Did you mention your discovery to lover boy? he inquired, sounding casual as he put the milk back in the refrigerator.
I dont like your tone, she told him.
Sorry, I dont like whats happening.
Are you actually jealous? she demanded.
Im not trying to run your life, if thats what you mean, he assured her. I just dont like whats happening here.
You havent explained a damn thing yet, David.
Did you tell him? he persisted.
She let out a sigh of irritation. No, but that doesnt mean I wont. For tonighttonight Im waiting. The sheriff will get back to us, let us know if anybodys missing from one of the ferries or the Middle Keys. He and Jay might have made me feel a little foolish today, but Nigel Thompson is a good man and no fool. And I could accuse you of many things, but being a total idiot isnt one of them. So get to it. Whats going on?
Im afraid I might know your corpse, he said quietly, his eyes a strange cobalt by night, and steady upon her.
Her heart seemed to skip a beat.
Who?
Alicia Farr.
Alicia? she exclaimed. Whywhy would she be around here? Theres not much to attract a woman of her reputation at a place like Moon Baybut then again, theres not much here for you. She stopped speaking suddenly, staring at him. I see. Great. You would have told me about this technicality in the divorce, but only because it would have been convenient while you were here. You came to meet Alicia.
No, he told her.
You liar, she accused him softly. Get outnow.
I didnt come here just to meet her.
David, Ill call security if you dont leave.
He arched an eyebrow, fully aware that security at Moon Bay meant two retired cops who were happy to putter around the grounds at night in retooled golf carts. There had never been serious trouble at Moon Bayuntil today. And then they hadnt bothered with security; they had called the sheriffs department immediately.
David, get the hell out.
Alex, will you listen to meI think Alicia is dead.
An eerie feeling crept along her spine. How could she be jealous of a corpse?
But she had been jealous of Alicia. The woman wasor had beena free spirit, intelligent, beautiful and filled with knowledge, curiosity and a love of dangerous pursuits that nearly equaled Davids own.
Could she be dead? That would be terrible.
But it wasnt sinking in. At the moment, Alex felt betrayed. She had to admit, it had felt nice to have David following her as if he was desperate.
Alex? he said, and his tone seemed to slip under her skin, no matter how numb she was suddenly feeling.
Then he walked over to her, put his cup down, and his hands went to her shoulders again, the whole of his length far too familiar against her own, his eyes piercing hers in a way she remembered too well. Damn it, Alex, believe thisI dont want you ending up dead, as well.
They were talking about life and death, and all she felt was the texture of his jacket, the heat emanating from him. She breathed him in and remembered the way his hands could move. He was almost on top of her, and she felt a physical change in herself, a tautness in her breasts, with way too much of her body pressed there against his.
She wanted to shove him awayhard.
She managed to get a hand between them and place it firmly on his chest, pushing him away from her, and slipped from the place where she had been flush against the counter.
Talk, David. Do it quickly. I have a nine oclock dive in the morning, which means I have to be at the docks at eight.
Her voice sounded tight and distant. She wasnt sure if it was the effect she wanted or not. She should have been concerned, she knew, about Alicia. She had known the woman, after all, even admired her. But she hadnt liked her.
But that didnt mean she would have wanted harm to come to her. So why wasnt she more emotionally distressed? She was just too numb, unable to accept the possibility.
Alicia called me a few weeks ago. Do you remember Danny Fuller?
Of course. He came here frequently, and he was charming. He had been. An octogenarian, the man had been in on the earliest days of scuba diving and helped in the later development of some of the best equipment available. He had loved dolphins, and that had naturally endeared him to Alex. Yes, I knew Daniel fairly well. I was very sorry to hear he died about a month ago, at a hospital in Miami. Of natural causes.
I know.
They were natural causes, right?
Yes. But Alicia was with him a lot at the end.
I can see ithim dying, and Alicia quizzing him about everything he knew until he breathed his last breath, Alex murmured. She hesitated. Alicia Farr wasor had been, if any of this was trueeverything that she had not been herself. She found herself remembering the woman and the times they had worked together. Alicia was the epitome of a pure adventuress, courageous beyond sanity, at times. She was also beautiful.
