Free Final Scream by David Brookover Page A

actually happened on Terror Island that evening, I’m dead.”
    She shivered. “Or worse than dead.”

10
    Gabriella shot Nick a can-you-believe-this-bullshit glance, and he nodded knowingly. Whatever story Maggie Wentworth was about to tell them wasn’t going to be the truth. So why lie again?
    Then the answer struck home.
    She was stalling.
    But stalling for what?
    The only motive that made a lick of sense was she was expecting help to arrive.
    Nick’s senses went on High Alert status as he restarted his interrogation. His expression telegraphed the news to Gabriella. “Whose bright idea was it to produce this year’s Final Scream on Terror Island?”
    Maggie’s fingers nervously tapped the ink blotter. “Uh, it was my idea.”
    “Why’d you select Terror Island? I mean, there are thousands of islands in the South Pacific to choose from,” he pressed.
    “That particular island had the perfect mountain backdrop we were looking for,” she claimed. “The jungle was breathtaking, and its name was too intriguing to pass up!”
    “I see,” he responded, but she still wasn’t telling them the truth. He wasn’t any smarter than when he walked into her office earlier.
    Gabriella entered the conversation. “Were there any indications during pre-planning that communications between the island and the satellite would be a problem?”
    “None whatsoever. The uplink and downlink performed flawlessly,” Maggie replied defensively, as if her veracity was being attacked. “So I have no idea what went technically wrong at the beginning of the show’s broadcast. Afterward, we hired two rescue groups to check out the island, but as you are no doubt aware, we lost contact with both of them.”
    Nick was skeptical. There obviously was something on Terror Island that posed a risk to people in general since both rescue groups vanished as well. What he couldn’t figure out was what was so valuable on the island that made all those lives expendable?
    “Have you petitioned the Defense Department to become involved? You know, send in troops?” Nick posed.
    “Yes, and frankly they refused our request.”
    Nick was bewildered. “Why in God’s name would they turn you down?”
    “The colonel I spoke with said the military didn’t want to set a precedent for getting mixed up in private corporate affairs. He went on to say his budget doesn’t contain funds appropriated for rescuing reckless corporate ventures on foreign soil,” she explained curtly. “He was adamant on that point.”
    That Nick believed.
    “Well, we’re getting involved,” Gabriella snapped crossly. “Nick’s cousin was one of the Final Scream—Terror Island contestants, and we’re going to get to the bottom of your so-called communications failure come hell or high water.”
    Wentworth shrugged. “More power to you. Of course, I can’t officially give you any monetary or manpower assistance. If I did, our insurance carrier would drop us like a hot potato. We’re on thin ice with them as it is. You understand, of course.”
    Nick and Gabriella nodded as they both caught wind of an intruder arriving in the attached conference room. The door was slightly open, leaving too narrow a breach to observe the approaching enemy. Nick signaled Gabriella to let the scenario play out. He was curious to learn if Maggie’s help was there to kill Gabriella and him, or all three of them.
    The couple continued the meeting as if they didn’t suspect a thing, but they were nevertheless prepared to react to the impending attack.
     “Yes, we understand. We’ve had disagreements with our own insurance companies,” Nick said softly. His hand slipped beneath his suit coat and smoothly removed his Glock. “So who wants you dead?”
    Wentworth was hesitant to answer, possibly because she realized there was someone in the conference room who would report her betrayal to her boss. From the fear glazing her eyes, Maggie’s boss wasn’t an understanding person who