In the Dark

by Heather Graham

  The storm room was just that—one big room. There were ten cots set up in it, others folded and lined up against a wall, and doors that were labeled "Men" and "Women." There was a large dining table, surrounded by a number of upholstered chairs, and a counter that separated a kitchen area from the rest of the room. A battery-operated radio sat on the counter.

  "Nice," David commented.

  "Very nice," Hank Adamson said, rising from where he'd been sitting at the foot of one of the cots. "It's great, actually."

  "If you like being closed in," Len said, shrugging. It was clear that he had remained only out of deference to Jay. But he offered a weak grin.

  "The kitchen is stocked, we've got plenty of water, and as you can see, the generator has already kicked in," Jay said. "The brunt of the storm is due at about 4 or 5 a.m. She's still moving quickly, which is good. And her winds are at a shade less than a hundred miles an hour, so she's not a category four or five."

  "With any luck, it will be all over by late tomorrow morning," Len said.

  "And the damage, hopefully, will be minimal," Jay said. "The trees, though…and the foliage. They always go. No way out of it, we'll have one hell of a mess."

  "But here we all are," Hank said cheerfully. "So…what do we do?"

  John Seymore had been in one of the plush chairs, reading a book. His back had been to them. He rose. "We can play poker," he suggested. "Someone saw to it that there are cards, chips, all the makings of a good game. There's even beer in the refrigerator." He was speaking to everyone in the room, but he was staring at David.

  David assessed him in return. "Poker sounds good to me," he said.

  "Right," John said. "We can see just who is bluffing whom."

  "Sounds like fun," Hank Adamson said. "Deal me in."

  Outside, the wind howled. The sound of the rain thundering against the roof was loud, and Jay had turned the volume high on the radio to hear the weather report.

  The poker game continued.

  It might have been any Friday night men's crowd—except Alex was playing, too. She liked poker and played fairly well. But in this group…?

  They'd set a limit, quarter raises, no more. And yet it seemed that every round the pot got higher and higher.

  Neither John nor David ever seemed to fold, or even to check. Between them, they were winning eighty percent of the time. When one of them dealt, there were no wild cards, and it was always five-card stud. Their faces were grim.

  Thank God for Len and Jay. As the deal came around to Jay for a second time, he shuffled, calling his game. "Seven cards. One-eyed Jacks and bearded kings wild."

  "One-eyed Jacks and bearded kings?" John Seymore said, shaking his head.

  "What's wrong with that?" Len asked defensively. "Adds some spark to the game."

  "I think our friends are used to hard-core, macho poker," Hank Adamson said, grinning at Alex across the table.

  "Sounds like a fine game, right, John?" David asked.

  "You bet," John said.

  There was a slight discrepancy over one of the kings—whether he actually had a beard or if it was only five o'clock shadow. It was Alex's card, and she said she didn't need for it to be wild. For once, she had a hand. A royal flush, with the king being just what he was.

  It seemed to be the only hand she was going to take. Watching David and John, she had a feeling they would both do well in Vegas.

  It was difficult to sit there. She wondered how she could have spent the time she had with David, how she could have gone to her cottage, felt the overwhelming urge to make love, while still feeling that little tingle of doubt. But watching John Seymore and the subtle—and not so subtle—ways he challenged David, she had a difficult time believing that he could be an out-and-out liar or a murderer, either.

  Jay's third turn to deal, and he called for Indian poker.

  "What?" David asked.

  "You must have played as a kid. We all get one card and slap it on our foreheads. We bet on what we think we have," Jay explained. "You can try to make faces, bluff each other out."

  "It's fun, do it," Alex advised.

  The cards went around, and they all pressed them to their foreheads, then stared at one another.

  "Hey, there aren't any mirrors in here, are there?" Hank Adamson asked.

  "Don't think so. And no one is wearing glasses, so we should be all right."

  "What do we do now?" John asked.

  "You're next to me. You make the first bet," Alex said.

