by Anne Mather
‘No,’ Alex was saying now, and, as the awareness of where she was and what she was doing here took precedence, Camilla couldn’t help listening to what he was saying. ‘Yes. Here in Honolulu,’ he conceded flatly. ‘No, I don’t think there’s any point in your staying out there. Yes. As soon as you get back.’
He replaced the receiver then, and his eyes, which had flickered in her direction from time to time during his call, turned on her. At some point during the call he had unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and loosened his tie, and she guessed that, in spite of his apparent control now, his temperature had coincided with hers. She hadn’t imagined the heavy heat of his arousal, and her eyes skipped nervously over the tan cloth that covered his thighs. But, although his position on the desk necessarily tautened the fine material across his hips, there was no evidence now of his bulging sex. Like his ardour, it had subsided, and Camilla quivered with something approaching disappointment.
‘Don’t,’ he said abruptly, and, although she was now staring somewhat zealously through the windows of the office, she knew exactly what he meant.
But she couldn’t tell him that. ‘I beg your—?’ she was beginning, when he interrupted her.
‘You came to tell me something,’ he said flatly. ‘If you can forget what just happened, and tell me what that was, I’d be grateful.’
I’d bet you would, thought Camilla indignantly, but she knew it was an uncalled-for emotion. Of course he wanted her to forget what had happened. He wanted to forget it himself, and he couldn’t do that if she turned out to be one of those women who laboured a situation to death. And it would have been so easy to be one of those women, she acknowledged unhappily. What had happened had affected her more than she cared to examine, and it would have been so satisfying to throw it up at him and demand that he at least show some responsibility for what he had done.
Still, her legal training stood her in good stead at that moment, and, like the cool, unemotional advocate she had believed herself to be until a few moments ago, she schooled her features and allowed her gaze to come to rest slightly below his jaw. ‘It…it was something I realised this morning,’ she replied, endeavouring to keep the tremor out of her voice. ‘When…when Virginia phoned she said I’d been at the house for…for three days.’
‘Yes?’
‘Well…’ Camilla’s voice cracked, and she had to clear her throat before continuing. ‘How…how did she know? I mean—she said she ran away because…because she wasn’t sure I would come. And yet…and yet…’
‘She was fairly confident that you’d be there to answer her call,’ finished Alex drily, and Camilla nodded.
‘Yes.’ Her shoulders sagged at his expression. ‘I suppose you’d already noticed that.’
Alex hesitated. ‘I’m—grateful to you for pointing it out.’
‘But you knew, didn’t you?’ Camilla sighed. ‘And I thought ‘I’d made some exciting progress!’ She shook her head. ‘I should have known.’
‘Why…progress?’ Alex asked now, and, aware that he was watching her rather intently, Camilla shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
‘Well…’ She lifted her shoulders expressively. ‘It’s obvious, isn’t it?’
‘Is it?’
‘Of course.’ Camilla frowned, and darted a quick glance up at his dark face. ‘Someone must have told her I was there, mustn’t they?’ She blinked. ‘You surely don’t think that it was me?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
His response was dismissive, and Camilla’s resentment stirred anew. Did he have to treat her as if she were a retarded child? How the hell was she supposed to know what he was thinking? She didn’t even know what she was thinking herself.
As if realising he had been unnecessarily rude, Alex sighed, and, bending forward, he raked both hands through his hair. ‘I just wanted to be sure that you’d come to the same conclusion as me,’ he said wearily. ‘I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s just another item to add to the score.’
Camilla’s resentment dissipated. She couldn’t blame him really. Not when she had been as guilty as he had. She had wanted him to kiss her. She had been wanting him to kiss her ever since she’d come into the office. And if she was painfully honest she had been aware of him ever since her arrival on the island.
‘So…so has it helped in any way?’ she ventured, wanting to get their relationship back on a normal footing, and, although Alex looked at her through narrowed eyes, his reply was as impassive as her question.
