The Other Side of Midnight

Catherine and Larry visited Mykonos with its colorful windmills and Melos, where the Venus de Milo was discovered. But Catherine's favorite place was Paros, a graceful, verdant island capped by a flower-covered mountain. When their boat docked, a guide stood on the quay. He asked if they would like him to guide them to the top of the mountain on mule-back, and they clambered aboard two bony mules.

Catherine was wearing a broad-brimmed straw hat to protect her from the hot sun. As she and Larry rode up the steep path leading toward the mountain top, black-clad women called out, "Ke-lee meh-ra," and handed Catherine gifts of fresh herbs, oregano and basil to put in her hat band. After a two-hour ride, they reached a plateau, a beautiful tree-filled plain with millions of flowers in spectacular bloom. The guide stopped the mules and they gazed in wonder at the incredible profusion of colors.

"This named Valley of the Butterflies," the guide said in halting English.

Catherine looked around for a butterfly but saw none. "Why do they call it that?" she asked.

The guide grinned as though he had been waiting for her question. "I show you," he said. He dismounted from his mule and picked up a large fallen limb. He walked over to a tree and hit the limb against it with all his might. In a split second the "flowers" on hundreds of trees suddenly took to the air in a wild rainbow of flight, leaving the trees bare. The air was filled with hundreds of thousands of gaily colored butterflies dancing in the sunlight.

Catherine and Larry gazed in awe. The guide stood watching them, his face filled with a deep pride, as though he felt responsible for the beautiful miracle they were seeing. It was one of the loveliest days of Catherine's life, and she thought that if she could choose one perfect day to relive, it would be the day she spent with Larry on Paros.

"Hey, we got a VIP this morning," Paul Metaxas grinned cheerfully. "Wait till you see her."

"Who is it?"

"Noelle Page, the boss's lady. You can look, but you mustn't touch."

Larry Douglas remembered the brief gli

mpse he had had of the woman in Demiris' home the morning Douglas had arrived in Athens. She was a beauty and looked familiar, but that of course was because he had seen her on the screen, in a French picture that Catherine had once dragged him to. No one had to tell Larry the rules of self-preservation. Even if the world were not filled with eager females, he would not have gone anywhere near Constantin Demiris' girl friend. Larry liked his job too much to jeopardize it by doing anything so stupid. Well, maybe he would get her autograph for Catherine.

The limousine taking Noelle to the airport was slowed down several times by work gangs repairing the roads, but Noelle welcomed the delays. She was going to see Larry Douglas for the first time since the meeting at Demiris' house. Noelle had been deeply shaken by what had happened. Or, more accurately, what had not happened.

Over the past six years Noelle had imagined their encounter in a hundred different ways. She had played the scene over and over in her mind. The one thing that had never even occurred to her was that Larry would not remember her. The most important event in her life had meant nothing more to him than another little cheap affair, one of hundreds. Well, before she was through with him, he would remember her.

Larry was crossing the airfield, flight plan in hand, when a limousine pulled up in front of the big plane, and Noelle Page emerged. Larry walked over to the car and said pleasantly, "Good morning, Miss Page, I'm Larry Douglas. I'll be flying you and your guests to Cannes."

Noelle turned and walked past him as though he had not spoken, as though he did not exist. Larry stood there, looking after her, bewildered.

Thirty minutes later the other passengers, a dozen of them, had boarded the plane, and Larry and Paul Metaxas took off. They were flying the group to the Cote d'Azur where they would be picked up and taken aboard Demiris' yacht. It was an easy flight except for the normal turbulence off the southern coast of France in summer, and Larry landed the plane smoothly and taxied over to where some limousines were waiting for his passengers. As Larry left the plane with his stubby little copilot, Noelle walked up to Metaxas, ignoring Larry, and said in a voice filled with contempt, "The new pilot is an amateur, Paul. You should give him flying lessons." And Noelle got into a car and was driven away, leaving Larry standing there, filled with a stunned, helpless anger.

He told himself that she was a bitch and he had probably happened to catch her on a bad day. But the next incident a week later convinced him that he was facing a serious problem.

On Demiris' orders Larry picked Noelle up in Oslo and flew her to London. Because of what had happened Larry had gone over the flight plan with particular care. There was a high pressure area to the north and some possible thunderheads building up to the east. Larry worked out a route that skirted these areas, and the flight proved to be perfectly smooth. He brought the ship down in a flawless three-point landing, and he and Paul Metaxas strolled back to the cabin. Noelle Page was putting on some lipstick. "I hope you enjoyed your flight, Miss Page," Larry said politely.

Noelle glanced up at him a moment, her face expressionless, then turned to Paul Metaxas. "I'm always nervous when I'm flown by an incompetent."

Larry felt his face redden. He started to speak, and Noelle said to Metaxas, "Please ask him not to address me in the future unless 1 speak to him first."

Metaxas swallowed and mumbled, "Yes, ma'am."

Larry stared at Noelle, his eyes filled with fury, as she rose and left the plane. His impulse had been to slap her, but he knew that would have been the end of him. He loved this job more than anything he had ever done, and he did not intend to let anything happen to it. He knew that if he were fired, it could be the last flying job he would ever get. No, he would have to be very careful in the future.

When Larry got home, he talked to Catherine about what had happened.

"She's out to get me," Larry said.

"She sounds horrible," Catherine replied. "Could you have offended her in some way, Larry?"

"I haven't spoken a dozen words to her."

Catherine took his hand. "Don't worry," she said, consolingly. "Before you're through, you'll charm her. Wait and see."

The next day when Larry flew Constantin Demiris on a brief business trip to Turkey, Demiris came into the cockpit and took Metaxas' seat. He dismissed the copilot with a wave of his hand, and Larry and Demiris were alone. They sat there is silence, watching the small stratus clouds slicing the plane into fluffy geometric patterns.

"Miss Page has taken a dislike to you," Demiris said, finally.

Larry felt his hands tighten on the controls and deliberately forced them to relax. He fought to keep his voice calm. "Did--did she say why?"