Читать книгу Protector, Lover...Husband? - Heather Graham, Heather Graham - Страница 16

Len Creighton was off work, and he considered his free time as totally his own. He sat nursing a double stinger at the Tiki Hut. He needed it.

He’d been behind the desk when a news brief had interrupted the television program in the lobby with the stunning information that millionaire tycoon Seth Granger was dead, apparently by drowning. There was little other information at the time, but he’d heard more about it once the boats had returned to Moon Bay. It had been pretty much the only topic of conversation in the Tiki Hut.

He was still hearing the buzz about it from other tables when Hank Adamson sat down in front of him.

“Long day, huh?” Adamson said, indicating Len’s drink.

“Longer for you, I imagine, Mr. Adamson.”

“You can call me Hank, please. Yeah, we were there a long time. The sheriff asked everyone if anyone had seen Seth go out or fall in the water. No one had.”

“No one saw him? How sad,” Len said.

Hank lifted a hand to order a drink. After giving his order, he told Len, “Sad thing is, I don’t think anyone cared.”

“I care,” Len said in protest. He shrugged sheepishly. “He always tipped well.”

“He was rude as hell to the waitress today. You don’t think she pushed him into the drink, do you?”

Len smiled, but knew he had to be careful with Hank Adamson. “I’m sure he was just tipsy and fell in himself.”

“That old sheriff…he’s something, though. Ever had a homicide in this area?”

“Not since I’ve been here.”

“Well, there you go. A local-yokel sheriff just trying to make a name for himself.”

“Nigel’s a good guy,” Len defended.

“So you think he really thinks there was foul play?” Hank asked, smiling at the waitress and accepting a beer from her.

“He’s no yokel,” Len said.

Adamson leaned toward him. “Why would someone murder Granger? They aren’t going to be blaming it on any ex-wife. If he was killed, it had to be someone who was with us at that bar. Someone on the staff at Moon Bay?”

“No way!” Len protested.

“Your boss admits he wants in on a lot of action,” Hank said. “He’d love to get into the salvage operations business.”

Len stood up. Writer or no, Hank Adamson had crossed the line.

“Jay is as honest as the day is long,” Len said firmly.

“Hey, an honest man can be driven to murder,” Hank said, smiling as he took another sip of beer straight from the bottle. “Sit down. I like your boss. In my opinion, the jerk just fell off the pier. Finish your drink, and I’ll buy you another.”

Len hesitated. Then, looking across the dance floor, he noticed Jay, who saw him, and motioned that he’d be over momentarily.

Len smiled. “Jay will be joining us in just a minute,” he told Hank. He sipped his drink, then was embarrassed to experience a huge yawn before he could suppress it. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”

“Way too long. I don’t guess many of us will be hanging around here too late tonight,” Hank said.

A few minutes later, when Jay came over, Len rose, stifling another yawn, and bade the two good-night.

There was no sign of Laurie Smith at the lagoons, but she wasn’t required to be there—it was her day off, for one thing. Still, Alex was surprised. Laurie really loved the dolphins and tried to spend time with them every day.

She hesitated, then pulled out her cell phone and tried Laurie’s room. There was no answer. She dialed Laurie’s cell-phone number next, but got voice mail.

Strange.

Mandy and Gil were both there, though. They’d already heard what had happened but she gave them the full story of how she’d found him.

“Man, imagine that. A guy can have everything in the world, and still…” Gil said, shaking his head. “Just last night, he was flirting and drinking half the beer in the place. He had one hell of a capacity for liquor.”

“I guess so. That seems to be what everyone says,” Alex said.

“Tragic when anyone dies like that,” Mandy said, shaking his dark head. “He was coming on to that Ally woman last night, and she was eating it up. He was boasting about something really big he was into. I thought the guy was a jerk, myself.”

“Hank Adamson was there when it happened, right?” Gil said, rolling his eyes.

“He was there. One of the last to see him alive,” Alex said.

“Bet he’ll love telling that story,” Gil said. “Anyway, I know you want to hear about these guys,” he told her, indicating the dolphins.

Mandy showed her the log book for the day. “We were bringing them their good-night snack,” Gil said. “Didn’t know when you’d be back. But you can take over.”

“That’s all right,” she said.

Mandy laughed. “No, it’s not. We know you like to tuck them in.”

She smiled. “You two do fine without me,” Alex said.

