Return to Osprey Cove

by Luisa Marietta Gold

  Doug's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone on the desk. Isabella usually answered the phone. But he decided to answer it himself in case it was the caller who had been hanging up.

  "The Villa Castlebury, this is Mr. Castlebury," he answered.

  The caller did not respond but was clearly still on the line.

  Doug slammed down the phone and walked out to the kitchen where Isabella was still working.

  "Does Mexico have a 'do not call registry' for these blasted telemarketers?"

  "A what, sir?"

  "Never mind, I'll be out on the terrace," Doug replied.

  When Doug got out on the terrace, he noticed a dark sedan parked across the street from the villa. It caught Doug's attention because there were never cars parked there. The villa set up on a hillside and had a winding drive that climbed from the street. The car was barely visible over the tree line. As soon as Doug sat down at the table on the terrace, the car sped off. It was somewhat unnerving to Doug -- first the phone call and then the suspicious car. Was someone casing his house? Had someone found out he was away? Were they contemplating a robbery? Could someone have found out about the diamonds? All of these thoughts were running through Doug's head, but he tried to brush them off. He was tired. He needed to get some rest. His mind was working overtime.

  Isabella brought his lunch out to the terrace.

  "Did you see any cars hanging around down on the road while I was gone, Isabella?"

  "No, sir. But I am inside mostly."

  "Okay, thank you, Isabella. Lunch looks good. What is this called?"

  "They are taquitos. There is guacamole, creme fraiche, and cheese for the topping. I hope you like them."

  "They look delicious. You're a good cook, Isabella. I don't think I will need anything else today. I plan to go to bed after I eat and catch up on some sleep."

  "Yes, sir. I'm going to finish in the kitchen and then I will be leaving for the day."

  Doug finished his lunch on the terrace. There was no more sign of the dark sedan. He decided to make a point of checking the street below the next few days for any more signs of it. It may have been tourists admiring the villa; after all, it is one of the nicest properties in the area. The phone calls were probably telemarketers. These thoughts relieved his mind. In fact, it put him in a good mood to think that his villa was so lovely that people would pull in front of it to admire it. Yes, that was who it was. And when they saw me come out on the terrace, they were embarrassed and pulled away. A smile came to Doug's face at this thought. It was a pleasant thought to him that people were admiring what he had and perhaps even envying him.

  Doug went inside having satisfied himself that nothing was amiss. He headed for the bedroom to catch up on his sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  NEW YORK

  Max and Eva spent the first few weeks of Eva's return just enjoying each other's company. But it was time to figure out where the diamonds were. They were able to track down the location of Doug's accident using Internet news sources. They now knew the scene of his accident -- a small town in New Mexico. But the news articles provided no more details about the accident beyond what Catherine had told Max. The news reports merely said the car crashed over an embankment and burst into flames. The intensity of the fire destroyed the vehicle, leaving no human remains.

  Max and Eva's theory was that Doug and the diamonds had survived the fiery crash. If so, it did not seem reasonable that Doug would have chosen the small town in New Mexico as his final destination. So Eva and Max -- with minds that had the capability to mastermind a major diamond heist -- began to try to figure out where Doug may have fled.

  Max quickly zeroed in on the fact that the scene of the accident was close to the Albuquerque airport. This seemed significant. There would be two things the person with the diamonds would be interested in. They would want to start a new lifestyle made possible by their instant wealth. And they would be interested in not getting caught. Leaving the country seemed a logical choice. Mexico, being so close to the scene of the accident, appeared to be a likely possibility. Max set about doing some detective work. He checked the flights that left the Albuquerque airport on the day of the accident. It didn't take long for him to conclude there were any number of options to fly from Albuquerque to various cities in Mexico. This was about as far as their speculation would take them. It was impossible to figure out which city in Mexico had been selected. If their theory about Doug was correct, it was evident that he would have had to take on a new identity. He appeared to have succeeded since the police and Catherine thought he had died in the crash. They had reached a dead end.

  Max and Eva discussed their findings and conclusions as they sat having their morning coffee.

  "It's going to be difficult to track down the diamonds if they were taken out of the country, as we suspect," Max said.

  "I'm sorry I messed things up. I should have never responded to Frank's call that day. I should have known he would be trouble. He always is. It's just that he sounded so desperate. I never imagined he would drug me."

  "Don't beat yourself up about it, Eva. At least you are safe, and no one traced the diamonds back to us. The heist was executed well. It's a shame someone else is benefiting from all the work and planning that went into it."

  "I guess you are right. If our theory is correct, you have to admit that it was ingenious of Doug to fake his death and leave the country. If he had stayed in the US and not changed his identity, we would probably have the diamonds back already. So where do we go from here, Max? This heist would have set us up for life. Now, what? Plan another heist?"

  "I think not, Eva. When you disappeared, I had a lot of time to think. What if you had not recovered your memory and I had never found you? Or worse yet, what if you would have died? And this was the first time I started to think about the repercussions of being caught. It was clear something had gone wrong. You were missing. The diamonds had been removed from the safe deposit boxes. I think it's time to ask ourselves, are these heists worth all the risks?"

