The sea breeze smelled of salt and promise.

  Reese could feel the moisture of it wicking against her skin, dampening the thin fabric of her clothes. The cold of it cut through her cloak as she stepped down into the rowboat. It shifted beneath her and on the gentle waves.

  The trip to shore would be a longer one than she was used to, but her excitement clouded her judgement. She knew that, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

  The thought of being free to do as she pleased on land, being allowed to wander from the dock.

  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her.

  She thought of the crowds, bustling groups of people from all walks of life, just as eager to witness magic as she was.

  The stars that winked at her from the sky above promised a night full of adventure and daring.

  And it would all be gone by the time the sun rose.

  Reese would be back on her father’s ship, pretending she had been there all night.

  The carnival would be a secret kept between her and the sliver of the moon that winked down at her from behind grey clouds.

  Reese relished the slight ache in her arms as she rowed. It meant this wasn’t a dream. That the lights that sparkled on the island in the distance were real.

  ***

  The gates were locked...

  In an hour, the carnival would disappear, and with it, everyone that remained on the island. Reese needed to leave, she needed to go home before it was too late, but the guards at the gate refused to unlock it.

  “Why can’t I leave?” Reese demanded.

  “Miss Sparrow, you’ll have to forgive me, but I need to ask you a few questions before you’re permitted to leave.” Lyonell Montgomery stood before her, and despite being faced with the man who ran the whole carnival, she couldn’t find a reason she should have to forgive him for preventing her from going home.

  “I wasn’t aware there was a mandatory survey at the end of the night.” Reese folded her arms across her chest. The chill was beginning to set in, and she was far from dressed for it.

  “There isn’t, I’m afraid this is much more pressing,” Lyonell said.

  “Well, what’s going on?” Reese asked.

  “If you would just follow me.” He turned and began to walk away.

  Reese, with nothing better to do, followed.

  The further away from the festivities and their participants they got, the more on edge Reese felt. Rocks pressed into her shoes and the breeze rose goosebumps along her arms. And she was alone with a strange man.

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  Just because he was in charge of the place didn’t mean he was trustworthy.

  “Alright, I’m not going any further until you explain yourself.” Reese stopped, hoping he wouldn’t try to drag her along.

  Lyonell sighed. “Miss Sparrow, I need to know where you were about three hours ago.”

  “I was by the mermaid tanks, why?” Reese asked. It was an odd question.

  “Were you with anyone who can confirm that?” He asked.

  “No,” she said. “What’s going on here?”

  “A Myriam Fowler was in attendance, are you familiar with her?” Lyonell shifted. He had blocked Reese’s exit.

  “I don’t know anyone by that name. I would love to go home now, if that’s alright.” Reese fought to stay still and keep her unease from showing itself.

  “She was murdered, three hours ago, near the mermaid tanks,” Lyonell said.

  The information began to click into place. “And you think I did it.”

  “You are one of the main suspects.” He nodded.

  “You can’t possibly believe I did something like that.” Reese took a step back.

  “I don’t know you, Miss Sparrow. I don’t know what you would do, but you will not be permitted to leave until we solve this troubling case and apprehend the killer,” Lyonell said.

  “The carnival disappears in what, half an hour? And you expect me to stay here and wait for an investigation that will undoubtedly take much longer than that?” She demanded.

  “You could always help us solve it or confess if it was you.” He suggested.

  “It wasn’t. How exactly am I meant to prove my innocence?” She asked.

  “Find the killer.”

  Despite watching Lyonell turn and walk away from her, Reese knew she was far from free. She wouldn’t be permitted to leave the carnival until the killer was found. Gods knew how long that would take. The carnival would disappear before that happened, and when it did, Reese didn’t know what would happen to her.

  She didn’t know what happened to those that remained on the island after the carnival closed. It wouldn’t reappear for another fifty years. If she didn’t die on the island, it was likely that most of her family would by the time she got back to them.

  Would it even be possible for her to leave after the island had vanished or would she be stuck?

  There was no asking Lyonell about it, he seemed content to let her handle this accusation on her own. There was no one to help her or defend her, she was alone. Maybe that had been her first mistake.

  When she had walked through those gates earlier in the day, it had felt like fate. She’d known something would change before she left, she just hadn’t expected it to be so dangerous. She hadn’t expected it to bar her from returning home.

  And of course, there was the fact that a killer was on the loose. Reese wasn’t sure being one of the accused would keep her safe. It might, but it might not.

  She didn’t even know why they had killed Myriam in the first place.

  How was she meant to solve a crime she had no connection to? No leads, no resources. She didn’t know anyone who had known the woman or why someone might want to kill her.

  Reese’s only option was to return to the scene of the crime and look for evidence. Maybe someone would recognize something that would prove it wasn’t her.

  Everyone left something behind, right?

  There was no way they would have been able to completely cover their tracks, not with so many people present.

  It was only reasonable that there would be a scrap of fabric, something left behind, or someone with a bit of blood left on their skin or clothing.

  The stuff was near impossible to wash out.

  There was bound to be something that would point the finger away from Reese.

  She hadn’t done it. She wouldn’t have to worry about any of the evidence leading to her. It was a standard case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  All she had to do was let the investigation run its course.

  And hope she didn’t die before it was finished.

  Investigating herself would put a target on her back. If someone thought she had a lead on them and would be able to pin the murder on them, they would just kill her too. She would have to be discreet about how she looked for evidence.

  She would have to pretend to continue enjoying the carnival.

  The later it got, the less people would be around.

  She just hoped that the murderer hadn’t slipped through the cracks and left already.

  If she was correct, they’d had three hours to escape before Lyonell had caught onto the problem.