The Vision (21 page)

“Jack, how can you be so cold?” Bethany demanded, appearing in the doorway with a

mixed drink. “You saw that poor dead girl.”

“I’m sorry to say it, but in my line of work, I’ve seen dead people before. We all gamble

with our lives. Girl like that, she gambled more than most. Hey, are we having dinner

here tonight?” he demanded.

“There you go,” Alex laughed. “The last of the great sympathizers.”

“I’m hungry and lonely. Every one of you took off today. I saw the professor this

morning, and I was almost desperate enough to have lunch with him.”

“You guys are mean,” Genevieve offered, coming out of the kitchen. Her eyes met

Thor’s. “He’s not that bad a guy. He’s an academic, that’s all.”

“Armchair diver,” Alex sniffed. “Can’t cut the mustard himself, so he thinks he’s going

to tell us all what to do.”

“Be nice,” Genevieve warned him.

“What about food?” Jack asked, fingering the skull and crossbones in his earlobe.

“We bought lots of food,” Victor said.

“For tomorrow,” Bethany said firmly.

“Let’s go somewhere with upbeat music,” Alex said thoughtfully. He looked around.

“Jack is right, you know. I don’t want to say anyone deserved such a fate, but…she was a

prostitute.”

“You were right the first time,” Genevieve said firmly. “No one deserves what happened

to that girl.”

No. No one deserved it, Thor thought. So what about the runaway who had disappeared,

and the almost-supermodel?

And Jay Gonzalez’s wife.

“Thor, what’s up?” Bethany asked, catching his thoughtful look.

He shrugged, forced a smile. “I’m with Alex. Let’s find some good food and good

music.”

“All right. Let’s do the Hog’s Breath tonight,” Bethany said. They all stared at her. “Hey,

someone has to make decisions around here.”

Thor rose. “Hog’s Breath it is.”

They opted for a table near the lone musician, a guitarist and singer. Thor had seen many

talented singers with synthesizers at their sides, but this guy was a cut above. He joked

with the crowd between songs. He wasn’t a Conch, he told them, just a wannabe. At the

end of his first set, he proved himself to be a decent human being, as well, speaking on a

somber note. “Ladies, gentlemen, you are in Key West. And Lord knows, we want you

here. We want you to buy lots of booze—and my CD of original songs, of course—but

we also want you staying responsibly sober and careful. Know the one you’re with, ladies

Take care out there. Help us out. If you see or hear anything helpful to the police, let

them know. I want you coming back to see me. And I want you to buy more CDs and eat

more Key lime pie. Thank you all.”

Thor rose. He felt Genevieve’s hand on his—he’d made sure that this time he got the seat

next to her when they sat down. She was looking at him with a frown and a question. He

smiled at her. “I like this guy so I’m buying lots of CDs.”

She gazed at him with a smile. Something in him did a flip. He was falling too deep.

Drowning. But he liked it, and couldn’t quite stop himself. “Be right back.”

He found out when he bought the CDs—he picked up three: one for his secretary in the

Jacksonville office; one for himself; one for Lizzie and Zach, who he thought would

enjoy it—that the singer knew all about the dive. “You’re working with Marshall’s crew,

right? And Gen?” There was something soft in his voice when he said her name. “Watch

out for her, huh? She’s a Key West treasure, kind of like the sunset.”

When he got back to the table, Bethany was saying, “I really hope they catch this guy.

People need to be warned, but our whole economy is tourism.”

“There’s the navy, too,” Victor said without conviction.

Bethany shivered. “Just think. There’s a killer here. He could be right here on the patio

listening to the music and having supper, just like us. He could be right next to us when

we walk down the street.”

Just as she said the words, Thor looked up to see Jay Gonzalez, in a casual long-sleeved

shirt and jeans, walking in.

Could it be…?

No, the guy had let him into the autopsy. He’d arranged for him to access police files.

Cover-up?

All he knew was that he would keep his eye on the man until…when?

There were killers out there who were never caught.

Thor didn’t realize just how long he’d been staring at Jay until Genevieve nudged him.

