Scent of Gardenia (Scott Tucker Series) (11 page)

There
was an entry area just inside the door. She could already see the wonderful
view of the harbor out the French doors on the other side of the large sitting
area. The bedroom was off to the left and a large king size bed only took up a
portion of the space. The bathroom looked like a fine spa. There was a double
shower, an oversize sunken tub, double sinks and marble everywhere. She noticed
her reflection in the mirror but she wasn’t smiling. She should have been, but
she wished Scott was here to enjoy all of this…and
her.

She
started the water in the tub, adding some scented oil and went back into the
bedroom. Opening the drawers it was obvious that someone had meticulously
arranged all of her clothes. She took her oversize Harvard T-shirt, which also
reminded her of Scott, out of one of the drawers. She ordered a petite filet,
along with some scrumptious sounding appetizers from room service to be
delivered in an hour.

She shed
the remainder of her clothes, smiled at her reflection in the bathroom mirror
and settled into the hot bath. The tub was easily large enough for two people.
She closed her eyes letting the water relax her.
Scott, I wish you were here
with me right now...you wouldn’t be drying my back.

Chapter
25

I was
upset with my unsuccessful attempts to reach Mercedes in Bermuda last night. I
gave myself something more to worry about. She had not answered her hotel phone
any of the times I called, and my last call was quite late. She could have been
doing some investigating that took her late into the night. Or she might have
been out seeing the island with
Ralph. Maybe they didn’t need separate
rooms.
I purposely hadn’t left a message.

I guess
I’m jealous. I’ve never been jealous before. When I met Lisa it was ‘just us’
from the time I met her. Well except for the night I spent with Mercedes. Now
that I remember, Lisa was jealous about who I was with and what we might have
done. Now, when the shoe is on the other foot—
I
don’t like it
.
Mercedes is free to see anyone she wants to. It had only been a few days since
I returned her phone call, and she reentered my life again. How can I feel this
way in such a short amount of time? Yes, the weekend we spent together changed
everything.

I guess
she lit a fire the day I met her. Then that fire touched my fuse when we spent
time at the cabin. Well, without any uncertainty, I exploded when we spent the
weekend together. I’m obviously in pieces right now. It’s hard to think about
anything else. That’s why I wanted to hear her voice so much last night. I’m
playing over and over every image of her from the time we first met right
through last weekend. I see her short skirt, her long legs, her blood red
nails, her cascading red hair, her beautiful face, her luscious back and the
special parts hidden from the sun.

As soon
as the thoughts of the sun came to mind I thought of her in Bermuda. However, I
didn’t like those images.
I saw her with Ralph; sailing, swimming, dining,
drinking, dancing, and worse—him, instead of me, drying her back. I felt
trapped and there was nothing I could do about it. Maybe the next time she
travels to Bermuda, I’ll have to go with her. Is that possible?

Chapter
26

Holly
had been watching the cerulean ocean water and numerous small islands as the
plane approached Bermuda’s main island. The color of the water was something
she had never seen. It was not only romantic to look at but extremely inviting.

She
quickly cleared customs, picking up her one piece of luggage. As she entered
the main terminal, she saw a tall man standing with a sign ‘Compton’ resting on
his shoulder. She smiled as she approached him. His smile was even bigger than
hers. “Ms. Compton, I presume?”

“Yes,
Mr. Bennett?” she said, offering her hand.

“Well,
my dad is long since deceased. Please call me Jules…it’s nice to meet you. How
was your plane ride?”

“My
plane ride was actually very good.” She shook his hand. His gentle touch
surprised her. He was a giant next to her 5’ 6” frame, and that was with high
heels. He was easily a foot taller. For some strange reason she was immediately
comfortable with him. “Okay, Jules it is.” He let go of her hand, picking up
her suitcase like it was a feather.

“Please
follow me, the car is right outside.” He turned and headed for the far end of
the terminal.