  John shrugged and threw in a quarter chip.

  He had a three on his forehead. Jay had a seven; Len had the queen of diamonds, Hank a ten, and David the queen of hearts. "Big bet, buddy, for a guy with your card," Len warned him.

  "Oh, yeah?" John said. "You should fold right now."

  "You don't say? My quarter is in."

  "You really should fold," David told John.

  "You think? I'm pretty sure you shouldn't even have bothered to ante," John told him.

  Betting went around twice, with each of them saying some things that were true and others that weren't.

  In the end, Len folded, followed by Hank, and then Jay. The pot rose, and Alex was amazed in the end to find out that she'd been sitting with the Queen of Spades on her head, enough to beat David's queen of hearts.

  "I don't think I should play against you guys. You're going to lie about every hand, and I'm going to fall for it," Len said.

  "Len, at most, you're going to lose about twenty-five dollars tonight," Alex told him. "Start bluffing yourself."

  "I never could lie," he murmured, shaking his head.

  "Ah, an insinuation that the rest of us can lie with real talent?" Hank asked him.

  "Careful—anything you say can and probably will be used in a column," Alex warned Len.

  "Hey, I'm wounded," Hank protested. "Seriously, I'm having a blast, and I'm going to write this place up as the next paradise."

  "Let the man win a few, will you, guys?" Jay said, pleased.

  "Yeah, Alex, quit winning," Len said.

  "Me? Look at those two," she said, indicating the piles of chips in front of David and John.

  "Right. Quit winning, you two," Jay said.

  "Hey! I can bluff with the best of them. Don't anyone dare let me win," Hank protested.

  "Storms are funny, huh?" Len said a few minutes later, passing the cards to John. "My sister's in-laws all have boats and live right on the water. Years ago, Andrew was supposed to hit the coast. They all asked to come in and stay with my sister inland. Well, that's where the storm came in, and they all got mad at her when their cars were flattened and they had to spent the night praying in a bathtub! This is better, huh?" he said to no one in particular.

  "Who would have figured we'd be here tonight?" Jay said, shrugging.

  "Who'd have figured?" David echoed. He was staring at John.

  "Yeah, odd isn't it, how the best-laid plans can be interrupted by nature?" John Seymore responded.

  It was enough for Alex. She had to get away from the table and all the dueling testosterone or she was going to scream.

  She yawned. "I'm going to beg out of this. I'm going to make a cup of tea, and then I'm going to sleep."

  "But you just won a huge pot. That's not legal," Len said.

  "You can split my pot among you. I think I can spring for the ten bucks," she told him, pushing her pile of chips toward the center.

  "I can cash you out," Jay said. "That's not a problem."

  "And not necessary. Quit worrying and take the chips." Grinning, Alex left them. She walked to the kitchen area, amazed that the storm could be raging all around them, the electricity was out—probably all through the Middle Keys, at the least—but thanks to the generator, she still had the ability to see and make tea. She turned up the radio and heard the newscaster. They were taking a pounding. It could have been much worse, if the storm had been able to pick up more speed.

  "Anyone else want anything?" she called, expecting t
hem to ask for a round of beers.

  "Naw, thanks," Jay said.

  His polite refusal went all around. Alex found it very strange. Poker and beer always seemed to go together, along with an assortment of snacks. None of these guys wanted anything.

  It was as if they were all determined to keep a totally clear head.

  The game continued as she made her tea. Though on the surface it appeared as if they were just playing cards, she had a feeling that for John and David, it was much more. They challenged one another at every turn.

  She sipped her tea, half listening to the game, half to the radio. In a minute, she was going to try to sleep. When she woke up, the storm would be over. The islands would be in a state of wreckage, but hopefully, it would be more trees and foliage than homes and buildings.

  But what then? Would she finally get a chance to talk to Nigel? Would they find the truth behind Seth Granger's death?

  And what about Alicia, the treasure and the dolphins?

  She finished the tea and stretched out on one of the cots. Her eyes closed, then opened suddenly.

