by Mj Roë
“Hi,” she said quietly.
“Turn around,” he said.
“What?”
“I said turn around.”
A few yards behind her, parked next to the curb, was Mark’s BMW. The top was down, and her dog was standing in the backseat, wagging his tail. Mark had made the effort to pick her up after all.
Anna forced a smile and walked toward the car. Mark popped the trunk and got out to help her lift her suitcase into it.
“Thanks for picking me up, Mark.” Anna slid into the passenger seat and tousled Paris’ ears. The dog licked her face in delight.
Mark closed his door and leaned over to briefly kiss her on the cheek. He was dressed in his jogging clothes, his hair was more unruly than usual, and his face was unshaven.
“Are you not feeling well? You look pale,” she said.
“I’m okay,” he harrumphed, glancing over at her. “You don’t look so hot yourself. Must have been some vacation you had.” He wasn’t smiling.
Anna took a deep breath. She knew she looked haggard, having caught a glimpse of herself in the plane’s restroom mirror. She had black circles under her eyes, and her hair badly needed washing. “I’ve been through quite an ordeal, Mark. It’s…it’s, well, I’ll…” Her voice trailed off.
He frowned at her. “I was trying to reach you.”
“Monique told me you called them. What was so all-fired urgent, anyway?” She hadn’t meant to sound so curt.
Mark bit his lip and then finally said, “I got some intelligence on Diamanté. I was hoping to warn you about something I found out.”
“Why were you checking up on Diamanté, anyway?” she snapped.
“Oh, Christ, Anna. Don’t get touchy about it. I just had a tracer run. I hadn’t figured on anything to be concerned about, but there was something in the information that troubled me.”
“And that was?”
“He’s got a brother, a half brother that is, who’s wanted by Interpol. That’s pretty serious stuff. I mean, really serious, Anna. He’s a suspected terrorist. I couldn’t find out what exact crime he was wanted for, though, because I didn’t have his name. It’s apparently a different last name from Diamanté’s.”
“Yes, and I know some of the story about that terrible man. I wasn’t being touchy, Mark. It’s just that…” She shuddered, remembering the night that André Narbon had shown up in Castagniers to kill Diamanté. “I’ll tell you about it one day.”
“Well, at least you’re home safe.” He stared in front of him for a moment. “There’s, ah…something else has happened that I need to tell you about.” He sounded mysterious.
“What do you mean?”
He turned to her and pulled off his dark glasses. “You’re probably not going to believe this, but…”
Just then an airport security guard yelled at them to move away from the curb. Mark nodded, replaced his glasses, and put the car in gear. Anna’s hair blew wildly in the wind as he accelerated the BMW into the fast lane of the I-405. After a few minutes, they sped across three lanes of traffic and exited the freeway at Rosecrans. In the back, the dog lost his balance and fell off the seat as the BMW came to a screeching halt in the parking lot of an In-N-Out Burger. Diners at the outdoor tables of the fast-food restaurant stared at them.
Anna was alarmed. She had never seen Mark so agitated. “What is it, Mark? What’s going on?” she shouted. “This just isn’t like you.”
He turned off the ignition, pulled off his dark glasses, and heaved a big sigh. “Okay, dammit. Here goes. This guy showed up at your condo yesterday asking about you. He made our neighbor Tillie nervous because he wouldn’t give his name, so she called me. It was early evening, just around sunset, so I made an excuse to leave the office for a little jog on the beach before dark. When I got to the condo complex, Tillie pointed him out to me. Never seen the guy before. Handsome dude. He was just hanging around on the beach-front, looking like he was casing the joint or something. Dammit, I didn’t know what to think, so I just walked over to him and asked him what the hell he was up to.”
Anna felt sudden panic. Could someone somehow know what C-C had told her? Was Diamanté right after all that she could be in danger? “What did he say to you?”
“He spoke English, but he had an accent. A French accent. I wondered whether he might be one of your long-lost relatives. All he said was that he was waiting for you to arrive home, that he had some urgent business with you. Wouldn’t tell me anything more. I asked him how he knew you, but he didn’t answer the question. I couldn’t decide what to do. If I called the police, what could I tell them? This guy, this French guy, was loitering on the beach? Wouldn’t have been any reason for him not to be there. Hell, it’s a public beach.”
“So what did you do?”
“I told him that he should move on, that you weren’t expected home yet and that I didn’t know when you were coming, which is true. It was then that he told me who he was—well, not who he was exactly, but who he is today. I guessed the was part.”
“Mark, you’re not making any sense. Who was he?”
Mark gulped and turned to look deep into Anna’s eyes. His face showed no emotion. He hesitated and then said finally, “I met your C-C.”
CHAPTER 74
Anna stared at Mark. Her mind raced as she tried to remember whether she had ever mentioned C-C’s name to him.
“C-C is dead,” she exclaimed. “He died in a car crash three days ago. You’re scaring me, Mark. Diamanté warned me that I could be in danger. This person has to be an imposter.”
“Anna, this guy that showed up yesterday isn’t an imposter. Well, not quite.” Mark raked his hair as he tried to figure out how to explain the unbelievable story C-C had told him, how his death had been staged and he had been given a new identity with a chance at a new life, that he was in love with Anna and would stay on that beach for days waiting for her.
“Hell with it. See for yourself, Anna.” He gunned the car and sped out of the parking lot.
Anna scanned the beachfront as they pulled into the side alley of the condo. It has to be someone who knew. But who? she thought, trembling with fear. Mark didn’t know anything. She couldn’t let him get involved. Tears welled in her eyes.
In front of them the Pacific Ocean sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
Mark turned off the ignition. “Well, this is it, gorgeous,” he said wearily. “Like I said, he’s a handsome dude, and he sure loves you.”
At that moment, a figure appeared from around the side of the building and walked with a familiar swagger towards the car. Anna put her hands to her cheeks and screamed. She opened the car door and leaped out, her head spinning.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My sincere thanks to Peter Berkos, Robert Fertig, Lillian Balinfante Herzberg, Byron Earhart, Lorin Nails-Smooté, Morry Shechet, Karl Bell, and the late Aaron Hock, all members of the Rancho Bernardo Writers’ Group in San Diego, California, whose tough critique, diplomatic suggestions, and sound advice made this story better. A special thank you also to Jewell Hill and Harriett Staats, who so graciously read and provided extensive comments on this work, and to my daughter Kirsten who provided honest feedback along the way. Last, but most important, I owe a debt of gratitude to my husband Denny for his unwavering support, encouragement, and belief.
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT PAGE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
PROLOGUE
PART ONE CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
PART TWO CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAP
TER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
PART THREE CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
PART FOUR CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
ACKNOWLEGMENTS