Deja Vu

by Samantha Gentry

  Gable slowed the cart to a crawl and pointed to the large Victorian structure set back from the right side of the road. “That’s the original mansion house. It will be the central building of the resort complex. As you can see, with its close proximity to the dock it will be very convenient as the registration lobby for arriving guests checking into the resort. In addition to the lobby it will contain a fine dining restaurant, informal cafe, cocktail lounge, spa, gift shop, and some of the guest rooms. There will also be a small marina for those arriving by private boat rather than resort water taxi.”

  “Is that where you’re living now?”

  “No, it’s not currently in use. The previous owners of the island used it as their vacation home. All the original furnishings are there and it’s pretty much the same as when the Hollingsworth family built it in 1920. I’ve been inside it quite a bit during the last six months due to meetings with the architect about the renovation plans. Hank and Dolly go inside every couple of days or so to make sure everything is okay. The utilities are still on.”

  “Hank and Dolly?”

  “Hank and Dolly Billings. They’re the island caretakers, have been for over thirty years. Each time the island is sold, their services seem to be part of the sale. They live in the caretaker’s cottage on the other side of the mansion.”

  “They’ve been here more than thirty years?”

  The way Lexi grabbed the notebook from her purse and jotted down the information told Gable she had read more into what he said than what he meant.

  Her questions came rapid fire. “Then they worked here at the time of the disappearance? They were employed by the Hollingsworth family? Haven’t you ever discussed the disappearance with them?”

  “No, it never came up in conversation.”

  He mentally kicked himself. You damn idiot! You couldn’t have come up with anything more asinine than that even if you’d tried. He shouldn’t have revealed that much about Hank and Dolly, either. It was something Lexi would be able to easily discover on her own, but it shouldn’t have come from him. Her questions were very logical considering the new information he had just handed her. And then for him to have stupidly said it never came up in conversation…well, the damage had already been done and there was no way for him to conveniently undo it. No doubt about it. The best way to handle the situation would be to ignore it rather than trying to explain away his colossal screw-up. To do anything else would give his blunder credence by following up on it.

  He resumed his speed as he pointed toward the structure on the bluff to the left side of the road. “That’s my vacation house. I had it built two years ago along with this road from the dock. It’s my private residence and not part of the proposed resort area.”

  The last thing he needed was for some nosy researcher to become suspicious, to think he knew more than he should—more than someone whose only connection to her research was the fact that he happened to be the current owner of the property. He made a mental note to be cautious about volunteering any information pre-dating his purchase of Skull Island four and a half years ago. And that included talking about Winthrop’s grandfather using the island as a base between Canada and the United States for smuggling liquor during Prohibition. The illegal activities amassed another fortune for him on top of the one he already had.

  A sudden gust of cold wind rippled across the canvas top of the electric cart. Gable drew in a deep breath. The unmistakable scent of rain filled his lungs. If they didn’t hurry, they would be caught in it.

  “We need to be—”

  A loud clap of thunder exploded around them, sending a sharp jolt of trepidation slicing through Lexi’s body. She physically jerked to attention as her muscles tensed. Her heartbeat jumped. She attempted to slow it down by gulping in a couple of deep breaths.

  Gable stopped the cart and turned toward her, genuine concern covering his features. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m sorry.” She gestured toward the menacing clouds. “It’s the storm. Thunder and lightning…” Her voice trailed off as the large raindrops hit against the cart’s canopy.

  Gable pressed the accelerator all the way down causing the cart to lurch forward. “We’re almost to my house.”

  They drove directly into the garage. He plugged the cart into an electrical outlet so it would be fully charged the next time he used it. Then he grabbed her suitcase and the mail. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”

  They entered the house from the garage through a large utility room consisting of laundry facilities as well as storage, then into the kitchen. He led her along a walkway with a glass outer wall that bordered the fully enclosed courtyard connecting to the structure on the other side. Anyone going from the front of the house to the back wing on the other side of the courtyard would not need to go outside and face the elements. He indicated a corner room, then stood aside so she could enter. He followed her, placing her suitcase on the floor next to the large closet.

  Lexi’s gaze traveled around the tastefully decorated, spacious room with large windows on two sides. She noted the door leading to a private bathroom, a definite luxury for a guest bedroom in a private residence.

  She turned to Gable, extending her best smile. “This is very nice. Thank you for allowing me to stay here for a few days. I really appreciate your generosity. I’ll try to keep out of your way and not be a bother.”

  “No problem. Feel free to go where you want. There are walking paths that circle the island and also criss-cross it as well as roads for the electric carts. At this time there aren’t any gasoline powered vehicles on the island and my plan is to keep it that way once construction is completed.”

  Feel free to go where you want may have been his words, but she could see the caution in his eyes that said something entirely different, echoing the words he had spoken earlier about having second thoughts. And again her concerns pushed at her reality. Something was wrong. Things were not as they appeared.

