Protector, Lover...Husband?: In the Dark / Sure Bet / Deadly Exposure

The western side was still magnificently barren. White-sand beaches were edged by unbelievably clear water on one side, and palms and foliage on the other. Alex loved to escape the actual lodge area, especially at night. While their visitors were certainly free to roam in this direction, mercifully, not many did once it turned to the later portion of the afternoon. Sunbathers loved the area, but by now they were baked, red and in pain.

It was close to six, but the sun was still bright and warm. Nothing like the earlier hours, but nowhere near darkness. The water was calm and lazy; little nothing waves were creating a delicate foam against the shoreline that disappeared in seconds. The palms rustled behind them as they walked, and the delightful sea breeze kept the heat at bay.

Alex glanced up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, glorious. All kinds of tempests might be brewing out in the Atlantic or down in the Gulf somewhere, but here, all was calm and perfect. The sky was a rich, powdery blue, barely touched by the clouds, with that little bit of breeze deflecting the ninety-degree temperature that had slowly begun to drop.

Alex came to a halt and sat down on the wet sand. Laurie followed suit. The identical tank tops they wore—the words Moon Bay etched across black polyester in a soft off-white were light enough that Alex almost shivered when the breeze touched her damp arms. She had little concern for her matching shorts—they were made to take the sand, sun and heat with ease. It was comfortable clothing, perfect for the job, and not suggestive in the least. This was a family establishment.

A great place to run after a bad marriage, with everything she needed: a good job doing what she loved, water, boats, sand, sun, privacy.

Too much privacy.

And now…David was here. Damn him. She wasn’t going to change a thing. She was going to do exactly what she had planned. Shower, dress nicely, blow-dry her hair, wear makeup…sip piña coladas and dance at the Tiki Hut. Flirt like hell with John Seymore. And ignore the fact that every single woman in the place would be eyeing David.

Over. It was over. They had gone their separate ways…

“Well?” Laurie said.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“Do you want to hear about Date Tournament? Or do you just want to sit here, me quietly at your side, while you damn yourself for divorcing such a hunk?”

“Never,” Alex protested.

“Never as in, you never want to hear about Date Tournament, or never as in…what, exactly? You are divorced, right?”

“Of course. I meant, I’ll never regret what I did. It was necessary.”

“Why?”

Alex was silent. Why? We were going different ways? We didn’t know one another to begin with? It was as simple as…Alicia Farr? No, that was ridiculous. It was complex, as most such matters were. It was his needing adventure at all costs, her needing to be a real trainer. It was…

“Oh my God!” Laurie gasped suddenly, staring at her. “Was he…he was abusive?”

“No! Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then…?”

“We just went different ways.”

“Hmph.” Laurie toed a little crab back toward the water. “Whatever way he was going, I’d have followed him. But then, I’ve had the experience of Date Tournament, which you haven’t—and which I thought you wanted to hear about.”

“I’m sorry. I’m being a horrible friend. I’m in shock, I think. Having this lovely time with John Seymore, and then…up pops David.”

“So what?”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“But you and David are divorced, so what are you worried about? Enjoy John Seymore. He’s a hunk, too. Not like anyone I met at Date Tournament.”

“There must have been some nice guys.”

“If there were, I didn’t happen to meet them. Now let’s get back to your love triangle.”

Alex grinned. “There is no love triangle. Let’s get back to you. You’re gorgeous, bright, sweet and intelligent. The right guy is going to come along.”

“Doesn’t seem to be too much wrong with Mr. John Seymore. Did you know he’s an ex-navy SEAL? But there you go. Apparently, when my right guy comes along, he wants to date you.”

Alex arched an eyebrow, surprised. “I hadn’t realized that…that…”

“You hadn’t realized ‘that’ because there was no ‘that’ to realize. I hadn’t even talked to the guy until today. Then there’s your ex-husband.”

“He’s certainly a free agent.”

“He’s your ex. That’s a no-no.”

“I repeat—he’s a free agent.”

“One who sends you into a spiral,” Laurie noted.

“I’m not in a spiral. It’s just that…I was married to him. That makes me…I don’t know what that makes me. Yes, I do. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“You never fell out of love with him.”

“Trust me—I did. It’s just that…”

“All you’ve had for company since your divorce has been a bunch of sea animals?” Laurie suggested, amused.

