In the Dark Page 5

  "Since a friend married a dance instructor," he told her.

  She seemed startled, but he really did know what he was doing. He'd never imagined the dance instruction he'd so recently received from a friend's wife would pay off so quickly. Alex was good, too. She'd probably honed her skills working here, being pleasant to the guests in the Tiki Hut at night.

  After a minute, though, he wasn't quite sure what he had gained. They looked good together on the floor, and he knew it. But the music was fast, so conversation was impossible. At the end of the song he managed to lead her into a perfect dip, so at least he was rewarded by the amazement in her eyes as they met his.

  In fact, she stayed in his arms for several extra seconds, staring up at him before realizing that the music had ended and the gathering in the Tiki Hut was applauding them.

  He grinned slowly as she straightened, then pushed against his chest. "The dance is over," she said firmly, then walked quickly away.

  "You really are a man of many talents."

  Turning, he saw Alex's assistant, the pretty young blonde. She was leaning against the edge of the rustic wood bar.

  "Thanks."

  "Do you cha-cha?" she asked, smiling.

  "Yes, I do," he said.

  "Well, will you ask me? Or are you making me ask you?"

  "Laurie, I would love to dance with you," he said gallantly.

  As they moved, she asked him frankly, "Why on earth did you two ever split up?"

  "Actually, I don't really know," he told her.

  "I bet I do," she told him. "You must be pretty high maintenance."

  "High maintenance? I'm great at taking care of myself. I may not be a gourmet, but I can cook. I know every button on a washing machine. I usually even remember to put down the toilet seat."

  She laughed. "Well, there you go."

  "Excuse me? How is that high maintenance?"

  "You don't need anybody," she said. "So it's high maintenance for someone to figure out what they can do for you."

  She wasn't making any sense, but she was sincere, and she made him smile.

  Then the music came to an end, and he regretted that he had been so determined on proving his mettle with Alex, because he found himself being asked to dance by almost every woman in the Tiki Hut.

  And somewhere, in the middle of a mambo, he realized that Alex had slipped away—and so had John Seymore.

  Somehow, just when things had begun looking a little brighter, David had walked back into her life, and now he was ruining everything.

  John's arm sat casually around her shoulders as they strolled toward her cottage. "Hate to admit it," he said casually, "but you two looked great out there. Did you spend a lot of time out dancing while you were married?"

  "No. We didn't spend much time together doing anything—other than diving for treasure or facing great whites or experiencing some other thrill."

  "Strange," he said.

  "What?"

  "The way you sound. You love the sea so much, too."

  "Actually? I'm not into sharks. I was terrified every time I went into the water with them, but with the crew of hard-core fanatics that always seemed to be around, I didn't want to look like a coward. I love the sea, yes. But I'm into warm-blooded, friendly creatures, myself."

  "You really love your dolphins, huh?"

  She shrugged, liking the way his arm felt around her, but feeling a sense of discomfort, as well.

  David. Telling her that they were still married. But they weren't; they hadn't been for a year. Not in any way that mattered. All he was talking about was legality. His words shouldn't mean a thing.

  Except that…

  She was traditional. She'd been raised Catholic.

  Damn David. He would know her thought process, that she would feel that she shouldn't be with another man, that it wouldn't be right, and…

  Just how many women had he been with in the last year? What was wrong with her that she couldn't see how ridiculous it was for her to be concerned over anything he had to say? Why had seeing him again made her uncertain, when she knew that an easy confidence and charm were just a part of his nature?

  "I do love my dolphins," she said, realizing she had been silent for too long after his question. "They are the most incredible animals. What I like most is that they seem to study us just as we study them, and just as we learn their behavior, they learn what our behavior is going to be. Sometimes their affinity for man, especially in the wild, can be dangerous for them, but still, the communication we can share is just amazing."

  "They are incredible," he agreed. "I've seen them used in the navy in the most remarkable ways. Never worked with them myself," he added quickly. "But I've seen what they can do."

  They had reached her porch. Strange, her thoughts had been filled with David's behavior—she wished she could begin to understand the male of her own species half as well as she understood her dolphins—and then with John's company, which, she had to admit, she had found all the more intoxicating just because she knew that it disturbed David.

  Now, despite the light burning on her back porch, it seemed that the shadows of night were all around her, and she remembered the body on the beach. It wasn't that she had ever forgotten, but despite her determination, the doubts of others had crept into her mind.

  Was she insane, thinking the woman had been dead?

  Or was she more insane now, trying to do what Jay had demanded, keep silent about the possibility of a body on the beach?

  John had escorted her up the two wooden steps to her little back porch, with its charming, gingerbread railing. They were standing by her back door.

  He was probably waiting to be invited in.

  And just this morning, she had thought that if this moment came, she would invite him in.

  She mentally damned her ex-husband again. Her almost-ex-husband.

  She smiled up at John Seymore. His dimple was showing as he offered her a rueful smile.

  "You're really something," he said.

