I don’t feel one jot like going to this party tonight but it’s work so I have no choice. It took me an age to come out from under the duvet to face the world. The whole time I’ve been getting ready I’ve been going over and over the conversation with Charlie. He didn’t actually say our relationship was over, he said maybe we should take a break. He’s mad at me. I’m angry with him. When we calm down we’ll both be rational and everything will get sorted and be OK again. Won’t it?
No. It won’t. Charlie has had enough of my inability to trust him. He doubts if I will ever manage to trust him, no matter what he does or says. Maybe I should get therapy or something.
I pull my shoulders back, straighten my spine and blink away yet more tears, refusing to let them fall, as I walk into the hotel’s reception area. I have a job to do. I need to be professional.
“Hey, don’t you scrub up well!” Dan appears at my side and slips an arm through one of mine. “Would you allow me to escort you to this evening’s dance? I figure everyone else will most likely be paired off so we may as well team up instead of feeling like gooseberries all night.”
I nod but say nothing. When we reach the function room where music is already thumping away loudly he turns to me. “Are you OK? Only you look like you might have been crying.”
I knew I should have plastered on yet another layer of makeup.
“I’m fine,” I reply rather unconvincingly. “Let’s go through to the party and see how drunk we can get.”
“You know it’s against the agency rules to get blotto when you’re working a case right?” he says, eyeing me cautiously.
“I do know that.”
He stops me and then steps in front of me, leaning down slightly so his eyes are level with mine. Intense chocolate-brown eyes. “But tonight, for some reason, you don’t care do you?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Excellent,” Dan laughs as he leads me to the free bar.
Ty and Amelia have taken centre stage and are chatting away with their guests. Everyone is here, including Greg, Bethan and Holly from the chalet. Holly is dancing with a rather handsome young man I don’t recognise but pretty much everyone else here I think I know. Standing on the edge of the room I practise my visual sweep while I’m still sober enough to do so.
Dan walks over and hands me a glass of Champagne. “Here’s to getting drunk,” he says as he gently clinks his own glass against mine. “And to surprises.”
I shoot him a funny look. “Surprises? What kind of surprises?”
He leans in close. “You know it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
We circulate, chatting with the other guests and the evening slips slowly from working to partying. Dan gets me to join him on the dance floor once or twice. I know it might be asking for trouble after his earlier admission about being interested in me but tonight I don’t care. I just want to forget about Charlie. Or at least do my best to try to forget about him. If only for a few hours.
Dan, unsurprisingly, is a good dancer. We do a disco number and at one point he goes from expert moves to fooling around in a full on John Travolta Saturday Night Fever routine making me double over with laughter.
Charlie, I remind myself, is a rubbish dancer.
Hah. Serves him right.
The music changes to a slow tempo number and before I can make my escape in the direction of the free bar again Dan grabs my hand and pulls me back onto the dance floor where we sway slowly for a few minutes to a smoochy record. He’s wearing his usual aftershave I note. The same one Charlie wears. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes but I refuse to let them fall.
Are Charlie and I over and I’m fooling myself by thinking this is ‘just a break’? I pull away from Dan. “I need a drink.” He starts to follow me off the floor but Hannah grabs his hand and asks him to join her for a dance. I make my escape and head for the bar. Finding a chair on an empty table in the corner of the room I sip my drink then close my eyes.
“Getting drunk is not the answer.”
I open my eyes to see Siobhan sitting down next to me.
“You’re sure about that?” I reply before taking another sip from my glass.
“Ennis told me about your row with Charlie and the two of you taking a break.”
“It’s sweet of the two of you to worry about me but I’ll be fine,” I reply, watching Dan and Hannah moving slowly together on the dance floor. Dan spots me looking, beams me a smile and then winks.
“He’s not the answer either,” Siobhan says with a distinct note of disapproval in her voice.
“What?”
