скачать книгу бесплатно
“All right, all right, we’re going.”
They turned onto Beth’s street, and he pulled his car up behind hers.
He frowned. Something seemed to be lying on the porch. A dark…lump.
“Um, Amber, stay in the car for a minute, huh?” he said.
He opened the gate and hurried along the walkway. His heart sank. It was an animal. Bending down, he saw that it was a cat. A black cat, and one that had evidently been in an accident. Poor thing; it had probably crawled off the street and on to Beth’s porch. Maybe it had somehow known that a softie lived inside, a woman who would have rushed a strange animal right to the vet, no matter what the cost, if the creature had lived.
He hesitated. He didn’t want his daughter or his sister seeing the badly mangled creature.
Amber was starting to get out of the car.
“Stay back!” he told her.
He returned to the car himself and opened his trunk. He tended to keep extra supplies for the boat in the trunk. Paper towels, toilet paper, dish detergent and, luckily, trash bags.
He went back for the cat.
“Dad?” Amber called.
He picked up the dead animal, deciding he would get rid of it without either woman knowing what had happened. “It’s all right, honey. Just a mess of foliage,” he called to his daughter.
He bagged the cat and walked around to the trunk. As he dropped it in, Amber emerged from the car.
With his daughter in his wake, he headed up the steps again and rang the bell. There was no answer. He rang again, then pounded on the door, which flew open.
Somehow, instinct warned him, and he ducked—right before a burst of pepper spray could hit him in the eyes.
“I’m calling the police, you pervert!” his sister swore, just before the door slammed shut.
10
THEY PULLED THE DINGHY UP to one of the club docks. Matt leaped out first, ready to secure the small boat.
“Nice place,” Keith murmured, following behind him.
Before Lee had even joined them, Keith heard a cry. “It is you!”
Lithe and sleek as ever, Amanda Mason was sashaying down the dock. “How delightful.”
“Amanda,” he murmured.
She hugged and kissed all three of them, as if they were long-lost relatives.
“I wondered when you all would make it in,” she said. She was in a sundress, the kind that showed off the perfection of her figure but also seemed fine for a casual night out.
Her sandals were studded with rhinestones. Her toes were painted perfectly.
“We decided we needed a little civilization,” Lee said.
“Oh, honey, no one ever promised to be civil,” Amanda said. “Come on in. We were about to leave. Thank goodness we waited. Daddy is here, and both my cousins are here tonight, too. It will be just like old-home week on Calliope. Well, minus Sandy and Brad. And I think the Andersons all just went home, too. But come on, Daddy would love to buy you guys a drink.”
“We should buy your father the drink—we’re invading his territory,” Keith said. He wanted to remain polite and friendly, even flirty. But it was difficult with Amanda. A bit too much encouragement and she would be all over a man. Under different circumstances, he might not have minded, but right now, he had business to see to. He had an address, and Lee had called ahead for a car. It should be arriving within the next half hour.
“So, the Andersons just left, huh?” Lee said.
Amanda pouted as if that was the saddest news in the world. “Just a little while ago. Come on.”
She linked arms with Lee and Keith; Matt was left to trail behind.
“Actually, you’re in luck. Do you know who’s here tonight?” she whispered.
“Who?” Lee asked.
“Maria Lopez, the award-winning dancer. If you stick around for our big event—the Summer Sizzler—you’ll get to see a real salsa queen in action.” She shrugged. “An aging queen, but the woman can dance. We’re in the dining room,” she said.
She led them into the dining room, with its teak trim, polished bar, sea-blue carpeting and white marble tiles.
“There they are,” she said.
The three men rose as Amanda returned. They had evidently just eaten. Waiters were clearing the table.
Except…
It didn’t look as if Roger had eaten after all. His spot was crumb free, there were no used plates, and the silver remained wrapped in a linen napkin.
Apparently Roger had just arrived as well, Keith thought, though that didn’t have to mean a thing.
As the plates were swept away, coffee was being served.
“In from the sea at last,” Roger said. Tonight, the patriarch of the clan was in a white suit. He wore it well.
Hank was more casual in a calypso shirt, and Gerald was wearing perfectly starched trousers and a tailored shirt, looking as if he had just shed his jacket and tie.
“So how’s life been going out on Calliope Key?” Hank asked politely.
“Fine,” Matt said. “What’s not to enjoy about beautiful days out on the water?”
“Are you staying on the boat now, or still camping?” Roger asked.
