wrath of the Sea Queen (138 page)

"
Yes, you neglected to mention the man or your walk.  I wish I had known about both before I left.  What
happen
ed
?
"

"
No
thing really happened
.  H
e was
walking
toward
us
, and I got the strangest impression that
we needed to get away from him, so I rushed Max inside.
"

"
What did he do?
"

"
The man
stopped
where we had been by the water and
stare
d
up at the
hotel
.  He didn't
say or
do anything, and he left after a few minutes
.
But , i
t sent chills down my spine, and Max did not care for the man either.  It was
creepy
.  Yet,
I
forgot about it
until he showed up
outside again.
"

Vin
was not surprised that
a man would stare after C
a
eli. 
He was guilty of doing
it
the very first time they met
. 
He
had
since
seen it happen many times, though C
a
eli
was genuinely unaware of th
at typ
e
of
attention
.  It always made Vin smile to himself to know that he was not the only one who thought his wife was such a lovely lady. 
Each time, i
t reminded him how lucky he was that she had chosen to be with him. 
However,
C
a
eli was
his
wife, and anyone
who went out of the way
for a
deliberate
second
look
was
crossing a line
. 
That
was
a
n
entirely different matter; one of which Vin did not approve
.

"
What
i
s he doing?
"  Vin asked.

"
He
i
s standing there again
, looking up at the hotel
.  N
ow that I hear myself say it, I
suppose I
do sound a bit paranoid. 
Besides
, he
i
s
actually
gone
now
. 
I can't see him any longer. 
I
guess
I was being overly sensitive.
"  C
a
eli
reluctantly
admitted
, though her uneasiness persisted
.

"
I
doubt it
was
anything
to worry about
.  He probably lives nearby
. 
But, i
f he shows up again, let me know.  I
wi
ll get back there right away.
"

"
Thanks, Vin.  I think I just needed to hear your voice.  You know how easily I get spooked.
"

"
Yes, I know.  Hey, I've got
t
o
go.  We have company at our table.
 
Are y
ou going to be all right?
"

"
Yes, thanks. 
I promised Max we would bake cookies, and he is waiting patiently.  I love you, Vin.
"

"
I l
ove you, too.  We'll be home shortly after lunch
."

It did not take long for
her and Max
to get involved with
the
cookies
.  C
a
eli
soon forg
o
t about the man and exchanged childish jokes with Max.
  When his turn came around again, Max's joke
startled
her
.

"
Knock knock
, pretty C
a
eli.
"

"
Who's there?
"
 
She
gave the customary response.

"
The man in black.
"

"
The man in black, who?
"

"
Who is the man in black
is
standing
in the lounge
?
"

C
a
eli dropped the ball of
cookie
dough she was
forming
onto the counter and qui
etly
ran to
peep
out
of
the kitchen door.  Sure enough, the man st
ood
in
side
the lounge.  He was not quite as tall as Vin and unusually thin.  His skin was pale white
and appeared
as if it might be
clammy
to the touch
.  He was dressed in a solid black business suit,
still wearing the
black fedora. 
The man
displayed
no
discernible
expression on his face. 
For a split second, C
a
eli thought the man looked disturbingly familiar.  Then again, C
a
eli
believed
that she would
remember
if she
had
met this man before.  He made an unforgettable impression.  Thankfully, a
t th
e
moment
she peeked out
, he
was
looking
toward
her room
and did not see her
. 
C
a
eli
moved silently
back
into the kitchen and pulled Max close to her.  She put her finger over her lips, indicating for Max not t
o make any noise.

"
Vin.
  Vin, can you hear me?
"

"
No.  Of course he can't hear you.  I can't allow
your man to interfere
.
"

Damn!  Rika was interfering again. 
C
a
eli
had to fend for herself and Max.
 
She
looked around and
discovered
a small door at the
rear, left
of the kitchen.  She picked Max up and carried him with her as quickly and quietly as she could. 
C
a
eli
was not sure
where she was going, but at least she would not be
standing in plain sight
. 
She
crept silently through the door and closed it behind her
with no sound other than the
small squeak of the hinges. 

The room was tiny, barely large enough to hold the
stacked
washer and dryer
to her
right
and the kitchen chair that sat beside them.  C
a
eli stood Max on the chair and looked around.  There was a large cabinet
hanging
on the wall directly
across from the door
.  She opened the
single
door and found several blankets neatly folded
and stacked
inside. 
C
a
eli then
looked at the wall to her
left
. 
It appeared
as if
it
might once
have
been a
n open arch or
doorway, but was now covered by several p
lanks
of wood nailed across the opening.