Behind A Twisted Smile (Dark Minds Book 2) (11 page)

I sat up and twisted round to look down at him. “Are you sure you want to know? Some things are best left unsaid.”

“I’m a big man. I can take it. But…if you’d rather not tell me.”

“He’s said a few choice things before. I never told you, but I think there are some things you ought to know. We did sleep together. Twice. It didn’t mean anything to me, and I’m ashamed to admit that I’d had too much to drink both times it happened. Please don’t think I make a habit out of this. Only—” I stopped. I fiddled with the sheet, folding it between my fingers, and then let everything come out in a rush once I had collected my nerves.

“He talked dirty about having sex with me and then how he fantasised about having me and Evie together. That’s not normal, surely, when you’ve just got engaged, is it?”

Jon shook his head. “No. It’s not. He doesn’t sound much like a loving fiancé. Sure, lots of people fantasise, but as they’re newly engaged, I’d have thought he’d keep such thoughts to himself. What a creep. Is that everything?”

I paused. How much should I say?

“He pushed me up against a wall in the pub tonight and assaulted me. Nothing drastic, but it made me feel horrible. Dirty.” My voice went all wobbly, and for a moment, I wondered if I was about to cry.

“Christ! Hey, it’s okay.” His arms tightened around me, and he pulled me back down onto his chest. “Jesus, he’s a real piece of work. Do you want to report him to the police? I’m happy to go along with you for support.”

I felt relieved when he said that. At least it proved he believed me. But I had been there once already, and I didn’t want Evie getting involved. But again, that in itself was a problem. Somehow, I had to let her know what she was getting into, and it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew she would never believe me.

“I don’t know. He’ll deny it, make up some lie. There were no witnesses, and it’s only my word against his. And think about it. Won’t the police think I’m some nutty discarded girlfriend trying to get my own back in some way?”

“Possibly. But Moya, if you don’t, then you’ll have to be careful. If this is true—and I do believe you, honestly I do—then you have to stay away from him. He’s the nutter, if you ask me, not you.”

I knew I would say nothing more to the police. But deep down, I knew he was right. I had to keep clear of Martyn.

Chapter 14

I lay on my back, soft wavelets gently buffeting against my body as I gazed up at the flawless sky. I couldn’t ever remember an English sky being quite that shade of blue. I sighed. Paradise couldn’t be any better.

I sank my toes into silky white sand. The water was a pale turquoise. It had to be nearing lunchtime and time for another piña colada.

I had been in Antigua for four days now, and apart from not having anyone to share this idyllic place with, I was as happy as Larry. I struck lucky with a last-minute bargain holiday, and within a few days of seeing the ad, I was happy to part company with my credit-card details, sorted out a suitcase full of summer clothing and checked my passport was in its usual place. Antigua here I come, I kept saying over and over in my head!

Jon couldn’t join me, as he needed more time to arrange his work schedule. But it didn’t matter. I told him I was used to my own company, and while long walks along a talcum-powder beach or swaying under a romantic Caribbean moon to the sound of a steel band in your lover’s arms seemed a wonderful idea, I actually enjoyed being on my own. Besides, it gave me plenty of time to relax and think things over.

My family’s reaction four days earlier to my taking off had been one of varying degrees of surprise. For one, it had been years since I had taken a holiday on my own, and none of them seemed too impressed when I declined to say which hotel or even which part of the island I was staying on.

“But what if I need to contact you?” Mum asked plaintively, the evening before I left.

“My mobile will work there. Just ring or send a text.”

When Evie and Martyn exchanged looks, I knew the subject wasn’t closed.

“Last time I went to the Caribbean, I had a real job using my phone. The coverage was appalling,” Evie said.

“No problem now with the phone coverage, and I have international roaming with my package. You went years ago, and besides, you couldn’t be bothered to buy a decent phone. You were being too darn tight as usual.”

“Okay, there’s no need to snap my head off,” she said. “We’re naturally just a bit concerned. You hear of awful things happening all over the world, and you’ll be on your own.”

“I’ll be fine.” I bit on my bottom lip. All I wanted was to get away, not suffer the third degree. Balmy nights, sun-drenched beaches, exotic food, and maybe the chance to go diving. Best of all, no sight or sound of Martyn.

“Moya, what I think Evie is trying to say, is that you have a duty to your mother to let her know you’re okay. She might want to contact you or your hotel if there’s an emergency.” He said with a gentle smile and a kind-sounding voice which made me want to vomit. What right had he to chide me concerning my family duties?

I flicked my attention back to Mum, not wanting Martyn to see his interference needled me. “Of course. If you must know, I don’t know which hotel I’m going to. It’s a last-minute super-deal. All I know for sure is, it’s a five-star not far from Nelson’s Dockyard. I’ll ring you every day if you like, in case you’re worried.”

Mum’s startled glance finally got to me. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble, dear, but you do hear awful stories,” she said looking pained over my reticence.

I couldn’t tell them I didn’t want anyone to know my holiday address. I had this ridiculous idea Martyn might turn up…on his own. Stupid, I know, but the last couple of weeks had really got me down, and I wondered whether I was thinking clearly.

I capitulated and sighed. “The best I can do is let you have my reservation details with the telephone number of the travel organisers. Once I’m actually in my accommodation, I can contact you and let you know more. Okay?”

This seemed to calm everyone down, including me. It was then I realised I should let the police know I was going away, as they had suggested. I didn’t suppose it would make a scrap of difference, but I just hoped they would keep an eye on my place.

Of course, I couldn’t express my thoughts, but I anticipated that when I returned home, Martyn and Evie would be fully engrossed in their new place, choosing paint and furniture or whatever they needed to do to kit out their love nest and Martyn would stop persecuting me.

