by Susan Lewis
‘Probably not, but at least I’ll get to see you one more time.’
‘OK,’ he said, and stooping to kiss her he pushed the door closed behind them.
23
JEAN-CLAUDE LOOKED UP from the Nice-Matin as a shadow from the open french windows fell over him.
‘Hi,’ Sarah said, dropping her bag on the coffee table and kicking off her shoes as she sat down. ‘Where’s Louisa?’
‘I don’t know,’ Jean-Claude answered. ‘I think she must ’ave gone out with Danny.’
‘Oh,’ Sarah said surprised. ‘So they’ve made their peace?’
‘I imagine so. Louisa went over there a couple of hours ago and just after I saw Danny’s car leaving.’
‘Well Danny’s back now,’ Sarah said. ‘I just saw her car in the drive. I’ll go over and see what they’re up to in a minute, but first things first. Have you eaten?’
‘Not yet, no. Are you hungry?’
‘Ravenous. Which was why I popped into the poissonnerie and ordered a whopping great paella.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’ll be here in about ten minutes. I’ve ordered enough for all of us. Is Didier around?’
Jean-Claude gave an indulgent smile. ‘’e ’as something of a sore ’ead after a late night,’ he said. ‘’e is still sleeping. I will wake ’im when the food arrives.’
‘OK. Do you mind if I give Danny and Louisa a quick call and tell them to get themselves over here?’
‘Of course not,’ Jean-Claude answered, waving her to the phone. ‘’ow did things go with the lawyer?’
‘If I say French bureaucracy will that do it?’ Sarah responded.
Chuckling, Jean-Claude returned to his paper.
‘Oh God, you don’t mind Danny coming, do you?’ she said, giving an anxious, apologetic grimace as she dialled the number.
‘No. Though ’opefully she ’as calmed down a little after last night.’
‘Hopefully,’ Sarah muttered. ‘Hi, Danny, it’s me. I’ve just …’ She came to an abrupt stop and pulling the receiver from her ear she gazed at it blankly. ‘She hung up on me,’ she said incredulously. Then hitting the connectors she dialled again. The phone rang and rang until finally Danny picked it up. ‘Danny,’ Sarah said crossly. ‘Is Louisa there?’
‘No.’
‘No? Well, have you seen her today?’
‘No. Now get off the line, I’m waiting for a call,’ and with that Danny slammed down the phone.
‘The cow,’ Sarah said angrily, putting down the receiver. She turned thoughtfully, worriedly, to Jean-Claude who was looking at her over the top of his paper. ‘Well she obviously hasn’t calmed down,’ Sarah said. ‘But I wonder where Louisa is if she’s not over there?’ It was the strangest thing, she was thinking to herself, but ever since she’d got up this morning she’d had the weirdest feeling inside. She couldn’t say exactly what it was, but it seemed, she thought, to be coming from the air. It seemed even stiller than normal, almost eerily still. There were no birds, there was no breeze, not even the faintest rustle in the trees and she was sure that the temperature must have risen above a hundred.
‘’er car is there, is it not?’ Jean-Claude said.
‘Yes,’ she answered, her eyes drawing focus. ‘At least I think it was.’ She went to the window and craning her neck to see over the thick clusters of oleanders she said, ‘Yes, her car’s there. So where can she be? Unless she’s with Jake.’
‘I’m sure that must be it,’ he said. ‘I didn’t see him, but …’
‘Oh, here they are,’ Sarah said, feeling a bewildering flood of relief as the Mercedes swept into the drive. ‘And by the look of their faces they haven’t patched it up either. Shall we have some wine with lunch?’
‘But of course,’ Jean-Claude said, making it sound like a silly question.
A few minutes later Louisa came in. Even with her sunglasses on there was no mistaking the fact she’d been crying.
‘Here,’ Sarah said, thrusting a glass of wine at her. ‘Come and sit down. What happened? Did he apologize for last night?’
‘Yes,’ Louisa answered.
‘So why the glum face?’ Sarah said, as Louisa started to bite her lips.
‘They’ve found his wife. He’s leaving tomorrow.’
‘Oh là, là,’ Jean-Claude murmured.
‘They’ve found her!’ Sarah said. ‘You mean she’s alive?’
