Hot on the Trail (3 page)

“At least you were in daylight. But no more foolishness, Miss Masters.”

Eve grunted before speaking again. “How long will it be before you can get here?”

“A couple of days, perhaps longer. We have to get permission.”

“Ok. I’ll see you when you get here.”

Dimitris put the phone down, wishing he could get to Perth quicker. He felt sure Eve Masters, despite his warnings, would do something foolish before he got to Australia.

Eve, on the other hand, wished there was something she could do now, not that it would please David, but Joanna Neonakis had caused her a lot of grief and she couldn’t let her get away again, not to mention that Eve wanted to get one up on Dimitris Kastrinakis.

* * *

A little while later, after having what Eve felt was a delicious high tea, almost as good as the ones in England, and one which she decided they would have again before they left  Australia, Eve and David got ready to meet Matt Connors, Andrea’s lawyer, who was taking them to see the house which Eve had inherited.

The house wasn’t too far from the hotel so it didn’t take them long to get there. Eve was very quiet during the journey, her mind still on Joanna.

“We’re almost there,” Matt said, breaking into Eve’s thoughts.

“We are?” she asked, snapping back into the present.

Suddenly Eve forgot all about Joanna and started to become excited about seeing her house. She glanced at David who looked pretty glum and she wished he could be just a little excited as well. He seemed to like Australia so why wasn’t he looking forward to the possibility of coming again? Her new house opened up many new opportunities for them.   

A few moments later, Matt stopped his car outside a rather large, but a slightly scruffy house.

“Wow,” Eve said. “I wasn’t expecting this. It could do with a lick of paint, but apart from that, it’s a nice size. I do like a roomier house.”

Eve had been expecting a small semi-detached house in an estate, not a big rambling property like this one.

“It does need a little work doing inside as well,” Matt put in.

“I would imagine it does if the outside is anything to go by,” Eve replied. “However, once it’s done, it will be absolutely perfect, don’t you think so David?”

“It’s certainly a house with character,” David replied. “I wouldn’t have thought it would be your cup of tea though. I thought you liked more modern properties.”

“Not all the time, darling. I do like older houses, as long as they have character. Can we look inside, Mr. Connors?”

“Call me Matt. Of course you can. This way.”

Once inside Eve loved it even more. It had a large entrance hall with a big staircase and there were rooms leading off the hall. Eve wandered about looking in the sitting room, dining room, office, kitchen, bathroom and another room which could be used as anything. Upstairs there were four bedrooms and two bathrooms and Eve got more and more excited as she went from room to room.

“You are going to put this up for sale, aren’t you Eve?” David asked, sounding a little concerned.

Was Eve actually thinking about moving to Australia now? David knew how changeable she could be, but she had already booked to have their beach wedding in Crete so how could they leave their home now?

“Sell it? Not for the moment,” Eve replied. “This house is amazing. I couldn’t bear to get rid of it quite yet.”

“Do I take it that you want to come and live in Australia then?” David asked incredulously.

“No, of course not, but I wouldn’t mind spending a little time here. It is a remarkable country.”

Eve walked off to look in another room, leaving David standing in the sitting room looking completely dumbfounded. Sometimes Eve could still be so self-centered. She hadn’t even asked if he wanted to spend more time in Australia.

What with Joanna Neonakis turning up and Eve falling in love with her new house, she seems to have forgotten about me and our future. We’ll have to talk about this as soon as we’re alone. I’m not going to let her get swept away by events and leave me behind; not this time.

* * *

Matt Connors dropped Eve and David off at their hotel and when they got into their room Eve noticed that David looked quite miserable.

“David, what’s wrong? Didn’t you like the house?”

David had had enough. Eve was always making decisions by herself and never asking him. They were supposed to be getting married, but you wouldn’t have guessed it.

“Yes, I liked the house well enough. What I don’t like is you deciding to do all these things without asking me if I want to do them. Hasn’t it occurred to you that I might not want to spend that much time in Australia?”

“Oh David,” Eve said, suddenly feeling guilty.

Eve felt awful. She was just thinking about herself and expecting him to do whatever she wanted.

