Star Fallen Lover

by Lakes, Lynde

  Darli nodded and put the demand regulator into her mouth, wondering what the beautiful speech really meant.

  Before she could think any more about it, Cortz grasped her hand and together they dropped backward into the water. The mask over her face was tight. She had trouble getting accustomed to breathing normally, but to her delight, she soon got the hang of it.

  With Cortz gripping the enerplane and her hand, the nuclear-powered disk pulled them deeper into the surreal world of light shafts and blue haze. Darli pointed to an indentation in the sea wall where pink flower-like sea anemones clustered, their graceful tentacles spread like petals. Cortz nodded, still pulling her downward. Fish that Darli had never seen before zipped by. Cortz pointed out a thin bodied fish with rainbow colors.

  Although probably losing all sense of direction, she guessed they might have gone outward and circled the edge of the reef. The ocean floor materialized below her. Cortz pointed at a clumsy fish. It was an ugly, spiny creature with broad fins that looked like wings. It rose from the bottom and darted away.

  Absorbed with the fish, she swam into an almost invisible thick gray rope netting. It tangled around her like a man-eating plant. Panic gripped her. Cortz yanked her free. Without hesitation, he took her upward, toward the surface and safety. Darli emerged inches from him. She hoisted herself onto the deck and removed her mask. Cortz paused a moment and then went down again. She sat motionless, staring blankly at the spot where he went under.

  ****

  Cortz pressed the red button and aimed the enerplane downward. He had let his heart overrule his better judgment. Were it not for slamming into the mesh, he would have taken Darli to his spacecraft. Every part of him wanted her to know the truth. But the ensnarement into the rope-web brought him back to his senses.

  He knew the depth calculations from the first night and he had been down here a number of times after that. He followed the wall of netting. Then he saw it. Hidden beneath a tangle of seaweed, cameras rotated rhythmically, scanning the area in front of the cave entrance where his craft waited. He ducked back into an indentation in the sea wall. There was no way into the cave without being caught by the cameras. Or was there?

  His reassessment of the situation made him smile. Cameras could be redirected or twisted out of focus and netting could be cut. He eased closer. Suddenly three black-clad scuba divers sank ahead of him. He quickly blended into a shadowy crevice, his heart racing. The divers inspected the equipment, nodding and pointing as they worked. Finally, they swam forward and disappeared into the cave. He calmed himself. Yes, his spaceship was guarded, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. The retriever could bring the craft out with such force it would tear the netting and upset the cameras. He pushed upward, allowing his enerplane to glide him from the hazy underbelly of the sea to the surface.

  ****

  Darli had never bitten her nails, even as a child, but she was biting them now. She didn’t know how many minutes of compressed air remained in Cortz’s tank. He’d been down there a very long time. She shaded her eyes, while her gaze combed the undulating water. She exhaled in relief when he surfaced alongside the deck. He hoisted himself out and removed his equipment. “Looking for me?” He shook his head and wiped the water from his hair.

  “Why did you go back down without me?”

  “It was too dangerous for you, but I had to satisfy my curiosity about the netting.”

  “And?” she asked.

  He didn’t meet her gaze. “It was the remains of a large fishing net.” Before she could question him further, he pointed at the catamarans and giant water tricycles. “Which one of those things shall we ride?”

  Darli stared at him intently, feeling she was missing something. Maybe there was more to their underwater mishap than met the eye.

  “Come on, which is it, a catamaran or trike?” The eagerness in Cortz’s voice was contagious.

  “Trike!” she said. “If you let me steer.”

  Even after they returned the scuba equipment and bounced happily through the waves on the giant, yellow, three-wheeler tricycle, an uneasy feeling lingered in Darli’s mind. It was strange that such a huge dangerous expanse of netting was down there. She had been terrified when Cortz went back down to the sea floor alone.