  Because someone in the room was doing a great deal more than bluffing at poker. Alicia Farr was dead. And Seth was dead, and…

  Very likely, someone in the room had committed murder.

  David.

  No.

  Why would he kill Alicia? He had plenty of money from his own enterprises. Of course, he spent it, too. His excursions were costly, and not everything he did was financed by a major corporation. But why kill Alicia? He couldn't go after treasure alone.

  And she herself was still in love with him. No matter what had happened, she'd been eager to sleep with him again. Even now, she was sure he was using her. She was apparently the key to something, somehow. Damn Daniel Fuller, even if he had passed on! Why had he dragged her into this?

  Then there was John Seymore. Claiming that he, too, had come to protect her. Said he was working with the FBI, even had a great-looking ID. And hey, why not try to seduce the woman he was there to protect? He'd used her, too. But until she'd talked to Laurie tonight, she had liked him, really liked him. And she'd believed he was genuinely interested in her, too, because her instincts had said so.

  So much for instincts.

  And now…

  How could she trust either of them?

  She was never going to get to sleep.

  "Hey!"

  She jumped at the sound of Jay's voice. She rolled over to look at him. He was listening intently to the radio.

  "We'll be in the eye of the storm in about half an hour."

  He was right. Listening, Alex realized that the brutal pounding of wind and rain was easing somewhat.

  "When it comes, I wonder if I should take a peek at the damage," Jay said.

  "It's going to be the same damage in the morning," David advised him.

  "Yeah, but we'll have at least twenty minutes before it starts up hard again," Jay said.

  "This storm is a fast mover," David reminded him.

  "He's losing. He just wants to opt out of the game himself for a few minutes," Len said.

  "I think we'll all be opting out in a few minutes," Hank said. "Looking at our sleeping beauty over there, I'm feeling the yawns coming on myself."

  "We should all get some rest," David said. "I have a feeling it's going to be a real bitch around here after it lets up."

  "It will take a few days to get our little piece of the world up and going again, sure," Jay said. "Depending on the damage the main islands face. They'll have electric crews out first, then road crews…we'll have people out next. It's just a matter of repair and cleanup. We've done it before, we'll do it again."

  "Actually, I wasn't referring to the storm damage," David said.

  "Oh?" Jay said. 'Then what?"

  "Nigel was supposed to be coming out today to talk to people about Seth Granger," David said.

  Len exhaled a snort of impatience. The others must have stared at him, Alex thought, because he quickly said, "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know if it's the right term for a man or not but he was one hell of a prima donna. He thought money could buy him anything, and he was rude to anyone he thought was beneath him. He drank like a fish. If he hadn't drowned, he would have died soon of a shot liver anyway. I'm sorry a man is dead. But I can't cry over the fact that he got drunk and fell in the water."

  "But what if he didn't just fall in the water?" David said.

  "You were all there with him. What the hell could have happened? He stepped out for air, lost his balance and fell into the drink. Case closed."

  "I'm not sure Nigel sees it that way," David said. "Besides, there's more."

  "And what would that be?" Jay asked, groaning.

  "Oh, come on, Jay. We all know Alicia Farr was supposed to be here. I have the feeling Hank never really came here to do a story on the island. He was hoping to find Alicia and get the lead on whatever she knew," David said.

  "You certainly came here to find Alicia," John told him politely.

  "Yeah?" David said. "You supposedly didn't even know her—but I'm willing to bet you came here because of her, too. And maybe you actually found her."

  "What the hell does that mean?" Len asked.

  No one answered him.

  "You know, David, you've sure as hell been acting strange today. Starting out your day with the mom and the kid, then dropping them off and moving your yacht."

  "He dry-docked his yacht," Jay put in. "If I had a vessel like the Icarus, I'd damn sure do the same thing."

  "But he came back," Len noted, his tone curious, as he studied David.

  "Did you find something out in the water today?" Jay asked. "Is that why you're acting so strange?"