“Neither one of us has dated in…a very, very long time,” Alex agreed.

Laurie sighed glumly, setting her hands on her knees and cupping her chin in them. “Think it might be due to the fact that we’ve chosen to live on a remote island where the tourists are usually married, and the staff are usually in college?”

Alex laughed. “Maybe, but you’d think…sun, boats, island—fishing. Oh, well.”

“What do you mean, oh well? At least there’s excitement in your life. You’ve got the triangle thing going. Husband, lover.”

“Ex-husband and new acquaintance,” Alex reminded her.

“Ex-husband, new almost-lover. Vying for the same woman. And you know guys. They get into a competition thing. What a setup for jealousy and…”

Her voice trailed off, and she stared wide-eyed at Alex, like a doe in the headlights.

“Oh my God!” Laurie gasped.

She stared at Alex in pure horror. Alex frowned. “What? Come on, Laurie. Believe me, it’s not that serious. You think that they’ll get into some kind of a fight? No, never. In our marriage…David just didn’t notice. Didn’t care. I can’t begin to see him decking someone—and sure as hell not over me.”

“Oh my God,” Laurie breathed again.

“Laurie, it’s all right. Nothing is going to happen between David and John.”

Laurie shook her head vehemently and slowly got to her feet, pointing. “Oh God, Alex. Look!”

For a moment, Alex couldn’t quite shift mental gears. Then she frowned, standing up herself.

“What?” she said to Laurie. She grasped her friend’s shoulders. “Laurie, what in the world is it?”

Laurie pointed. Alex realized that Laurie hadn’t been staring at her at all during the last few moments—she had been staring past her.

She spun around.

And that was when she saw the body on the beach.

Chapter Two

“I’ve read about you,” John Seymore told David. “In the scuba magazines. That article on your work with great whites…wow. I’ve got to admit, I’m astounded to see you here. This place must seem pretty tame to you. It’s great to get to meet you.”

“Thanks,” David said.

Seymore seemed pleasant. He was good-looking, well-muscled probably naturally, since he’d said he hadn’t been out of military service long. Despite his surfer-boy blond hair and easy smile, there was a rough edge about him that betrayed age, maybe, and a hard life. David had a feeling his military stories would be the kind to make the hair rise on the back of the neck. Just as he had a feeling that, no matter how pleasant the guy might seem, he had a backbone of steel.

They’d started talking during the swim, and when Seymore had suggested a quick drink at the Tiki Hut, David had been glad to comply. He was interested in what would bring a man of John Seymore’s expertise to such a charming little tourist haven.

“I know the people here,” David told John. “The guy managing the place, Jay Galway, is a part-time thrill seeker. He’s been on a few of my excursions over the years. I like coming here, but this is the first time I’ve stayed. The cottages are great. A perfect place to chill, with all the comforts of home, but you feel as if you’re off somewhere in the wilds. What about you?”

“I know the water pretty well, but I’ve never had any fun with it. I’ve been out on the West Coast. I left the military…and, I’m afraid, a painful divorce.”

“So you retired from the military,” David said. “Living a life of ease, huh?”

Seymore laughed. “I did pretty well with the military, but not well enough to retire the way I’d like to. But my time is my own. I’m doing consulting work now. Because of my work in the service, I made some good contacts. But I needed a break, so I found this place on the Web. Seemed ideal, and so far, it has been.”

Seymore was leaning on the bar, looking across the lagoon. Everyone was gone, but Seymore was staring as if someone was still there. Someone with features so delicately and perfectly proportioned that she was beautiful when totally drenched, devoid of all makeup, her hair showing touches of its radiant color despite the fact that it was heavy with sea water.

Despite himself, he felt a rise of something he didn’t like. Anger. Jealousy. And an age-old instinct to protect what was his. Except that she wasn’t his anymore.

He had no rights here, and when he had first seen Alex this morning, after the initial shock in her eyes had died away, they had been narrowed and hostile each time they had fallen on him.

He lowered his head for a moment. You were the one who filed the papers, sweetie. Not a word to me, just a legal document.

I didn’t come here because of you, he thought.