“Hell, the swim was a piece of cake next to your day,” Mandy said. “Seth Granger dead. Go figure.” He made a face. “And you found him floating. I’m glad it wasn’t me.”

“You look all done in. We’ll take off and leave you to your babies,” Gil said. “I’m sure you don’t want to replay the afternoon anymore.”

“It’s okay, but you’re right. Truthfully, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Not now, anyway,” she agreed.

“Good night, then,” Gil said.

“Hey, wait!” she called. They stopped, looking at her expectantly. “Has either of you seen Laurie today?” she asked.

“I haven’t,” Gil said, looking at Mandy.

“I haven’t either. But it is her day off,” Mandy said.

“I haven’t seen her since last night. She left the Tiki Hut kind of late. She’d been talking to Hank Adamson. She was holding her own against him, too, and the guy can be a real pain,” Gil said.

“Yeah, he can. Did he grill either of you?” Alex asked.

“Nope,” Gil said. “I was at the Tiki Hut after she left, but…I don’t remember seeing Adamson after that, either, actually. But hey, I’m a bald guy with a gold earring, and Laurie is a cute girl. I’d grill her, too, if I were Adamson.” He frowned suddenly. “Are you worried about her?”

“No. Not really. It’s her day off. She’s free to come and go as she pleases,” Alex said.

“Actually, come to think of it, Len was looking for her earlier, too,” Mandy said.

“Why?”

“I think he had mail for her. Or maybe he just knew that she’d been talking to Hank Adamson, and wanted to make sure she hadn’t said anything she shouldn’t.” He shrugged.

Gil let out a snort. “Adamson is going to write what he wants, no matter what any of us say. Only thing is, now he’s going to have an awful lot more to write about, having been there when Seth Granger bit the big one.”

“Gil…” Alex said with a groan.

“I’ll take a walk by Laurie’s room and knock,” Gil said. “But maybe she just doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Yeah. She could have a hot date,” Mandy agreed.

“You think?” Alex said. She shook her head. “She would have told me. She hated that Date Tournament thing she went on.”

“Yeah, but…she sure was impressed by your ex-husband,” Mandy said.

“And the blond guy chasing you around the last few days,” Gil commented.

“Well, they were both there today when Seth—as you so gently put it—bit the big one,” Alex said.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Gil said. “I’m sure she’ll turn up by morning. Maybe she’s somewhere right now, hearing all about Seth Granger. Jay must be having fits. That kind of publicity, connected to his precious Moon Bay.”

“Haven’t you heard? There’s no such thing as bad publicity. We’ll probably get more people hanging around. In another year, Warren will be advertising that he has a ghost,” Mandy said.

“Hey, the guy is barely cold!” Alex protested.

“Sorry,” Mandy told her.

“Let’s get out of here and let the boss have her private time,” Gil said to him. “Night, Alex.”

The two walked off. Alex suddenly felt very alone.

For a moment she felt a chill, but then realized that the Tiki Hut was blazing with light and music, and she was just across the lagoon from it. She didn’t need to feel alone or afraid, she assured herself. And she wouldn’t.

The time was now. And there wouldn’t be much of it.

Using the pass key he’d obtained, he slipped it into the front door of the cottage, quickly closing it behind him, then locking it again.

If someone should arrive, there was always the back door.

Where to look…?

The bedroom. He’d been there before.

He went straight for the dresser, staring at the things on top of it. He picked up the dolphin again, studying it, shaking it. Perfume sprayed out at him. Choking, he put it down.

There was a beautiful painting of a dolphin on the wall. He walked over to it, lifted it from its hook, returned it.

Anger filled him. He didn’t have enough information, and despite all he’d done, he couldn’t get it. Hell, everywhere he looked, there were dolphins around this woman. Live ones, stuffed ones, ceramic ones.

He heard footsteps coming toward the cottage and hurried for the back door. As long as he wasn’t caught, he could come back and take all the time he wanted to study every dolphin in the place.

And he wasn’t going to be caught. He would made sure of that this time.

Outside the cottage, he swore. He could have had more time right then. It was just one of the damn maids, walking down the trail.

He smiled at her, waved and kept going.

Back toward the lights and the few people still milling around at the Tiki Hut.

David’s phone rang as he headed back along the path. When he saw Dane Whitelaw’s name flash on the ID screen, he paused, taking the call.

“What did you find out?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Dane said dryly. “How are you?”

David paused. “Sorry, how are you? The cat, the dog? Wife, kids…the tropical fish?”