“I saw you dancing with him earlier, that Dan, the architect guy. In fact I’ve seen the two of you together a couple of times since he arrived. There wouldn’t be anything going on between the two of you would there? You wouldn’t go and do something you might regret?”
I shoot her a look. “Of course not!”
She nods. “Good! I’m glad to hear it. Men like him are trouble. You can see it a mile off. Stay away from him and his charm and his sexy smile and focus on sorting things with you and Charlie. He’s such a sweetheart. I like Charlie.”
The slow dance finishes and Dan extricates himself from Hannah’s arms and heads in my direction.
“Hi, ladies!” he says as he reaches our table.
Siobhan gets to her feet, glares at Dan and walks away.
Dan flops into the chair Siobhan has just vacated. “Why do I get the feeling Siobhan doesn’t like me?”
“It know it must be a rare occurrence, women disliking you, Dan but there are some females out there your charm doesn’t work on,” I say before finishing my drink.
He doesn’t have a chance to reply because Amelia appears at our side. “Having fun?”
Wiping a hand across my face I nod. “How about you? Have there been any more problems? How’s Ty doing?”
“He’s doing really well, in the circumstances.” She looks across at where Ty is sitting in a chair, looking tired but happy. “I think he’d rather be back at the chalet, truth be told, but I feel safer here.”
She looks first at Dan and then at me. “Am I crazy to think that? There’s still some idiot out there capable of God knows what. I wish this was all over and we knew what he wants, who he is.” She gives a little shudder and wraps her arms around herself.
“I promise it will all be over soon, Amelia. We have some leads on the case,” I soothe.
“Oh? What? Who?” she asks.
“Sorry, we can’t say just yet but hang in there,” Dan replies. “Everything will be fine. So, has there been anything else happening we need to know about? Any further notes or gifts?”
She shakes her head. “Just some more flowers. They turned up this afternoon when I was at the hospital collecting Ty. Same thing, no card, left on the doorstep.”
Oops. I forget to tell Dan about the latest bouquet of flowers.
“Do you think there’s any significance in the choice of flowers he sends you?” I ask. “Are they your favourite colour or type of flower?” A part of me wants to rest a hand on her arm, make some reassuring gesture. Before we saw her with Tom in the bar I probably would have done. But now, there’s a pinch of doubt in my mind. Is she involved with Tom? What were they doing meeting up in the bar? Is she cheating on Ty?
“No, they’re not. They’re just flowers.” Twisting her hands she adds, “I wanted to book a room to stay in the hotel tonight. You know, delay taking Ty back to the chalet in case…”
“Nothing is going to happen to you or Ty, trust us,” Dan placates her.
She nods and conjures up a smile. “So, have you heard? The hotel has supplied some local entertainment for the party. Along with the musicians they’ve got us a fortune teller would you believe? She’s through the door in the far corner in an adjoining room if you guys want to go and let her tell you all about your futures.”
Dan immediately shakes his head. “Not for me, thanks anyway.”
; Amelia disappears off in Ty’s direction. I stand up and grab Dan’s arm, trying to pull him to his feet. He shakes his head again.
“What?”
“You are not dragging me in there.” He points at the door to the fortune teller’s room.
“Don’t be a spoilsport.”
“No. You go and I’ll keep an eye on things in here.”
“But?”
“No,” he says, arms crossed. “You go. Besides I have something I need to sort.”
“Oh, in that case, I should stay too if it’s work stuff. Can I help with anything?”
He gently pushes me away. “Go.”
I’m probably not sober enough for work stuff anyway. Some agency support officer I am. I make my way to the door Amelia had pointed out moments earlier and knock tentatively. Do I really want to do this? What if she tells me something bad? Maybe she could tell me something good though. Reassure me that Charlie and I will be fine. That this ‘break’ is just a little blip in our relationship.
“Enter!” A loud female voice commands.
She’s probably just a fake anyway.
I venture inside.
