The Other Side of Midnight

Larry looked at Noelle in surprise. It was the first time she had ever mentioned his wife. He had certainly made no secret of his marriage, but it was a strange feeling to hear Noelle use Catherine's name. Obviously she had done some checking, and knowing her as well as he was beginning to, it was probably very thorough. She was waiting for an answer. "No," Larry replied. "I come and go as I please."

Noelle nodded, satisfied. "Good. Constantin is going on a business cruise to Dubrovnik. I've told him I can't go with him. We'll have ten lovely days together. You'd better go now."

Larry turned and walked back to the cockpit.

"How did it go?" Metaxas asked. "Loosen her up any?"

"Not much," Larry replied, carefully. "It's going to take time."

Larry owned a car, a Citroen convertible, but at Noelle's insistence, he went to a small rent-a-car agency in Athens and hired an automobile. Noelle had driven up to Rafina alone and Larry was to join her there. The drive was a pleasant one on a winding ribbon of dusty road high above the sea. Two and a half hours out of Athens Larry came to a tiny, charming village nestled along the coastline. Noelle had given him careful directions so that he would not have to stop and inquire at the village. As he reached the outskirts of the village, he turned to the left and drove down a small dirt road that led to the sea. There were several villas, each one secluded behind high stone walls. At the end of the road built on an outcropping of rock on a promontory that jutted out over the water was a large, luxurious-looking villa.

Larry drove up to the gate and rang the bell. A moment later the electric gate swung open. He drove inside and the gate closed behind him. He found himself in a large courtyard with a fountain in the center. The sides of the courtyard were filled with a profusion of flowers. The house itself was a typical Mediterranean villa, as impregnable as a fortress. The front door opened and Noelle appeared, wearing a white cotton dress. They stood there smiling at each other, and then she was in his arms.

"Come and see your new house," she said eagerly, and she took him inside.

The interior of the house was cavernous, large spacious rooms with high domed ceilings. There was an enormous living room downstairs, a library, a formal dining room and an old-fashioned kitchen with a circular cooking range in the center. The bedrooms were upstairs.

"What about the servants?" Larry asked.

"You're looking at them."

Larry regarded her in surprise. "You're going to do the cooking and cleaning?"

She nodded. "There will be a couple coming in to clean after we leave here, but they will never see us. I arranged it through an agency."

Larry grinned sardonically.

There was a warning note in Noelle's voice. "Don't ever make the mistake of underestimating Constantin Demiris. If he finds out about us, he will kill both of

us."

Larry smiled. "You're exaggerating," he said. "The old man may not like it, but..."

Her violet eyes locked on his. "He will kill us both." There was something in her voice that sent a feeling of apprehension through him.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"I was never more serious in my life. He's ruthless."

"But when you say he'll kill us," Larry protested, "he wouldn't..."

"He won't use bullets," Noelle said flatly. "He'll find a complicated, ingenious way to do it, and he'll never be punished for it." Her tone lightened. "But he won't find out, darling. Come, let me show you our bedroom." She took his hand and they went up the sweeping stairway. "We have four guest bedrooms," she said and added with a smile, "we can try them all." She took him into the master bedroom, a huge corner suite that overlooked the sea. From the window Larry could see a large terrace and the short path that wound down to the water. There was a dock with a large sailboat and a motor boat moored to it.

"Who do the boats belong to?"

"You," she said. "It's your welcome-home present."

He turned to her and found that she had slipped out of her cotton dress. She was naked. They spent the rest of the afternoon in bed.

The next ten days flew by. Noelle was quicksilver, a nymph, a genie, a dozen beautiful servants catering to Larry's every wish before he even knew what he wanted. He found the library in the villa stocked with his favorite books and records. Noelle cooked all his favorite dishes to perfection, sailed with him, swam in the warm blue sea with him, made love to him, gave him massages at night until he fell asleep. In a sense they were prisoners there together, for they dared not see anyone else. Every day Larry found new facets in Noelle. She entertained him with fascinating anecdotes about famous people she knew. She tried to discuss business and politics with him until she found that he was interested in neither.

They played poker and gin rummy, and Larry was furious because he could never win. Noelle taught him chess and backgammon and he could never beat her at either. On their first Sunday at the villa she fixed a delicious picnic lunch, and they sat on the beach in the sun and enjoyed it. While they were eating, Noelle looked up and saw two men in the distance. They were strolling toward them along the beach.

"Let's go inside," Noelle said.

Larry looked up and saw the men. "Jesus, don't be so jumpy. They're just a couple of villagers out for a walk."

"Now," she commanded.