“Nice try.”
“Lulu.”
“I mean it. Besides, Gita is here.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Gita promised. “If anything else happens, it’s straight to the emergency room.”
Hena could see there was no getting out of this. She stood, her legs unsteady. She hated the thought of leaving her sister while she was still recovering, but Lulu was clearly determined. Hena grabbed the waiver and headed to the elevator.
When she got in, she leaned against the back wall. First the pythons, now this. The wedding was off to an unsettlingstart. It wasn’t even noon and she was already exhausted. But all was well, she reminded herself. Inaya was safe. Her sister was fine. Everything worked out as it was meant to.
She was reaching to press the lobby button when something crunched under her foot.
She knelt and picked it up. For a split second she couldn’t process what she was looking at.
It was a single crushed pistachio husk.
Hena stared at the empty shell.
Why was it in this elevator?
A guest,Hena told herself. This elevator serviced other suites as well. Khaled’s. His parents’. Everyone staying in this tower used the same lift. Someone may not have realized. It’s not as though there was an explicit nut ban. They could have been snacking in the elevator and contaminated the buttons as they touched their floor. A contact as faint as this, with Lulu touching her face shortly after, could have triggered a reaction.
However it happened, it was an accident.
No one would purposely hurt Lulu.
But then the thought slithered in, unbidden, as her mind drifted to the note left in her clutch: There were plenty of people who might want to hurt Hena.
People who might try to hurt her little sister to send a message.
Hena shuddered, shoving the paranoia away.
No.
It was an accident.
It had to be.
9
•
“Are you sure you don’t want me to hang back?” Hena asked again. She stood on the dock with the others as they adjusted their puffy orange life vests. The airboat idled to their right. She knew the threat had passed. She knew Lulu was fine—her hives were practically gone—but worry still lingered in Hena’s bones.
“For the thousandth time, I’m fine. I promise,” Lulu assured her. “The kitchen’s cleared, and since you found that pistachio shell in the elevator, the cleaning crew’s wiping down the rest of the property too. We also let guests know they’ll have to do without their precious nuts this week. And remember, Gita’s going to watch me like a hawk per Ammi’s orders. There’s a reason the woman’s in the will.”
“The will?” Hena blinked.
“I know,” Lulu said, clocking Hena’s expression. “I’d be weirded out too if I hadn’t seen what a lifesaver she’s been these last few months. Without Gita, there would be no wedding—she goes above and beyond.”
“What did Ammi put for her in the will?”
“It’s sweet, actually,” Lulu said. “Gita wants to go to medschool, and Ammi’s been helping her pay for premed classes. She wanted to ensure the rest of Gita’s educational journey was taken care of no matter what. As a gesture of her gratitude.”
“That doesn’t sound odd to you? Sweet isn’t exactly Ammi’s MO.”
“You’d be surprised,” Lulu said. “She’s getting soft these days.”