The teams readjusted. Beth took the serve.
It was wicked.
From the rear corner, he barely returned it. Ben caught the ball, and Roger, bless him, attempted a slam. Amazingly, Beth caught it low, setting it up for her brother, who went in for the kill.
Point, Beth said calmly, reclaiming the ball.
The game was neck and neck from then on. Sandy was the weakest link, but she made up for it with her good humor and refusal to give up.
Beth was a superb player, in excellent physical condition. She wasnt just shapely, she was sleek. Perfectly toned. She played not so much to win as simply to play hard. There was a vibrance about her, a love of life, of activity, a passion that seemed to come through in everything she did and said, in the way her eyes seemed to burn like a crystal fire when they met his across the net. She clearly loved a challenge.
He had the feeling she would always meet one headon.
At last Beths team took the final point, and they all collapsed, laughing.
Whats up next? Hank asked, lying flat on the sand in exhaustion.
Lee was up and staring at Keith. Fishing? he suggested.
Yeah, fishing, Keith replied.
They were fishing, all right.
Not me, boys. Im for lazing in the sun now, Amanda said, rolling sinuously to her feet.
Ben nodded toward Lees yacht. You asking us out on that?
Would you like to see her? Lee offered.
Keith looked at Lee and knew just what he was thinking. Keep the current denizens of the island with them, occupied. Keep an eye on them. Know what theyre up to at all times.
Keep them fishing, not diving.
He stayed silent. In the end, there wasnt anything they could do about people diving these waters. Still, if discoveries here had been easywell, they wouldnt be here now.
You bet, Ben said enthusiastically. Looks as if shes got every new electronic device known to man.
I like my toys, Lee said with a shrug.
Im with you, Ben said.
Hell, Id like to see her, too, Hank said, grinning.
Me, too, Gerald agreed.
Little boys, little toys, big boys, big toys, Amanda teased.
Me, Id like to see the hammock again, Roger said.
I think Sandy and I are going to take a walk, explore Brad said. But thanks for the offer.
Beth? Lee inquired. Girls?
Id love to see the boat, Amber said.
Yacht, Beth murmured beneath her breath.
But actually, Amber admitted a little sheepishly, I hate fishing.
Thats cool, Lee told her.
Beth?
Ill stay with the girls, she said. But I do appreciate the offer.
You dont care if I go? Ben asked his sister.
Not at all!
But she did. She cared like hell.
Maybe I will join you men, Amanda said with something like a purr. The sun is actually much better on the water. And I can always escape below if all the testosterone proves to be a bit too much. Ill just get my things. She started to walk away, then turned back. I am not, however, cleaning any fish.
Keith watched her sashay toward her tent.
When he turned to study Beth again, she was studying him. The way she was looking at him caused a little pang to creep into his heart.
She was so suspicious of him.
Well, she had every right to be.
But this was a game he played often. And he knew how to play it.
And he knew damn well that he couldnt let her get in his way.
Her eyes swept over him. Cool. Still assessing him.
Then she turned.
He had been dismissed.
BETH WAS DEFINITELY ANGRY with Ben, although she wasnt sure he knew it. And she wasnt about to lash out at him in publiccertainly not with the public that was surrounding them.
He was so big about protecting his family, but show the guy a new yacht with all kinds of cool toys, and he was gone in a flash.
To be fair, he thought she was being paranoid and there was nothing to protect his family from. Maybe she couldnt blame him. There had been nothing in the inland clearing, and last night she had awakened the entire island by screaming because she had run into him.
At this point she wasnt even sure herself just what she had seen. Maybe it had been a conch shell, and what she had imagined, in a stomach-churning moment, to be human tissue only sea grass and debris.
It was so easy to question oneself, especially in the bright light of day. Except that the afternoon was waning.
Sitting on the beach with the girls, she looked out to sea. The dinghies were long gone, bearing the fishermenand womanout to sea. Roger was sleeping in the hammock. Brad and Sandy were laughing, and running in and out of the waves, being romantic, being a couple.
