Sorry for the long delay. I had a major issue with my iPad upgrade and lost two chapters. I took a few days to recover from my anger and disappointment before finding the energy to rewrite them. They are not as vivid, but they'll do.
"Bloody hell! Is it always this hot?"
Weary, despite the comfortable lay-flat bed in Business Class, Barbara was not in the mood for the sticky, fetid humidity that assaulted her as she and Tommy stepped from the air-conditioned sanctuary of Changi Airport into the Singapore evening.
Tommy smiled and shrugged. "I think so."
As they walked the few steps towards the stainless steel rails that funnelled visitors towards the taxi rank, sweat beaded on her face and began to trickle down behind her ears. "Great. I guess at least I will sweat off all that food on the plane."
Tommy looked at his watch then fiddled with the dial to adjust it to local time. "So you don't want dinner?"
"Dinner? What time is it? Must be about eleven o'clock."
"Just before seven. I think it's about half an hour to the hotel."
"Maybe a pint in the bar and we can see. I might be hungry." She pulled her lips tight when she saw Tommy's reaction. "What? Don't smirk at me, Mister. I saw you flirting with the stewardess to get another dessert."
"I was not flirting. I was just being charming."
"Sorry, I missed the subtleties."
Tommy's smile broadened into a cheeky grin. "You weren't jealous?" Barbara shook her head. "Oh, you were." Tommy draped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick hug. "That's sweet."
She brushed his arm away. "I was not jealous. Just embarrassed for you making a fool of yourself. As if she'd be interested in... No!" Barbara's eyes widened as Tommy waved the business card the hostess had slipped him in her face. "Tell me she's not staying at our hotel."
"I didn't ask. Why?"
"Because they hang people here for murder."
Tommy looked at her. When she tried to look away, he lifted her chin so she could see his eyes. "You have nothing to fear, from anyone. I love you, Barbara. No one else. But I do love the way your eyes darken like emeralds when you're jealous... or angry." He leant closer and lowered his voice. "Or right at the point of..."
"Number three."
Barbara returned to reality with a thud as the man in a ruby waistcoat, and immaculately pressed grey trousers gestured for them to move to the designated cab. When they had emerged into the heat they had been well back in the line, but the efficient system meant taxis were continually arriving and parking in angled bays that allowed them to drive straight out.
She climbed into the welcome cool of the black Mercedes while Tommy helped the driver with their bags. The cab smelt clean but there was an undertone of spice. Barbara shook her head. She was halfway around the world in a completely foreign environment. It hardly seemed real.
"Welcome to Singapore," the driver said. "Where you go?"
"The Ritz-Carlton, please," Tommy answered.
"First time Singapore?"
"Yes."
"Business? Pleasure?"
"Hopefully a bit of both."
"You want tailor lah? I know best tailor. Also best restaurants. I can take you."
"Very kind of you, but we're tired. We will have a quiet night and start exploring tomorrow."
"You need taxi? I give you good rate. Take my card."
The driver continued to talk, asking questions and making suggestions, no doubt to places run by his friends and relatives. Barbara sat back and looked out the window. As they sped along the freeway, the forest of greenery on both side near the airport gave way to a long, narrow park on their left that bordered the sea. Shops and barbeque areas dotted along the strip. People were jogging, cycling or walking with their families. Young couples sat on benches beneath the sprawling canopies of enormous trees Barbara had never seen before. Between the trunks, hundreds of ribbons of yellow light reflected off the still water silhouetting line after line of small cargo vessels at anchor, all pointing towards the city. It was not like the languid English parks she was used to seeing.
On the other side of the freeway, she was shocked at the number of hi-rise apartment blocks. Many lining the road were modern condominiums but behind were hundreds of concrete hi-rises that looked almost identical except for the pastel trim on the facades.
"Does everyone here live in an apartment?"
The taxi driver grinned at her in the rear vision mirror. "We are a small island, lah. Only five percent live in houses. Most live in HDB or condos."
"HDBs?"
"I was reading on the plane about the government housing," Tommy said. Barbara looked at Tommy and raised her eyebrows, but he continued undeterred. "After independence in 1965, the Housing Development Board, or HDB as everyone calls it, systematically built apartment blocks in a series of new towns around the island and rehoused the population. Before that, most people lived in small isolated villages. They're not like our council flats. They are heavily subsidised, but people own the units under a 99-year lease scheme and can resell them. The government's policy is that owning a stake in the country will drive the right behaviours."
"There's so many."
"You want chilli crab?" the driver asked pointing to a building in the park. "Jumbo. Best Singapore Chilli Crab."
Tommy could not help but smile at the look on Barbara's face when she stepped into the hotel lobby. Tommy walked over to the counter and checked in leaving her rooted to the spot staring up at the vast, modern sculpture that hung beneath the vaulted glass ceiling.
"Ready?" he asked when he went back to fetch her.
"This place... It's like a cross between Waterloo Station and the Natural History Museum. That thing up there looks like a kid dropped the dinosaur skeleton and hastily glued it back together so no one would notice."