Dane laughed on the other end. “I researched your navy boy. Seems he’s telling you the truth. He left the military a year ago May. Was married to a Serena Anne Franklin, no kids. They split up right about the time he left the service. He’s in business for himself, incorporated as Seymore Consultants—there are no other consultants listed, however. There is one interesting thing. He was in Miami for a month before coming down here.”

“So…it’s possible he met up with Alicia Farr there?”

“It’s possible, but there are millions of people in the area.”

“Great. The guy may be legit—and may not be.”

“I’ll tell you one thing, he has degrees up the kazoo. Engineering, psychology, geography, with a minor in oceanography.”

“Don’t you just hate an underachiever?” David muttered.

“Bet the guy made a lot of contacts over the years. Men in high places. Foreign interests, too, I imagine.”

“So just what are you saying? Does that clear him, or make him more suspicious?” David asked.

“In a case like this, I can tell you what I’d go by. Gut instinct.”

“What does your gut instinct say?” David asked.

“Nothing. You have to go by your own gut instinct. You know him. I don’t. Hey, by the way. I see it’s getting even more tangled down there. I saw it on the news.”

“Seth Granger?”

“You bet. Millionaire drowns and it’s on every channel in the state. What happened? What aren’t they saying?”

“I don’t know.”

“You were there.”

“I was talking to you when he walked out and went swimming.”

“Curious, isn’t it? A guy who could—and would—have financed the whole thing goes down.”

“Yeah, curious,” David agreed, then added slowly, “Unless someone knows more than we do.”

“Like what?”

“Like the ship being somewhere easy to reach. Where someone in a little boat could take a dive down and get a piece of the treasure before the heavy equipment—and the government—moved in. For someone who isn’t a millionaire, grabbing a few pretty pieces worth hundreds of thousands before the real discovery was made could be an enticing gamble.”

“You might be on to something,” Dane agreed. “I’ll keep digging on your navy man. Keep me posted. And be careful. There’s a storm out there, you know.”

“Small one, heading the other way, right?”

“Who knows? Small, yes, but still tropical-storm status. And they think it might turn and hit they Keys after all. Anyway, give a ring if you need anything else.”

“Thanks.”

David closed the phone, sliding it back into his pocket. The tangles were definitely intensifying. And there was only one person he could really clear in Alicia’s disappearance and probable death.

Seth Granger.

Who was now among the departed himself.

Hearing a rustling in the trees, he turned, a sharp frown creasing his forehead. Long strides took him straight into the brush.

There was no one there.

But had there been? Someone who had been walking along, heard his phone ring…

And paused to listen in on the conversation?

Alex sat at the edge of the first platform with her bucket of fish and called out, though she knew the dolphins were already aware she was there. “Katy, Sabra, Jamie Boy!”

They popped up almost instantly, right at her dangling feet. They knew the time of day and knew when they got treats. She stroked them one by one, talking to them, giving them their fish. Then she moved on to the next lagoon and the platform that extended into it. “Shania, get up here,” she said. “You, too, Sam, Vicky.”

She gave them all the same attention, her fingers lingering just a shade longer on Shania’s sleek body. The dolphin watched her with eyes that were almost eerily wise. “You’re my children, you know that, guys? Maybe I shouldn’t be quite so attached, but, hey…when I had a guy, he was at sea all the time anyway.”

“Was he?” The sound of David’s voice was so startling, she nearly threw her bucket into the lagoon.

She leaped up and spun around. “Must you sneak up on people?”

“I didn’t sneak up, I walked,” he told her.

“You scared me to death.”

“Didn’t mean to. Still, I couldn’t help hearing what you said. So…was that it? I was away too much?”

“David, there wasn’t one ‘it.’ My decision to ask for a divorce was complicated. Based on a number of things.”

“Was one of them Alicia.”

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t even know anymore, David.”

“I asked you to go on every expedition I took,” he said.

“But I work with dolphins. They know when I’m gone.”

“So you can never go anywhere?”

“I didn’t say that. I just can’t pick up and leave constantly. And I don’t want to. I like a trip as much as the next person, but I like having a home, too.”

“You had a home.”

“We had a series of apartments. Several in one year. There was always a place that seemed more convenient. For you.”

He was silent for a minute, then asked, “Was I really that bad?”

“Yes. No. Well, you’re you. You shouldn’t have changed what you were—are—for me. Or anyone else. It just didn’t work for me.”