Good for them. It seemed odd that they were the only couple among the groups. That Amanda had come on a family outing seemed amazing to Beth, but then, she disliked the woman. Roger and Hank were always decent enough, and though she really didnt know Gerald well, he seemed okay, as well. Was she jealous of Amanda? She probed her own psyche in a moment of introspection.
No. She really, truly simply disliked her. And she really, truly liked most people.
So that, she decided with a wry grin, really, truly made Amanda a bitch.
Aunt Beth, what are you smirking at?
I am not smirking, she protested, turning to her niece. Im justsmiling at the day.
It really is a cool weekend, huh? Kim said, looking up from her star-studded magazine. I was afraid of being bored, butwell, those guys are cool.
Those guys are way too old for you two, Beth said sharply.
Aunt Beth, Amber groaned. We know that. Cant they just be nice guys?
We really dont know them, Beth reminded them.
You sound like a schoolteacher.
Right, well, schoolteachers teach you things you need to know.
Beth stood up, stretching, eyeing the water again. Lees yacht was almost out of sight. Brad and Sandy were still happily cavorting. Roger was sleeping.
She hesitated, looking at Amber and Kim, and then she headed for her tent. Returning, she dropped the little black pepper-spray container on the towel next to Amber. If anyone comes near you, you know what to do.
Amber looked at the pepper spray, then up at her. Really, Aunt Beth. Are you expecting a giant grouper to leap out of the sea and accost us?
Dont be a wiseass. Wiseacre, she quickly amended. But not quickly enough. Both the girls were laughing at her.
Amber, Kim, Im serious.
Amber forced herself to look somber. Were taking you very seriously.
Beth really didnt think there could be any trouble, not with the yacht out at sea. She offered a dry smile and started to walk away.
Hey, Amber called. Where are you going?
For a walk.
Youre going back to look for the skull, right? Amber pressed.
No. She stepped back toward them. And dont go talking about the fact that we might have seen a skull, do you understand?
Amber let out a great sigh. No, Aunt Beth. I mean, yes. We wont mention it again, okay?
Good. And scream like hell if anything happens.
Like you did last night? Amber teased.
Behave or Ill tell your dad that every young guy in the theater department isnt gay!
Hey, have a great walk, Beth. Well be little angels, sitting here. Ready with the pepper spray, Kim vowed seriously.
Shaking her head, Beth started off.
The island was such a strange paradise, she thought, heading toward the path through the pines and scrub brush just behind the area they had chosen to stake out their tents. The beach was pristine, the water clear and beautiful. Of course, just beyond there were dangerous, even deadly, reefs. But those who knew the area and could navigate those reefs knew how to reach a real Eden. But behind the beach, the island became a very different place, the dense foliage creating little nooks and crannies, shadows and an eerie green darkness.
She had always loved it.
Until now.
Today it seemed the island itself was working against her. She lost the trail and almost emerged at the other end of the beach. Retracing her steps, she swore softly.
A large mosquito decided to take a good chunk out of her arm, and she slapped it furiously, taking inordinate pleasure out of the fact that she managed to kill it.
At last she wound her way back to the clearing where she had stood the day before with the girls.
She looked around, trying to assess the area. Fallen palm fronds seemed to be everywhere.
Had there been that many yesterday? She tried to remember exactly where they had been standing.
And then where Keith Henson had emerged from the trees.
In the end, because there were so many palm fronds down on the ground, she decided to examine them one by one.
She tried to make sure she didnt miss an area. She had gotten to her fourth frond when she heard footsteps.
Someone else was heading for the clearing.
She forced herself to pause and listen. After determining the direction from which the sounds were coming, she headed across the clearing. As soon as she reached the shelter of the trees, she spun around, afraid that whoever it was had already burst into the clearing and seen her.
Through the trees, she could see something glinting.
She narrowed her eyes and swallowed hard. Whoever was coming was carrying a knife. A big knife.
A machete.
Staring intently at that deadly glint, she backed farther into the trees.
Suddenly she felt an arm reach around her middle, pulling her deeper into the foliage.
A scream rose to her throat.
But a second hand clamped tightly over her mouth, and no sound escaped.
