Marriage & the Mermaid (Hapless Heroes) (25 page)

Dewdrops sparkled on the shivering leaves of the potted lilly pilly in front of him, and Rand stood tall. He knew he looked good in the suit, and he’d soon have the car to go with it. In an hour he’d be on the highway heading north.

On his way to Ted.

On his way towards
living in the lap.

Chapter Thirty

M
oore was on Waikeri’s guest chair again trying not to eavesdrop on the phone conversation, but every so often he heard young Wilson’s raised voice on the other end of the line.
Unforgivable
had been one word, then a minute later
intimidating.

Not the best time to have walked in.

For his part, the big Maori seemed oblivious to the tirade. His only concession to emotion was a raised eyebrow at Moore. “Yes, I realize he should have rung first. I’ll ask him why he didn’t. Perhaps he was outside the reception area for mobile phones.”

Moore was busting to have his say, but he’d walked in on this and had to wait. It was all he could do to sit still while Wilson ranted on. His only saving grace was the bored expression on Waikeri’s face. A fat finger tapped on the donut box, offering Moore breakfast but Moore shook his head. He’d had bacon and eggs with Vigo Skeyne an hour ago, before his team put out to sea for another day’s searching. Moore’s subtle warning that this could be a
really big shark
had only elicited enthusiastic cries of ‘Bring it on!’ from the fanatical fishermen.

There was nothing to do but wait, and hope the QUT team with their much larger boat found it first.

“Again, I apologize, Mr Wilson,” Waikeri said when there was a lull, “but the fact remains that I need the contact details for Ms Dalrymple’s mother —”

Moore shook his head and looked away. Neither of them believed Baz Wilson had the details.

“Your father has the details?” the big Maori repeated, and raised both eyebrows at Moore. “Then could I speak to him please?” Waikeri listened for another two minutes then said, “Thank you, Mr Wilson. We’ll get back to you if we need anything else.”

As he put down the phone Moore opened his mouth to ask, but Waikeri raised a hand to stop him. “Baz Wilson says his father has the Dalrymple girl’s details, and if I have extraordinarily compelling reasons to obtain those details Theodore will look them up and give them to his friend the district supervisor, at which time he will tell his friend the district supervisor just how incompetent and inconvenient my investigation has been.”

Moore felt his face go hot. “Cocky young shit!”

“You’ve obviously impressed him with your smooth efficiency. Did you get a sample of the nail polish?”

“No.”

They looked at each other.

“Then the girl walks free, the shark is the killer and we leave the Wilsons alone.” This last was said with a tone of voice Moore hadn’t heard from Waikeri before.

“You warning me off?” he asked.

“If you need warning, yes. I don’t want the district supervisor chewing my ass.”

“Unless he comes from
Alien Nation
I doubt he’d be able to open his jaws wide enough to get a grip on it.”

Waikeri raised an eyebrow. “You sassing me, Snow?”

“My hair won’t always be blond.”

Waikeri shrugged. “When it’s grey I’ll call you Sleet.”

“Screw you.” Moore laughed.

“And speaking of sex,” Waikeri added, “Can your marine biologist cook?”

Moore was completely lost. “Pardon?”

“If she can cook, you should marry her.”

“Because … ?”

“This is the first woman you’ve asked out in the five years I’ve known you.”

“Well, technically she asked —” Moore started before he realised he should keep his mouth shut.

“Which means you must be attracted to her.” Waikeri was too subtle for a triumphant grin but Moore knew he was grinning on the inside. How the hell had he found out? Had the restaurant rung him to say Moore had booked a table? Bloody small towns.

Moore pushed his chair back and stood. “I think I’ll go interview our latest pickpocket victim,” he said.

But before he could make a dignified exit Waikeri pointed towards the ocean across the road. “Skeyne better hurry up and get that shark.”

Moore paused and turned back. “Why?”

“Party of divers went missing off Shute Harbor an hour ago.”

“Shit.”

“Six of them. No body parts found.”

Moore shook his head, starting to feel as if the situation was getting out of control. Shute Harbor was eight hundred kilometers north. What was the range of this monster?

Waikeri sighed and reached for the donut box. “Only good thing about that tragedy is the media circus heading north.”