  Cortz laughed when a low wave splashed their faces. She loved the way he laughed, so freely. One of the things she liked about him was his zest for living. He put his whole spirit into everything he did, as if he was experiencing it for the first time, and his lovemaking was no exception. He seemed to put his soul into it, savoring, sensing, giving. Imagining her life with such a man, where every event was approached with joy and fascination, brought a flush of anticipation to her cheeks. Darli looked at her watch and sighed. It was too late to slip back to the apartment.

  “Our sunset cruise leaves in thirty-five minutes,” she said. “We’d better clean up and change clothes.”

  They made it to the dock in plenty of time and boarded the boat with a large group of people. At the last minute, a man in a straw hat and dark glasses pushed his way up the gang plank, and disappeared into the crowd. He moved so quickly, Darli didn’t get a good look at him, yet she knew it was the man who had been watching her and had taken their picture.

  She felt a jerk and heard the scraping noise of the boat’s bumper as it eased out of the dock. A dark-skinned crewman yanked a heavy rope and coiled it. The captain yelled for other members to help him cast off, then he set a course toward the waters out beyond the breakers. A worried looked clouded Cortz’s face. “You’re sunburned, especially here.” He kissed her shoulder. She stepped close, into the shade of him, and his arm closed around her.

  The boat cruised Waikiki parallel to the shore until the sun dipped toward the sea and slowly lights blinked on over the Honolulu-Waikiki skyline. Cortz didn’t finish all the teriyaki steak strips and rice that the ship crew served for dinner. Darli couldn’t finish hers either. Somewhere on the boat with them was the man in the straw hat.

  If she wanted to enjoy the short time she and Cortz had together, she had to push that man from her mind.

  As the rusty-orange sky faded to coral, and darkness closed around the boat, Darli danced to the “Hawaiian Wedding Song” with Cortz, swaying slowly, their bodies pressing together. “This is the song I want played at our wedding,” she said. The thought of being married to Cortz sent shivers of excitement through her.

  “It’s perfect,” he whispered against her hair. “Like you.”

  Darli shook her head. They were words passed down through time in love stories, but she loved it.

  The music ended as the boat returned to the dock. After the crew lowered the gang plank, Cortz and Darli walked down the wooden exit way arm in arm. Darli felt that prickle of fine hairs on her neck again and couldn’t stop herself from pausing and looking back toward the top deck. Her knees went weak. He was there in his dark glasses and straw hat, staring down at them. She imagined the eyes as hard, cold, piercing as he stalked them, silently planning something evil. “Cortz, look.” She pointed. “There he is again, the man who took our picture.”

  “Where?” he asked.

  “You looked too late.” She couldn’t contain her accusing tone. “He’s already faded into the crowd. But, darn it, he’s on this boat and I want to face him and demand an explanation. So we’re waiting for him. He has to exit sooner or later.”

  But when all passengers and crew had gone, she realized somehow he’d slipped away, maybe over the side.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  After church Sunday morning, Darli drove Cortz around the island, pointing out her favorite golden beaches and turquoise shorelines, but she repeatedly glanced in the rear view mirror. Then, she saw it, a gray Ford. On a curve the sun glinted off the side window. The fleeting reflection emphasized the familiar cracked glass with the silver spider web fractures. A shiver slipped down her spine. She slowed to force the driver of the Ford to pass. He slowed too.

  “Cortz,
see that gray Ford behind us?”

  Cortz turned, but denied seeing it. How could he have missed it? Then the car disappeared as if swallowed by the winding road. Cortz scooted closer to her and massaged her neck.

  She glanced at him and frowned. “Don’t you get it? Someone is following us.”

  “Okay, maybe,” he said. “Or maybe it’s a ghost car. You told me there are lots of ghostly things that go on in the islands.”

  “Don’t tease me. This is serious.” She had the feeling that he was well aware that someone was following them and for some reason didn’t want to admit it. Why? She periodically scanned the rearview mirror. The day wasn’t working out as she had hoped and knowing someone was following them wore on her nerves. The drive and their picnic at the halfway point had taken over six hours. She grew more edgy as the day wore on. She expected to see the gray Ford at every turn.