Okay, that was a lie. There had been no way he wouldn’t show once Alicia’s message had whetted his curiosity. He had come expecting to find Alicia Farr, even though, after he had returned her call and not heard back, warning signals had sounded in his mind. He wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t here, but he was worried.

And now he was feeling that age-old protective-instinct thing coming to the fore with Alex again—whether he did or didn’t have the right to feel it. He told himself it was only because he was already on edge over Alicia. And anyway, maybe nothing was going on here. Maybe Alicia had made other arrangements and gone off on her own.

Or maybe someone was dead because of something going on here.

Unease filled him again.

Whatever had happened between Alex and him, the good and the bad, he couldn’t help the tension he was feeling now. Especially where his wife was concerned. Ex-wife, he reminded himself. He wondered if he would ever accept that. Wondered if he would ever look at her and not believe they were still one.

Ever fall out of love with her.

Impatience ripped through him. He hated fools who went through life pining after someone who didn’t want them in return. He hadn’t pined. His life hadn’t allowed for it.

That didn’t mean that she didn’t haunt his days, or that he didn’t lie awake at night wondering why. Or that he didn’t see her and feel that he would go after any guy who got near her. Or that he didn’t see her, watch her move, see her enigmatic sea blue-green eyes, and want to demand to know what could have been so wrong that she had pushed him away.

All that was beside the point now. Yes, he had come here to meet Alicia. But he had come to meet Alicia because of Alex.

And now he was going to find out what was going on. Alex, of course, would believe that he was here only to find Alicia, to share in whatever find she had made. In her mind, he would be after the treasure, whatever that might be. Wanting the adventure, the leap into the unknown. No, she would never believe his main reason for being here was her, to watch over her, not when the danger wasn’t solid, visible…

“Well,” David murmured, swallowing a long draft of beer before continuing. “So you had a bad breakup, huh? They say you’ve got to be careful after a bad divorce. You know, watch out for rushing into things.”

“Yeah, well,” John told him, a half grin curving his lips, “they also say you’ve got to get right back on the horse after you fall off. Besides, I’ve been divorced about a year. You?”

“The same. About a year.”

John Seymore studied him, that wry, half smile still in place. “I admit it. That’s half the reason I wanted to buy you a drink. I know you were married to our dolphin instructor. Her name and picture were in one of the articles I read. I guess I wanted to make sure I wasn’t horning in on a family reunion.”

David could feel his jaw clenching. Screw Seymore. Being decent. Man, he hated that. He leaned on the counter, as well, staring out across the lagoon. “We split up a year ago,” he said simply. “Alex is her own person.”

What the hell else could he say? It was the truth. He could only hope his bitterness wasn’t evident. Yet, even as the words were out of his mouth, he felt uneasy. He was, admittedly, distrustful of everyone right now, but this guy was suspicious of him, too. Here was an ex–navy SEAL, a man who knew more about diving than almost anyone else out there, at a resort where the facilities were great for tourists, but…a man with his experience?

A thought struck him, and he smiled. He was an honest man, but maybe this wasn’t the time for the truth.

“Well,” he said, “as far as she knows, she is, anyway.”

“What does that mean?” Seymore asked him.

David waved a hand dismissively. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here. There’s a little technicality with our divorce. I wanted to let her know, find a convenient time for us to get together with an attorney, straighten it all out. But, hey…” He clapped a hand on Seymore’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Really. I think I’ll go take a long hot shower. I’m beginning to feel a little salt encrusted. Thanks for the beer.”

Seymore nodded, looking a little troubled. “Yeah, I…I guess I’ll go hit the shower, too.”

“My treat next go-around,” David said. Then he set down his glass, turned, and left the Tiki Hut.

It was definitely a body. Alex and Laurie could both clearly see that, despite the seaweed clinging to it.

Alex started to rush forward, but Laurie grabbed her arm. “Wait! If she’s dead, and you touch her, we could destroy forensic evidence.”

“You’ve been watching too much TV,” Alex threw over her shoulder as she pulled free.

But she came to a halt a few feet from the body. The stench was almost overwhelming. It was a woman, but she couldn’t possibly be alive. Alex could see a trail of long blond hair tangled around the face.

She had to be sure.

Turning, taking a deep breath and holding it, Alex stepped forward and hunched down by the woman. She extended a hand to the throat, seeking a pulse. A crab crawled out of the mound of seaweed and hair, causing her to cry out.