“I am self-centered; I know that. I’ve been alone so long that I’ve got used to doing whatever I want and now I have no idea how to act as part of a couple.”

Eve went and flung her arms around David.

“Please forgive me. Of course we’ll discuss all of my ideas before we make the final decision. I was just rambling as the thoughts came into my head. It doesn’t mean they’re all set in stone.”

David’s heart melted, but he wasn’t quite certain if she was being genuine or was still trying to manipulate him. Whatever, at least she had apologized and said she’d talk about her plans.”

"I forgive you, darling. I suppose I wouldn’t want to sell a house I’d inherited straight away and yours is a very interesting one at that. Now, come on, we’ve been out for so long; it’s time we got ready for dinner.”

Eve smiled at David and kissed him on the cheek. However, as she went into the bathroom, she breathed a sigh of relief that she'd got through that confrontation. One more to go, but she’d leave that for another day. Eve had already decided she wanted to stay on in Australia for a little longer than the planned three weeks. She wanted to do the house up as much as possible. It definitely needed a new kitchen and at least one of the bathrooms needed changing as well In fact, most of the rooms looked a bit drab. She would have to subtly bring it into the conversation with David as soon as an opportunity arose. She was certain she could persuade him to stay a little longer. After all, he nearly always ended up doing what she wanted.

* * *

“This risotto is delicious,” Eve said later that evening. “I must say, all the food I’ve had at the hotel has been first class. How’s your seafood?”

“Wonderful. It’s been cooked to perfection. I’m sure I’ll be going back to Crete pounds heavier.”

“I’ll still love you, darling,” Eve joked. “Even if you look like a barrel!”

David grinned, pleased that Eve seemed to have calmed down and was just enjoying the evening. She had avoided talking about both Joanna and her new property and had actually started discussing their wedding, so David was delighted. It was much more fun talking about that than anything else. Perhaps she was going to leave Joanna to the Greek police and perhaps she would be glad to get back to Crete at the end of their three week holiday. However wonderful it was in Australia, he knew he wouldn’t get much writing done and three weeks off was too much. He was pleased they hadn’t booked five weeks as Eve had originally suggested.

David seems much happier now that I’ve avoided speaking about Joanna and the house. I must think more before I open my mouth as he can be very touchy, Eve thought digging into another large forkful of risotto.

“David, it is you,” a voice suddenly said. “I thought it was as I came into the room, but I couldn’t believe my eyes. What on earth are you doing here?”

“Sophie!” David said, sounding more than a little surprised. “I could say the same about seeing you here.”

He got up and kissed her on both cheeks, while Eve sat staring at both of them. She didn’t look too happy.

Who on earth is that woman? David doesn’t seem keen on introducing me to her.

“I’m here on holiday,” David said to Sophie. “And you?”

“I work in Perth now. In fact I’m in this hotel on a business dinner. Perhaps we could meet in the bar later for a drink?”

“Oh, I’m here with my friend, Eve, “David replied.

“Oh, you can bring her along,” Sophie said looking at Eve and giving her a dazzling smile.

Eve was fuming already and was doing her best not to say anything, knowing that it would make her look silly and jealous.

How dare David call me his friend? I’m his fiancée. At the very least he could have called me his girlfriend. And what a condescending smile she gave me. I wonder what went on with those two.

Eve was worried. There was definitely chemistry between Sophie and David and she didn’t like it one bit. On top of everything, Sophie was rather attractive. She was tall and slim with long blonde hair and baby blue eyes. To make matters worse, she was definitely younger than Eve. All of a sudden Eve felt old and crotchety. She knew she had more lines on her face than Sophie and she now wished she were ten years younger.

“Well, I have to go and join my colleagues. I’ll see you in the bar later.”

“Look forward to,” David replied and Eve cringed.

“Who was that?” Eve asked as soon as Sophie had gone. She tried to keep any jealousy and anger out of her voice. After all, David was possibly only being friendly, although she seriously doubted it. However, he was quite innocent when it came to women flirting with him. He hardly ever knew that they were, so he might not have realized Sophie was. Eve usually found this characteristic of his quite sweet, but today she didn’t. Sophie looked like a woman who wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted.

