“Don’t worry about it. I just appreciate your cooperation now.”
“If you want, we can have the credit card canceled again.”
“No. My partner is talking with Visa. We have requested the account remain open. It will help us track the young woman down.”
The manager nodded. “Still, I feel terribly foolish not questioning the girl further.”
“Water under the bridge,” Luke assured him. “If she does return here for more money, would you be so kind as to call me?”
“Of course,” the manager said.
***
Luke obtained the video and moved on to his next stop. The man at the jewelry counter remembered Carla very well.
“She came in here the day before with some of her friends. She wanted to buy a rather expensive opal but discovered her card had been stolen. I let her borrow the phone to call Visa and report it. Then yesterday she stopped by with a young man, right before I was closing. She was so disappointed when the necklace was no longer in the case. When I told her I had kept it back for her and pulled it from the shelf, you should have seen her smile. Anyway, she bought the necklace, paid with her new visa card, put the opal on, preened for the young man and me, then left.”
Suddenly he frowned. “Is she in trouble with the law?”
Luke shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause enough curiosity that the newspapers reported the story. “No. Her father just likes to keep tabs on what she does, so I follow her trail making discreet inquiries.”
“I thought she must have a rich daddy.”
“Why?”
“Well, the necklace cost twenty-five thousand dollars and she didn’t blink an eye.”
Luke had to force himself not to react. “Why did you hold back such an expensive necklace for a college student?”
“She promised she’d be back to buy it.” The man shrugged. “Well, you must know the effect she has on people. I couldn’t think of disappointing her.”
“Did you know the boy she was with?”
“Yeah, he’s a local. What’s his name? Scotty…Hamilton—works at the gas station on the corner.” The man smiled. “I could tell he was smitten.”
***
Luke waited while Scotty collected the money and turned on the pump. “I didn’t really know her. I just gave her a ride into town.”
“Where’d you meet her?”
“At the Choir Festival held at Whakapapa. I knew there would be a lot of girls there, so I went, hoping I’d get lucky.”
“And did you—get lucky?”
The young boy laughed nervously. “A gentleman never tells.”
“Where’d she ask to go?”
“To the bank, shopping, and then to the car rental place. I told her I didn’t mind driving her around—she was real pretty—but she said she had a date with destiny, or something like that.”
***
Luke got directions to the car rental location. She had rented a beige Toyota late yesterday afternoon, using her credit card, and a copy of her driver’s license, explaining the original had been stolen.
“We don’t normally accept copies of licenses, except she was sweet. I just couldn’t tell her no. Besides, we just make a copy of it anyway, so I made a copy of a copy. The head office won’t know.” He paused. “Unless you plan to tell them.”
With a shake of his head, Luke smiled. “Mum’s the word. Did she say where she was going? Ask for directions? Anything like that?”
“No. She seemed to be very familiar with the area.”
Luke stopped at the local tourist office and studied the various brochures. Where might a lady in hiding go?
Chapter Twelve
Carla had just pulled the thick rubber wetsuit over her shoulders and was squirming a bit, as if trying to get the suit to slide into a more comfortable position.
“Here, let me,” Chad said from behind her as he gave the rubber a hard tug upwards on the back of her suit.
“Thanks,” she said, turning to face him. Upon recognition, her face registered first surprise and then joy. “It’s you!”
Chad gave a mock bow. “In the flesh.”
“How did you find me? Are you here to raft the waterfall?”
“Well, you did make it sound like a lot of fun.”
“But you said you were only down here for a short business trip.” She tugged the zipper of the rubber suit, squeezing in her ample breasts.
Chad couldn’t help but notice how they threaten to push out the top. Realizing she was expecting an answer, he searched his mind for what she had last said and replied, “I was, but I kept thinking of you having all this fun, so I decided to give myself a vacation. I hope you don’t mind my intruding on your raft trip.”
She took his arm in hers and walked him towards the suit rack. “Not at all. I’m just surprised.” She laughed shyly. “I really didn’t expect to see you again.”
“Because you gave me a false name and location to find you?”
She looked confused. “Oh, the YHA—no, I really did intend to be there. But something happened and I ended up at Whakapapa instead.”
“I know. I was one of the judges at the Choral Festival.”
She looked up in surprise. “I wish I would have known.”
“I tried to find you afterward, but you had already flown the coop. I did, however, get the scoop on you.”
“From whom?”
“Your roommate, Claire. So you’re a computer programmer at Columbia, eh?”
Carla rifled nervously through the suits. “None of these are going to fit you. Wait here—I’ll see if Jackie has anything bigger upstairs.”
Chad smiled as she scampered away. She was all that he remembered, and her only deception had been her claim she was two years his senior, when in fact, she was a college student, probably nineteen or twenty.
He leaned contentedly against the wall. That was a lie he could live with.
She returned a few moments later holding out a suit that Chad suspected would actually fit. “Try this. If it doesn’t work, Jackie says you have to go buck naked.”