“What?” Laurie shouted.

“Crab,” Alex replied quickly. Bile rumbled in her stomach, raced toward her throat. She gritted her teeth, swallowed hard and felt the icy coldness of the woman’s flesh. No pulse. The woman was dead. Alex rose, hurrying back to Laurie.

“She’s dead. I’ll stay here, you go for help.”

“I’m not leaving you here alone with a corpse.”

“Okay, you stay, I’ll go.”

“You’re not leaving me here alone with a corpse!”

“Laurie—”

“She’s dead. She’s not going anywhere. We’ll both go for help.”

“Yes, but what if someone…what if a child comes out here while we’re gone?”

“What?” Laurie demanded. “You think I’m going to throw myself on top of a corpse to hide it? There’s nothing we can do except hurry.”

“I’m not afraid to be alone with a corpse.”

“You should be. What if the person who turned her into a corpse is still around here somewhere?”

Alex felt an uneasy sensation, but it was ridiculous. She shook her head. “Laurie, she’s drifted in from…from somewhere else. She’s been in the water a while.”

“Maybe. Neither one of us is an expert.”

“Laurie, that…stink takes a while to occur.”

“Let’s just hurry. We won’t be long, and she won’t go anywhere.”

“All right, then, let’s go.”

They tore back along the path they had taken and minutes later, neared the Tiki Hut. Laurie opened her mouth, ready to shout.

Alex clamped her hand over it. “No!”

Laurie fought free. “Alex! Did you touch that corpse with that hand? Maybe she died of some disease.”

Alex had to admit she hadn’t thought of such a possibility. She winced, but said, “We can’t just start shouting about a corpse. We’ll cause a panic.”

She scanned the Tiki Hut. The mothers who had been on the swim earlier were there—the teens were evidently off somewhere else. She would have liked to see John Seymore. Since he was an ex–navy SEAL, he would surely know how to handle the situation.

She would even have liked to see David, Mr. Competence himself. Cool, collected, a well of strength in handling any given situation.

“Let’s find Jay,” she said.

She caught Laurie by the elbow, leading her past the Tiki Hut and along the flower-bordered stone pathway that led to the lobby of the lodge. They burst in, rushing to the desk. Luckily, no one was checking in or out. Len Creighton was on duty. Thirtyish, slim, pleasant, he smiled as he saw them, and then he saw their panic and his smile faded.

“Len, I need Jay. Where is he?”

Len cast a glance over his shoulder, indicating the inner office.

She headed straight back.

Jay wasn’t there.

“He’s not here,” she called.

“I’ll page him.”

His voice was smooth as silk, hardly creating a blip against the soft music that always played in the lobby.

Moments later, Jay Galway, looking only slightly irritated, came striding across the lobby.

He was tall and lean, with sleek, dark hair, expressive gray eyes and a thin, aesthetic face. Patrician nose. His lips were a bit narrow, but they added to the look almost of royalty that he carried like an aura about him. She really liked her boss. They were friends, and he had always been ready to support her in her decisions, even if he didn’t agree with them. She’d known him before she’d come to work here. In fact, he’d called her about the job when he’d heard about the divorce.

He paused in front of the counter, perfect in an Armani suit, and stared at her questioningly.

“What on earth is this all about?” he demanded.

He was still a short distance away from her, and a few guests had just come in and were heading in their direction.

“I need to talk to you. Alone.” She glanced meaningfully at Len.

“I hide nothing from Len.”

Alex glanced at Len and wondered if there was more going on between the two men than she knew. Not that she cared, or had time to worry about it now.

“There’s a body on the beach,” she said very softly.

“A body,” echoed Laurie, who was standing behind her.

He stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “This is Florida, honey. There are a lot of bodies on the beach.”

Alex groaned inwardly. “A dead body, Jay.”

“A dead body?” Len exclaimed loudly.

They all stared at him. “Sorry,” he said quickly.

Jay gave his full attention to her at last, staring at her hard, his eyes narrowing. His focus never left her face, but he warned Len, “Shut up. I mean it. That reporter is around somewhere. All we need is him getting his nose into this.”