‘The call helped a lot,’ he said, straightening his spine with an obvious effort. ‘Hell—you might as well know; Virginia phoned you from here, in Honolulu. It seems our discovery that a woman and child answering their descriptions had left the island was a deliberate attempt to mislead us. That’s why we haven’t been able to find them in San Diego. Virginia and Maria were never there.’
Camilla caught her breath. ‘You mean—it was all planned?’
‘It looks that way.’
‘But…’ Camilla shook her head bewilderedly. ‘Why did she write to me, then?’
Alex’s mouth compressed. ‘That seems to be the only confusing factor. Why would she write to you if she was planning on abducting Maria?’
Camilla swallowed. ‘I hope you’re not thinking I made it up.’
‘No.’ Alex was impatient. ‘For God’s sake, Camilla, have I implied I think you might be involved?’
‘Perhaps not—’
‘Look, Virginia wrote to you. I accept that.’ Alex breathed heavily. ‘But it was out of character; surely you can see that? And phoning you yesterday—that was odd, too. Why would she deliberately blow her cover, just to hear your voice?’
‘Blow her cover?’ Camilla was surprised. ‘But I thought you said you didn’t have a trace on the call.’
‘I didn’t.’ Alex paused. ‘There were other giveaways. Not least the fact that there was no time-lag between her speaking and your answering.’
‘And should there have been?’
‘If she were on the mainland, yes. Not a lot, maybe, but enough to be noticeable. And, because this is an island, there’s no way she could have faked it.’
‘And that’s it?’
‘No.’ Alex sighed. ‘All phone time is registered. If you’ve ever made an international call you’ll have heard it ticking away, every ten seconds or so. Virginia’s call was clear.’
‘I see.’ Camilla was impressed. ‘So, in other words, you believe she never left the island.’
‘I’m sure of it.’
‘Then, why—?’
‘To give them time; to mislead us.’
‘Them?’
‘Well, as you pointed out, she must have had an accomplice, mustn’t she?’ Alex countered grimly. ‘I wonder if he approved of her calling you?’
‘He?’ Camilla hesitated. ‘You’re sure it’s a man?’
‘Aren’t you? Can you see Virginia doing all this for a woman?’ His mouth twisted. ‘No. Don’t answer that. It’s not fair to expect you to make a judgement. You don’t know her as I do.’
Camilla caught her lower lip between her teeth. He was right, of course. And the bitter woman she had spoken to on the phone bore little resemblance to the girl she had first got to know. Nevertheless, Virginia had written to her; she had phoned. She still expected some loyalty from their friendship; and Camilla had her own guilt to contend with now.
Looking about her, she saw her clutch-bag lying on the floor where it had fallen when Alex had taken her in his arms. Bending to pick it up, she determinedly tried to put all thoughts of that episode out of her mind, but it wasn’t easy. All the time they had been talking, it had been there between them, like some unacknowledged crime they had committed. She didn’t know what he was feeling. How could she? He was far better than she was at hiding his feelings. But she couldn’t forget it, and she doubted she ever would. Which was why she had to get out of here—not just out of Alex’s office, but off the island. Away from tem
ptation, she admitted honestly, which Virginia’s continued absence could only aggravate.
‘I’d better go,’ she said, tucking her bag under her arm and striving for a casual departure. ‘It’s almost lunchtime.’
Alex looked at her. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘No.’ Camilla was honest. ‘No, not especially.’ She managed a strained smile. ‘But I’m sure you have work to do, and…and…’
Alex got up from the desk. ‘I’ll arrange for a car—’
‘No. No, don’t do that.’ Camilla’s palms were moist again, and she surreptitiously dried them on her dress. ‘I—er—as I’m in Honolulu I’d like to visit the airline office and find out if they’ve had any luck with my booking. I—well, I forgot to tell you, I phoned them yesterday morning. Before…before Virginia rang. They’ve—er—they’ve put my name on stand-by.’
‘Have they?’ Alex regarded her without expression. ‘Is that wise?’
‘Wise?’ Camilla was taken aback. ‘Why not?’
Alex took a deep breath. ‘I thought we’d discussed this, Camilla. I thought we’d agreed that you’d stay on until we found out exactly what it is Virginia does want.’