Even before the last year, she had frequently appeared at Davids side on TV and in magazines. He, naturally, thought the world of her.
Hed slept with her, certainly. But before or after the divorce? Alex had never been certain.
That must be why she was feeling so icy cold now. Good God, she didnt want the woman to be dead, but still
Its probably true that she pursued him mercilessly, David admitted. But he also sent for her, so I guess she was the one he wanted to talk to in the end. At any rate, soon after he died, she called me. She said she was on to the biggest find of the century, and that she wanted me with her. And something she discovered had to do with Moon Bay. He seemed to notice the way Alex was staring at him. Actually, I had already been toying with the idea of coming here, so it sounded fine to me. She set a date, and said that she would meet me here. Whether she made that same arrangement with anyone else or not, I dont know. But when I tried to get back to her, to confirm, I couldnt reach her. Then, when I got here, she was a no-show. I figured shed gone ahead to check things out. You know Alicia when shes got the bit between her teeth. I still thought shed show, though. But I did notice that the place seemed to be crawling with a strange assortment of visitors, including Seth Granger, Hank Adamson and your new friendJohn Seymore. And thenI heard that youd found a body on the beach.
For several long moments, Alex just stared at him, not at all sure what to think, or where to start. She felt chilled. She had found a body, and it could have been Alicias.
No. Easier to believe Jay had been right. That shed seen someone playing a sickand very convincingtrick on someone else.
Maybe Alicia just decided that she didnt want you in on her fabulous find after all. Maybe shes already off on her expedition, Alex said, her voice sounding thin.
And maybe someone else found out what she had and killed her to get itor before she could set up an expedition to recover the treasure, so they could get it for themselves.
If there was really a body, its gone now, Alex said. And Sheriff Thompson
Ive spoken with him. He hasnt seen Alicia, and your corpse hasnt reappeared.
Thenthen you dont really have anything, Alex said.
What I have is a tremendous amount of fear that a friend and colleague is deadand that someone may now be after you. Alex, maybe theres someone out there who thinks you saw something, and that could put you in danger.
Alex shook her head. David, Im not going to start being paranoid because of the things that might be. If Alicia is dead, and someone was willing to kill her for what she knew, wouldnt you be in far more danger than I am? What about your own safety?
I can handle myself.
Great. Handle yourself doing what? Waiting? Watching people?
I have friends looking for information now.
She stared at him. He had friends, all right. P.I.s, cops, law enforcement from around the world. And he was serious.
A slight shiver raked along her spine. If all this was true
All right, David. I appreciate your concern for my welfare. And Im very sorry if Alicia isdead. I know what she meant to you.
No, actually, you dont.
He walked up to her, angry again, and she tensed against the emotion that seemed to fill him, though he didnt touch her.
There was never anything intimate between Alicia and me. She was a good friend. Thats all.
She didnt look up at him as she raised her hands. Whatever your relationshipwas, its none of my business. As I said, thanks for your concern. Ill be very careful. Ill keep my eyes open, and I swear, if I hear anything, Ill tell you. Now, may I please go to sleep? Or try, at least, to get some sleep?
I cant leave you.
What?
I cant leave you. Dont you understand? If someone out there thinks you can prove that Alicia is dead, that you might have seensomething, youre in danger of being murdered yourself.
She shook her head. David, my doors lock. Please go away.
They were both startled when his phone suddenly started to ring. He pulled it from his pocket, snapping it open. Denham, he said briefly.
She saw him frowning. Sorry, say again. Im not getting a great signal here.
He glanced at Alex in apology and walked out back, opening the sliding door, stepping out.
She followed after a moment. He was on the porch rocker, deep in conversation. She hesitated, then shut and locked the glass door. She was going to try to get some sleep. But how? Her mind was spinning.
Before she could reach the hallway, she heard a pounding on the glass. Then Davids voice. Damn it, Alex, let me in!
David, Im fine. Well talk tomorrow. Go away!
