I dont want you to laugh at me-or hate me, she turned her gaze from the sea to stare at him.
All right. I swear, I wont laugh at you. And, he added, hearing his own voice grow huskier, I wont hate you.
She spoke quickly, suddenly. I dreamed about Tanya.
He started to move; the words made him want to bolt, no matter what he had said.
It was a good dream, Katie said. Her hand fell on his knee.
His knee had never felt so naked. Nor had he had ever known that a kneecap could suddenly be such an erogenous zone.
Tell me, he said. His voice was tight.
She didnt know who had killed her in the dream. She did know that you didnt do it.
Great. We can put that in the newspaper.
She flushed. She looked as if she would have walked away from him-if she could have walked away.
Look, Im sorry, he said. I just dont really believe in that kind of thing. I mean, maybe dreams are a reflection of our lives. You dont want me to be guilty, and since I swear to God Im not, Im grateful that you feel that way. But He leaned toward her. A mistake. She still smelled faintly of her intoxicating cologne, even though she was drenched in salt water. She seemed to emit an aura of warmth that lured him closer, or made him want to drown in touching her.
He eased back. Katie, last night was scary. And freezing like that when youre diving, well, thats damned scary. Why did you freeze in the water?
She looked away again and chewed on a thumbnail. She shook her head. It wont happen again, she told him.
Katie-
Sorry. I believe in dreams. And its nice. She loved you-in my dream. She knows that youre innocent-in my dream.
Shes dead, he said bluntly.
Yes, she is. But I dreamed about her. She inhaled. And then I saw her in the water. Not in a bad way. Shes trying to help.
What? David said sharply. What was this? Was she taunting him somehow? Torturing him. Foolish, it was long ago. His heart had hardened.
Not enough, maybe.
She wasnt taunting him. Maybe it was worse. Maybe she was just crazy. He didnt want her to be crazy. He cared about herfar too quickly, and far too deeply. He needed to remain rational.
Katie, I am a big believer in the power of suggestion. And with everything going on
He let his voice trail with its own logical suggestion.
Yes, thats it, of course. Its nice, though, that this kind of power of suggestion is a good one-the images Im seeing in my crazy little suggestible mind seem fond of you, hurt for you.
Katie, look, I didnt mean anything by what I said.
She looked at her watch, all business all of a sudden. Oh, Lord, Im so sorry. Its gotten so late. We need to head back-I have to get to work. I ruined your diving day. Im so, so sorry. She was sincere and contrite. And she didnt seem to be really angry with him.
Dont be sorry. Im not, he told her softly. And he did touch her. He touched her cheek, and he met her eyes, and he realized that whatever it was that made a man attracted to one woman and not another, he had just found it in Katie. He wasnt just attracted. He was entwined.
He stood. Grab a few of the sandwiches. Well eat while we motor back in.
She nodded; he pulled in the flag and the anchor while she went about pulling food from the ice chest. He chewed on a ham-and-cheese-on-wheat while she stood next to him, facing the wind and the spray while they motored back in to the dock. He slowed his speed and followed the markers until they reached the dock. Katie jumped out with the ties.
Hey, Ill start rinsing equipment, she called to him.
No, go on. Its nothing-Ive got it. Get cleaned up for work, he told her.
She stood on the dock, looking down at him. Now, she was just in her bikini. It wasnt a super-string thing or anything like that, just hip-hugging bottoms and a bra top.
Lord, but she was beautifully built. Athletic, curved, lean
Its all right, Katie. Youre working. Im not. Get going.
She still stared.
Ill see you at OHaras later, he told her.
She smiled.
It seemed a fire started in his chest. Or his loins. He couldnt really tell. It was just burning everywhere.
He handed up the rest of her belongings, watched her slide into her oversize shirt and shorts and then turn and start home.
He plowed into the ice chest for a beer, and sat on the chest then for a moment, puzzled, staring after her.
It was still fairly early, afternoon. Daylight. Sun was streaming down on the island.
But he was worried. About Katie.
He forgot the equipment and the boat. Or, they were there, in the back of his mind. But they would wait.
He slid into his deck shoes and leapt to the dock and went racing after her.
The streets were crowded today. Sunday. People were shopping, taking dive-and-snorkel and party boats, Jet Skis and more. They were eating and drinking, and buzzing slowly around on scooters.
He raced from the wharf to Front Street. He could see Katie turning off, right before Two Friends bar and restaurant. He followed.
He reached her in time to see her enter her house and close the door behind her.