No.’ Camilla shook her head. ‘I mean—that wasn’t agreed at all. I…I know what you said, but…well…circumstances—’
‘Haven’t changed,’ said Alex flatly. ‘I thought you understood that, too. What…happened…was a mistake. I mean, we’re all pretty uptight right now and, God knows, it shouldn’t have happened. But it did.’ He paused to take a breath, and then went on, ‘Nevertheless, that doesn’t alter the basic situation. Until I get some definite news of Virginia’s whereabouts, I want you to stay here.’
‘That’s impossible.’ Camilla was flabbergasted. ‘I…I have…commitments—’
‘Where? In England?’ Patently, Alex didn’t believe her. ‘As I understand it, you came out here at Virginia’s invitation for a holiday. A holiday, Camilla! In my book, that constitutes more than a couple of days.’
‘Maybe so.’ Camilla could feel a sense of panic rising inside her. ‘But—oh, for goodness’ sake, surely you can see that I can’t stay here now?’
‘Why not?’
‘Why not?’ She stared at him incredulously. ‘You know why not!’
‘Because of just now.’ It wasn’t a question. ‘Don’t be silly, Camilla.’ Alex was infuriatingly calm. ‘You’re not a schoolgirl. It’s not as if I violated some sacred trust.’ His lips twisted. ‘Or an innocent, for that matter. As I recall it, you didn’t exactly fight me off.’
Camilla choked. ‘You’re still Virginia’s husband,’ she declared doggedly, unable to deny what was so obviously the truth. ‘And…and I’m supposed to be her friend!’
‘And that’s what all this outraged indignation is about? Because I’m her husband, and you feel some latent sense of loyalty towards her?’
‘Is that so unusual?’ Camilla held up her head. ‘I…I’m not in the habit of betraying my friends!’
‘Oh, come on.’ He shifted restlessly. ‘Have you forgotten that call she made, because, if you have, I haven’t. How was it she put it? Something about not objecting if you and I got it together. Or words to that effect, anyway.’
‘I don’t care what Virginia said.’ Camilla squeezed her bag between her hands. ‘And…and if you insist on bringing up that call perhaps I should remind you of my answer.’
‘There’s no need.’ Alex seemed weary of the whole discussion. ‘All right, give me a few minutes and I’ll take you for some lunch. Maybe we can make some sense of this situation when we’ve both had a chance to cool off—’
‘No, thanks.’ Camilla walked towards the door, and although her confidence was not as sure as it appeared he made no move to follow her. ‘I don’t think there’s any point in continuing this. I…I’ll let you know if I have any luck with the airline.’
‘But you will go back to the house?’
Alex’s voice was low and controlled, and Camilla paused, with her fingers on the handle, to look back over her shoulder. ‘I’ll have to, won’t I?’ she retorted, and then let herself out of the room before he could say anything else.
* * *
An hour later she was sitting in a fast-food restaurant on Kalakaua Avenue which overlooked the crowded sands of Waikiki. The burger she had ordered sat congealing in its cardboard carton, and only the rather bitter coffee they had provided had held any appeal. In consequence, the beaker was empty, and she was wishing she had had the foresight to order herself a second cup. As it was, there was a long queue at the counter, and the distinct possibility that she would lose the seat she was presently occupying if she left it. The restaurant was buzzing with activity, and she had been lucky to find somewhere to sit in the first place. That was why she was loath to abandon it.
Still, she couldn’t face looking at the burger for much longer. Already its smell was curdling her stomach, and it wasn’t fair to deny someone else the chance to sit at the table. She had no intention of eating it, but if she left the restaurant she would have to face the prospect of returning to Kumaru, and right now that was equally uninviting.
If only she had had the sense to take the cancellation when it was offered to her, she reflected bitterly. That was really why she was sitting here, brooding over her burger, and putting off the moment when she would have to accept what she had done. Because when the girl in the airline office had told her she could get her on tomorrow morning’s flight she had turned it down. No matter how ridiculous it might sound to her now, when the uniformed representative of the airline had told her she had a cancellation booking to offer, Camilla had panicked. Instead of jumping at the chance to leave the island, she had made some puerile excuse about coming into the office to take her name off the stand-by list. She’d said she’d changed her mind about leaving, and at this moment the seat she might have occupied was probably being offered to someone else. Crazy!