“Welcome!” the woman says. She’s sitting at a conference table and is dressed in a smart black business suit. She looks…well, normal. What was I expecting? A gypsy woman with long hair, huge hoop earrings and a crystal ball?
Well, yes, I was actually.
“Sit!” she instructs.
I sit.
“You’re English,” I say, then realise I sound stupid. “Sorry, I meant, I was expecting somebody French.”
She tilts her head in the slightest nod. “Naturally. Now, please put your hands on the table in front of you, palms up.”
I do as she says. She’s actually a teensy bit scary.
When she takes my hands in hers and leans forward to start examining them a shiver flies though me. Her hands are freezing.
“Mmmm.” She lifts my right hand and peers at it more closely. “Ah. Yes.”
Nerves are making my stomach twist and turn. “What is it? What do you see?”
She glances up at me. “A man. I see a man.”
Oooh. Is it Charlie? “What kind of man?”
“A very brave man. He is surrounded by danger. He is tall, dark and very handsome.”
I feel a stab of relief. She’s a phony. Don’t they all come out with that line about a tall, dark and handsome man? Then again, that description fits Charlie and he is brave and does have a dangerous job.
“Anything else?” I ask.
“Sshhh! I am working,” she barks.
I sit and stare at her as she stares at my hand. Moments stretch away. How long is this going to take? I’m supposed to be working too. I should try to sober up and get back to the other room.
“I’m sorry to say this man will put himself in even greater danger.” She looks at me. “For you. I think he may have to try to save you.”
“Try? You mean he doesn’t succeed?” I gulp.
“This man always gets what he wants.” Her bright blue eyes are piercing right through me as she adds, “And what he wants is you.”
I notice she’s avoided answering my question. “Can you see anything else? A name? Even an initial? Anything to help me know who you mean. How will I know when I meet him?”
“You already know him.”
“Am I in a relationship with him?”
“That is not clear at this stage but I think there is a definite connection between the two of you.”
“So what can I do?” I ask, fidgeting anxiously in my seat.
She frowns. “Do?”
“Yes, to save him having to put himself at risk for me.”
“You cannot do anything.” She waves a hand in the air. “It is fate. It will happen.”
OK. So she isn’t one of those cheerful you’ll-meet-your-perfect-man-and-live-happily-ever-after types. She’s a freak-you-out type instead. I pull my hand away and get to my feet. “Well, er, thank you. I think.”
She’s a complete and utter fake I tell myself as I reach the door.
“Wait! There’s something else. It just came to me.”
I turn, hand clasped on the door handle. “Oh? And what’s that?”
“A gun. I see a gun.”
My hand drops from the door. “A gun? What kind of gun? Does he have it or do I?”
Closing her eyes she falls silent for a moment and I grip the back of the chair I’ve wandered over to without noticing what I’m doing.
Eventually she speaks. “You both have guns. He has two and he hands one to you.”
I feel a jolt of panic. Now I know she’s talking about Charlie. When we finished our last mission, the one on the Scottish island, and got home Charlie took me to the woods and gave me a giant water pistol as a playful introduction to guns because he knew I was so nervous around real guns.
She isn’t a fake. She’s talking about Charlie. But she said he was in danger and would risk his life for me. My mouth goes dry. “Tell me more, please. I need to know.”
“All I see is that this man cares very deeply for you. He is The One. You could be very happy together.”
Relief surges through me. It’s going to be OK. Then she adds, “At least, you will be if he lives.”
“What? NO!!! You can’t just leave it at that!”
“There is no more,” she almost shouts, looking annoyed with me now. “Please go. I have a headache.”
I stumble back out into the party room and collapse into a seat. I wish I’d never gone to see her now.
Scanning the room - still practising that visual sweep business - I’m suddenly aware again of how everyone here is part of a couple. Cara and Grant are on the dance floor. Amelia and Ty are sharing a kiss. Pammie and Micky are all over each other in the corner of the room near the buffet. Even Ty’s parents are enjoying a smooch on the dance floor. All couples.