They looked at each other and Moore’s interest in the pickpocket case faded. “Dalrymple and the shark are the one case. We have to find her.”

It was Waikeri’s turn to shake his head. “You’re on the pickpocket case now. Leave little wet riding hood to me.”

Chapter Thirty–One

R
and brushed damp palms down the front of his suit coat and followed the giant gardener who had met his car and was now leading him behind some hedges towards a pool. On their left was a clifftop with the ocean swishing below it, and on the right Rand snatched glances at
Saltwood
manor between gaps of the hedge, trying to get his pulse under control. It was a fucking mansion, and everything from the glistening windows and shining brass door handles to the state–of–the–art satellite dish on the roof sparkled with a luster that spelled
wealth.

“This is a safe place to wait, Mr Budjenski,” the big man said in some foreign accent. Rand dragged his attention back to their immediate surrounds and noticed that Carlos was pointing at a thatched hut beside the pool area. “ I’ll tell Mr Wilson you’ve arrived,” the big guy went on. “He’ll be pleased to hear that.”

“Very good,” Rand said in his imitation ‘cultured’ voice. “Whatever Theodore thinks is best,” but his mind was on the phrase
A safe place.
Safe from what? Rand stepped back while the gardener opened the change room door and reached inside to turn on a light.

“I’m sorry, but it will be at least an hour before I come back for you,” Carlos said with an apologetic frown. “The younger Mr Wilson is going out for the day on a picnic. If you wouldn’t mind waiting here until he’s gone —”

Rand felt his shoulders relax. Ted was getting rid of his son. Perfect! “I’m fine” he assured Carlos, and patted the briefcase in his hand. “I’ve brought a book. I’m happy to sit and read. Is there a seat?”

“Around the back of the mirror there, Mr Budjenski.” Carlos said, pointing inside.

Rand shook the gardener’s meaty hand, being careful to keep his expression serious. He knew he’d look younger if he smiled. “Thank you, Carlos. I’ll see you later then,” he said.

“Yes, Mr Budjenski. I’ll be back when young Mr Wilson is gone.”

Rand nodded farewell and walked into the poolside change room, shut the door behind him and put the suitcase down. Then he glanced at his reflection in the mirror and smoothed down a strand of hair that had escaped his gelled do before stepping around the partition wall to find the chair behind it that Carlos had promised. He was one step in when he saw a girl sitting on a long lounge against the back wall, her hand inside a packet of cereal. At the sight of him she bounded to her feet and dropped the box which spewed cereal across the tiled floor. Then she thrust out her chest which was already spilling out of a dark purple string bikini and stuck out her hand. It was stained purple to the wrist. Both her hands were.
What the fuck?

“I’m Venus,” she said breathlessly.

Rand looked her up and down then said, “Your hands are purple,” before he could help himself.

“I dyed them.”

“As you do.” He forced himself to shake her hand, then he straightened his shoulders to stand tall in case this was some sort of test.

“I’m the housekeeper,” she told him.

Rand nodded. She was a honey blonde, and… well just a honey really, but Rand wasn’t at
Saltwood
to get laid. He was here to work. So he nodded and said, “I’m Randolph Budjenski. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Her eyes widened. “Baz said your name,” she gushed, “and I didn’t know you. But now I do!” She seemed inordinately pleased about that, and she kept looking at his hair, his shoulders, and lower down. It was unnerving but Rand had good instincts and he was reasonably confident she was just weird and not the bait in some sort of trap. Although it was odd that she seemed pleased to meet him if the annoying son had been talking about him.

“So what did Baz say about me?” Rand asked, trying not to sound overly concerned, in case whatever he said was repeated later.

“That you were a friend of Theodore’s,” she said. “But I think that would be difficult, as Theodore is very unpleasant. Or at least he is to me,” she added, her expression perfectly innocent.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rand said, not that he cared. He was just making conversation. “So… were you taking a break?” He gestured at the lounge, wondering how he could get her to go. The last thing he wanted was to have to make civilized small talk for an hour with someone before he’d even met Ted. The cultured accent required a lot of concentration and he’d been hoping he didn’t have to maintain it for too long in case he slipped up.

“I am available for sex,” she said, and smiled engagingly.

Rand continued to stare at her as his brain processed that. “You… what?”

