Phantom Lover

She felt a tick in the corner of her eye even at the prospect of answering his challenge. He laughed, taking her by the hand and tugging her towards the gate that led to the house like a small boy heading for a treat.

‘Why did you come looking for me?’ she asked, as they got close enough to see Joy laying out plates on a table in the shadow of a large blue canvas umbrella.

‘Mmm?’

‘Sara said you were looking for me.’

‘Oh, yes, to tell you that the police caught our man. I think I’ll have a swim before lunch—going to join me?’

‘No, I—what did you say?’ He had slipped it in so casually, she thought she must have been mistaken.

‘I said I think I’ll have a—’

‘No, I meant about the man. What man? You mean the blackmailer? The police have caught him?’ She stopped in her tracks, jerking him to a halt. ‘My God, why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I thought I just did,’ he said impatiently.

‘I mean straight away! How could you keep it to yourself like that? When did it happen? Who was it? I mean...it’s—well, it’s terrific...’ Her enthusiasm abruptly petered out as her eyes met his and the true impact of what he was saying hit her.

He turned and continued down the path, Honor trotting numbly beside him. ‘Actually the police didn’t catch him, his wife did. She found the magazines he’d been cutting the letters out of and made him tell her what he’d done. He turned himself in. He’d applied for a job at Blake Investments two years ago but turned up roaring drunk for the interview so the paperwork was never even filed. He hasn’t been able to get work since and apparently decided on his last drunken binge that it was time the company paid for causing all his problems. He doesn’t admit he’s an alcoholic. He didn’t really have any plan beyond sending the letters to make us squirm. It was revenge he was after, not the money, so there was no need for him to take the risk of carrying out his threats. He just wanted to “make the bastards suffer”.’

He sounded bored. As if now the puzzle was solved he had lost all interest. As if he had weightier matters on his mind.

Honor swallowed. ‘What happens now?’

‘Now? The police get on with their work and we get back to business as usual.’ Was that an oblique hint that Honor also should get back to where she belonged?

‘I hope there aren’t mushrooms on that pizza, Mum,’ he said as they stopped at the table and he reached past his mother for a gently steaming slice.

Joy slapped his hand away. ‘Yours is still in the oven. That’s for Sara and Honor. It has lots of mushrooms.’

‘Why don’t you sit down? I’ll go in and get it.’

‘Sara’s fetching it now.’ Joy smoothed her bright checked skirt with her hands and took a deep breath. ‘I wish you wouldn’t treat me like an invalid, Adam. It makes me feel like one. I don’t like it.’

He looked startled, then he grinned and leaned into the shade and kissed her wrinkled cheek. ‘Has Honor been giving you assertiveness lessons on the sly?’

His mother looked pleased. ‘She gave me a book. You don’t think I’m going overboard, do you? Your father hated bossy women.’

Adam laughed. ‘Don’t spoil it now.’

Honor couldn’t understand how he could be so casual when she was racked with uncertainty. ‘Adam—’

‘You may as well sit down and start, since yours is already here. I’ll just nip in to change and have a quick dip to loosen up. I’ve done a couple of hours’ hard labour helping with the summer pruning on the kiwi-fruit vines this morning and I’m beginning to

feel a few muscles I didn’t know I had.’

‘Adam, I need to talk to you...’

‘Later, hmm?’ He was stripping of his shirt and Honor couldn’t help noticing the row of eight small, crescent-shaped indentations in the vicinity of his navel. Goodness, she hadn’t realised she’d dug her fingernails in that hard. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Joy look at her son and rushed into speech.

‘No, now. It’s about my leaving. Now this thing’s wrapped up surely there’s no danger, no need—’

He grabbed her jaw and stopped her saying any more by the simple expedient of kissing her.

‘There’s always a need. You’re my means, remember?’ He rubbed his hard nose against hers as he lifted his mouth. ‘You have a job you haven’t finished yet; you can’t leave until that’s done. And I still haven’t got around to returning those letters of yours, have I? You certainly can’t leave until you have those in your hot little hand...’

CHAPTER EIGHT