Louisa nodded. ‘Please, do you mind, I don’t really want to talk about it just now. I’ll tell you later.’
‘Of course,’ Sarah said, peering worriedly into Louisa’s face.
‘It’s OK,’ Louisa said, patting her hand. ‘I’ll be all right. I just need some time to get used to it.’
Sarah hugged her. Naturally, no one could be anything but glad that Martina was alive, though what the poor woman must have been through these past three years hardly bore thinking about, but it was just so awful for Louisa that it all had to end like this.
‘That’ll be lunch,’ Jean-Claude said, hearing a car pull into the drive.
As Sarah made to get up he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently back to her knees. ‘I’ll see to it,’ he said in a low voice.
Looking up at him and smiling her thanks, Sarah turned back to Louisa. ‘Will you see him again before he goes?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ Louisa croaked. Then clearing her throat she said, ‘How’s Morandi?’
‘Would you believe,’ Sarah said, pulling a face, ‘he’s sitting there in his cell writing blue movies about the police?’
Louisa chuckled. ‘No, I wouldn’t believe,’ she said.
‘Then you’re right. He’s not. He’s a bundle of nerves and he looks terrible.’
‘But I thought he wasn’t under suspicion any more?’
‘So did I. But some kind of bureaucratic nonsense is keeping him in jail. The lawyer didn’t bother to explain what, at least not to me. I left him explaining it to Morandi.’
‘They’re very co-operative letting you see him so often,’ Louisa commented, her mind barely on what she was saying.
‘Well I only get five minutes, but it’s better than nothing. I guess that’s France for you, even the police have a romantic side. Still, at least now we know he’ll be out soon.’ Then looking immediately contrite she added. ‘I just wish it could have turned out a bit more happily for you.’
‘Well, never mind, that’s life,’ Louisa said, feeling the tightness of pain move throughout her body as everything in her cried out for him. ‘When do you think they might let him go?’
‘Search me,’ Sarah sighed, glancing at the phone as it started to ring.
‘Sarah, it’s for you,’ Jean-Claude called from the kitchen.
Getting up to answer it Sarah gave Louisa’s hand a quick squeeze saying, ‘That’ll be him now. At least he’s the only one I gave this number to. Unless it’s Danny of course.’
But it was Morandi’s lawyer and as Sarah listened to what he was saying, despite the shaft of burning hot sun on her skin, she felt herself turning to ice.
‘I don’t believe it,’ she murmured as she put the phone down. ‘I just don’t believe it.’
‘What? What’s happened?’ Louisa said.
‘They’re not letting him go,’ Sarah answered, still dazed by the shock of it. ‘Not only that,’ she said huskily, ‘they’ve just added another charge. Extortion.’
Louisa’s eyes closed and as her head started to spin she thought she was going to be sick. ‘But Jake said …’ she began, but what had Jake said? ‘Not that I’m aware of,’ that’s what he’d said when she’d asked him if Morandi had killed Aphrodite. ‘Oh my God, Sarah,’ she said. ‘You don’t suppose that he was double-crossing Jake and working with Consuela do you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Sarah said, her face deathly pale. ‘I just don’t know anything any more. And I hate this silence. Where are the damned birds?’
It wouldn’t be long now, Danny was thinking to herself, as she floated on the surface of the pool sta
ring through her polaroid lenses at the sun-bleached sky. Just one more call, one more person to get into place and it would begin. The witnesses, her rescuers should it turn nasty, were all where they should be. She didn’t feel as nervous now as she had last night, but it was always that way, the nerves generally disappeared when the performance began. And it had begun, for ever since she had left Consuela’s, just under an hour ago, she had been summoning the flair and genius inside her. There were no lines, just a silent, spectacular performance that called for cameras all around the pool. And fate and fortune were with her, directing her, had been pulling the performance from her even before she’d known it. Last night’s fiasco was the prelude, without it today couldn’t have happened. That’s how she knew she was receiving a near divine inner guidance, for when she had felt them all turning against her she had almost lost it. She had come so close to throwing her arms around Louisa and begging forgiveness for the way she had hurt her. But she hadn’t. It was all proving so easy and she couldn’t think now why she had been so frightened and nervous last night.