‘Do you mind if I join you?’
Camilla’s head jerked up. A young man was standing by her table, a tray containing a burger, fries, and a Coke in his hands.
‘Oh, I—no.’
Camilla got automatically to her feet, but the man’s bulk blocked her exit. ‘Don’t leave on my account,’ he said, his eyes warm and admiring. ‘Can’t we just share the table?’
Camilla’s expression froze. ‘I was just leaving,’ she said, and something in her gaze must have warned him not to argue. ‘Excuse me.’ She brushed past him. ‘Enjoy your meal.’
Outside again, the heat assaulted her lungs, and she expelled air in an upward stream over her face. It was hot; very hot; and, although she had thought of going sightseeing, what she really fancied was a nice cold shower. Or a dip in the ocean, she conceded ruefully, remembering how delightful that had been the day before. If she went back to the house she could change into her swim-suit and take a dip before Alex came home.
But the idea of going back to the house, of giving in to his demands, was not appealing. What was she going to say when he asked her whether she had managed to get a seat on the plane? Was she going to tell him she had turned down a chance to leave the island? Or pretend there had been no cancellation, and run the risk of his finding out that there had been later?
Either one was anathema to her. After her bravado of a couple of hours ago, he was bound to think either that he had intimidated her, or that she had changed her mind about their relationship. He might even think she was hoping to extend what had happened that morning. After all, he had implied that he believed Virginia’s evaluation of her lifestyle. He might even believe she had some personal motive for seeking to prolong her visit.
‘God!’ Camilla shook her head despairingly, and turned right towards the towering hotels that faced the ocean. What was she going to do? She was in an impossible position.
The cooling shadows of the Hemmeter Centre beckoned, and, abandoning any decisions for the time being, Camilla turned into the exclusive shopping arcade. She had noticed it w
hen she had passed the Hyatt Regency Hotel earlier, and now she rode the escalator to the first floor, where a gallery of fashionable boutiques overlooked a tumbling waterfall.
It was very peaceful, walking along the colonnade, looking in the windows of the different stores. For a few moments she could fool herself that she was just another tourist enjoying the anticipation of having money to spend and so many exciting things to spend it on. She even found herself admiring a navy blue dress, whose strappy bodice merged into a soft swinging skirt, appliquéd with elegant white flowers. It was exactly the kind of dress that, in other circumstances, she would have liked to buy. But right now she didn’t even have the heart to ask how much it was. Besides, if she had to ask the price, she probably couldn’t afford it, she reflected wryly. And expensive evening dresses were not very high on her shopping-list at the moment.
Walking on, she glanced over the balcony rail, and saw that several tables were set around the base of the waterfall on the ground floor. It was a rather attractive coffee-shop cum bar, with many of the customers enjoying the tall fruit-laden cocktails that were so much a part of the Hawaiian experience. It reminded Camilla that she had had no lunch, and, although she still wasn’t particularly hungry, she was thirsty.
Taking the escalator down again, she walked between the palm-filled planters and found herself a table set against the basin of the waterfall. A long-haired Polynesian girl, dressed in an exotically coloured garment that resembled nothing so much as a short sari, came to take her order, and after consulting the menu Camilla chose a locally mixed cocktail. It was a Chi-chi, and when it came she found it tasted a little like a Pina Colada. Only the spirit used was vodka, and not rum, and in consequence the flavour of the pineapple juice was sweeter and more pungent.
It was delicious and, sipping it through the straw that was provided, Camilla allowed the holiday atmosphere of the sunlit courtyard to envelop her. She didn’t even feel any resentment when someone else came to share her table. Live and let live, she thought inconsequently. At least it was another woman, she saw, her averted gaze taking in the slim legs and tight-fitting skirt of the newcomer. She wouldn’t have to give her the brush-off, she conceded, and then was momentarily stunned when the woman nudged Camilla’s knee with her own.