Alex stared back at him, aghast. “Someone is dead, Jay. It’s not a matter of worrying about publicity. Will you call the sheriff’s office—please?”

“Right. Len, call the county boys and ask them to send someone out. Someone from homicide.”

“Homicide?” Laurie murmured. “Maybe she just…drowned.”

“It still needs to be investigated,” Alex said, still staring at Jay. His behavior puzzled her. They had no idea who the dead woman might be, where she had come from, or even if there was a murderer loose in paradise, and he seemed so blasé.

Finally he said, “Show me.”

“Let’s go.”

Len started to follow, but Jay spun on him. “You’re on duty. And you,” Jay warned Alex, “make it look as if we’re taking a casual stroll.”

“Jay, honestly, sometimes—”

“Alex, want to cause a panic?” Jay demanded.

“Sure. Fine. We’re taking a casual stroll.”

They left the lobby, Alex leading, Jay behind her, Laurie following quickly. They took the path through the flowers, passed the Tiki Hut—which seemed unusually quiet for the time of day—and around the lagoon area.

“Alex, slow down. We’re taking a stroll, remember?” Jay said.

She looked back, still moving quickly. “Jay, we’re in shorts and you’re in an Armani suit, about to get sand in your polished black shoes. How casually can we stroll?”

He let out a sound of irritation but argued the point no further.

They reached the pristine sand beach. The temperature was dropping, the sweet breeze still blowing in.

Alex came to a halt. Jay nearly crashed into her back. As if they were a vaudeville act, Laurie collided with him.

“What the hell?” Jay demanded.

“It’s gone,” Alex breathed.

“What’s gone?” Jay demanded.

“The body.”

Laurie was staring toward the thatch of seaweed where the corpse had lain. She, too, seemed incredulous. “It—it is gone,” she murmured.

Without turning, Alex could feel the way that Jay was looking at her. Like an icy blast against the balmy summer breeze, she could feel his eyes boring into her back.

She didn’t turn but ran down the length of the beach, searching the sand and the water, looking for any hint as to where the body had been moved.

“What, Alex?” Jay shouted. “You saw a corpse, but it rolled down the beach to catch the sun better?”

She stopped then, whirling around.

“It’s moved,” she said, walking back to where Jay stood.

“Your corpse got up and walked?”

She exhaled impatiently. “Jay, it was here.”

“Really, Jay, it was,” Laurie said, coming to her defense.

They all turned at the sound of a motor. A sheriff’s department launch was heading their way. Nigel Thompson, the sheriff himself, had come.

Usually Alex liked Nigel Thompson. He looked just the way she figured an old-time Southern sheriff should look. He was somewhere between fifty and sixty years old; his eyes were pale blue, his hair snow-white. He was tall and heavy, a big man. His appearance was customarily reassuring.

He tended to be a skeptic.

A skeptic when rowdy, underage kids told their stories. A skeptic when adults who should have known better lied about the amount they had been drinking before a boating accident. He was never impolite, never skirted the law, but he was tough, and folks around here knew it.

He cut the motor but drew his launch right up to the beach. Hopping from the craft, he demanded, “Where’s this body?”

Jay looked from Nigel to Alex.

“Well?” he asked her.

She lifted her chin, grinding down hard on her teeth. She looked at Nigel. “It was right here,” she said pointing.

He looked from the sand and seaweed to her. “It was there?”

“I swear to you, it was right there.”

He looked at Alex, slowly arching an eyebrow. “Alexandra, I was just about to sit down to dinner when the call came in. Tell me this isn’t a joke or a summer prank.”

“Had to have been a prank—and Alex fell for it,” Jay said. He didn’t sound angry with her, but he did sound aggravated.

“I’m here now,” Nigel said, looking at Alex. “So tell me what you saw.”

“A sunbather who thought it was one hell of a joke to fool someone into thinking she was dead,” Jay said.

“She was dead,” Alex said. “Nigel, you’ve known me for years. Do I make things up?”

“No, missy, you don’t,” the sheriff acknowledged. “But there is no body,” he pointed out.

“It was here, right here. I got close enough to make sure she was…I touched her. She was dead,” Alex asserted with quiet vehemence.

“She sure looked dead,” Laurie offered.

Alex winced inwardly, aware her friend was trying to help. But her words gave the entire situation an aura of doubt.