She was glad she’d had that long talk with Consuela this morning, recalling it now was soothing her. She had come away with everything at last in perspective. She now knew exactly why she was doing this and why it had to be done. A last minute work-through of character and motivation was invariably invaluable, but even so, Consuela had said, ‘If at any moment you feel you don’t want to go through with this, even if it’s right at the last minute, then don’t think twice, pick up the phone and it will be like nothing has ever happened.’
But there was no question now of her backing out. She was so ready for this performance. She wondered how easy it was going to be for them to get Jake here, but maybe, after she’d spoken to him on the phone this morning when he’d tried to call Louisa, he’d come anyway. That had been another unexpected twist that had gone even further to prove that this was all meant to be. She hadn’t told him Louisa was at Jean-Claude’s, she’d told him that Louisa didn’t want to speak to him. Then she’d invited him to come and make love to her, but she hadn’t put it like that, she’d put it in a way that few men could resist. Consuela had been delighted when she’d told her. So maybe he would come anyway, but they still had their plan to get him here, just in case.
Swimming lazily to the steps she climbed out of the pool and as she walked towards the terrace she was watching her reflection in the window. She had chosen her costume with care and just to see the way she looked was igniting her lust. Her swimsuit was black, had only a bikini bottom from which two long straps hooked up over her shoulders, pulling the bottom high on her hip bones and revealing her breasts totally.
It was a strange sort of day, she thought to herself as she sat down, so silent and so unbelievably hot. She’d remarked on it to Consuela that morning and Consuela had agreed, there did seem something unnatural about today. Danny wondered if Louisa had noticed it. She didn’t know why it should matter whether Louisa had or not, but for some reason it seemed important. Ah yes, she knew why, when it came to writing the script later this peculiar, breathless silence would be important for the ambience.
She blinked as for an instant her mind went blank. The telephone rang and rushing into the house she snatched it up, urgently saying hello. The adrenalin was pouring into her veins, excitement was gleaming feverishly in her eyes.
‘Danny?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you alone?’
‘Yes, I’m alone,’ she confirmed starting to shake.
‘Good. Are you ready?’
‘I will be by the time you get here.’
He laughed.
She laughed too.
‘See you soon,’ he said and rang off.
As Danny put down the phone every nerve in her body was buzzing like a live wire. Exhilaration was coursing through her. She slid a hand over the front of her swimsuit, pushing it between her legs. She was going to screw him one more time, she was going to have a murderer’s cock inside her. She reached out for the edge of the table as her knees suddenly turned weak. Oh, what a shame the real cameras weren’t here, for to recreate later what she was feeling now was going to be almost impossible.
She walked onto the terrace, waving an arm towards the woods to give the signal that he was about to arrive. None of them knew that she was going to screw him, right there on the terrace, it wasn’t a part of the script, but just think of what power it would add to the scene.
A few minutes later she heard his car coming into the drive and going back into the house she began stroking her breasts. Soon his hands would be doing this. A killer’s hands would be moving all over her body and as she goaded him and jeered at him and forced him to beat her the telephoto lenses would be watching.
Then suddenly, from out of nowhere, a terrible fear struck like a hammer. She hadn’t actually seen anyone in the woods, she’d just assumed they were there. But Consuela wouldn’t let her down, Consuela had said they were there, but what if they weren’t? She needed to see them. She had to be sure. She didn’t want to be alone with a killer, but how could she find out now, as he was coming up the drive, if the others were there? Her heart was thudding in her ears, there was sudden terror in her throat. She couldn’t think. She didn’t know what to do. She needed Sarah and Louisa. Her hand flew to her mouth, trembling violently against her lips as she heard his engine die. Then turning, crashing against the table, she grabbed for the phone.
‘Jake,’ Louisa cried. ‘Jake, I’m sorry to call you now, I know you have a hundred things …’
‘It’s OK,’ he said, getting out of his car, the mobile phone resting on his shoulder. ‘I already know.’
‘About Morandi?’
‘Sure. I’m on my way there now.’
