Protector, Lover...Husband?: In the Dark / Sure Bet / Deadly Exposure. Heather Graham
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“My treat next go-around,” David said. Then he set down his glass, turned, and left the Tiki Hut.
It was definitely a body. Alex and Laurie could both clearly see that, despite the seaweed clinging to it.
Alex started to rush forward, but Laurie grabbed her arm. “Wait! If she’s dead, and you touch her, we could destroy forensic evidence.”
“You’ve been watching too much TV,” Alex threw over her shoulder as she pulled free.
But she came to a halt a few feet from the body. The stench was almost overwhelming. It was a woman, but she couldn’t possibly be alive. Alex could see a trail of long blond hair tangled around the face.
She had to be sure.
Turning, taking a deep breath and holding it, Alex stepped forward and hunched down by the woman. She extended a hand to the throat, seeking a pulse. A crab crawled out of the mound of seaweed and hair, causing her to cry out.
“What?” Laurie shouted.
“Crab,” Alex replied quickly. Bile rumbled in her stomach, raced toward her throat. She gritted her teeth, swallowed hard and felt the icy coldness of the woman’s flesh. No pulse. The woman was dead. Alex rose, hurrying back to Laurie.
“She’s dead. I’ll stay here, you go for help.”
“I’m not leaving you here alone with a corpse.”
“Okay, you stay, I’ll go.”
“You’re not leaving me here alone with a corpse!”
“Laurie—”
“She’s dead. She’s not going anywhere. We’ll both go for help.”
“Yes, but what if someone…what if a child comes out here while we’re gone?”
“What?” Laurie demanded. “You think I’m going to throw myself on top of a corpse to hide it? There’s nothing we can do except hurry.”
“I’m not afraid to be alone with a corpse.”
“You should be. What if the person who turned her into a corpse is still around here somewhere?”
Alex felt an uneasy sensation, but it was ridiculous. She shook her head. “Laurie, she’s drifted in from…from somewhere else. She’s been in the water a while.”
“Maybe. Neither one of us is an expert.”
“Laurie, that…stink takes a while to occur.”
“Let’s just hurry. We won’t be long, and she won’t go anywhere.”
“All right, then, let’s go.”
They tore back along the path they had taken and minutes later, neared the Tiki Hut. Laurie opened her mouth, ready to shout.
Alex clamped her hand over it. “No!”
Laurie fought free. “Alex! Did you touch that corpse with that hand? Maybe she died of some disease.”
Alex had to admit she hadn’t thought of such a possibility. She winced, but said, “We can’t just start shouting about a corpse. We’ll cause a panic.”
She scanned the Tiki Hut. The mothers who had been on the swim earlier were there—the teens were evidently off somewhere else. She would have liked to see John Seymore. Since he was an ex–navy SEAL, he would surely know how to handle the situation.
She would even have liked to see David, Mr. Competence himself. Cool, collected, a well of strength in handling any given situation.
“Let’s find Jay,” she said.
She caught Laurie by the elbow, leading her past the Tiki Hut and along the flower-bordered stone pathway that led to the lobby of the lodge. They burst in, rushing to the desk. Luckily, no one was checking in or out. Len Creighton was on duty. Thirtyish, slim, pleasant, he smiled as he saw them, and then he saw their panic and his smile faded.
“Len, I need Jay. Where is he?”
Len cast a glance over his shoulder, indicating the inner office.
She headed straight back.
Jay wasn’t there.
“He’s not here,” she called.
“I’ll page him.”
His voice was smooth as silk, hardly creating a blip against the soft music that always played in the lobby.
Moments later, Jay Galway, looking only slightly irritated, came striding across the lobby.
He was tall and lean, with sleek, dark hair, expressive gray eyes and a thin, aesthetic face. Patrician nose. His lips were a bit narrow, but they added to the look almost of royalty that he carried like an aura about him. She really liked her boss. They were friends, and he had always been ready to support her in her decisions, even if he didn’t agree with them. She’d known him before she’d come to work here. In fact, he’d called her about the job when he’d heard about the divorce.
He paused in front of the counter, perfect in an Armani suit, and stared at her questioningly.
“What on earth is this all about?” he demanded.
He was still a short distance away from her, and a few guests had just come in and were heading in their direction.
“I need to talk to you. Alone.” She glanced meaningfully at Len.
“I hide nothing from Len.”
Alex glanced at Len and wondered if there was more going on between the two men than she knew. Not that she cared, or had time to worry about it now.
“There’s a body on the beach,” she said very softly.
“A body,” echoed Laurie, who was standing behind her.
He stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “This is Florida, honey. There are a lot of bodies on the beach.”
Alex groaned inwardly. “A dead body, Jay.”
“A dead body?” Len exclaimed loudly.
They all stared at him. “Sorry,” he said quickly.
Jay gave his full attention to her at last, staring at her hard, his eyes narrowing. His focus never left her face, but he warned Len, “Shut up. I mean it. That reporter is around somewhere. All we need is him getting his nose into this.”
Alex stared back at him, aghast. “Someone is dead, Jay. It’s not a matter of worrying about publicity. Will you call the sheriff’s office—please?”
“Right. Len, call the county boys and ask them to send someone out. Someone from homicide.”
“Homicide?” Laurie murmured. “Maybe she just…drowned.”
“It still needs to be investigated,” Alex said, still staring at Jay. His behavior puzzled her. They had no idea who the dead woman might be, where she had come from, or even if there was a murderer loose in paradise, and he seemed so blasé.
Finally he said, “Show me.”
“Let’s go.”
Len started to follow, but Jay spun on him. “You’re on duty. And you,” Jay warned Alex, “make it look as if we’re taking a casual stroll.”
“Jay, honestly, sometimes—”
“Alex, want to cause a panic?” Jay demanded.
“Sure. Fine. We’re taking a casual stroll.”
They left the lobby, Alex leading, Jay behind her, Laurie following quickly. They took the path through the flowers, passed the Tiki Hut—which seemed unusually quiet for the time of day—and around the lagoon area.
“Alex,