God they were so into themselves, so silly, so unobservant.
He wondered briefly what he would do if a child got in his way. He smiled grimly. He had decided once that nothing would stop him. Still, one simply had to hope that certain snags never entered into a picture, since it was impossible to truly know exactly what one would do until the occasion arose.
He entered Beth Anderson’s office in practiced silence and looked around slowly at first. He wasn’t afraid; he could easily explain his presence there.
Then he walked over to the computer and pulled up the e-mails, curious what the girls had been up to.
For a moment he felt as if ice was running through his bloodstream. But then he relaxed as he realized there was nothing there that could be held against him. Nothing. He was certain of it.
There were tissues on her desk, the box held in an elegant gold wire basket, the metal filigree artistically designed into the shape of sailboats.
He grabbed two tissues and carefully, slowly, meticulously wound them around his forefingers. Then he wiped the keys he’d just touched and began to type himself.
* * *
Beth was thoughtful as she returned to the yacht club, worried that all her plotting and planning would come to nothing. Maybe everyone was right. Not that she’d been imagining things. She was too sure of what she’d seen for that. But that nothing she did would change anything. Even nature was against her. The ocean was vast. The truth of that was never more apparent than when you were out on the open sea in a small boat. It was easy to imagine that the sea could swallow a boat and leave no trace.
Then again, the sea had a habit of flipping a finger at humanity. Flotsam and jetsam usually washed up somewhere!
But not always.
She waved to the guard at the entrance, not really paying attention, and pulled into her space, close to the main building. Inside, she hurried upstairs. In her office, she tossed her handbag onto a chair, slid behind her desk and sat down. She closed her eyes, leaning back for a minute.
Forget it. Just get back to work, she charged herself.
With a shake of her head, she rolled her chair forward and touched the space bar on her computer to turn off the screensaver.
She nearly flew back in the chair.
A giant skull appeared on the screen, then flashed off as if it had never been there.
It was followed by the words I’ll be seeing you soon. In the dark. All alone.
She jumped up and ran out of her office, ready to run down the stairs and find the manager or the commodore or anyone.
But as she reached the foyer and looked into the dining room, she came to a sudden halt.
Kim and Amber were there, just inside the doors, heads together as they sipped sodas. They looked up and saw her.
Both girls were talented actresses onstage, but in the real world, neither one of them was much at deception. The eyes that met hers were wide and filled with guilt.
She stared at them. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Early-dismissal day,” Amber said, swallowing hard.
The girls exchanged glances.
Beth crossed her arms over her chest, furious. She was sure they hadn’t really intended to do anything awful, but she had been scared. Really scared.
“Early dismissal,” she choked out.
“I...forgot to tell Dad,” Amber said. “So, I, um, came here,” she finished weakly.
“To my office,” Beth said icily.
Both girls gulped.
“You were on my computer, weren’t you?” Beth asked accusingly, forcing herself to keep her voice low, since she was at work.
“Aunt Beth...” Amber began, then trailed off guiltily.
Beth tried hard to control her temper, but she still felt frightened, and that didn’t help matters.
She always tried so hard with Amber. It was such a delicate balance. She wasn’t Amber’s mother and could never hope to fill that void. She wanted her niece to know, though, that someone was always there for her, as a mother figure.
Her real mother would have had the luxury of real fury and the ability to punish her without losing her, but Beth had to tread a milder path.
“I suppose you thought you were very amusing,” she began.
“I—just thought—” Amber began.
“I don’t want to know what you thought!” Beth exploded, good intentions forgotten.
“Please don’t tell Dad,” Amber begged. “I’m sorry, really sorry. I’ll make it up to you. Somehow. If you tell Dad, then he’ll tell Kim’s parents, and then...” Her voice faded. She looked at Beth and whispered, “Please. We really didn’t mean to be terrible.”
Beth didn’t answer her. She had to calm down. She turned around and walked back up the stairs, not knowing if the girls would follow or not.
In her office, she sat down again, shaking.
She looked at the computer, then started to laugh. She had apparently tripped over the cord on her way out. The only thing that greeted her now was a blank screen. After a moment she rose, found the displaced plug and returned it to its rightful lodging.
A week ago she wouldn’t have been scared, she would have been puzzled.
Her anger had already begun to fade, probably because she had been so frightened, then so relieved.
She weighed the situation while she logged on and opened up her art program, working on plans to promote the Summer Sizzler and make sure she got everyone in the place excited about the dance lessons.
Do I tell Ben about this or not? she asked herself, returning to the question of the girls and their prank.
Amber would hate her.
Amber would have to get over it.
Maybe she should give the girls a second chance.
She forced her mind back to business. She was going to need a picture of Maria Lopez, which should be easy enough to find online. She pulled out Maria’s card to call her for permission.
She found a picture that was sensational and was also able to reach Maria immediately. In an hour her flyer had come along perfectly and was ready for printing. With that accomplished, she sat back in her chair—just as her brother made an appearance at her door, his daughter right behind him.
He was frowning. “You knew you had the girls?” he asked.
She could see Amber’s eyes. Pleading.
She shrugged, not willing to outright