Everything seemed in hand. Mum told me earlier in the week that Evie and Martyn had drawn up mutual wills, making each other beneficiaries. With Mum’s generous gift of money, they didn’t need a mortgage, and she said Martyn had offered to use all his capital on renovating the property. Wasn’t that good news?

I returned my thoughts to the present. I left the tepid water and strode up the beach to where I had left my towel and beach bag on a sun lounger. I noticed another woman nearby, lying on her back—a new arrival judging by the pinkness of her skin. She glanced up as my shadow fell across her, and we exchanged hellos as I tucked a wrap around me, picked up my things and left to walk over to the bar.

The barman took my order, and I settled back in the shade while waiting for my piña colada. As I gazed out to sea, I let out a sigh. If only things were as peaceful and settled back home.

I must say I found Martyn’s behaviour baffling as well as disturbing. What the hell did he want? Although I had no proof, I was certain I hadn’t seen the last of his shenanigans. I just had this uneasy feeling Jon was right. Martyn was unstable, some sort of sociopath, and God only knew what he would do next.

“Excuse me…mind if I join you?”

I looked up and saw the woman I spoke to on the beach.

“Not at all. These seats have the best view of the sea from here.”

“It
is
gorgeous. I’m Amanda by the way…we met on the beach just now?” she explained as she removed her sunglasses.

I nodded, at the same time thinking her face seemed familiar. Had I met her somewhere in England?

My cocktail arrived and she ordered the same.

“What a fabulous place. Have you been here before?” She sat back in her chair and took in the surroundings. There was a faint breeze blowing in from the sea, just enough to send a flutter through the palm-tree fronds. The bar staff had set up nectar bird feeders and we gazed in wonder at three exquisite tiny humming birds flapping round two of them.

“No. It’s been a while since I took a real break.”

“Me too. Things…got in the way, and before I knew it, I realised I hadn’t been on holiday for three years.”

As we chatted, I studied her more closely. Yes, I had definitely seen her before. Behind my own sunglasses, I watched covertly as Amanda set her glass back down before pushing her dark-blonde hair back off her face. Despite the relaxed ambience of the place, it struck me that she seemed tense. As she lowered her arm, it was then that I noticed she had a pink puckered scar running down behind her left ear and neck.

I wondered about the scar. In my business, I saw all manner of scars and blemishes on my clients’ bodies. This weal was long and substantial—about eight inches, and although faded through time, I guessed Amanda had either made a bad attempt at cutting her own throat or been the victim of a vicious knife attack. Either scenario made me feel a little edgy and curious. Why had she introduced herself or was I being paranoid?

She must have realised I was studying her, as she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked at me with a questioning look upon her face.

“Something wrong?”

“Haven’t we met somehow before? I seem to recollect your face but can’t place it.”

She made a quick scan around our surroundings, which was filling with other customers, and then leant nearer until our faces almost touched. She removed her sunglasses for a moment, and it was then I noticed how nervous she seemed.

“We have…back home in England.” She replaced her glasses.

I sat back, conscious of her closeness and frowned. What was going on?

“Sorry, can I explain to you properly?”

“I think you better had. Explain what?”

She touched her glass lightly with one finger before continuing and drew a line down through the condensation. “It’s a long story, but one I think you ought to hear. But we have to trust one another, and I know that’s a lot to expect when we’re virtual strangers. You need to know I could lose my job if I was to be found out, and you have to trust me when I say you’re in great danger.”

I raised my hand to attract the waiter’s attention and indicated two more cocktails were urgently required.

“Then you’d better tell me.” I said, my elbows on the table, my eyes never leaving her face. “Everything.”

Chapter 15

Our drinks arrived, and Amanda continued. So far, all I had learnt was that she was Amanda Marshall and worked as a clerical officer in our local police headquarters back home. She said her main role was to carry out general admin for the force’s employee-resourcing section. In a nutshell, she dealt with job vacancies and other admin tasks when things were quiet.

“So you’re not a police officer?” I asked, mystified and wondering where this was going.

She shook her head, her curls bouncing around her face. “No. I fill my day answering telephone enquiries about vacancies, which is minimal really, and then help out on the reception desk when our section is quiet and they need extra manpower out in the front office. It’s amazing what stuff we get in every day, what you learn.”

The penny dropped. “Ah! I remember now. You were there in the cop shop that day I came in and reported the graffiti attack on my flat. You wrote down the details for the sergeant. You look different with your hair down and out of uniform.”

She seemed pleased I had made the connection without making a fuss. “I expect you’re wondering what the devil I’m doing here and why.”

“Yeah, of course I am.” I collected my thoughts. “I take it you knew I was here because I visited the police station just before I came away. I left my holidays details with the station. But why you’re here, I have no idea.”

“That’s right I saw your entry in the book. I’ve worked for the police for the last three years. It’s handy for being in the right place if you want to keep tabs on someone. Can I trust you, Moya?”

“Ye-es. But I’m bloody mystified. I want to know
why
you’ve come all this way and gone to a lot of expense and trouble, when you could easily have called on me back home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not annoyed, just very puzzled, and if I’m honest, uncomfortable with it.”

“I know this sounds crazy, but it’s because I wanted absolute assurance that no one would find out we’d met and spoken. If I’d chanced it back home, you could easily have told me to bugger off or worst of all, the person I’ve been keeping an eye on would catch on that we’d seen each other. You must understand I’m terrified of being caught, as he’s dangerous.”

I felt a feeling of dread crawl all over my skin. “It is a pretty drastic action to take,” I said slowly. “Are you going to tell me whom you’re watching?”