  "So are you," she murmured. Blond hair, handsome face, shoulders to die for, arms that were wonderfully secure…

  She slipped into them. He lowered his mouth to hers, and she allowed herself the kiss, but she couldn't stop herself from analyzing it. Firm mouth, coercive, not demanding, fingers gently suggestive in her hair, tongue teasing at her lips, slipping into her mouth, warm, very warm, definitely seductive…

  On a physical level, he was incredible.

  So if she could just forget about David…

  She couldn't. Not when he was here, on the island, so irritatingly in-her-face.

  She stepped back, stroking John's cheek.

  "You're around for a little while longer, right?" she inquired softly, hoping he understood her signals. I'm interested, but it's been a very long and strange day…

  "I can arrange to be around for a very, very long time," he told her. Then he grinned. "I'd like to come in. But I understand perfectly. Okay, well, not perfectly, and I am disappointed, wishing I could be sleeping with you tonight."

  She felt a flush touch her cheeks. "I didn't mean to…lead you on, to suggest…"

  "You didn't. You're just the most fascinating woman I've met in aeons, and…hell, good night. I'll be around."

  "I—well, I know you've been talking to David. We are divorced. There's just some ridiculous technicality."

  "I'm not worried about a technicality," he told her.

  "Neither am I."

  "But I will step back if the technicality isn't just on paper, if it's something a lot deeper."

  His words made her like him all the more. He wasn't about to step into the middle of a triangle, or be second-string to any other man.

  "It's only a technicality—really." She meant to sound sincere. She wasn't sure if she really was or not. And she wasn't sure what he heard in her denial.

  "Well…" he murmured.

  He drew her to him, kissed her forehead. Then he walked down the steps, and started bac
k along the foliage-bordered path.

  She watched him disappear, realized she hadn't opened her door, and felt the pressure of the night and the shadows again. She quickly slid her key into the bolt for the glass doors, then stepped inside, feeling a rise of anger. She had never felt afraid here before, ever.

  And now…

  Though the image had faded for a moment due to skepticism and doubt, she could now vividly recall the corpse on the beach. A corpse that had disappeared.

  She locked the door, making certain it was secure; then, still feeling an almost panicky unease, she walked through the little Florida room, kitchen and living room, assuring herself that windows were tightly closed and the front door was locked.

  Damn David a million times over for both the trials haunting her tonight. If it hadn't been for him, John Seymore would be inside with her. Then she wouldn't be afraid of the shadows, or the memories stirring in her mind.

  She slipped through the hallway to the first of the two bedrooms in the cottage, the one she used for an office area. She checked the window there and even opened the closet door.

  David's suggestion that she might be in danger seemed to be invading her every nerve. But the office was empty and secure.

  Finally she went to her own room, found it safe, then prepared for bed and slipped under the covers. The night-light she kept on in the bathroom had always provided her with more than enough illumination, but tonight it only added to the shadows.

  Usually the sound of the waves and the sea breeze rustling through the trees was soothing, but tonight…

  She lay there for several seconds. Waves…breeze…palms. Foliage that seemed to whisper softly in the night, usually so pleasant…

  A sudden thumping sound startled her so badly that she nearly screamed aloud. She did jump out of bed.

  She'd heard a thump, as if something heavy had just landed on her roof.

  She stood dead still, waiting. And waiting…

  Nothing, no sound at all. Had she been deceived? The sound might have come from elsewhere…

  Or might not have come at all.

  She almost let out a loud sigh of pure frustration, but swallowed it back, and slowly, silently, tiptoed from her bedroom.

  Into the hall…through to the kitchen. From there she could see both the living room and the little Florida room and the glass doors that led out back. The curtain was partially open. Had she left it that way?

  The noise had come from the roof. There was a fireplace in the living area of each of the cottages. Despite the fact that this was sunny Florida, in the winter, during the few days that dipped into the forties or even the thirties, a fire was incredibly nice. But the chimney was far too small for a man to slip through.

  So she was safe. There was nothing.

  She was letting the simple sounds of nature slip into her psyche and scare her because she was still so unnerved by the happenings of the day.

  A coconut had probably fallen off a palm. Still, just to be sure…

  She walked to the back, trying to stay behind the curtain, then peeked out the glass. She pulled the drape back just a little more…

  And screamed.

  Chapter 4

  Everyone was gone, Laurie thought. First Alex and John, then David. There were people around, but the Tiki Hut seemed empty. The band had reverted to calypso, very pleasant but also, in her current state of mind, sleep inducing.

  Alex was crazy. She'd been married to David Denhem and divorced him.

  Alex had never been to Date Tournament. Had she realized what was out there, she would undoubtedly still be married.

  Maybe Alex thought that nights spent at a place like Date Tournament were simply not in her future. Then again, maybe she would never have such a night—because there was something about Alex that attracted men.

  Laurie wished she had that innate…thing, whatever it was. Maybe it would come with age, but Alex was only three years her senior. Well, maybe things weren't as perfect as they seemed for Alex, either.

  "You're up late, aren't you?"

  She started. It was Hank Adamson. She hadn't seen him before, but the Tiki Hut had been hopping, earlier, so he could have been lost in the crowd.