Tommy looked up and laughed. "Someone with no idea what a dinosaur looked like. I'm sure it's an extremely costly artwork. Should I tell them they could have had a child do it?"
Barbara glared at him. "Is that man waiting for us?"
Tommy glanced over at the impassive face of the porter. "Yes, come on. I'm dying to hear your interpretation of our room."
When the porter opened the door to their suite, Tommy thanked him, pressed a generous tip into his hand then closed and locked the door. Barbara stood by the enormous hexagonal window that framed the view.
"Do you like it?"
She turned to look at him. "So much for slipping in Singapore. You booked us into the biggest suite in town."
"Actually no. Far from it. In fact, this is not the best suite in this hotel."
"So you bring me away and penny-pinch, eh?" She turned away, but he knew she was smiling.
Tommy walked over and wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Of course. Can't have you thinking I intend to spoil you for the rest of your life."
"It's incredible!"
Tommy dragged his attention away from kissing her neck and focussed on the view. In the distance, the lights of ships at anchor highlighted Singapore's raison d'ĂȘtre as an epicentre of trade. The spoils of that trade had spawned a city-state full of modern and interesting architecture. On the left side of a large bay was the brash, confident Singapore proudly displaying it's coming of age in the three towers of the Marina Sands Casino and hotel complex, a centrepiece of the revitalised Marina Bay. A sprawling infinity pool linked the top of the towers and looked upriver at the older city that spread in a mix of concrete and glass skyscrapers and lower colonial buildings lining the river bay in front of them.
"What's that thing that looks like a hand?"
Tommy sighed. Barbara was not going to pay attention to him until her curiosity was satisfied. He pulled the guidebook he had picked up at the airport from his pocket and flicked through to find the answer.
"The ArtScience Museum. Says it is designed to be reminiscent of a lotus flower. Each finger is a gallery with a skylight at the end. Sounds interesting. We should go."
"We're not here to sightsee."
"True. Those bubble buildings behind it are the casino I think. At the rear of the towers, over there, see the coloured lights? That's the Gardens By The Bay. All those coloured lights that look like trees, they're the Supertree Grove, and there are two huge glasshouses too but you can only see the tip of one from here."
"All the colours! Think of the power bill."
Tommy threw the book on the desk and began to kiss her neck again. "It was a long flight. We should take a bath."
Barbara leant back against him. "Wicked man."
"Very."
She reached back and grabbed his hips. "A bath sounds good if it'll hold two."
Tommy took her hand and led her to the bedroom with an enormous bed set with crisp, white cotton. "Later," he growled.
The bathroom surprised even him. It also had a sizeable hexagonal window, and set beneath it was a gleaming white bathtub definitely large enough for two. A mirror on the wall at the end of the tub reflected the view. On the opposite wall was a huge marble shower and a separate toilet.
"A bath with a view." He leant over and flicked on the taps.
Barbara laughed. "A view of the city and us."
Tommy smiled innocently. "I hadn't thought of that."
He turned to see Barbara already stripping. He hastily tore at his belt and kicked off his shoes as she shrugged out of her underwear and stepped into the tub.
"So, are you hungry now?" Tommy said as he reached up pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Reluctantly, Barbara rolled off him and lay beside him, enjoying the warm comfort of his arms. "Yes, but I can't face that heat tonight. I guess a place like this does room service?"
Tommy reached over and grabbed the iPad from the bedside table. "Let's see. Room service. There you go. Select what you fancy. I'll have Singapore noodles and two Tiger beers."
Barbara smiled as she ordered. "Four Tiger beers, one bowl of noodles, and one fish and chips."
"I might take a shower while we wait. Care to join me?"
"I would, but then we might not be finished by the time the meals arrive."
Tommy raised his eyebrows. "In that case, I'll wait." He gave her a quick kiss then stood and went to the wardrobe. He returned with two fluffy robes and slippers.
"Thanks."
Dressed, they walked back into the lounge to wait for their meals. Barbara took the opportunity to again lo9ok at the view. The lights of the buildings were still shining in a myriad of colours. "What's the plan for tomorrow? Go to the docks?"
"No, not yet. Tomorrow afternoon there is a memorial service for Charlie at the British Club. I thought we'd go and see what we can learn from his colleagues and the expats he mixed with."
"Good idea. And it looks like a good reason for you to have come over."
"Exactly. Hiding in plain sight. That's another reason I decided to stay here. We have an account with the Ritz chain. If I'd have booked in anywhere else, well anywhere more basic, it might have flagged something to MI6."
"There's only one problem with your plan."
Tommy frowned. "What's that?"
"I have nothing suitable to wear."
"Then tomorrow morning we do more hiding in plain sight and go shopping on Orchard Road."
Barbara sighed. "I'm going to have to accept aren't I?"
"Unless you want to go naked. I might enjoy that."
Barbara raised her hand and was about to thump him across the arm when there was a knock on the door. "Saved by the food... this time."
Tommy laughed as he went to the door. He opened it. "Come in. You can put it... What the hell are you doing here?" Barbara heard his pause and looked over to see Tommy's face drain white.