  Hank's voice was eager. "Oh my God! You did. You found…oh my God!" he repeated. "You found the body! The body that disappeared from the beach."

  "No!" Len exploded. "You couldn't have! This is getting scary. Bodies everywhere."

  "Where did you find the body?" John Seymore asked sharply.

  "Another drowning victim?" Jay asked, sounding confused.

  "I don't think so," David said. "I sure as hell didn't mean to bring this up during the storm, but since it seems you're all going to jump to conclusions, anyway, I might as well tell you the simple truth. No, not a drowning victim. Drowning victims aren't usually found with their feet encased in cement."

  Where she lay, Alex froze.

  'This is quite a story," Hank said.

  Jay groaned. "You just had to bring this up in front of Hank, right, David?"

  "I didn't bring it up!" David said sharply. "But maybe it doesn't matter. When the storm is over, the news will break anyway. As soon as he can, Nigel is sending someone out to bring her up."

  "Where did you find the body?" Hank asked.

  "Out beyond the reefs. I was spearfishing with Zach. Couldn't bring it up myself, because I didn't have the equipment to bring up any weight. Plus I'd already pushed the envelope on getting the kid and his mom back in, and the Icarus out of the storm. Nigel couldn't send anyone right away, because his people were all involved in the evacuation, and the water was growing too dangerous, too fast. But once the storm has passed, he'll get the Coast Guard in and bring her out."

  "Jeez," Hank breathed.

  "Did you know her?" Jay asked.

  "Yes, I did. It was Alicia Farr," David said.

  The moan of the wind outside was the only sound then as every man at the table went dead silent.

  "Alicia Farr—dead," Hank Adamson said at last.

  The others turned to stare at him, and he continued, "All right! I did come out here to get a story on her. I'd heard she was on to some incredible find."

  Alex heard something make a clunking sound. She turned to look, but quietly, not wanting them to know she was awake, not when she was chilled to the bone just listening.

  The clunking sound had been made by Jay as he allowed his head to fall on the table. She was sure it wasn't an emotional response to a woman b
eing dead, though, and maybe she couldn't blame him. He hadn't really known Alicia Farr.

  He was worried about Moon Bay.

  David had known Alicia, and now Alex understood why he had been so tense.

  He'd found Alicia's body.

  Someone hadn't wanted the body to be found, so that someone had gone back for her, hidden her, then packed her in cement and thrown her back in the water, sure that this time she wouldn't wash back up.

  Had that someone been David, and was he saying this now just to cover his own actions? Of course, he could find the location of the body, because he had put it there himself. The timing was certainly in his favor if he had. The storm could move the body, hide it, even destroy it. The cause of death might become almost impossible to discern. Any physical evidence could be completely compromised.

  No, David couldn't be a killer. She wouldn't believe it. He had his talents, but he had never claimed acting to be among them.

  And yet, at that table, they had all been bluffing.

  Anger against herself welled in her heart. No, how could she believe in her soul that she loved someone so much that she had been so afraid of losing him that she had pushed him away, and then believe him capable of deception and murder?

  "On that note, I think the game is over," John murmured. "Hell, I can't believe you kept quiet until now."

  "I meant to keep quiet all night," David said irritably. "There's nothing anyone can do until the storm passes. Then the body will be brought up, and Nigel will get to the bottom of what's going on."

  "Maybe," Jay said dully. "And maybe he won't find out a damn thing and we'll all be walking around afraid forever."

  "I don't think so," David said. "I'm pretty sure that whoever killed Alicia might have helped Seth Granger into the water. And that person will, eventually, give himself away. Until then, just be careful."

  "Great, David, thanks a lot," Len said. "Now none of us is going to be able to get any sleep."

  "Why?" David said. "Hey, it's just the six of us on the island. We stick together, nothing goes wrong," he said flatly.

  A strained silence followed his words.

  "No one sleeps, that much is evident," Len said at last.

  The sound of the wind suddenly seemed to die out completely.