Evil Under the Sun Read Online Free PDF Page A

opened out just for a minute. Father, boyish and laughing. Miss Darnley, herself - and all the fun one could have on the island - bathing - caves - The blackness shut down again.
    Arlena. One couldn't enjoy oneself with Arlena about. Why not? Well, she, Linda, couldn't, anyway. You couldn't be happy when there was a person there you - hated. Yes, hated. She hated Arlena. Very slowly that black burning wave of hatred rose up again. Linda's face went very white. Her lips parted a little. The pupils of her eyes contracted. And her fingers stiffened and clenched themselves...
    Kenneth Marshall tapped on his wife's door. When her voice answered, he opened the door and went in. Arlena was just putting the finishing touches on her toilet. She was dressed in glittering green and looked a little like a mermaid. She was standing in front of the glass applying mascara to her eyelashes. She said: “Oh, it's you. Ken.”
    “Yes. I wondered if you were ready.”
    “Just a minute.”
    Kenneth Marshall strolled to the window. He looked out on the sea. His face, as usual, displayed no emotion of any kind. It was pleasant and ordinary. Turning around, he said: “Arlena?”
    “Yes?”
    “You've met Redfern before, I gather?”
    Arlena said easily: “Oh, yes, darling. At a cocktail party somewhere. I thought he was rather a pet.”
    “So I gather. Did you know that he and his wife were coming down here?”
    Arlena opened her eyes very wide. “Oh, no, darling. It was the greatest surprise!”
    Kenneth Marshall said quietly: “I thought, perhaps, that that was what put the idea of this place into your head. You were very keen we should come here.”
    Arlena put down the mascara. She turned towards him. She smiled - a soft seductive smile. She said: “Somebody told me about this place. I think it was the Rylands. They said it was simply too marvellous so unspoilt! Don't you like it?”
    Kenneth Marshall said: “I'm not sure.”
    “Oh, darling, but you adore bathing and lazing about. I'm sure you'll simply adore it here.”
    “I can see that you mean to enjoy yourself.” Her eyes widened a little. She looked at him uncertainly. Kenneth Marshall said: “I suppose the truth of it is that you told young Redfern that you were coming here?”
    Arlena said: “Kenneth darling, you're not going to be horrid, are you?”
    Kenneth Marshall said: “Look here, Arlena. I know what you're like. That's rather a nice young couple. That boy's fond of his wife really. Must you upset the whole blinking show?”
    Arlena said: “It's so unfair blaming me. I haven't done anything anything at all. I can't help it if -”
    He prompted her. “If what?”
    Her eyelids fluttered. “Well, of course, I know people do go crazy about me. But it's not my doing. They just get like that.”
    “So you do admit that young Redfern is crazy about you?”
    Arlena murmured: “It's really rather stupid of him.” She moved a step towards her husband. “But you know, don't you, Ken, that I don't really care for anyone but you?”
    She looked up at him through her darkened lashes. It was a marvellous look - a look that few men could have resisted. Kenneth Marshall looked down at her gravely. His face was composed. His voice quiet. He said: “I think I know you pretty well, Arlena...”
    When you came out of the hotel on the south side the terraces and the bathing beach were immediately below you. There was also a path that led off round the cliff on the southwest side of the island. A little way along it, a few steps led down to a series of recesses cut into the cliff and labelled on the hotel map of the island as Sunny Ledge. Here cut out of the cliff were niches with seats in them. To one of these, immediately after dinner, came Patrick Redfern and his wife. It was a lovely clear night with a bright moon. The Redferns sat down. For a while they were silent. At last Patrick Redfern said: “It's a glorious evening, isn't it, Christine?”
    “Yes.” Something in her