‘What happened, do you know? Why was he …’
‘Consuela spoke to the police this morning, that’s how it happened. She’s trying to get her accusations in first. Tell Sarah not to worry, we’ll have him out of there, it’s just not going to be as soon as I thought. I’ve got to go now, I’ll call you later.’
When Louisa rang off she turned to find Sarah’s anxious, bewildered eyes looking up at her from the sofa. ‘He’s on his way to try and get it sorted,’ Louisa told her, then smiled at the way Sarah seemed to deflate with relief.
‘Was it Consuela who accused him?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank God for that, for one horrible minute there I was almost suspecting Jake again.’
‘I know. I feel a bit like the Valhalla tossing about in a storm these days, don’t you?’
‘Tell me about it,’ Sarah remarked. ‘Anyway, what are we going to do about Danny? Do you think we should go over there?’
‘Mmm, yes,’ Louisa sighed. ‘We’ve got to try and thrash this out between us once and for all. The trouble is I just don’t know if I’m up to her saying any more about Jake right now. If she does, we’re only going to end up having another row.’
‘Then why don’t we leave her to stew in it for a bit longer,’ Sarah said, ‘and go and at least try to be cheerful guests and eat some of that paella.’
‘You’re right,’ Louisa said, as they walked outside to join Jean-Claude on the terrace. ‘It really is horribly quiet today, isn’t it?’ she remarked.
An hour later Didier still hadn’t emerged from his hangover and Louisa was collecting up the used paella plates while Jean-Claude and Sarah sipped their coffee, when they all turned as they heard someone running up the drive.
‘Jean-Claude! Jean-Claude!’ Erik shouted, running onto the terrace and almost collapsing against a pillar. ‘Get the police,’ he said breathlessly.
Jean-Claude was on his feet. ‘Erik, what is it?’ he said, going to him. ‘What ’as ’appened?’
‘It’s … It’s Danny!’ Erik gulped, his face stricken with horror. ‘You’ve got to call the police.’
‘Why?’ Louisa cried, dropping the plates and starting towards him. ‘Erik, what’s happened to her?’
>
‘Just call the police!’ Erik seethed, dashing his fist through the tears streaming down his ashen cheeks.
‘Where is she?’ Sarah demanded.
Erik was sobbing so hard he could barely catch his breath. ‘The police,’ he choked. ‘Please, just call the police.’
Their faces pinched with fear, Sarah and Louisa looked at each other then together started from the terrace.
‘No!’ Erik yelled. ‘Don’t go over there. Please, don’t go.’
Louisa started to run, Sarah was right behind her as they raced up the drive to the villa, shouting Danny’s name.
‘Oh my God!’ Sarah suddenly gasped, covering her face with her hands.
Louisa swung round, then she saw too.
Interminable seconds passed as they stood frozen in shock, then Louisa began moving towards the pool.
‘No,’ she murmured. ‘No, no, no. Oh, Danny, no! Danny!’ she cried, throwing herself down at the edge. ‘Oh please God! Please, please, please God, don’t let her be dead. Danny, speak to me …’ she begged desperately reaching out her hand.
But Danny just floated silently in the bloody water, her thick black hair spreading like strands of silk, her arms and legs hanging loosely, her face submerged in the gentle undulation as the blood around the glinting knife in her back congealed in the baking sun.
The next two hours passed in a daze as the blazing sun slanted its rays of blistering heat through the open windows and the humidity outside seemed to drip from the trees. Louisa and Sarah sat huddled in Jean-Claude’s sitting room, speaking to the police, and heard, but didn’t see, the commotion going on over at the villa. Neither of them could collect their thoughts sufficiently from the shock to give very coherent answers, but Jean-Claude, who was acting as their interpreter, was doing his best. Erik’s interrogation was going on in another room, his French was good enough for him to fend for himself, but his shock was also rendering him almost incapable.
At some point, they didn’t know exactly when, Danny’s body was taken away and the forensic experts were now combing the villa and its grounds. Louisa didn’t know if anyone had contacted Danny’s parents yet, she didn’t want to ask because she just couldn’t think of how terrible this was going to be for them. There was only one thought in her mind, one agonizing thought, that if she hadn’t been so feeble as to not want to hear Danny insulting Jake again then she and Sarah would have gone over to the villa and somehow they might have prevented this.