  "I had similar thoughts while I was waiting for you to come for me in the hospital. It was never about the money, was it, Max? I think for both of us it was more about the challenge and thrill. I doubt our lifestyle would need to change much if we stop. I'm for moving on if you are."

  Max went over and knelt next to Eva's chair, put his arms around her. He kissed her and said, "You are more important to me than anything else, Eva. I say, let's put that part of our lives behind us, forget about the diamonds, and be grateful for what we have. I didn't realize how much I loved you until I thought I had lost you."

  Eva's eyes welled up with tears. "I love you so much, Max. Don't go into the office today. Let's spend the day together. We have a lot of lost time to make up for."

  Max smiled. "That sounds like a good idea to me."

  Eva and Max went back to bed and spent part of the morning there.

  "We should do this more often," Max said as he kissed Eva on the forehead.

  "It's such a beautiful fall day," Eva said. "Let's take the Jaguar out and get out of the city this weekend."

  "That would be nice. Any idea where you would like to go?"

  "Why don't we pack a few things and head up to the Pocono Mountains. The leaves should be beautiful. Let's not make a reservation. Let's be spontaneous and look for a romantic bed and breakfast when we get there!"

  Eva and Max threw some clothes into a bag. Then they went down to the parking garage, got into their Jaguar, and headed for the Poconos. It felt good to be impulsive -- just driving with no particular destination.

  "We used to do things like this when we were younger, why did we stop, Max?" Eva asked smiling.

  Max smiled back and said, "Who knows? I guess we've been too busy masterminding jewelry heists."

  "Well, let's start doing more of it!"

  Max and Eva saw a sign for a B&B off the main road. They climbed the winding road to the top of a mountain. There
they found a romantic stone chateau B&B. They got out of the Jag just in time to see the sun setting over the mountain ridges in the distance. It was breathtaking.

  "This is perfect," Eva said, awed by the beautiful view sprawled out before them.

  As they walked inside and approached the desk clerk, they both hoped the chateau would have a room.

  "Good evening and welcome," the desk clerk said. "May I have your name, please?"

  "Harrodson, but I'm afraid we don't have a reservation."

  "I'm sorry, sir. We are completely booked. This is a peak time for us when the leaves are changing."

  "Yes, I can understand . . ." Max started to respond.

  The telephone at the desk started ringing.

  "Just a moment, please, while I take this call," the clerk said.

  When the clerk got off the phone, he returned to his conversation with Eva and Max.

  "Well, something is going right for you today. That was a cancellation for tonight and tomorrow. Would you like to see the room?"

  "I'm sure it will be lovely, we'll take it," Max said looking at Eva.

  The clerk got them checked in, and they were directed to a Victorian style Manor room. It had a charming fireplace, private balcony, and Jacuzzi. All the amenities for a romantic fall get-a-way.

  As they sat down on the bed, they looked at each other. Almost in unison, they said, "So much for spontaneity. Next time we'll make a reservation!"

  . . .

  Eva and Max had a nearly perfect weekend. During the day they drove around enjoying the scenic views of the mountains in their fall glory. They took lots of pictures of themselves and the spectacular views. They continued their impulsive weekend by stopping at some of the charming antique and gift shops that seemed to be everywhere. In the evening, they came back to the B&B and had an excellent gourmet meal in the elegant dining room. Sunday afternoon came around far too quickly. It was time to head back to the city.

  They got into the car and started on the trip home.

  "We need to travel more, Max. This weekend was fun."

  "It was a great weekend; I'm glad you suggested it."

  There was a break in the conversation for some time. Both Eva and Max appeared to be deep in thought.

  Finally, Max said, "How would you feel about planning a trip to Mexico?"

  Eva looked over at Max, smiled and said, "That's just what I was thinking!"

  Chapter Twenty-six

  THE OSPREY COVE LODGE

  After their dinner in the dining room, Alex and Catherine went down to sit by the water. Catherine could hardly believe that Alex was here. She was also thinking about the fact that he was no longer engaged. Now that Doug was dead and Alex was no longer engaged, a relationship between them was possible. Or was it? A lump formed in her throat as she thought about her pregnancy. If only I were not pregnant. She was pregnant with another man's child, albeit the child of her dead husband. That was the thought in Catherine's mind as they walked down to the water's edge.

  Alex was still processing in his mind the fact that Catherine's husband had been killed. He thought about the possibility of pursuing a relationship with Catherine. But he recognized that she needed time to heal from the death of her husband. He would need to take things slow. They had already established a friendship in the limited time they had spent together. Developing that friendship further seemed like the appropriate thing to do right now. Catherine was dealing with not only her husband's death but the knowledge that he had left her.

  Both Alex and Catherine put these meditative thoughts out of their minds. They sat down together on the bench at the edge of the cove and focused on the beauty around them.

  "It's just as beautiful down here tonight as it was the first night we came down here the weekend of our business meeting," Catherine said.

