “Can I help you?”
    The girl swayed and put her hand on the door frame. Her color went to pasty. “I—I wondered if I might have some water?”
    Before Amy could answer, the girl swayed again and Amy caught her and managed to break the girl’s collapse to the porch floor. The girl’s eyes were