“Mainly on the boat,” Lee told him.
“Diving, diving, diving, huh?” Roger said.
“Nice life when you can get it,” Keith admitted.
“Discovered anything out there?” Roger asked.
“Clown fish, angels…rays—saw a huge ray yesterday,” Lee said.
“No sign of any wrecks?” Roger asked.
“No. Should we have seen something?” Lee asked.
Roger shrugged. “It’s shipwreck city in these waters,” he said.
“Did you see my girl out there?” Hank asked the newcomers. “The Southern Light has her berth here.”
“We saw her,” Keith said, thanking the waiter who was bringing over more chairs. “She’s a beauty. Your club is great, too.”
“I’ve actually been here before,” Lee said. “And it is great.”
“So, are you vacationing in Miami for a while now?”
“Taking a room anywhere?” Roger asked. “I can recommend some great places.”
“Daddy, they could stay with us,” Amanda said.
All three men in her group stared at her hard. Lee quickly said, “Thanks, but we’re going to stay out on the boat. It’s easy to get in and out.”
“What are you drinking?” Roger asked them.
“We’ll join you for coffee,” Hank said.
“Excuse me, I’m off to the facilities,” Keith said, rising. “Coffee would be great,” he added, determined to escape before he could be followed.
“There’s one by the front entry,” Roger assured him.
Keith nodded, made his way through the tables out to the foyer, trying to get the layout of the club straight in his head. He looked back. Lee had risen with Roger Mason. The two seemed to be thick in conversation. Amanda had been left to flirt with Matt. Their conversation seemed to be intimate. Hank and Gerald were left to speak with one another. Keith watched the dynamics for a long moment, then hurried up the stairs. Curious that Gerald was here tonight. He’d been under the impression that the man lived farther north along the coast and wasn’t around that often.
It didn’t take more than a few minutes to find her office. He let himself in and closed the door.
THE DOOR FLEW OPEN a second time.
Beth stood there, looking horrified. She swallowed hard and said worriedly, “Ben?”
“It’s all right,” Ben grated out. “You missed me. Barely.”
“Dad? Aunt Beth, what did you do?” Amber cried out indignantly.
“It’s all right,” Ben said, straightening. He stared at his sister, stunned. Beth was pale, in shock. Mortified.
“What?” he demanded.
“You scared me,” she said. “Oh, Ben,” she apologized again. “I’m so sorry.” Then she straightened her shoulders. “What the hell were you doing out there? What did you throw against my door?”
He let his shoulders fall as he shook his head. He noticed the large dining-room chair, now moved over to the side of the entry. “Beth, kitchen,” he said.
“Hey,” Amber protested.
“Get in and lock the door, Amber,” Beth said as Ben took her by the shoulder, prodding her toward the kitchen.
He sighed as she stared at him. “Beth, I didn’t want to have to tell you—there was a dead cat in front of your door.”
“A dead cat?”
“The poor thing had obviously been hit, and it crawled up on your porch to die,” Ben told her.
“Ben, someone threw something against my door,” she informed him.
“It probably fell against it,” he said. “Dammit, Beth. You might have blinded me,” he told her.
She exhaled. “Yeah, sorry. The sound just scared me.”
He set his hands on her shoulders. “Let go, Beth. Let go of this whole thing with the Monocos, okay? You’ll turn both of us into idiots jumping at our own shadows.”
She nodded, touched his face. “I didn’t get you?”
He shook his head. “Man, I’m tired. Good night, okay?”
She laughed suddenly. “What are you doing here?”
“Amber said that she had to give you something back. Do me a favor—don’t tell her about the dead cat.”
“Where is it?”
“In my trunk.”
She shook her head. “I won’t say anything.”
They walked back to the living room. Amber was standing there, arms hugged around her chest. “Leave whatever you brought for your aunt and let’s go, huh?” Ben said.
Beth stared at Amber, frowning. Amber stared back at Beth.
She wanted to say something to her aunt, Ben realized. Something she wouldn’t say in front of him.
It was just going to have to wait until tomorrow.
He swore softly. “Amber, just call Beth in the morning, huh? Let’s go.”
He walked out the front door. He heard Beth say softly, “Amber, it’s all right. We’ll talk in the morning.”
His daughter followed him. He heard his sister lock her door behind them as Amber headed for the car.
A moment later, exhausted, he drove away.
WHEN KEITH RETURNED TO the table, Amanda was just rising. “I was about to show Lee and Matt around the pool area. Join us?”
