by Cindy Bell
“It's been slow,” Paul admitted. “I'm hoping to come up with a substantial haul tonight.”
Suzie did her best to hide her disappointment. “I'm sure you'll have better luck.”
“Sometimes it takes all of my willpower to keep from turning this boat around and coming back to you,” Paul admitted abruptly. Suddenly, Suzie realized that he wasn't just calling to pass the time. He was calling because he missed her.
“Well, that would certainly save me the swim that I've been contemplating,” Suzie said with a laugh.
“Sharks, don't forget about the sharks,” he warned and the sound of his soft chuckle was enough to warm Suzie from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
“Come home soon,” she murmured.
“I'll be there just as soon as I can,” he assured her. “Love you, Suzie.”
“Love you, too, Paul,” Suzie said before hanging up the phone. It still made her heart flutter to say those words. She was so distracted with thoughts of Paul that she almost forgot about the stain on the carpet waiting for her.
Suzie headed back to the room. As soon as she stepped inside, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She couldn't pinpoint why, but she was suddenly frightened. After a few moments of standing in the doorway, she realized what was wrong. The door to the closet, that she was certain she hadn't opened, was standing wide open. The window beside it, that she was sure had been closed when she had walked into the room, was wide open. The curtains were blowing lazily through it.
Suzie couldn't bring herself to move. She felt frozen to the floor, as she realized what might have just happened. The closet door had been slightly open when she had reached for it. Was it possible that someone had been hiding inside? The same person who had spilled the bottle of wine, which had been positioned not far from the window. If someone had climbed in, the bottle could have easily been kicked over.
With her heart racing, Suzie forced herself to take a further step into the room. Almost immediately she began rationalizing what she was observing. She might have been so distracted by the spilled wine that she didn't notice the window being open. She might have opened the closet door before she went to answer her phone. Maybe she had opened it just enough that the door had swung open on its own or from a gentle nudge of a breeze through the window. She walked over to the window and looked outside to see if anyone was there but there wasn’t anyone to be seen. She closed the window part of the way but decided to leave it open slightly to try and get the smell of the wine out of the room. She turned back to the closet and pulled out the carpet cleaner.
As Suzie was sucking up the excess liquid from the carpet, her mind drifted right back to her first instinct. If the window had been open, the scent of the spilled wine would not have been so strong. As she put the carpet cleaner away, she peered into the bottom of the closet to see if there was any evidence of someone having hidden inside. She didn't see anything at first and was sliding the carpet cleaner back into the closet, when she noticed a faint scent. It was the scent of wine. Suzie crouched down and ran her fingertips lightly over the wooden floor of the closet. When she lifted her fingers she could see the moisture on them. She sniffed her fingertips. It was definitely wine. Even if it really had been Antony and Daria who had spilled the wine, there would be no reason for them to have tracked it into the closet which was strictly for storage. She stood back up and cast her gaze over the room again. There was no sign of anything being out of place. It didn't appear as if the Gables’ bags had been rifled through.
Once more Suzie began doubting what she suspected had happened. She was tempted to call Jason and have him come over to check it out, but she knew it was his one rare day off with Summer. She decided that she would ask Daria and Antony when they returned if they had spilled the wine. If they had, then her suspicions were obviously off base. If they hadn't, then she would insist they switch rooms just to be cautious. She walked back into the kitchen to find Mary standing in front of the sink. The water was crashing into the stainless steel tub but nothing was being washed.
“Mary?” Suzie asked as she stepped up beside her. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” Mary nodded and blinked as if she was being summoned from a deep thought. She shook her head a little and began washing the breakfast dishes.
“I think someone might have been in the Gables’ room,” Suzie said as she picked up a towel to dry the dishes that Mary was washing.
“What makes you think that?” Mary asked and passed her a plate.
“I could have sworn the window was closed when I first walked in, and when I walked in a second time, it was wide open,” she frowned.
“Well, you might have been mistaken,” Mary suggested. “Why would anyone want to break into their room?”
“I honestly don't know,” Suzie replied and sighed. “You're probably right, I'm sure it was nothing.”
“It seems to be the day for strange sightings,” Mary said with a slight frown. “I was looking out across the beach and I could have sworn that I saw a man walking across it in full business attire, shoes and everything. I glanced away for a moment, and then when I looked back he was gone.”
“Odd,” Suzie frowned and finished drying the plate. She opened the cabinet to put it away, and heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. “That must be Antony and Daria now,” she said and walked towards the entrance to cut them off before they reached their room. However, when she stepped into the main living room just beside the entrance of the house, there was no one to be seen. The door was closed, and there was no sign of anyone having walked in.
“Mary, did you hear the door open and close, too?” Suzie asked. Mary had just stepped out of the kitchen.
“I did,” Mary nodded.
“But there's no one here,” Suzie frowned. “I'm going to do a walk around the property, something is definitely not right.”
“Make sure that you have your phone with you,” Mary warned.
“I do,” Suzie promised.
Suzie stepped out onto the porch, where she noticed that Daria was sitting at one of the small, wooden picnic tables. She had a piece of paper and a pen. She was hunched over the paper, and scribbling away with the pen. Suzie breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that she must have been mistaken. Maybe it had only been Antony who walked inside, and she simply missed him. All of her paranoia was making her begin to question her own sanity.