  "It never changes, Catherine, that's why I love this place so much. Events in our lives can change, but this place is always the same. Everyone should find an Osprey Cove Lodge."

  "I agree, that is why I decided to return here this week to sort things out."

  "You mentioned inside that you had decisions to make?" Alex said in an inquiring tone.

  "Well, my brother, Michael, has suggested I move back to Chicago and help him run the family business, Gregstone International. He would like me to live with him at the family estate. He lives there by himself right now although he has just started a relationship. Besides losing Doug, two of my best friends just left the city and moved to Texas. Michael's feeling is that I need his support right now."

  "Does that appeal to you to work at Gregstone?"

  "In a way it does. Michael is doing a great job, but I sense he would like some help. I attended a board meeting while I was there for the memorial service we had for Doug. I enjoyed the board meeting and the other members seemed inclined to want me to become more involved with the company."

  "I can understand why it is a difficult decision for you. Quitting Raynott after all you have achieved there is a big decision. And I can personally attest that you are good at what you do there." Alex smiled as though attempting to add some lightness to the conversation. "It's often said that sometimes it is best to let some time pass before making any major decisions after the loss of a mate. Have you considered postponing a decision on whether to leave Raynott?"

  It's not that simple, Catherine thought, what you don't know is that I am pregnant. I can't just think about what I want to do; I need to think about what is best for the child -- Doug's child. Perhaps this would be a good time to tell Alex about her pregnancy. But somehow she just could not bring herself to do it.

  "I recognize the wisdom of not making quick decisions. It's just that other issues make it necessary for me to decide now rather than later."

  "Well, I'm sure you will make the right decision. This is a perfect place to sort things out. But I hope that you plan to have some fun while you are here. Would you like to spend some time together this week?"

  "I would love to, Alex."

  "Great, let's make a plan. What would you like to do?"

  "I was thinking how nice it would be to get out on the lake. Would it be possible to take The Lady Droxell out like we did before?"

  Alex laughed, "No one ever has to twist my arm to take The Lady out. That's a great idea. We will be able to enjoy the beauty of the foliage out on the lake."

  "That sounds fantastic. Any chance we could go back to Davenport for another cup of coffee?" Catherine said smiling.

  "Well, it's a long ride for a cup of coffee, but I think we can arrange it! Let's meet for breakfast tomorrow morning in the dining room." Alex laughed and added -- be sure to wear 'clothing suitable for outdoor activities!'"

  Catherine's mind drifted back to the memo Alex had sent to Raynott. It's purpose was to provide details for their first business meeting several months ago at the lodge. In his brief memo, he had told her to 'bring clothing suitable for outdoor activities.' She had thought it odd at the time. But when she arrived at The Osprey Cove Lodge, she understood the instruction. After that, her 'clothing suitable for outdoor activities' had turned into a pleasant joke between the two of them.

  "Yes, sir, I will be sure to dress appropriately. Alex, it sounds wonderful; thanks for inviting me."

  "Well, it's getting a bit chilly down here," Alex said, "I'll walk you back to your room. Let's meet around 7:00 AM?"

  "Sounds like a plan."

  They made their way up to the lodge. Alex walked Catherine to the Veranda Room. Catherine turned to Alex as she unlocked her door and asked, "Are you in your usual room down the hall?"

  "No, not this time. I'm up on the third floor."

  "Oh, okay. I didn't even know the lodge had a third floor. I guess there are still things I need to learn about The Osprey Cove Lodge."

  Alex smiled at Catherine and thought, Yes, there are things you need to learn including who the new owner is. But that can wait.

  . . .

  Both Alex and Catherine slep
t well and woke early. Catherine had to laugh to herself when she went to the closet to pick out her clothes for the day. It was hard to figure out what 'suitable for outdoor activities' clothing she would wear today. October was a difficult month to dress for. She decided to layer so she would be prepared for changing weather. Although her pregnancy was not visible to others, it was to Catherine. She had needed to buy some new clothing before her trip. Much of her old wardrobe no longer worked. She put on a comfortable pair of khakis with a blue and white striped long sleeve T-shirt and a navy hoodie. She also grabbed a heavier jacket just in case. She sat down at her dressing table and pulled her hair up in a ponytail and slid it through a navy baseball cap. This had worked well when she had been on The Lady Droxell before. The wind on the boat wreaked havoc with her long hair if it wasn't restrained.

  After she had dressed she went over to the dressing table. It was her favorite part of this room. She put on a touch of blush, a little eye makeup and a light dab of lipstick. Catherine never spent a lot of time on either makeup or her hair. Her dark wavy hair naturally fell into place with a quick blow drying. A touch of mascara is all her green eyes needed. It seemed pregnancy had added an extra glow to her complexion that made her even more attractive. Next, she put on a beautiful pair of lapis lazuli earrings and a pendant which her parents had given her. They complemented her navy outfit well. She then gave herself a quick spray of her favorite cologne. She always wished that she had one of those fancy perfume bottles to use at the dressing table. She decided she was ready to start the day. So she headed downstairs to the dining room to meet Alex for breakfast. She couldn't have been more excited about the day before her!