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asked Randall.
    Liam recalled Autumn’s light touch as she pressed the ointment into his skin. He was a stranger to her, and she hadn’t hesitated to patch him up. He smiled at the memory.
    “Say no more,” Randall said.
    “Nah, it’s just. Yeah, she’s pretty, but she’s different too. Not like . . .”
    “Not like Victoria and those rich bitches she hangs out with,” Randall finished.
    “Autumn’s nice. Her mother, on the other hand, rides my ass like I’m free labor. The money’s crap too, but it’s work.”
    Randall clapped Liam on the back. “Don’t fret, my man. We’ll get Breyer and Bell Tours up and running and you can say adios to the spooky Cayo.” Randall tapped his chin. “Do you have any money to give my cousin so he knows you’re serious? Perhaps, Keith can float the rest of the cash if you invest some of your own dough.”
    Liam watched a sailboat glide across the water with a man on board scrambling to hoist the sails. Liam patted his shorts pocket. “Well, I have a ring to pawn.”
    “Hope this ring has a giant diamond. Can I see it?”
    Liam slipped his hand into his pocket to take out the ring when his stomach dropped to his knees. “Oh, crap.”
    “What?”
    “The ring. My grandmother’s ring.”
    Randall’s mouth gaped open. “You were going to pawn your grandmother’s ring. That’s cold.”
    “Pops said I could. It was in a box of stuff she never wanted.” Liam paced. “He thought I could get a grand for it at least.” He dropped his shoulders and hung his head. “I know where the ring is.”
    “Where?”
    Liam shuddered when he thought about the dark-haired woman. The one he hoped he had hallucinated. “The bottom of the Cayo’s swimming pool.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    Autumn stood at the edge of the pool and squinted into its cloudy depths. She wasn’t sure what she was seeking—the face of the murdered ghost she supposed, but unlike Katie, this ghost was elusive. And unpredictable. After all, until today, Autumn had never even heard of this spirit.
    Autumn examined the water and pursed her lips. This seemed like a stupid plan. Even if she discovered more about the murdered girl, there would be no way to prove what had happened to her. She couldn’t exactly record the testimony of a ghost.
    Then Autumn spotted something shiny glinting at the bottom of the pool. She grabbed the pool skimmer from the fence and submerged the net until she was gliding it along the floor. It took her a few tries before she was able to cradle the tiny object in the net. She swung the skimmer toward her and plucked the object from the skimmer. Her breath caught.
    It was a ring.
    And not just a cheap ring either, but a gold one with a square-cut diamond, larger than the one on Evelyn’s now-defunct wedding band. How had this beautiful ring ended up in the pool? Between the algae on the liner and the dead beetles, no one had stepped a toe in the pool.
    Except for Liam.
    Of course, Liam! He fell in. But still, what was he doing with a women’s engagement ring? Was it a present for a girlfriend? She brushed aside a stab of jealousy. She didn’t know Liam well, and she refused to crush on a boy she’d just met. All he had going for him right now was his looks, and Autumn knew that a relationship based on a superficial attraction wouldn’t last. Just ask Evelyn. Autumn’s parents had been voted most beautiful couple in high school. Now they were the most bitter.
    Autumn held up the wet ring, mesmerized as the diamond sparkled in the sunlight. She suddenly understood why the entire English department crowded around Ms. Waldron’s ring finger after she got engaged.
    What would this ring look like on her? Autumn glanced back at the Cayo to make sure no one was coming outside before slipping the ring on to her finger.
    “Check that out,” she said aloud. “It fits.” Autumn stretched out her hand to admire the sparkle.
    Suddenly, she felt overcome with a sense of dizziness. She stumbled