  It was dark when they finally returned to the apartment. Darli put the key in the lock. She froze when the door swung open of its own accord. “I locked this!”

  Cortz’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I know. I saw you double check it.” She started forward. “Wait!” Cortz said. “Let me.” He cautiously stepped ahead of her. Her mouth went dry, and anxiety tightened her stomach muscles.

  He reached inside and flicked the switch. The living room flooded with soft light. Entering hesitantly, he picked up her heavy crystal whale and brandished it ahead of him. His shadow loomed large on the wall, her smaller one followed behind. She glanced around and grabbed the letter opener off the desk.

  Cortz yanked open the closet door. Nothing. He kicked the bathroom door aside. It banged hard against the wall.

  “It’s all right,” he said. “There’s no one here.”

  Darli felt a need to double check. She glanced into the shower through the transparent glass. She hadn’t breathed for several seconds and finally she exhaled.

  “See anything missing?” Cortz asked.

  She turned and scanned living room. The television, radio, video recorder and her grandmother’s antique clock were all as she had left them. She ran to her jewelry box. Her few meager costume pieces sparkled up at her. Then her hand went to her mouth. “The diamonds! Check your gear.”

  Cortz pulled his travel bag from the closet. “The diamonds are still here.” He dug through his gear. “Nothing is missing, but everything has been rearranged.”

  “I’m calling the police.” She misdialed the first time and had to start over.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

  “Why not?” The line rang and rang. She drummed her fingers on the desk. Finally, after an unreasonably long time, a police detective came on the line. Darli’s voice quivered from anger as she told him about the breakin.

  “What was taken, ma’am?” the detective asked.

  “Nothing, but someone disturbed things.”

  “Forced entry?”

  “No. But the door swung open. I had locked it.”

  “Ma’am, is it possible the door didn’t catch when you went out? And maybe you forgot how you left your things?” The detective’s tone changed to one of disinterest. “Since nothing was taken, do you really want to file a complaint?”

  “Yes…yes, I do. My privacy has been invaded. Someone dug through my things.” Her voice rose. “And someone is following me. He took my picture. Surely you can dust for fingerprints and find out who’s doing these things.”

  “Are you in the process of getting a divorce, ma’am?”

  “No.” His question burned her. Yet he was right, she had no proof of the breakin. Nothing was taken—therefore to the police, there wasn’t a crime.

  When she hung up, Cortz wrapped his arms around her. Darli looked up at him with accusing green eyes. “You didn’t believe me when I said we were being followed.”

  His eyes were troubled. “I had hoped you were mistaken.”

  ****

  Ryker knew the flak was about to fly. Naval Commander Olsen was always irritable on Monday mornings, but today he had a good reason.

  “I don’t like it,” Olsen said, as he paced in front of his desk. “What idiot authorized the breakin?”

  “Norton, over at Intelligence,” Ryker said.

  “He’s an ass.” Olsen shook his head. “I tell you I don’t like it.” He stopped pacing and looked out the window. “Risky business.”

  “They covered themselves.” Ryker lit a cigar and blew a puff of smoke into the air. “It’s all here in the report. Special Investigator Hayes tailed her while McCollum searched the apartment.”

  Olsen raked his hand though his gray hair. “What’s the bottom line on this?”

  “There’s evidence to justify Fox’s suspicion of Miss Grenlane.”

  “Blast it! What are you trying to say?”

  “The breakin was worth the risk.” Ryker paused, letting his words sink in. “McCollum found about five hundred thousand in diamonds in the boyfriend’s travel bag and release papers from a California mental institution with the name Gregory Harris on them.”

  “Mental institution? Did you run a check on Harris?”

  “Smith is doing that now.”

  “Has intelligence brought in the local police?”

  “Sir, beg your pardon, but they broke into her apartment, searched it, bugged it, all without a warrant. This isn’t something they’re going to admit to civilians.”

  “Dammit man, this is all interesting. But why are we pursuing this? What has it to do with the spacecraft?”

  “Maybe everything. Let’s suppose the experts were wrong. What if the craft is from enemy Code X3? The diamonds could be an espionage pay off.”

