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chirped sweetly, and we spotted the occasional gecko basking in the sun or darting up the side of a palm tree. If this wasn’t a genuine Adam and Eve moment, I didn’t know what was.
    Still, there were practicalities to consider.
    I skimmed the conference catalog, trying to remind myself I was here in my capacity as a medical professional, rather than a beach bunny, by deciding which of the day’s sessions to attend.
    â€œThere are some great talks scheduled today,” I said thoughtfully, “starting with one on feline AIDS this morning at nine. Hey, this one on exotics sounds really interesting. The afternoon has some good ones too. One on diabetic ketoacidosis, one on canine pancreatitis…look, here’s one on inflammatory bowel disease. In fact, if you wouldn’t mind occupying yourself pretty much all day, I’d be happy to go from one session to the next.”
    I glanced over at Nick, who was wearing one of the fluffy white terry-cloth robes that came with the room.
    He didn’t seem to be listening. He was much too absorbed in the complimentary copy of the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
we’d found outside our door.
    â€œMaybe you could hit the beach,” I suggested. “Didn’t your guidebook say there was good snorkeling right behind the hotel? You could—”
    â€œJess,” he interrupted, his tone strained, “isn’t Marnie Burton the name of that reporter you met yesterday?”
    â€œThat’s her,” I replied. “Why? What about her?”
    â€œWhoa,” Nick breathed. “Bad news.”
    He held up the newspaper so I could see the headlines. I gasped loudly as I read, REPORTER FOUND MURDERED .

Chapter 2
    â€œThe silent dog is the first to bite.”
    â€”German proverb
    L et me see that!” I cried, grabbing the newspaper out of Nick’s hands. My head was spinning as I stared at the headline, trying to digest the meaning of the words.
    I wasn’t doing very well. So I forced myself to read the front-page article, hoping to make sense of it.

    Kahului Bay, Maui, Hawaii——The body of Marnie Burton, a reporter for the
Maui Dispatch,
was discovered late last night on a remote stretch of beach on Kahului Bay, west of Kanaha Beach Park. The cause of death is not known at this time.
    According to Detective Peter Paleka of the Maui Police Department’s Homicide Squad, the victim was identified by her driver’s license. Richard Carrera, Managing Editor of the
Maui
Dispatch,
verified Burton’s identity.
    Burton, 24, was a native of Ellensburg, Washington. She moved to Maui two years ago after earning a B.A. in Journalism from Central Washington University. She resided in the village of Paia.
    â€œMarnie was a good kid and a fine reporter,” Carrera said. “This is an unbelievable tragedy.”
    An investigation is ongoing, and anyone with any information is asked to contact the Maui Police Department’s Homicide Squad at 555-5000.

    â€œWow, that’s awful,” Nick said, shaking his head. “Imagine, you just met her yesterday and today she’s on the front page.”
    I didn’t answer. I was too busy trying to stop the buzzing in my head.
    And fighting the knot that had formed in my stomach. I felt sickened by the news. Marnie Burton had struck me as an enthusiastic, energetic young woman who was so full of life she seemed ready to burst. It was difficult to believe that anyone could want her dead.
    Nick reached across the table and took my hand. “Are you okay, Jess?”
    â€œI will be, as soon as I get over the shock.”
    â€œMaybe I should forget about the beach today. I could stay around here and—”
    â€œNo, go ahead. And I’ll go to the conference, the way we planned.” I forced a sad smile. “It’s not as if there’s anything we can do. Besides, I barely knew Marnie.”
    I wasn’t really in the mood to throw myself