Chad held the suit up. “Well, fortunately for everyone, it looks like it will fit.”
Carla sighed as if disappointed, sat down on a bench, and waited for him to get into his wetsuit.
When he was ready to pull it over his arms and onto his shoulders, she stood on the bench and offered to help. He turned and let her tug on the back while he pulled the suit over his shoulders. He felt her small hands pulling and pushing the rubber about.
“Very nice,” she murmured as her hands ran over his broad, muscular shoulders.
“I thought we had a rule against compliments.”
“I was referring to the suit. It’s a lovely suit. No holes, no tears. Colors are still bright. It looks much nicer than mine.”
Chad turned around and pulled her down from the bench, closer to him. “I don’t know. I rather like yours.” His gaze focused on the swell of her breasts.
She nudged up his chin. “You’re not gay.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Betsy said you were,” she explained. “But then Claire said you weren’t.”
“And I remember you saying you didn’t know who I was.”
“I didn’t until Claire told me all about you.”
Chad released her and stepped back to put more space between them. “Is that why you seem friendlier now? Because you know who I am?”
Her brow wrinkled for a moment as if in confusion, then her plump lips turned into a frown. “No. But I understand why you asked that.” She leaned over and tugged at the Velcro straps on her water boots. “If I seem friendlier, it’s because…that night, after our flight, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I was afraid—”
She sighed and stared up at him. “This is going to sound really stupid. I feared I’d just let Mr. Right walk out of my life.”
Chad sat down beside her. “It doesn’t sound stupid. I was thinking the same
thing.”
His response caused her to smile. “That you had let Mr. Right walk out of your life?”
Chad sternly wagged his finger at her. “Don’t even say that in jest. You never know where a tabloid reporter will pop up.”
***
Chad had never met anyone like Carla. She showed absolutely no fear of the rapids. She traversed several of the smaller white waters standing on the edge of the raft. She had wanted him to try, but to his relief, Jackie, their raft guide, had quickly nixed the idea.
“He’s too big. Only moderate-sized imps are allowed such pleasure.”
Chad found the anticipation of a twenty-three-foot waterfall was more than enough challenge for him. He didn’t need to kill himself before he reached it.
“Jackie, switch! I want to run the next rapids,” she demanded at one point.
Jackie handed over his long paddle for her shorter one, shrugging off Chad’s look of concern. “Don’t worry. She can handle the rapids on this river better than most of my guides. She won’t kill us unintentionally.”
“It’s that last word that should worry you,” she warned and gave a wicked cackle just as they entered the white roar of the rapids.
Before they reached the big waterfall, Jackie made her switch back.
“Someday you’re going to let me run it.”
“Not with an innocent bystander on the raft, I’m not.”
She swung her feet around, placing them firmly on Chad’s arm. “So if he happens to fall out, can I guide the boat down the waterfall?”
Chad grabbed her feet and pushed them towards her, causing her rump to slide off the rim of the raft. The only thing that kept her from sliding into the water was his grip on her legs.
Between peals of laughter, she demanded he pull her back onto the raft.
“Not without some sort of assurance that you’re going to behave.”
“That’s not very likely,” Jackie muttered.
“My arms are getting tired,” he warned her.
“All right, I’ll behave at least until we clear the waterfall.”
Feeling triumphant, he tugged her in until her rear was safely on the rim.
“Okay, folks, get ready to paddle hard, and then don’t forget to hold those paddles tight, because I want to keep my teeth,” Jackie warned.
Chad barely had time to ready himself before the world fell out beneath him and fluffy white water engulfed him. Confusion reigned. He knew he was still falling, but he was surrounded by so much water that he was uncertain whether the raft was still beneath him or not.
An eternity later, they were spat out of the waterfall. To his shock, they remained upright in a half-submerged raft. Adrenaline pulsed through his body and he let out a warrior cry. Never had he felt such exhilaration.
***
They pulled the boat from the water and carried it above their heads to the road, where the trailer waited. Once the raft was placed in the trailer, they headed to the picnic tables.
Carla was trying to peel off her wetsuit when she felt Chad’s large, warm hands on her shoulders. “Let me help you,” he murmured, pulling the suit off her shoulders and down to her waist. With his hands still resting on her waist, she turned towards him. The desire in his eyes was unmistakable.
“I’m glad you came.” She stepped away from his grasp and sat on a picnic table, pushing the wetsuit over her hips and off her legs, fully aware that the one-piece bathing suit she wore beneath her suit flattered her hourglass shape.
As she dried herself off, she noticed Chad remained fixated on her. “Jackie won’t let you in the truck cabin with a wetsuit on.”
He pouted. “I’ve got no one to help me…”
She laughed and stood up on the bench. “Come here, you baby.”
He smiled as he approached her, his eyes locked to hers. With her standing on the bench, she was only slightly taller than his six-foot-seven height, and his face was level with the tops of her large, white breasts.
“I’m here. What do you plan to do with me?” he asked.