She stepped right into his personal space, crunching cereal under her bare feet, and sniffed him. Rand backed up into the partition wall, wondering what the hell was going on. Had Baz set this up? Did Ted stupidly tell his son that Rand was coming.

“You smell like buttered toast,” she said, and grinned. “And your hair is such a shiny yellow.” She bared her teeth. “Do you like my beautiful pearlies?”

“I’m sorry, Miss…” Rand hadn’t seen this coming and didn’t know what to do.
Fuck!
He had to get control of this or the deal would be over before he’d even met the old man.

“Baz isn’t available for sex,” Venus went on, stepping even closer so she was breathing on his face. “Are you?”

Rand stared down into her eyes and had to admit he saw nothing tricky there. She just seemed to want sex, and everything about her from her tilted blue–green eyes to her wide mouth and sexy tumbled–down hair was a turn on, so he would have been pleased to oblige her if he hadn’t had any other agenda. As it stood, however, he wasn’t about to waste months of planning on a quick fuck, even if it would be a memorable one.

She put her hands gently onto his chest. “I have to leave soon. Maybe tonight,” she said, “and I haven’t had sex yet. Not once, and I want it.”

“You’re a virgin?”

“I’ve masturbated,” she said. “But I want to share sex with someone.”

Rand nodded, seeing nothing but sincerity in her eyes. Still, he said, “I’m here to see Theodore.”

She quickly shook her head. “Don’t tell him!” she said. “He already doesn’t like me. He might dislike me more if he knows I had sex with you.”

Rand wanted to say
You’re not having sex with me,
but some stupid part of his mind was considering it.

“I really want to be naked with you,” she said, and leant up to lick across his lips in an endearingly inexperienced way. Rand swallowed down the sensations that stirred in him. She tasted like sugar and smelt like the ocean. His dick was stirring.

“Please,” she pleaded. “You’re younger than Baz and more virile, and your eyes are so exciting.”

Rand shook his head. This was crazy. But damn it, she was turning him on.

“I’m not really the housekeeper,” she said, pressing up against him now, her soft belly against his hardening dick. “Baz is just letting me stay because I’m hiding from the police.”

Really?
“Does Ted know that?” Rand asked, pleased now that he hadn’t asked her to leave five minutes ago.

She clutched at his shoulders. “You mustn’t tell Ted,” she gasped. “He hates me, and if he knew I wasn’t the real housekeeper Baz would be in so much trouble.”

“We don’t want that,” Rand lied, thinking this could be a good thing to hold over Baz.

“I’ll do anything you want me to,” she promised, “only please,
please
have sex with me.”

“Anything?” he asked.

She nodded eagerly.

“Baz is going out for a picnic —”

“I know. He and —” she started, but Rand put a hand over her mouth to still her blabbering.

When she’d stopped trying to talk against his fingers he went on, “I’m hoping Baz will stay away all day, but if he comes back early I need someone to distract him, so he doesn’t interrupt my important business meeting with Ted.”

She nodded so hard it looked like she was having a seizure.

“Can you do that for me?”

She nodded again, even more vigorously.

“Okay,” he said and took his hand off her mouth.

She grinned so widely it looked like her face would split in half. “You really will? You’ll really have sex with me,” she said.

“Yes I will.” Rand trusted his gut. She felt like someone he could rely on, and if getting the old man to sign the forms took longer than he hoped, this girl could be the difference between success or failure. “But I don’t have a condom,” he said. “I was expecting work, not play.”

“I don’t need a condom,” she said quickly.

So she must be on the pill. He shrugged. “Don’t figure I’ll catch anything off a virgin.”

She smiled and nodded as if she had no idea what he was talking about. “So where will we do it?”

Baz looked at the lounge against the back wall but it was exposed to the gaze of anyone who came in and peeked around the partition. Next to the lounge were some cubicles. “What’s in there?” he asked.

Venus turned around. “Toilet,” she pointed, and, “Shower.”

He stepped past her and opened the cubicle door to the shower. “This is good,” he said and leant in to run the water. “In case we’re interrupted,” he said. “I can say I was having a shower.” It would be a lame excuse, but if she stayed in the cubicle he could leave with Carlos who would never even know that Rand had met her, let alone fucked her.