  “If you don’t mind postponing your unpacking, I’ll introduce you to my other guests and give you a tour of the house so you’ll know where to find things. Then you can make yourself at home. The doors to the front wing of the house aren’t locked, so you can come and go as you please. Once the resort is completed and other people are on the island full time, I’ll probably need to lock them. But for now, you and my other guests can enter and exit the house as you wish.”

  She cocked her head and looked at him questioningly. “You have other guests staying here?”

  “For the last couple of days I’ve been involved in business meetings concerning the resort project. The architect, golf course designer, and contractor are here.”

  “Then those you just mentioned, Hank and Dolly, and you and I are the only people on the island?”

  “There’s also security personnel. I had to put on guards to keep trespassers off the island following my announcement of the resort plans which resurrected all the old stories about the disappearances. The tabloid reporters have been particularly aggressive in trying to get on the island.” His jaw tightened into a hard line. “They’re the ones who made a major event out of a thirty-year-old unsolved disappearance by spreading it all over their front pages.”

  He turned and stared out the window at what she noted was now a full blown rainstorm. “There are only two ways onto this island, by air and by sea. Since we haven’t cleared an area for a runway yet, the only air approach would be with a helicopter. No one can sneak onto the island in a noisy helicopter. As far as the sea approach is concerned, there are only two places where someone could come ashore by boat. One of them is the dock where you arrived and the other is a very small, secluded sandy cove where someone could beach a small boat. The rest of the shoreline is rocky cliffs which aren’t compatible with a boat landing, not even a rubber raft, let alone a larger vessel of some sort.”

  A sudden thought struck Lexi. She stared at Gable as she turned the notion over in her mind. “Could someone gain access to the i
sland at one of the rocky areas from a boat anchored off shore by using scuba gear?”

  He laughed, a spontaneous moment that showed a dazzling smile. “That’s an interesting story idea. You sound like you’re writing J.D. Prescott’s book for him.” The laugh faded as he established eye contact with her. He cocked his head. “Are you? J.D. Prescott is such a recluse. From what I hear, no one knows what he looks like. Not even a photograph for publicity purposes. Is it possible that he doesn’t really exist at all and you are the author?”

  The intensity of his stare, the depth of his green eyes, sent a quick tremor of excitement shooting through her. No question about it. He was a dynamic man—very sexy and desirable. She forced a calm to her words. “That’s a pretty fanciful notion. Perhaps you’re the one who should turn a hand to writing fiction.”

  His voice dropped to a mere whisper. “Well now, that’s not really an answer to my question.”

  “No, I’m not a writer. If I had written the J.D. Prescott books, I would have needed to write the first one when I was in grade school. I’m only gathering…uh, gathering information.” She didn’t like the breathless quality that seemed to cling to her words. “It…uh…it seemed to me to be the type of detail about the island’s geography that would be helpful to Mr. Prescott.”

  They remained still, standing almost toe-to-toe, neither of them saying anything. Gable finally broke the nearly trance-like moment when he brushed a loose tendril of hair away from her cheek. The heated intensity sizzled between them for an instant, then he turned toward the door.

  “Let’s take that tour. I’ll introduce you to my other guests.” They started back the way they had come. “In this back guest wing, in addition to the six guest rooms, there’s a small kitchenette where guests can have early morning coffee or a late night snack. As you can see, the center courtyard has a year round swimming pool along with the adjacent Jacuzzi.” They entered the larger front section of the house. He showed her the way to an oversized office where three men were seated at a small conference table.

  “This is Fred Turnbull, the architect who designed this house for me. He’s also doing the renovations on the mansion and designing the rest of the resort buildings. Next to him is Stuart Brooks, designer of the championship eighteen-hole golf course we’ll be building. And last, but certainly not least, is Walter Denning, the contractor for the resort project.”

  Gable turned toward her. “Gentlemen, this is Alexandra Caldwell. She’s the researcher I mentioned to you this morning. She’s gathering background information about the Hollingsworth disappearance for a new book by J.D. Prescott. She’ll be staying here for a few days.”

  Lexi smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ll try to stay out of your way. I know you have business with Mr. Talbot that’s certainly more pressing than what I’m doing.”

  Gable addressed his comments to the men seated at the table. “I’ll be right back.” He checked his watch. “It’s almost lunch time. I’ll have Dolly fix something for us and we can eat while we work. I want to complete most of our agenda today so we can easily finish up tomorrow and you’ll be able to leave the day after, as scheduled.”

  He escorted Lexi down the hall, giving her a quick tour of the front section of the house—living room, formal dining room, kitchen with informal eating area, den, a game room containing a pool table and poker table with an archway opening connecting it to the den, and two guest bathrooms. He indicated a room being used as a temporary security office that would ultimately be a library once the resort renovations to the mansion were complete and the security offices moved there along with the business offices.