  She saw Jay Galway on the other side of the bar, conversing with Seth Granger and a few of the other guests. He was staring at her—glaring, really—and giving her a big smile. Sign language, Jay Galway style. She was supposed to be as nice as possible, suck up big-time.

  She gave an imperceptible nod to Jay and smiled as instructed at Hank. He slid out the chair opposite her and sat. "Okay if I join you and ask a few questions?"

  "Sure."

  In his lanky way, he was actually very attractive, she realized.

  He grinned. "You look so wary."

  "Do I? Well, we all know that the pen is very powerful."

  "Update to computer," he said dryly.

  "Okay, the written word—no matter how it's written."

  "Honestly, you don't have to be so cautious. I didn't come to do a simple review. I'm going to do a whole piece on the place."

  "A good piece—or a bad piece?"

  "Good, bad…truthful."

  "We're a good place," she said.

  His grin deepened. "Actually, yes, Moon Bay does seem to follow through on every promise it makes. That's what's important. A little mom-and-pop establishment can get a great write-up, as long as it delivers on what it offers."

  "Um, we're not exactly mom-and-pop," Laurie murmured.

  "No, but so far, I've gotten a good bang for my buck, and that's what matters."

  Laurie smiled. "That's great. I love Moon Bay. It's not just that I work here—I really love it. It's a wonderful place for a vacation."

  "With the happiness and well-being of the guests foremost in everyone's mind at all times?"

  "Yes, of course…" Laurie murmured, looking down at her hands suddenly. Was that true? What if that hadn't been a prank on the beach today? If Alex had been right, and a woman had been dead—and what if the killer had come back, aware that the body had washed up, and moved it?

  "What is it?" She suddenly knew why Hank Adamson was considered so good. He asked casual questions; people gave casual answers. So casual you didn't realize that your mind was wandering off and that you were about to betray your real thoughts.

  "What is what?" she asked innocently.

  "You were about to say something. Do you feel that maybe, just sometimes, management isn't as concerned with safety as they should be? I'd never quote you by name."

  Laurie stared at him and smiled slowly. "Well…" She leaned on the table, edging closer to him.

  He did the same, anxious to hear whatever dirt she had to dish.

  She leaned back. "Sorry, I don't have a bad thing to say about the place."

  Adamson sat back, as well, obviously disappointed. He shook his head. "If there was something going on…something big, do you think that the employees would get wind of it?"

  "Like what? The president arriving, or something like that?"

  "No…like Moon Bay being involved in…something."

  "Drugs? Here? Never," she assured him.

  "I wasn't referring to drugs," he assured her.

  She laughed softly. "Illegal immigrants? Not with Jay around. He wouldn't hire an illegal if his life depended on it."

  "Not illegals," Hank said.

  "Just what are you getting at?" she demanded.

  "I don't know," he said. "I was hoping you did."

  "That makes no sense. This is a resort, specially licensed for work with sea mammals. What could be going on?" Other than a body that appeared on the beach, then disappeared.

  "Have you ever heard of a woman named Alicia Farr?" Adamson asked her.

  "Sure. She's almost like a young, female Jacques Cousteau."

  "Have you ever met her?"

  "Nope. I think she's friends, kind of, with Alex. She's worked with David Denham. I'm pretty sure Jay Galway has worked with her, too." />
  "She hasn't been here, then, in the last couple of weeks?"

  "Not unless she's been hiding in the bushes." Laurie was actually enjoying her conversation with him now. She'd had a few Tiki Hut specials, but she always watched her drinking here. And she could stand up to a grilling by a man like Hank Adamson. "Is she supposed to be here?"

  "There was a rumor she was going to be, but I guess it wasn't true."

  "I guess not."

  "You're sure she's not here?" he persisted.

  "There are private cottages here, twenty of them. Eight of them belong to the staff, and twelve are rented out. But this is an island. Room service is the only way to get food. There's a little convenience shop in the lobby, a boutique…but, honestly, I think it would be pretty hard for someone to hide out in one of the cottages. Maid service is in and out, engineering…I'm pretty sure she wasn't here. We're off the Middle Keys, and there are lots of secluded places on the other islands. Maybe she's on one of them. I'm sorry to disappoint you—were you really trying to get a story on her?"

  "I am doing an article on Moon Bay," he told her. "You know how it is, though. Lots of times, reporters get wind of a bigger story while they're in the middle of something more routine."

  "So if you'd run into Alicia Farr here, that would have been nice, right?"

  "It would have been interesting," he said. "You do know what she looks like, right? You'd know her if you saw her?"

  "Sure. I've seen lots of articles on her. And I've seen her on television," Laurie said with a shrug.

  She yawned suddenly, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry." She was. He was appealing in his lanky way, but he wasn't interested in her—only what she might know. And she had no intention of telling him anything. She'd been ordered not to mention Alex's certainty that she'd seen a corpse, and she wouldn't.

  She rose. "Please excuse me. Saturdays are very long here. People coming down from Dade County, locals who just like to come eat at the restaurant. The place is always busy."

  He had risen along with her. "Thanks," he told her quietly.

  "Sure. This place really is wonderful. I'm not lying, or just trying to keep my job by saying that. And Alex…well, there's no one better."