Chapter 2 – Sunrise
Kate Beckett was a little annoyed; a little annoyed at herself, a little annoyed at the diving instructor and a little annoyed at Maddie … well, more than a little annoyed at her! It had been Maddie who had talked her into it, two weeks on a small paradisiacal island to get away from the winter grime and grunt of New York, to give herself a break after the last, exhausting case that had left them all a little sickened and downhearted.
A client of hers had offered Maddie the bungalow and all they had to do was pay for their tickets and expenses. Right now Espo was probably lording it over the bullpen, taking over her desk and her job … well, ok, he wouldn't do that she had to regretfully admit, though the thought had helped to work up her annoyance.
The first couple of days had been extraordinary; she'd slept in till the sun forced her awake. Then the two of them had spent the day swimming and boating and drinking and catching up on all the sordid details of their lives … well Maddie's to be more precise, Kate's life was sordid enough, but not in the way that would add to a cheerful conversation. Then Maddie had suggested taking some diving lessons and next thing, Octavio, their instructor was spending more time diving into Maddie's bed than into the incredibly blue sea outside.
Paper-thin walls made for uncomfortable company, despite their attempts to be discreet about it, so Kate had taken to walking. The last two days had been enjoyable as she walked first in one direction and then in the other along the quiet beaches, enjoying the rustling of the sea over creamy-white sand, the feel of water rushing about her ankles, over her feet and between her toes, the feel of the sea breeze blowing her hair about her and kissing her warm skin with coolness.
She couldn't decide which were the more enjoyable, the early morning walks with the sun rising over the horizon, burnishing the sea in gold and slowly pushing back the darkness and shadows to discover seashells protruding from the sand, floating coconuts nudging the water's edge and half-hidden bungalows nestling against the backdrop of palm trees, or the evening walks which seemed to be a reversal of the mornings; the sun sinking below the horizon and slowly drawing a cloak of darkness over the land before the fanfare of glittering stars filled the sky above.
But today, the novelty was beginning to wear off and she was seriously thinking of heading back to the main island, maybe check into one of the few hotels and see what the local day and nightlife had to offer; it couldn't be any worse than the muffled creaking of the bed and half stifled moans she was currently being entertained with!
Seagulls flew over the rocks that pushed their way into the sea as she rounded the headland and Kate watched the flickering reflections of their bodies as they skimmed the water, swerving and then climbing away into the pale blue sky, their lonely mews echoing in the silence.
Not that it was really silent she corrected herself; the rustle of the sea washing over the sand, the gentle whisper of palm fronds in the early morning breeze, the distant throb of a two-stroke diesel on one of the fishing boats out to sea … no it wasn't exactly silent, but compared to the streets of her city, this was blissfully quiet.
She could make out the bungalow she'd passed the evening before, the early morning sun dancing off the windows and coating them in gold. It had been too dark to make out much about the man who had offered her a casual wave, the setting sun had lent an orange tone to the windows behind him, but there hadn't been enough light to make out his features other than a thick mop of hair and wide shoulders framed against the glow of the windows.
She stopped to pick up a shell, its opalescence catching the early morning's rays and glinting enticingly at her. She rinsed it in the next swirl of water rushing up the beach and straightening was surprised to see the large figure walk out onto the decking at the front of the bungalow. She hesitated, unsure as to why, watched him stretch and rub his hands through his hair. He hadn't spotted her yet, was looking out to sea at the sun already beginning its climb its away up from the skyline, laying down a glittering path which reached from the very shore to the distant cumulus nimbus clouds skimming the horizon.
He turned and she felt heat rising up her neck as he caught her staring, not that she was close enough to be blatant about it but it jolted her into movement and she ducked her head, hoping her hair would hide the colour she could feel burning her cheeks. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he paused, turned back towards her and leant his hands on the wooden balustrade running round the deck. She was sure he was grinning … or maybe smiling might be more accurate. She kept her head down, watching her feet sink into the sand as she walked, felt the water gurgling round her, washing sand over her toes and enjoying the slight sinking sensation as it seeped sand from under her at each step.
Kate counted twenty steps before surreptitiously throwing an upwards glance, hoping he'd turned and gone back inside. No luck! He was still watching her as she approached, leaning his arms on the wooden rail and definitely smiling in her direction. There was something vaguely familiar about him, about the silhouette, but she lowered her eyes again, watching her shadow chasing her feet, lifting her head and looking out to sea as half a dozen gulls dived, squawking towards the surface, some piece of flotsam or an incautious fish catching their attention.
Two of them were on the water, noisily squabbling over something, the others had turned away, wings sweeping just clear of the surface as they skimmed the gentle rollers and headed back towards the headland. She chanced another glance at the deck, now no more than a hundred paces away and was both pleased … and slightly disappointed to find it empty. He must have turned and gone back in while she was watching the quarrelling seagulls.
She paused as a cowry shell caught her eye and bent to pick it up, taking a step towards the water to rinse it before straightening up and studying her find. The brown and cream mottled carapace looked drab next to the abalone from before, but there was something sleek about the shiny shell which she liked, the serrated opening looking like one of her smiling felons across the interview table, all teeth and no humour. She chuckled at her somewhat crazy analogy and threw a quick glance at the bungalow, if he heard her he'd probably assume she was nuts!
Pull yourself together Kate! She admonished herself, his wife or girlfriend was probably still in bed … though he'd been alone on the deck when she'd walked past last night on her way back to the bungalow she and Maddie were staying at. Maybe he was alone … or gay added the ever-present voice at her shoulder … well, ok, it was in her head, but ever since the Tom and Jerry cartoon she'd watched as a child, she had a picture of an evil little Kate in a red devil's outfit perched on her shoulder. Unfortunately, the counterpart in the angel's outfit rarely made an appearance!
Her contemplations were cut short as the object of her musings reappeared on the deck, tray in hand and made his way to the table. She quickly ducked her head again, unwilling to get caught staring a second time with only about twenty steps separating them.
A breath of wind blew in off the sea, rustling the palm leaves and blowing her hair across her face and she turned it towards the horizon, brushing her hair aside and pulling loose a strand that had somehow found its way across her mouth. She could feel the summer dress clinging to her legs, felt the next wave tumble onto the beach a little more energetically, rushing up past her and soaking the lower edges of the white material, felt her feet sink slightly as it swept back out, taking miniscule grains of sand with it.
She sidestepped up the beach a little and tried to ignore the wooden steps no more than a few feet away as she continued her walk, tried to ignore the looming presence above her that she could sense rather than see, tried to ignore the eyes she could feel watching her … tried to ignore the desire to turn and glance up …
Tried to … until the voice above her asked, "Could I offer you a coffee?"