“Hi Daria,” she said cheerfully. “Did you have a nice walk?”
“Yes, we did,” Daria replied as she smiled up at Suzie. “Antony's just taking a shower.”
“Daria, I need to ask you something, but please understand it's not that I'm upset…” Suzie began to explain, but she was interrupted by Daria.
“Is it about the wine?” she asked and shook her head. “Sorry about that. I don't know how the bottle got tipped over. I saw the mess this morning and meant to clean it up, but we got caught up in our day and it just slipped my mind. I understand if you need to charge us extra.”
“No, don't worry about that,” Suzie assured her. “But did you happen to leave the window open?”
“I'm not sure,” Daria replied honestly. “Everything from this morning is a bit of a blur. We were so tired from last night. I think we had too much fun.”
“That's what time away is for,” Suzie assured her with a short laugh. She was beginning to think that she was the one that was in the blur, considering that she had turned one spilled bottle of wine into a masked intruder. “Would you like some wine now?”
“That would be perfect,” Daria nodded.
“I'll be back in a few moments,” Suzie said. As she stepped back into the house she was still feeling foolish for misconstruing what she had seen inside the Gables’ room. She grabbed a fresh bottle of wine and opened it. Then she snatched up two glasses. As she walked back towards the door, Antony stepped out of his room. His hair was still damp and clung to his skin.
“Hello Antony, Daria's o
n the porch if you'd like to join her for some wine,” Suzie suggested.
“Wonderful,” he nodded. “I have to say this is one of the most relaxing trips that we've ever taken.”
“I'm glad,” Suzie said as she walked with him out onto the porch.
Antony settled on the bench across from Daria. He smiled at her as he watched her scribbling away on the paper.
“What's that you're writing?” Suzie asked curiously as she filled their glasses of wine.
“Oh, it's our wish list,” Daria replied with a warm smile as she set the pen down on the table.
“Our Paris wish list,” Antony added. “All of the places we absolutely have to see when we visit Paris.”
“What a great idea to pre-plan it,” Suzie said. “Do you have a trip planned soon?”
“Yes, we leave in a couple of days,” Antony replied. “It will be our first international trip together.”
“How exciting? It’s important to plan it before you go,” Suzie said with a nod. She found it a bit strange that they would have a weekend away before an international trip but she thought it would be rude to question them about it. “I was in Paris once to cover a story, but I didn't have time for much sightseeing. One day I hope to go back and explore what I missed. So, take your time and enjoy it.”
“We will,” Daria said with excitement in her voice. “I'm really looking forward to it.”
“Let me know if you need anything else,” Suzie said gently. “I'll just be in the kitchen.”
“I think we'll be fine,” Antony replied and reached across the table to take Daria's hand in his. Suzie couldn't help but admire the obvious affection between the two as the afternoon light danced over their intertwined fingers.
“Okay then, enjoy the wine,” Suzie said gently. “It's warm now, but it's supposed to get pretty chilly.”
“Thank you,” Daria smiled, but she didn't look away from Antony's eyes.
After hosting dinner for Daria and Antony, Suzie and Mary retired to their rooms. Antony and Daria would be checking out the next day, and Suzie was looking forward to Paul getting back from his trip the next evening. She glanced at her phone once before laying down. She hadn't heard from him since his call earlier in the day, but that wasn't unusual. Out on the boat, cell phone service could be spotty.
As Suzie lay down on her bed, she heard the howl of the wind outside the window. She shivered despite being buried under blankets. She wondered just how strong the wind would get, and how low the temperature would drop. After trying to sleep for about an hour, Suzie heard a strange sound coming from the deck outside her window. Suzie wandered out of her room with a wide yawn. She could hear something rolling around on the deck. She knew that the wind must have picked up quite a bit. She tugged her robe tightly around her and added a long trench coat. She wasn't accustomed to the cold after spending a luxurious summer in the balmy heat that the beach offered.
As she walked out onto the deck, she spotted the empty flower pots that seemed to be engaged in a strange game of chase. She began collecting the plastic pots, when she heard voices drifting from the house. Out of natural curiosity and years as an investigative reporter, Suzie listened closely.
“I just think it's time,” she heard Antony say. “Do you really want to live the rest of our lives like this, Daria? We could just get out of it, be done with it once and for all.”
“As if it's that simple,” Daria challenged him. Suzie's ears perked up. The fog cleared from her sleepy mind. She could hear the fear in Daria's voice. “Antony, you know better than that.”
“It has to be done,” Antony said firmly.
“Antony, if you do anything to hurt my family, I'll kill you myself!” Daria shot back.
Suzie froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She hated to hear anyone threatened with bodily harm. But a moment later she was second-guessing herself. They were a young couple going on their first international trip, and Suzie was hearing everything out of context. She listened a moment longer and heard their voices soften. What had been escalating now sounded as if it had been muted. She lingered a little while longer, just to be sure the arguing didn't begin again, then she tucked the flower pots she had collected behind a stack of chairs. Just before she stepped back inside she glanced out over the water. She wondered if Paul was battling stronger waves because of the wind that was picking up.