4
STRETCHED OUT ON THE SAND, Amber watched her aunt disappear into the foliage, then rolled again to face Kimberly with a sigh.
Weve got to do something!
About what?
Beth, of course.
Youre calling her Beth now? Kimberly queried with a brow arched high in a semblance of mature disapproval.
Noits just, weve got to do something.
Shes so cute, Kim agreed.
And so is he, Amber said.
Which one? Kim asked, frowning.
The cute one.
Even your dad is cute, Kim said.
Amber laughed, shuddering. Ugh. Dads are not cute.
Kim shrugged. Im sure he is to lots of people.
I know, butugh. No, Im talking about him. And I know you know which one Im talking about.
Keith Henson, Kim agreed sagely.
We need to get the two of them fixed up.
Amber, theyre both here. If they want to get fixed up, theyll do it. Kim giggled. I mean, theyre older than we are. Theyve got to have some smarts.
Do you think he has a wife somewhere? Or a girlfriend? Amber asked worriedly.
I dont think so.
He better have, like, a real job. I dont want my aunt working her whole life to support some beach bum.
Amber, were not getting them married off or anything.
But we should get them together, Amber protested. Seriously, shes so pretty, but she never goes out. She needs a date.
Kim blushed. You mean shes not getting any? she asked with a giggle.
Kim! Amber nudged her hard.
Well?
We need to set her up. But first we have to check him out.
How are we supposed to do that?
Im not sure yet. Well have to see when we get home. Dad has lots of cop friends. We can talk to one of them.
Amber, we may never see these guys again once we go home.
Amber sat up, grinning, and did an amazing Alfred Hitchcock impersonation. Have you ever had a premonition?
Kim laughed. All right. Well do a real investigation when we get home. Meanwhile, Ill find out a few things about him.
And how will you do that? Amber demanded.
Kim smiled smugly. Silly. Ill just ask him.
THE YACHT WAS STATE OF THE ART. Ben loved it the minute he stepped aboard.
Wow, he said simply to Lee.
He worked hard and earned decent money as an attorney, and hed been proud of his own boat, but in comparison, Time Off was small.
And simple.
What the hell does this guy do for a living? he wondered, though he was too polite to ask. None of the guys seemed like dope dealers, and hed learned that in Miami, lots of people were simply independently wealthy.
Hank Mason wasnt quite so hesitant.
How the hell do you afford a puppy like this? he demanded.
Family money, Im afraid. Lees pride was justified when he grinned and said, Shes something, huh? Shes a Hatteras, top of the line, and shes been customized, since most of these ladies arent set up for real fishing.
Customized to a T, Ben thought. Topside, there was the kind of rigging that made deep-water sport fishing fun. The flybridge offered every convenience from a global explorer to sonar and radar equipment, along with a stereo system and the more mundane racks for drinks and snacks. The upper deck offered complete comfort, and the decking was exquisite, with teak trimming. There was even a small refrigerator. The stern afforded racks for at least twelve diving tanks, and a lift-top seat bore a small sign that read Diving Equipment.
Come into the cabin. Youll like her even more, Lee told Ben.
I like her already, Amanda said. She smiled up at Ben and linked an arm through his. Now this, I must say, is a boat.
Ben had known Amanda for several years, though never well. She was definitely beautiful, capable of stirring his senses, but also making him uncomfortable. Hed learned a long time ago that when someone you loved died, you lost a part of yourself, but you were still among the living. And being alive, he definitely had sexual urges. Amanda gave a man the impression that she could fulfill those urges beyond his wildest dreams. It would be a lie to say she didnt have an effect on him. The problem was, she gave the same impression to every man. He would never trust a woman like her if he so much as blinked. For some guys, it would be okay. They were players. It was curious, though, that she seemed to be hanging on to him. He knew he was decent looking, fit and made a good living.
But the island, as Amanda had said herself, was chockfull of testosterone. Lee, Matt and Keith were the kind of men women always seemed to go forwell-muscled, tall, with the slightly rough good looks and hard-adventure attitude that seemed to draw women like moths.