“Ready?”

“What?”

“We’re all set,” she said, her expression curious.

“The bill?”

Victor cleared his throat. “My turn. I already picked it up.”

“I can expense meals,” Thor reminded him.

“Yeah, but I was starting to feel like a kept woman or something,” Victor said, grinning

easily. “And tonight was probably the cheapest opportunity I was going to get.

Reasonable place, and we’re minus Lizzie, Zach and Marshall.”

As they left, Jay Gonzalez raised a hand in greeting. Genevieve pulled away from Thor

for a moment, walking over to Jay, giving him a hug, exchanging a few words. Thor

realized he didn’t like it. He wanted to drag her away from the man. He refrained,

forcefully holding himself in check.

As Genevieve started walking back, Jay Gonzalez smiled and waved to him. He found he

was forcing a smile in return. It was probably not a good thing to let the local cop know

he was considering him as a candidate for the possible serial killer they were seeking.

The guy had been good to him, getting him in to see the body, letting him search through

police files. He owed him.

Still…

This was getting ridiculous. He was becoming suspicious of everyone.

Maybe that wasn’t so bad. Because the killer had to be someone.

Maybe someone they knew well.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Jay,” Genevieve called out to him.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Thor repeated.

“You got it,” Jay called back.

Thor kept his smile glued in place. Fine. The guy was welcome to see them all anytime.

Welcome to see Genevieve. Just as long as he was with her.

As they left, Genevieve linked her arm with his. “I was thinking of going home tonight,”

she said. “You know, to be ready for the barbecue tomorrow and all.”

“Is that an invitation?”

“Yes.”

“Sure.” He turned to her, smiling slightly. “We’re walking with the others toward the

resort, you know.”

She laughed softly. “Yes, I am aware of that fact. I just want to make sure Marshall’s

boat is back,” she told him gravely.

“Sure.”

When they reached the resort, however, Marshall’s boat wasn’t back.

Genevieve was worried and said so.

“You know Marshall. He had the time off, so he went off somewhere. That’s all,” Victor

said. “Hey, we’ll call his cell, okay?”

But Marshall didn’t answer his cell.

“We should put out a missing persons report,” Genevieve said.

Victor groaned. “Honey, he’s a grown man. He hasn’t even been gone twenty-four hours.

He knows what he’s doing. He has plenty of fuel capacity. He could’ve headed up to the

mainland for all we know.”

“I’m still worried,” Genevieve said.

“Gen…” Victor set his hands on her shoulders. “Marshall is a big strong guy. He’ll be

fine. He’s not a pretty blonde like the killer seems to be after. We’ll see him tomorrow.

Okay?”

“No,” Genevieve said. Then she sighed. “But I guess there’s no choice.”

“Honey, it’s really okay. Victor is right. We found a dead woman,” Jack reminded her gruffly. “Not a man like Marshall. He can take care of himself. The guy who killed that

woman…he likes the ladies, not gorillas like Marshall who can fight back.”

They were all silent for a moment. Then Bethany said, “Victor, I’m on your couch.”

“You can come to the house,” Genevieve said. Did she sound a little nervous? Thor

wondered, or was he imagining it? And if she was nervous, was it because she’d opted to

be alone with him, or because Bethany was going to be alone with Victor?

“With the two of you? No, thanks!” Bethany laughed, then yawned. “Come on, Victor.

Let’s go to bed. I’ll just get a few things from my cottage for the morning.”

Victor groaned. “Your cottage isn’t a minute’s walk from mine.”

“I need my toothbrush,” Bethany insisted.

“All right, all right,” Victor grumbled.

“Hey, me having a toothbrush is for your benefit, too.”

“Really? Are we getting that close?” Victor teased.

Bethany stared back at him. Victor laughed. “Don’t worry. It would be gross, like

sleeping with my sister.”

“Now I’m gross?”

Victor stared at the others. “I can’t win here, can I?” he demanded.

They laughed, but Thor wondered why Genevieve still looked uneasy.

They said their good-nights. Genevieve was quiet as they walked back to her house.

