“I understand that it could be any one of us.” Jude frowned, his eyebrows pulling together in an expression of confusion. “And I understand that the dynamite stuff was remote-controlled,” he continued. “But what I don’t get is, how could the killer be sure they would be killing Sean?”
Plum and her friends turned to look behind them. Sean was still there, impaled within the center of the metal-banded globe. His body sagged forward into the spear heavily.
“We should do something about that,” Jalen said. “Cover him, at least.”
“Knock yerself out,” Warix said mockingly, not moving to help.
“Good question, Jude,” Shelley agreed, ignoring Warix. “How did the killer make sure that Sean would be the one to get the . . . um . . . the spear?”
“Right, what if I had set up my bed there?” Jalen asked. Then he pointed to Shelley. “Or you?” He turned to point a finger at Plum and Sofia. “Or you girls?”
“Maybe the killer didn’t care,” Cici suggested. “Maybe it was just bad luck.” The petite brunette crossed herself.
“No.” Marlowe shook her head. She glanced down at the dead man. “This was meant for Sean and only Sean.”
Jalen picked up the threadbare coverlet he’d been lying on and approached Sean’s body trapped in the globe. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just . . .” Jalen’s voice trailed off as he threw the coverlet over the globe.
The blanket covered only a portion of the grisly scene, like a horrible, moth-eaten tablecloth covering a magician’s unwanted surprise underneath.
But it was at least just large enough to cover Sean’s impaled torso within the globe. The dead man’s muscular legs stuck out, like some macabre practical joke.
“Unless our killer is carrying around a sheaf of murder poems where each one of us could be the victim of whatever death trap is next, then no, this was definitely meant for him,” Marlowe stated firmly. “Never mind the, um . . . perfection of it. The, um. Imagery. The animal-cruelty guy in a cage. The lady always calling out delicate flowers choking on one.”
“Yeah,” Jalen agreed. Then, in the same breath, “Man, this is going to make an epic podcast.”
“If you get out of here alive,” Marlowe replied.
“Yeah. If that,” Jalen agreed.
The group fell silent, trying not to think about Marlowe’s last statement.