Except for me and Dan.
“Hey! There you are! So how did it go with your fortune teller?”
I look into Dan’s eyes and know I can’t tell him what Madam Horror said to me. He’ll laugh in my face. “Oh, er, it was rubbish. She’s obviously just one of the bar staff pretending to be psychic or something. Waste of time.” He holds my gaze for a fraction too long and I think he suspects I’m lying. “I need a drink.”
He looks around, spots an almost full bottle of red wine on the table next to us and grabs it, offering it to me. “Help yourself.”
There’s nobody sitting at the table so I guess it’s OK to take the bottle. Plus, it’s a free bar anyway so it’s not like we’re pinching a bottle somebody has paid for. And, after that little episode with the fortune teller, that bottle of wine looks very enticing.
“Go ahead, you don’t need a glass,” Dan says, shoving the bottle into my hands. “You look like you could really use a drink, to be honest.”
I lift the bottle to my lips. Dan leans in close, whispering into my ear. “She wasn’t a fake was she? She’s spooked you big time. What did she say?”
The music stops and everyone looks around wondering what’s about to happen. I see Dan slip a hand inside his jacket and I know he’s reaching for his gun. Just in case the silence is all part of the stalker’s next move.
Is it? I hold my breath, senses now on full alert.
Ennis suddenly drops down on one knee in the center of the dance floor and for a moment I panic, thinking he’s been shot. But there was no sound of a gunshot. Then I see what he’s doing. What this is all about. He opens a small red jewellery box and offers it up to Siobhan who is standing in front of him, her hands clasped to her mouth.
Ennis is proposing to Siobhan.
We all watch, feeling as though we shouldn’t be but too fascinated to look away.
Siobhan says yes and Ennis sweeps her into his arms. Everyone claps and cheers. We all offer our congratulations. I hug them both and Dan does one of those two-fingered whistles I’ve never quite mastered. I’m happy for the two of them.
Truly I am. There’s just a sadness gnawing away inside me which makes it difficult to smile, to function.
An hour later I’m sitting in the corner still drinking wine. I’m even further from being in party mode now than I was at the start of the evening. Charlie and I are ‘on a break’ (whatever that means) and some scary fortune teller just told me a tall, dark and handsome man is going to risk his life for me. Does she mean Charlie? She must have, she mentioned the guns thing. But I don’t want him to risk his life for me. I take another slurp of the red wine. I feel light headed and a bit spinny. I also feel sorry for myself. Everyone around me is part of a couple.
Except for Dan.
Where is Dan?
My phone buzzes and I take another hefty drink from the wine bottle before retrieving my phone and checking caller ID.
It’s Dan.
“Where are you? Did something happen to Amelia?” I ask.
“I’m outside. I need you to get out here pronto. Meet me outside the hotel’s main entrance.”
I sprint for the door, heading for the foyer, pushing my way through and out into the bitter night air. I stop in my tracks. It’s snowing. It’s May and it’s snowing! This night is just getting crazier by the minute. I look all round but can’t spot Dan anywhere. I move further away from the entrance, out from the cover of the canopy and under the huge flakes of snow. Still no Dan. He said to meet him at the front entrance, what is he playing at? The wind whips snow into my face as I dash round the corner towards the car park. High heels and snow do not make a good pairing when you’re walking, it’s even worse if you’re running. I’ve only been in the hotel a couple of hours but the snow must have been falling most of that time as the ground now has a decent covering.
Around the corner I see something which makes me drop my phone in shock.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dan is sitting in a sleigh. One of those traditional wooden ones you see in the Christmas films. There are two black horses harnessed to it and a man sitting up on a section above the sleigh’s carriage holding the horse’s reins.
This is completely bizarre.
Dan spots me and climbs out onto the pavement. “There you are! Come on, I’m being charged a fortune for this. Get in!”
Forever Mine: A Fun and Flirty Romantic Mystery (Amber Reed Mystery Book 3) Page 16