After returning to her room, she found that her cell phone screen was glowing. She picked up the phone and found a text from Paul.
Sorry. The waves are a bit rough tonight. I'm going to stay out another night. I will be dreaming of you.
Suzie sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. Longing for someone was new to her. At times it was beautiful, at other times it was torturous. She sent back a text and then curled up snugly in her bed.
Chapter 3
When Suzie woke the next morning, she was relieved to see that the wind had died down. She dressed and headed to the front desk as she expected the Gables would be checking out within the next few hours. She could smell the coffee that Mary was already brewing. She took a look out through the sliding glass doors and spotted Mary leaning against the wooden railing of the porch, gazing out at the water. Suzie often found her this way, lost in thought, and she had learned to allow her to have those few moments of peace in the mornings. Suzie knew she was still trying to piece herself back together. She sometimes felt as if she could just fix everything with a few reassuring comments, but the truth was, Mary had given many years to her husband, and it would take time for her to heal completely.
Suzie settled behind the front desk and turned the computer on. Just as she was about to pull up the account, she noticed something sitting on the desk. It was a folded up piece of paper. When she opened it, she saw that it contained some money, as well as the room key from the Gables’ room. She lifted the piece of paper to read the note, just as Mary was stepping back inside.
“It looks like Antony and Daria had to leave for Paris earlier than planned,” Suzie explained after skimming through the letter. “They've left the money for their stay and their room key.”
“Oh, what a shame, I was looking forward to wishing them a safe and happy trip,” Mary said. Then she walked towards the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee, Suzie?”
“Always,” Suzie replied with a hint of distraction in her voice. She read over the note again. It gave no explanation as to why they had to leave so early for a vacation. She found it just a little strange. But with a slight shake of her head she closed out their transaction and returned the room key to the hook on the wall behind her.
“Here you go,” Mary handed her a steaming cup of coffee as Suzie turned back.
“I guess we have the day free once I tidy up their room,” Suzie said with a sigh.
“You don't seem thrilled about that,” Mary asked with a frown. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really,” Suzie shook her head. “I just got a text last night that Paul is going to stay out another night.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Mary frowned. “I know how much you miss him.”
“Is it that obvious?” Suzie asked fretfully. “I've never been so preoccupied with a man before.”
“Welcome to love, my darling Suzie,” Mary smiled dreamily. “It takes over your life.”
“I'm not sure if I like it,” Suzie admitted and took a sip of her coffee.
“Oh, you will like it just fine when he gets home,” Mary laughed knowingly.
“I guess you're right,” Suzie replied with a slight shrug.
“Why don't you and I take a walk along the country road today?” Mary suggested. “We haven't done that in some time.”
Suzie smiled warmly. “I'd like that. I'll clean up the room and we can set out after.”
“Sounds good,” Mary nodded. “I think we could both use some fresh air.”
When Suzie stepped into the Gables’ room, the first thing she noticed was how chilly it was. She immediately looked towards the wi
ndow which she realized was wide open. She frowned as she walked over to the window. It seemed odd to her that it would be left open. But then she assumed that perhaps the scent of the wine was still lingering on the carpet. As she closed the window she noticed something sticking out from under the bed. She crouched down to take a closer look. It was small and black, it looked a little like a wallet. When she opened it she discovered Antony's face looking up at her. Her heart began to race as she realized that this was Antony's passport. Had he misplaced it? How would he get on the plane to France? Suzie frowned as she picked it up and glanced over the room again. Just like the day before she felt a little uneasy in the room.
Suzie grabbed the wastebasket which was beside a small table and chairs in the corner. She carried it to the larger trash can in the kitchen. As she was dumping out the contents she noticed the list of the places Antony and Daria intended to visit in France. It seemed strange to Suzie that after writing the list, Daria had simply thrown it out. She frowned as she studied it. There was something about it that was nagging at her. She couldn't quite place it.
“I definitely need some fresh air,” she said with a shake of her head and tossed the list into the garbage can. It was clear that she was still feeling a little paranoid. She walked over to the front desk where Mary was fielding a phone call from a future guest. Once she hung up the phone Suzie set the passport down on the desk.
“I think that Antony and Daria will be back for this,” she said. “Do we have a number on file that we could call to let them know that we found it?”
“Oh dear that's not good,” Mary said as she looked at the passport. “I'm sure we have their cell phone numbers,” she tapped the keyboard to bring up the account. “Yes, I'll just give them a quick call. I hope this didn't make them miss their flight.”
“Do you still have that note that Daria wrote?” Suzie asked as Mary dialed the cell phone number.
“Yes, I have it in the drawer,” Mary said and opened the drawer. She handed the note to Suzie. Suzie scanned it quickly to see if they had left another number where they could reach them. There was not a phone number, however there was something that struck Suzie as strange. The handwriting on the note she was reading was nothing like the handwriting that she had seen on the list that Daria had created of places to visit. However, the note was signed by Daria, and Suzie had seen her writing the list. If Daria had written both notes it seemed very odd that the handwriting was so different.