Carla unzipped his wetsuit, slightly unnerved by the beauty of his muscular chest. She slipped her hands inside the suit to separate it from his skin. Getting tight wet rubber over his large, muscular shoulders turned out to be more difficult than she’d imagined. “You’re too close,” she muttered as she lost leverage for the second time.
He stepped back, but with her hands still buried in the wetsuit, she went with him. While her feet remained on the bench, her body tilted precariously against his chest
“Put me back,” she demanded through her outraged laughter.
“You said I was too close.”
“Do you want to do this yourself?” she scolded.
“No, ma’am. I much prefer you doing it.”
“Then be still.” After several further unsuccessful tries to pull the rubber from his shoulders, she halted and panted to catch her breath. “Is it possible your chest is bigger than when you put this suit on?”
Chad chuckled. “It’s very possible. Muscles get bigger when the heart pumps blood into them. I think my heart was pumping quite a bit when we were going down the waterfall.”
“Well, how am I supposed to get this suit off you?”
“Try one more time, and I’ll think soothing thoughts.”
This time, she was able to pull the suit over his shoulders and off his arms. “That worked. What were you thinking of?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Nicole Richie.”
Annoyed, she tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Seriously. Watch. First, I think of you…” he said, and took in a deep breath, causing his chest to swell out. “Then I think of Nicole.” He let out his breath and he diminished in size.
She pushed him again. “You were doing it on purpose. Here I am tugging and tugging like some idiot…”
He stepped back, pulling her off the bench, letting her slide just enough that her face was level with his.
“My feet will get dirty.”
“Your feet aren’t touching the ground.”
“But they will eventually. I’m too heavy to hold for long.”
She felt his chest swell against her.
“I regularly lift two hundred pounds. Surely you don’t weigh much more than that.”
Carla squirmed in protest. “Put me down. I refused to be kissed by someone who insults me so grievously.”
Chad smiled but made no effort to release her. “Who said I was going to kiss you?”
Carla seemed at a loss for words as she blushed.
“Well?” He tried to catch her eyes.
“My mistake. I misread the moment.”
“I think it would be a mistake to kiss you while I’m holding you in my arms,” he explained as he moved them closer to the table. “You’d be fretting over whether I was going to drop you and get your feet dirty, or get a hernia holding so much weight.” He set her down on the table’s edge. “Now here, with you safely lodged on the table…” He pushed her legs apart so he could move in closer. “The moment is altogether right.” He leaned over, enjoying the anticipation of their first kiss…
“Ready?” Jackie called out as he rounded the truck. “Oops, not ready.”
Carla put her hand on Chad’s chest and smiled apologetically. “Can I get a raincheck?”
He stepped back and dampened his feelings. “Absolutely.”
***
Jackie drove them to his raft-shack, where they collected their clothes and belongings. Then Chad walked her to her car but stopped her before she could get in.
“Where are you staying?”
“The YHA.”
He shook his head. “That story again.”
“I really am going there this time.” Her eyes sparkled with laughter.
“I don’t think so.” He leaned down and kissed her, at first with a gentle tentativeness, but soon growing more demanding with passion.
When he finally released her,
they were both breathless.
“Stay with me.”
His request was so soft that Carla almost thought she’d imagined it, but looking up into his eyes, she knew she hadn’t.
“I’d like that. Where are you staying?”
“At the YHA,” he replied, and laughed at her moment of confusion. “I’m kidding. I’ve a house on Lake Taupo.”
“That sounds much nicer,” she said as he leaned in to kiss her again.
Chapter Thirteen
Luke’s phone rang. The newly promoted Tom was calling. His stress increased before he’d even answered. “What?”
“Got a call from Visa. She just used the card outside of Lake Taupo. A place called River Rats,” Tom said. “Think you can find it on your own, or do you need me to come down?”
“I’ve got it,” Luke snapped before ending the call. His anger flared, but at himself. He should have thought of checking there on his own.
***
Gary Eder watched the students board the buses. He saw Claire get in, but not Carla. He followed the buses all the way to the airport. Carla was not with them. The girl must have been telling the truth when she said Carla had left them, but where had she gone?
Maybe he had been wrong in his assumption that she was aware of his presence. If she wasn’t hiding, where would she go? He remembered the anchorwoman talking about a twenty-three-foot waterfall. Checking the brochures at the airport, he soon located the waterfall near Rotorua. He returned to his rental and headed north. It was a long shot, but his only other lead was a local boy in Lake Taupo and he didn’t look forward to sorting through several thousand local boys.
***
Carla followed Chad to his “house” on the lake. It was a mansion with a security gate. After a brief conversation, the guard let him through and waved her in as well.
She parked her car in an eight-car garage and grabbed her bags. “Is this the best you could do?” she teased as he lifted his bags out of his car and joined her.
“I know it’s no YHA.” He shrugged apologetically. “It belongs to one of the All Sports executives I had breakfast with on Monday. He was more than happy to let me use it.”
Public Secrets (Artificial Intelligence Book 1) Page 6