“What is it?” he asked her.

She looked at him, startled. “Nothing—well, other than the fact that the police believe the

killer comes from the Keys.”

He shook his head. “Are you worried about Bethany?”

“Of course not! She’ll be with Victor,” she answered too quickly.

“You suspect Victor?” he asked very softly.

“Don’t be silly! I’ve known him my whole life.” She smiled. Her words were both

sincere and, somehow, a little uncertain.

He stopped walking.

“If you’re the least bit worried…”

“I’m not,” she insisted. She stared at him, shook her head and smiled. “Really, I’m not.

We all know exactly where Bethany is.”

He nodded, and they started walking again. “I wish I knew where Marshall was,” she said

softly after a minute.

“Marshall is a big guy. I’m sure he’s fine.”

Again she was silent for a minute. Then she looked at him, and he was certain her worry

was just as much for him as for Marshall. “The biggest, most confident, toughest guy in

the world can fall…if taken by surprise.”

“Marshall is fine,” he assured her. He believed that, right? So where the hell was the guy?

And just what was he doing?

Thor gritted his teeth silently, forcing an expression of complete calm over his features.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. “Marshall will show up

tomorrow. I promise.”

“He knew about the barbecue, so if he wasn’t planning on coming, he would have said

so,” she agreed. “Right?”

Despite her words, she still seemed uneasy. When they reached her house, Thor tried to

reassure her again. “Marshall is fine, and so are we.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Thor, if he doesn’t show up tomorrow, I want to look for

him, okay? And we’ll call Jay, too. I can’t help it. I’m worried. Marshall is a social

creature. He always hangs around with us.”

“Look,” Thor said softly. “You’re all friends, as close as a pack of siblings—but you

don’t date one another. Marshall is a good-looking guy. Maybe he went out on a date,

huh?”

She smiled at that. “Yes, that is a possibility.”

“Would you have been so worried if all—” he weighed his words before opting to say

“—this wasn’t going on?”

“No,” she admitted.

“All right. Tomorrow, if he doesn’t show for the barbecue, we call the cops, and we look

for Marshall. And when we find him, he’ll probably be surprised, and maybe a little

pissed, thinking he needs a life, too, and we should have respected that. So let’s give this place a really good once-over—or twice-over, if it makes you happy—and make sure

we’re locked in, alone and safe and sound, okay?”

His words seemed to help her. And once they got inside, he did walk through the entire

house twice, with her following right behind him.

“Nothing in the closets or under the beds,” he swore. “She’s locked up tight. You’re safe

and sound. Except from me,” he teased.

“You still think I’m crazy,” she told him.

He found himself standing in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. “I think you’re

beautiful,” he told her softly.

His words were the right ones, and they were true.

He didn’t notice how they made it up the stairs and into the bedroom. It was as if she was

instantly in his arms, their clothing melted away rather than taken off, with something

like pure, wet, hot, primal fusion taking place. At one point some sense of sanity

returned, and he murmured, “I know you’re worried. We don’t have to…we don’t have

to…”

Her eyes touched his. A slight smile teased her lips. “I’d crawl into your skin, if I could,”

she said, and her lips fell against his again instantly while their flesh burned together and their limbs entwined.

He wasn’t sure how other thoughts managed to stay in his mind as his sexual desire rose

with volatile speed to madness. But she was beautiful in so many ways, body, mind and

essence. Tall, vital, muscled, competent, proud, unique…lips full and sensual, hips

capable of such extraordinary movement…His mouth savored and teased her flesh, his

body, heart and head pounded…

It seemed he climaxed in a million ways, that he came to life when he should have been

limp, her slightest movement awoke every erotic impulse in his system. Time seemed

unending. Then she curled against him. And they slept.

He would never understand what happened then, in the middle of the night. He prided

himself on his awareness. He’d started that in the navy, on guard in the Middle East.

He’d made it a way of life when diving in foreign ports where safety wasn’t even a

suggestion. He usually awoke at the drop of a pin.

Instead, he woke slowly when he felt her shivering, trembling at his side. His mind