I wont leave you.
Well, I wont let you in.
Ill have to sleep on the porch then.
Feel free.
She let the curtain fall closed. He slammed the glass with a fist. She was afraid for a minute it would shatter, despite the fact that it was supposedly hurricaneproof.
She stared at the drapes a long time. He didnt speak again, or hit the glass.
Maybe he had actually gone away. She forced herself to walk to her bedroom, lie down, close her eyes.
At some point, she finally slept.
Her alarm went off at six. She nearly threw it across the room. She felt as if shed never actually slept, as if her mind had never had a chance to turn off.
After a second, she jumped out of bed and raced to the back, hesitated for a second, then carefully moved the curtain to look out.
David was just rising. To her absolute amazement, he had spent the night with his tall, muscular form pretzeled into the rattan sofa on the porch.
Suddenly she was afraid. Very afraid.
Chapter Five
David wasnt feeling in a particularly benign mood toward Alex, even after he had showered, gone back to his own cottage, downed nearly a pot of coffee, shaved and donned swim trunks, a T-shirt and deck shoes for the day. Shed really locked him out.
And gone to sleep without letting him back in.
He should have slept in his own bed. His cottage was next to hersit just seemed farther because of the foliage that provided privacy and that real island feel that was such an advertised part of Moon Bay.
He hadnt gone to his own cottage, though, because he had seen someone snooping around her place. And the phone call hed gone out to take hadnt been the least bit reassuring.
With that in mind, he pocketed his wallet and keys, and left his cottage. Wanting to get out on the water ahead of the resort dive boat, he hurried down to the marina to board the Icarus.
As he started to loosen the yachts ties, he heard his name being called.
Looking up, he saw John Seymore walking swiftly down the dock toward him. Hank Adamson and Jay Galway were following more slowly behind, engaged in conversation.
Hey, he called back, sizing up Seymore again. For someone who had been spending his time diving the Pacific, he was awfully bronzed. That didnt mean anything in itself. The water on the West Coast might be cold as hell, but the sun could be just as bright as in the East.
Youre heading out early, John Seymore said. Anywhere specific?
Just the usual dive sites, he replied. He realized that Seymore was angling for an invitation. Why not? Are you booked on the resorts boat?
Couldnt get inshe was full, Seymore said cheerfully. Hank had the same problem. We tried to weasel our way in through Jay, but he suggested we come down here to see what you had in store.
Just what he wanted. Jay Galway, Hank Adamson and Mr. Surf-Blond All-Around-Too-Decent-Guy out on the Icarus with him.
On the other hand, maybe not such a bad idea. He would know where the three of them were, and he might just find out what each of the men knew.
He shrugged. Come aboard.
I really appreciate the invitation, Seymore said. Guys! he shouted back loudly. Were in!
Hop in, grab a line, David said.
John Seymore came on first, followed by Jay Galway, who hurried ahead of Hank Adamson. Hey, thanks, David. Sincerely, Galway said. David nodded, figuring that Jay hadnt been happy about having to tell the writer that he couldnt get out for the day, even though it must look good for the resorts programs to be booked.
This is damn decent of you, Adamson said, hopping on with agility. Need some help with anything?
Looks like Jay has gotten the rest of the ropes. Make yourself at home.
Want me to put some coffee on while were moving out? Jay asked.
Good idea, David said.
Sorry, I should have thought of that, John said, grimacing. I always think of being on a yacht like this and drinking beer and lolling around on the deck.
Oh, theres beer. Help yourself to anything in the galley. Just stay the hell out of my desk, he thought.
David kept his speed low as he maneuvered the shallow waters by the dock, then let her go. The wind whipped by as the Icarus cut cleanly through the water. Adamson and Seymore had remained topside with him, and both seemed to feel the natural thrill of racing across the incredible blue waters with a rush. When they neared the first dive spot on the reef, he slowed the engine.
Trust me to take the helm? Seymore asked him.
Sure, David said, giving him the heading briefly, then hopping down the few steps that led to the cabin below.