Once
outside she noticed the large volume of standing water and people standing
outside the airport gate. “Why are all of those people standing there looking
like the ocean just swept over them?”

He
laughed a deep-throated laugh. “There’s a taxi strike at the airport, and those
poor people have to secure ‘town’ taxis. However, we just had our daily thunder
boomer come through and unfortunately their island welcome was not as pleasant
as it could have been. I would like to welcome
you
to Bermuda.” He held
the rear car door for her.

“May I
ride in front please?” For some reason she noticed her voice. She sounded like
a little girl asking for an ice cream cone.

He
opened the left-hand front door. She was surprised not to see the driver’s
seat. She slid into the soft and worn leather seat.

Jules
went around the front of the car and got in the right hand side. “Do you want
to go to your hotel first, or would you like a little scenic tour while we’re
out at this end of the island?”

The sun
was peeking out and people standing at the airport gate looked very
uncomfortable. “I would love to see some of the sights. Thank you Jules.”

Jules
took her by some of the historic sights in St. George’s Island and explained
the history of that section of the island. She liked his laid-back manner and
had to smile as he looked so uncomfortable bowing his head to look out the
windshield. He was almost in the back seat his legs were so long.

“Have
you been on the island a long time?” she asked.

“I was
born here. So I’ve been here about seventy years now,” he said, with a laugh
and a smile that showed his white teeth.

“What do
you do besides take people on drives like this one?”

“Other
than play drums when I have the chance, this is what I do.” He continued to
point out other sights as she studied the map of the island. She noticed how
many motor bikes were on the road.

“Can you
rent a car on the island?”

“No. The
only rentable transportation is bicycles or motor bikes. That’s why there’s
such a demand for taxis. Why, is my driving making you uncomfortable?”

She
laughed, responding, “No, not at all. It just takes some getting used to being
on this side of the road, especially going around the blind corners.”

He
laughed again with that deep laugh. “The ‘blind drivers’ are the ones who have
the least trouble with those.” He laughed again. “The rest of us hold our
breath and close our eyes going around them.”

She
looked over at him and knew she was going to really enjoy his company. She
undid her hair letting it cascade across her face.

*.*.*

About an
hour later, he pulled up in front of the
Bermudiana
Hotel
. He
removed her suitcase from the trunk and ushered her into the hotel lobby. He
helped her with registration and carried her bag to her room. Jules opened the
door to her room and placed her suitcase on the wooden stand. He opened the
drapes and she joined him to look out at the town of Hamilton and Hamilton Harbor.

“What a
nice view,” she announced.

“Ms.
Compton, if you think that’s something, wait until you see the South coast.” He
opened the sliding glass door to her balcony.

She
stepped out onto the balcony. “Jules, please call me Holly.”

He
watched her take in the view. “Holly, it’s late in the afternoon. Do you want
to wait until tomorrow to check some things out, or what are your plans?”

She
didn’t want to waste any time. “I was considering going to the newspaper
office. I think it’s the ‘Royal Gazette.’ Is that possible?”

“Most
everything is possible. Their offices are within walking distance of here.
Please let me move my car and I’ll meet you in the lobby. Give me about ten
minutes.”

“That
will give me a few minutes to unpack. Thank you for carrying my luggage for
me.” She looked and didn’t see a ring on his finger. “Would you also like to
join me for dinner after we visit the newspaper office?”

“Holly,
are you sure you want me to accompany you? You should be able to entertain
yourself with all of the tourists your age here.”

“Yes I
am. If you don’t mind joining me, I’m sure I would enjoy your company. In
exchange, you can give me your own thoughts about some recent events on the
island.”

He
headed back into the room and she followed. He closed and locked the sliding
door. “Are you referring to the missing men?”

She
wondered how he knew she was interested in that. “How did you know I was
interested in them?”

He
laughed again, answering as he headed to the hallway door, “Did you think you
were the only investigator on the island. I know enough to know when someone is
here for a vacation; or
business
. Let’s make it fifteen minutes and I’ll
meet you in the lobby. I’ll give you some extra time to change.”