“There is such a thing as compromise,” he reminded her.

“Well, I didn’t particularly want to be the reason the great David Denham missed out on the find of the century.”

“There are many finds—every century,” he told her. “Are you through here? I came to walk back to the cottage with you.”

“What makes you think I don’t have other plans?” she demanded.

He grinned. “I know you. There’s nothing you adore more than the sea—and your children here, of course—but you’re also determined on showering the minute you’re done with it.”

“Fine. Walk me back, then. I definitely don’t want to get dragged into the Tiki Bar,” she said wearily, aware that she no longer felt alone—or afraid.

“Want me to take the bucket?”

“Wait—there’s one more round for these three.”

“May I?” he asked.

She shrugged. David sat on the dock. As she had, he talked to each of the dolphins as he rewarded them with their fish. Spoke, stroked.

She was irrationally irritated that they seemed to like David so much. Only Shania hung back just a little. It was as if she sensed Alex’s mixed feelings about him and was awaiting her approval.

David had a knack for speaking with the animals. He understood that food wasn’t their only reward, and that they liked human contact, human voices.

Shania, like the others, began to nudge him, asking for attention.

Traitor, Alex thought, but at the same time, she was glad. Shania was a very special creature. She needed more than the others, who had never known the kind of injury and pain that Shania had suffered.

When the dolphins had finished their fish, Alex started down the dock. He walked along with her in silence. She moved fast, trying to keep a bit ahead. No way. He had very long legs.

“If you’re trying to run away, it’s rather futile, don’t you think?”

She stopped short. “Why would I be running away?”

“Because you’re hoping to lose me?”

“How can I lose you? We’re on a very small island, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Not to mention that my legs are longer, so I can actually leave you in the dust at any time.”

“Go ahead.”

“You have the key.”

“You have your own place here.”

“But I’m not leaving you alone in yours.”

His tone had been light and bantering, but the last was said with deadly gravity.

“This is insane,” she murmured, and hurried on. She knew, though, that she wasn’t going to lose him. And in a secret part of herself—physical, surely, not emotional—she felt the birth of a certain wild elation. Why? Did she think she could just play with him? Hope to tempt and tease, then hurt…?

As she felt she had been hurt?

No, surely not. Her decision to file the papers hadn’t been based on a fit of temper. She had thought long and hard about every aspect of their lives.

But wasn’t it true, an inner voice whispered, that jealousy had played a part? Jealousy, and the fear that others offered more than she ever could, so she couldn’t possibly hope to keep him?

Despite his long legs, she sprinted ahead of him as they neared the cottage. She opened the door, ignoring him. She didn’t slam it, just let it fall shut. He caught it, though, and followed her in.

Inside, she curtly told him to help himself to the bath in the hallway, then walked into her own room. She stripped right in the shower, then turned the water on hard, sudsing both her hair and body with a vengeance. Finally she got out, wrapped herself in a towel and remembered that the maid never left anything but hand towels in the guest bath.

Cursing at herself, she gathered up one of the big bath sheets and walked into the hallway. He was already in the shower. She tapped on the door. No answer.

“David?”

“What?” he called over the water.

“Here’s your towel.”

“What? Can’t hear you.”

Why was she bothering? She should let him drip dry. No, knowing David, he’d just come out in the buff, dripping all over the polished wood floors.

“Your towel!” she shouted.

“Can’t hear you!” he responded again.

Impatiently, she tried the door. It was unlocked. She pushed it open, ready to throw the towel right in.

The glass shower door was clear, and the steam hadn’t fogged it yet. She was staring right at him, in all his naked glory.

“Your towel,” she said, dropping it, ready to run.

The glass door opened, and his head appeared. He was smiling. “Just couldn’t resist a look at the old buns, huh?” he teased. “Careful, or you’ll be too tempted to resist.”

She forced herself to stand dead still, slowly taking stock of him, inch by inch. She kept her gaze entirely impassive. Then, her careful scrutiny complete, she spoke at last.

“No,” she said, and with a casual turn, exited the bathroom. She heard his throaty laughter and leaned against the closed door, feeling absurdly weak. Damn him. Every sinewy, muscle-bound bit of him. But as she closed her eyes, it wasn’t just the sleek bronze vision of his flesh that taunted her.

It was all the ways he could use it.

The door opened suddenly, giving way to her weight as she leaned against it. She fell backward, right into his very damp, very warm and very powerful arms.