  “I had no idea this house was so large. It didn’t appear to be this big as we approached it. Do you live here all year round? It seems so isolated for a full time residence…” She paused as she formulated the words, hoping they sounded casual rather than giving the impression she was prying into his personal life—which was exactly what she was doing. “Especially if you’re trying to run a business of some sort.”

  “I have a condominium in Seattle that’s my primary residence. This is a vacation home. After the resort is completed, many full time employees will live on the island in newly constructed employee housing, most of it a dorm type facility with cottages for management personnel.”

  “What about you? Will you be living here year round after the resort is completed or will your business interests keep you in Seattle?” She caught the way he had ignored her subtle attempt to elicit information. Perhaps the time for subtlety had passed. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is it you do for a living? You seem very young to be able to afford to buy an entire island and then the cost of turning it into a resort…” A nervous jitter worked its way through her body. She was every bit as curious about this dynamic and sexy man with his commanding presence as she was about the research information she had been hired to collect.

  “Me? It’s…family money—inherited. I play golf, travel…things like that. My primary work is to oversee my investments.”

  It immediately hit her. He was suddenly trying too hard to project the image of someone living off the family fortune. Something about it did not ring true. Then the vision invaded her mind again sending a wave of anxiety rippling across her skin—mud sliding down an embankment, coming toward her, trapping her. The same out of focus face, only this time not quite as blurred. The face dissolved into a skull, a skeleton, and a second skeleton.

  The words reverberated inside her head as loudly as if someone had actually spoken them. Everything he just said is a lie. What is he hiding?

  And why?

  Chapter Two

  Gable opened the door to the security office, then stepped aside so Lexi could enter. She hesitated a moment, weighing the options in her mind about how to handle what he had said about inherited family money. She decided to let it drop…for the moment. Then another thought popped into her mind, a startling one. Could he possibly be related to the Hollingsworth family? Could some of the Hollingsworth fortune be the money he inherited? That would certainly put an interesting twist on things. She definitely intended to delve into the background of Gable Talbot before she left Skull Island. The only question being whether her curiosity related to her research or had it been prompted by her undeniable attraction to him.

  A man in his late forties sat at the desk in front of a bank of monitors. He looked up as they entered the security room. Gable made the introductions. “This is Brian Cookson. Right now his primary duty, along with three other security guards, is keeping unauthorized people off the island. Once the resort is opened, he will be head of security. Brian, this is Alexandra Caldwell. She’s the researcher I mentioned to you. She’ll be staying on the island for a few days.”

  Brian rose to his feet and extended his hand. “Miss Caldwell, it’s nice to meet you. Anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

  “Thank you, Brian.” The moment she accepted his handshake, a shiver of fear swept through her body. This was a dangerous man, a very dangerous man. She attempted to quell her anxieties. Did Gable know how dangerous Brian Cookson was? Or had Gable hired him because of it? It presented yet another piece of what was rapidly becoming a confusing puzzle in the form of her host, Gable Talbot—an enigma decidedly turning more interesting than the thirty-year-old disappearance she had been hired to research.

  Another loud clap of thunder underscored the tenuous hold she had on her composure. She managed to maintain her outer calm, but her insides refused to settle down. Why had her psychic abilities picked this time and this place to present her with the strange images? They had to have something to do with Gable Talbot, Skull Island, or the Hollingsworth disappearance. Or perhaps all three? Did it reinforce her notion that Gable Talbot might be part of the Hollingsworth family? But what specifically were the images trying to tell her? She had no more of an answer now than she did when the vision first popped into her mind.

  Gable’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Dolly wil
l be preparing lunch shortly. She can serve you in the kitchen eating area. I have business to attend to so you’ll be on your own for the rest of the day. Dinner will be served at six-thirty. We’ll be eating in the dining room tonight since there are so many of us.”

  “Thank you for the tour. I’ll unpack and start on my work. Obviously I won’t be able to go outside today because of the rain, but in the meantime there’s lots I can do in my room with the material I brought.”

  She turned toward the security guard. “It was nice meeting you.” The look in his eyes told her more than she wanted to know. Yes, he was definitely someone to be wary of, someone to keep an eye on. But someone who posed a physical threat to her? She didn’t know.

  ****

  Gable and Lexi left the security office, each headed in a different direction. As soon as they were gone, Brian walked across the room and shut the door. Ignoring the telephone in the office, he reached for his personal cell phone and made a call.

  “It’s Brian. She’s here. Talbot just introduced her, then left her on her own for the rest of the day and returned to his meetings. It’s raining hard right now, so she’ll probably stay in the house. The others are supposed to leave day after tomorrow, assuming they get all their business done. He keeps his office locked when he’s not using it. I checked the lock and it’s much more sophisticated than a normal door lock. There’s definitely something in there he doesn’t want anyone else to see. It’s going to be difficult to search his office without it being obvious that someone broke in.”

  Brian listened for a moment, then responded. “All but two of the windows in that room are sealed and the two that aren’t only open a couple of inches, just enough to let in some fresh air. How do you want me to proceed?”