“So, who was that?” Eve asked again when David didn’t reply, mainly because his thoughts were elsewhere.

“Sophie? Oh, she’s an old girlfriend. We went out about a year after my divorce. Then she was relocated to the States for her job so we ended things. Now it looks like she works here. She does get about.”

“She seems to still have a thing for you.”

“What nonsense. Now Eve, don’t start to get jealous. Even if she does, I don’t want anyone but you, so stop feeling so insecure. I love you and want to marry you and that’s final!”

Eve smiled, but underneath she was worried. Sophie was probably easier to live with than her and probably never gave David a hard time. Eve knew she would have to be very careful. She would have to discuss her inheritance and what she did with the house with David and more important, she would have to keep her nose out of the hunt for Joanna Neonakis. It was a great pity, but she had no choice. She couldn’t keep upsetting David. She wasn’t going to let Sophie steal her fiancé, not under any circumstances.

* * *

Eve and David walked into the bar after their meal. Sophie wasn’t there yet and Eve breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that she had decided not to come. Eve wasn’t looking forward to this one bit. She usually enjoyed difficult encounters, but today she was feeling insecure. Sophie was much younger than her and David had seemed happy to see her. Did he still hold a candle for her? And would Eve have to fight for her man?

David went up to the bar to get the drinks and while he was there, Sophie came in and straight away put her arm around him. Eve seethed with jealousy, especially as David did nothing to move her arm away from him. What was she to do? Up to now, Eve had felt that nothing would break her and David up, not even her reckless behavior when hunting killers and kidnappers, but that had changed the instant Sophie spoke to David. Now Eve thought of herself as old and plain and she felt David slipping away from her.

However, when David and Sophie came to sit down, Eve smiled broadly as if nothing had happened to upset her.

“Sophie, good business meeting?” she asked.

“Not really,” Sophie replied, taking a long drink of her gin and tonic. “It was a waste of time. Still, these things happen. So, David, tell me all you’ve been doing since we last saw each other.”

She turned away from Eve as if dismissing her. Eve was livid.

That woman is incredible. She wants David all to herself and is ignoring me. Who does she think I am? Just an acquaintance of David’s? Really, is David not going to set her straight? If he isn’t, I certainly will.

Eve sat quietly for several more minutes while Sophie and David reminisced about the old days. Finally, she could take no more. She took a few large gulps of her drink.

“David,” she interrupted. “I’m feeling very tired. I think I’ll retire for the evening. Very nice to meet you, Sophie. If you have time, do come to our wedding on Crete next June. David will give you the details.”

Eve smiled at Sophie and walked out of the bar. David sat there open-mouthed as he watched her walk away.

David left the bar an hour later feeling confused. He had enjoyed talking to Sophie, but he knew Eve was jealous and that made him feel guilty.

When he entered their suite, Eve was fast asleep. He thought about waking her to apologies. He had been paying Sophie too much attention, but it had been nice to see her again. Then he wondered why he should apologies. He hadn’t done anything wrong. All he had done was talk to an old girlfriend, nothing more. Yes, David had once been head over heels in love with her, but now he loved Eve and was going to marry her .However, he was curious as to what Sophie had been up to and perhaps there was still a little spark there.

God, I do feel guilty, but it was exciting to see Sophie again, not that I want to be with anyone but Eve, but it’s brought back a lot of memories. I feel a bit confused. Life wasn’t so confusing with Sophie. Yes, she was a passionate woman, but she never wanted to do crazy things like Eve does. I never had to worry if someone was going to kill her or not. Life was simpler then. Am I making a mistake with Eve?

    
David looked down at the sleeping figure of his fiancée. He reached down to shake her and say he was sorry for spending time with Sophie, but he changed his mind. He’d sleep on it and see how he felt in the morning

Earlier that same evening, Joanna Neonakis sat in front of the mirror in her room at the Hyatt hotel. She was styling her hair with a hot brush and she couldn’t help wondering if she had gone far enough with the change of her hair color. It used to be a lovely chestnut brown, but she had colored it auburn. She hadn’t been recognized at the airports, but it was likely that she had got to both Chania and Athens before the police had told security to look out for her.