She
looked at him with a question on her face and then asked, “Why did you say
that?”

“Well to
start with, you need to look like you’re here for vacation and not business.
Besides, you’ll be more comfortable in Bermuda shorts and a blouse rather than
that stuffy outfit.” He held his finger to his lips, quickly leaving the room.

She
looked at herself in the dresser mirror.
He’s right. I would be more
comfortable in something else.

*.*.*

Less
than a half hour later they were entering the newspaper’s office. She was very
comfortable in her Bermuda shorts and white blouse.

Holly
introduced herself, asking if they had any hard copies of the newspaper going
back at least eighteen months.

They
pointed to two machines where she could examine the newspapers on microfilm.
The clerk was helpful in explaining the filing system and how to operate the
machine. Jules listened, but didn’t say anything during the process.

She was
soon pulling reels and looking at them on the machine. It was a slow process
and finally Jules came over to her and spoke to her. “Holly, do you think if
you told the woman what you were interested in she could help you find it faster?”

“I was
hoping not to talk about what I was doing here. However, I guess she could care
less about that.”

Jules
nodded his head. “The offices close in an hour, so unless you plan to do this
tomorrow I would suggest you mention to her what you’re looking for.”

She
rewound the machine and took the reel back to the film library. She asked the
clerk to help her find the newspapers around the time of the men’s
disappearances. To her surprise the woman showed her where the right reels
could be found.

Holly
quickly examined the first such article, making some notes. She looked over at
Jules and he was just smiling at her discovery. There wasn’t much helpful
information in the several reels she was given. However, it did give her some
potential reference points to when the men went missing. It also gave her some
theories on what might have happened to the men. She did make note of the
missing men’s yacht names;
’Import-ant’, ‘Dust B’ Gone’, ‘Roger That’,
‘Little Will’.
She had previously only had the name of the ‘Import-ant.’

Jules
came over to stand beside her. “Holly, they’re trying to close shop. We can
come back tomorrow if you need to.”

“Thanks
Jules, I’ve got some helpful information. I might not have to come back.”

She
rewound the tape, replacing all of the reels in their proper spots. She went
over to the clerk that helped her. “Thank you so much for your help. You saved
me a lot of time. Oh, one other question. I didn’t see anything about finding
the body of one of the missing men?”

“Oh that
was just recent. We only put copies of the papers on microfilm after a month.
The paper you want to look at is right over here.”

“That’s
okay. I’ll come back tomorrow since you’re closing now.”

The
woman never stopped walking, heading to another area inside the office. “Don’t
be silly luv, you’re here now and this will only take another minute or two.”
She quickly found the respective newspaper hard copy. “Here’s the article you
need.”

Holly
thanked her, quickly reading the article. It gave the details of where the body
was found and by whom. She made some notes and returned the newspaper to its
proper location. She headed to the front of the office and offered the woman
some money for her assistance. The woman only held up her hands and told her
she was happy to assist.

Jules
opened the front door for her with a smile. “What’s next?” he asked.

“How
about you give me an hour and we can meet in the lobby for dinner. I would like
to clean up some. Where do you suggest we have dinner?”

“I’ll be
waiting in the lobby in an hour and a half. If you don’t mind it will be a
surprise…do you trust me? Wear something suitable for dancing. I’ll need to go
home and dust off a sports coat…gentlemen dress in Bermuda for dinner.” They
were both quiet walking back to the hotel.

On the
ride up in the elevator, Holly thought now was a good time to call Mike to let
him know about her safe arrival, meeting Jules and what she did this afternoon.
She was finding it hard to concentrate. She was staring at a very attractive
tall redheaded woman with a handsome man standing almost too close to her. The
woman looked annoyed, but the man looked like he was planning his next meal.
She decided in that short ride how she was going to dress for dinner, and what
to do with her
own
long-red hair.