He stood still on the street, wondering about her earlier words.
He could see no one who seemed to be paying the least attention to him.
He looked up to the windows in the old Victorian and Deco houses around him. No one seemed to be peeking down from behind shutters or curtains.
And yet, he could swear that he was being watched. He was being watched because
Katie had been followed.
7
Stella Martin woke in the late afternoon. It was late, and she was startled to have slept so long. She bolted up, looked around and smiled.
The night hadnt started out well. Shed not been able to resist the temptation to pick a jerks pocket up on Duval. Shed seen the commotion that had followed. Shed felt bad for the kid who was accused-so shed followed him.
Shed seen his brother leave him, taking off with a pathetically sluttish rich girl whod sauntered out of the Irish bar. So much for heading back to their rooms as theyd been told!
Shed managed to snare the kid-who knew that shed ripped off the other guy. It was a great joke between them. She laughed with him, got to know him and arranged to meet him back at his hotel room after her shift. The kid had been to the ATM machine and was rich. If not rich, Mommy and Daddy were very well off. The two brothers werent even sharing a room.
Theyd had a number of drinks. Now he was still sleeping. Snoring. Usually, she hated men who snored. But this kid probably was barely twenty-one. He had long dark hair that fell over his forehead and eyes now as he slept, and he was kind of cute. Hed actually been fun, too. No finesse, but he could fuck like the proverbial bunny. She hadnt even been tempted to charge him more for going at it again and again. It had been fantastic. Most of the time she was exhausted in an hour, trying to coax a middle-aged drunk asshole into getting it up.
Ah, the kid was cute. Thanks to him and his room, shed eluded all the cops.
A smile curved into her features. A few of them, she was certain, would always let her go on purpose. They really wouldnt want to have her talking to them down at the station.
She slipped out of bed and gathered her clothing quickly-she was just as good at dressing quickly as she was at undressing slowly. His wallet was sitting on the dresser, and she had to pause. She wouldnt take all his money. Just fifty-the kid would still have over a hundred bucks on him. He probably had no idea of how much money he had left anyway. She also took his credit card. She saw his ID. She smiled. Touching. He was an art major at U of M. Silly kids. They came from other states, and they couldnt wait to get down to the decadence of Duval Street. It was such a bizarre place. She worked one of the strip clubs. Eighteen-year-olds could walk into any strip club. They couldnt drink, which meant they couldnt go into a few of the bars that offered karaoke. Stella found that ironic. Kids could watch strippers, but they couldnt sing. Well, it worked for her.
She counted the money shed stuffed into her pocket from the night before. It had been so easy to lift the wallet off that big bruiser-and funny, too, to see the idiot attack the guys walking behind him. What an oaf.
But, thanks to the oaf and the kid, shed had one hell of a good night. She counted her hundreds, smiled and slipped out the door.
Luckily, hed been staying at one of the inns right off Duval that had a back entrance. There was a stone wall, but it was low, and she scrambled over it quickly. Coming along the sidewalk, she turned onto Duval Street.
There were a couple of mounted cops down the street, so she slid into a bar. She ordered a beer quickly, and turned her back to the street.
The mounted cops went by.
Stella finished her beer, paid and tipped-she always tipped well-and started out on Duval again.
She swore when she walked right into him.
Stella, he said.
He was one of her few johns who wasnt married. He was a creep. She knew it. Maybe other people didnt.
Hey.
You smell like stale sex, Stella. Bad booze, bad money and stinky, old sex.
Fuck you, she said, and pushed by him.
Her heart thundered for a minute. He could do bad things if he wanted. But it was broad daylight. Hell, it didnt matter what the light was.
She quickened her pace, but when she turned around, he wasnt there. She kept on moving, and passed the church.
She heard the sound of a siren. Damn, the cops!
The ice-cream parlor was right ahead.
She ran inside it, her back to the street.
She winced. Danny, yeah, Danny was supposed to be here!
It didnt matter; she just needed to stand here for a minute. She set her hands on the counter. It was sticky. She shoved her hands into her pockets, making a face.
The cop car was passing.
Then Danny was back. With that way that he looked at her.
Ice cream? Really, Stella?
The way that he looked at her
He was sad, he was angry.
Danny-
The cop car was gone.
Danny-oh, whatever! she said.
She turned away, and decided that she really had to get off the main streets. She hurried outside and around the church. She could hear a car, and she started running, paranoid now.
She cut through one of the yards. Damn it-she knew too many men in this town. Knew them too intimately.