Judgement and Wrath Read Online Free PDF Page B

beer I’d drunk on an empty stomach wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had. There was no public restaurant on the island that I was aware of and I was starving.
    Rink was due soon, though, so I sent him a text requesting a detour to the nearest fast food joint for something substantial. He replied, ‘YUR GONNA GET FAT!’ So I told him: ‘I’D PREFER A CHEESEBURGER.’
    Told you stakeouts were boring.
    With nothing for it, I returned to my recliner and sat watching the adjoining property. Things were silent in the household now, but I knew that Jorgenson hadn’t left. His personal boat was moored to the peninsula jutting out into the seaward end of the marina directly at the foot of his garden. Assuming that Marianne was with him, my best course of action was to sit and wait. To kill time, I again took out my SIG and for about the fourth time that evening I stripped it down and cleaned it.
    That done, I went inside and shucked out of my shorts, pulling on a pair of black jeans and sweater. Carrying my boots on to the balcony, I laced them up while glancing down into the pool area of Jorgenson’s property. I’d only been gone seconds, but already the tableau had changed. A woman was moving through the garden, her arms folded beneath her breasts. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a knot and was pinned in place to the back of her head. In pale blue cardigan and blue jeans she looked more like the girl in the school photograph. Even without a good look at her face, I was pretty sure that it was Marianne Dean.
    She seemed lost in thought. Singing softly to herself. Was it a sad song?
    Quickly I let myself back into my condominium and took the steps to the lower level two at a time. I exited into the garden nonchalantly, whistling loudly to myself as though I was unaware of the woman on the other side of the palm-fringed border which was all that separated us. Armed with a net, I approached the swimming pool and began scooping bugs and non-existent windblown dross from the surface. The woman must have heard me come outside, and I sensed that she was watching me from between the palm fronds.
    I kept up the charade just long enough to make it look natural, then swung round to place the results of my labour on the garden. Widening my eyes, stepping back, I said, ‘Oh! Sorry. Didn’t see you there. I hope my whistling didn’t disturb you?’
    Marianne seemed amused. She shook her head. ‘I didn’t know we had neighbours,’ she said. ‘Maybe it’s us who should apologise about the noise.’
    Approaching so that I was leaning through the fronds, I offered her my most disarming face. Studying her features, I couldn’t make out any signs that Bradley had been up to his old tricks. ‘Just arrived. I haven’t heard anything.’
    Her lips pinched momentarily and I wondered what had flitted through her mind. ‘I had some girlfriends over earlier. They behaved like kids. We had to send them home before they had us run off the island.’
    Nodding at her wisdom, I said, ‘Beautiful island, isn’t it? Wish I could live here all the time.’
    ‘Yeah,’ she said, her features smoothing out.
    ‘I’m only here for a few days,’ I told her. ‘Couldn’t afford this lifestyle all year round. As much as I’d like to. What about you? That your parents’ place?’
    ‘No.’ She didn’t expand. There was an uncomfortable second or two. To fill it, I stuck out my hand. ‘Sorry, I’m being rude. Name’s Joe.’
    Her arms were still tucked tight beneath her breasts and it didn’t look like she was going to accept my proffered hand of friendship. Her glance skipped towards the house. But then she leaned forwards and shook my hand gently.
    ‘Mari,’ she said.
    ‘Nice to meet you, Mari,’ I said. Mari, not Marianne. The little girl all grown up and demanding her place in the world. Demanding individuality.
    ‘Were you thinking of taking a dip?’ She nodded over at the pool, then looked pointedly at the net I still