  Olsen sent a puff of smoke spiraling above his head. “Or maybe the guy’s just a diamond dealer.”

  “Dealer’s carry their inventory in a locked case, not in a travel bag.”

  “You think a foreign operative would be so careless?” Olsen asked sarcastically.

  Ryker shrugged. “Diamonds aren’t all they found. There was a large bag inside of a box in her closet that contained a diving suit, scuba equipment, a stun gun and what McCollum believes is a microcomputer.”

  “That puts a different spin on things. Tell Norton to pursue this all the way. I want a complete report on both the woman and the boyfriend. See that Fox gets a copy of McCollum’s findings.”

  “Sir, we have enough now to bring them in for questioning.”

  “Not yet. There may be others involved. When we move on them, we want to be sure we get everyone. We need facts, proof.”

  “We photographed her address book and we’re checking out her friends. They’ve got Hayes tailing her and the apartment is bugged. If she breathes, we’ll know it.”

  “Tell Norton to put a tail on the guy too.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Darli hadn’t told Keiko that their luncheon was a celebration. She’d merely told her she had news. Darli smiled to herself because everything had gone as planned. She and Cortz had their marriage license and he was on his way back to California. Watching Cortz leave was the difficult part, but she consoled herself that it was going to be a short separation. Darli asked the waiter to bring two glasses of champagne.

  “Champagne?” Keiko asked. “Must be big news. So give, what is it?”

  “Do you want to help me plan a wedding?”

  “When?” Keiko squealed.

  “In twenty days.”

  “This month? You can’t be serious?”

  Darli nodded.

  When the waiter brought the champagne in two long stemmed glasses, Keiko quickly raised her glass. “To happiness. Congratulations, kiddo.” Keiko and Darli looked at each other—then they hugged, their eyes bright with moisture.

  Keiko took a deep breath. “Wow, you two move quickly. I can’t believe it.”

  “Believe it,” Darli said. “It’s true.”

  “How will we have time to plan everything?” Keiko wailed.

  “It will be a small affair, just you, Ma
rio, Greg’s sister Mona, her husband and us. Of course, I’ll have to find the perfect dress. Will you go shopping with me?”

  “You couldn’t keep me away. How about after work?”

  Darli looked up when the waiter put the shrimp and crab salad in front of her. “The sooner the better.”

  Keiko arched her brow. “I hate to be crass,” she said in her usual direct fashion. “But is there any special reason for having the wedding so soon?”

  Darli shook her head. “Of course not. Besides, it’s not that soon according to Greg. He wanted to get married over the weekend. I’m the one who wanted a little planning time.”

  “Well…let’s get busy.” Keiko put her hand on Darli’s. “This is going to be fun.”

  “Why don’t we make it a double wedding?” Darli asked.

  “It’d be nice…but Mario and I aren’t ready. Besides, I want a big wedding with all the tradition and pomp.”

  Keiko looked puzzled. “Where is Greg from? When I met him the other day, I didn’t recognize his accent.”

  “California.”

  “That explains it. They make up their own way of speaking there.”

  Darli smiled. She knew more was coming.

  “What about the choice stuff?” Keiko asked. “Is he a good lover?”

  Darli gave her a sideways look and rolled her eyes. “Has Mario heard any more about his promotion?”

  “Changing the subject, huh?” She laughed. “It’ll be a week before the lists come out but he passed his security clearance.”

  “Security clearance?” Darli felt a sudden chill in the room. She shivered and rubbed her arms.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” Keiko asked. “Mario is being seriously considered for a real hush, hush job. He can’t even tell me about it.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  On the flight from Honolulu to Ontario, California, Cortz felt someone’s gaze piercing his back each time he left his seat to use the facilities. He scanned the passengers on his last trip back to his seat. A man wearing rimmed glasses and a black knit shirt locked gazes with him, then quickly looked away. Cortz was certain that he was the annoying invader of his privacy who had been staring at him, keeping tabs on him.