The next three days made April feel like a spy. She got up early and went to bed late, noticing the comings and goings of the inn's guests. The place had only six bedrooms even though the room numbers showed something higher. Darcy Simmons had engineered the change when she owned the place, hoping guests might think it a comparable facility to the Casa Blanca Spa and Resort, the only resort on the island.
April noticed who ate breakfast in the dining room and who went out to eat, what times they came in and how long they stayed. Paying special attention to Richard, she found herself more and more in his company, like now. He appeared in the dining room doorway and their eyes connected. Sensation fissioned through her as he smiled and made his way to her table.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked.
Without answering, April gestured to the empty chair next to her. This was the third morning they had shared a meal. For the rest of the day, they ran into each other. Barefoot Bay wasn't that large. The meandering paths invariably led to the beach with its white sands and frothy surf. April smiled when she ran into several people from the house.
Richard ordered without consulting the limited menu as the waitress automatically filled his coffee cup. He took it black and he quickly sipped the hot liquid the moment she moved away.
"How are things going so far?" he asked. "You did say you've been here before, right?"
April nodded. "I stayed in room six. When I come up the stairs even today, I have to remember to go to the room across the hall."
"What was this house like back then?"
He looked up at the ceiling and around the room.
"In its heyday, it was the place to be. I came here for years. The resorts weren't built yet, so my father and I always stayed here. Even after the area began to build up, I still preferred this rental house over the resort and its villas."
"It does have a charm about it."
Again Richard glanced around. April couldn't tell if he was being serious or facetious.
She took a moment to sip her coffee.
"So, any plans for the day?" She changed the subject.
He dropped his shoulders. "My time is free. Did you have something in mind?"
April wasn't trying to get a date with him. She did want to get to know as much about him as possible. And all of it had nothing to do with getting into his room, but then it could work out that way.
"How adventurous are you?" she asked.
He leaned forward with a lopsided grin. April liked it. She also liked the slight dimple in his left cheek. Again that fission of sensation passed through her. She forced herself not to change expressions.
"This sounds interesting. I guess I'm probably a little more adventurous than the average man."
"During my drive from the airport, I noticed a place that offered parasailing."
He sat up straight. "Parasailing. We are adventurous."
"Ever been before?" she asked.
He shook his head. "All my travels above sea level have been within the confines of some sort of aircraft."
"Are you up for it?" Before he could say anything April went on, realizing her comment could have backed him into a corner. "You don't have to do this. I'm afraid to go up."
"But you're doing it anyway?" he asked.
She opened her hands, a gesture of surrender, and hunched her shoulders. "It's the only way to conquer fear."
"I know we only met a few days ago, but you don't seem like someone who's afraid of much."
"There are many things that scare me, and before you ask, I'm not going to list them."
Richard laughed. The sound came from deep in his belly. It was a good laugh, one that showed he had a sense of humor. And it made April laugh too.
"I think you need reservations to go parasailing and I think you need to make them days in advance," Richard said.
"So you've done this before," April accused.
He shook his head. "I've been places where people were sailing and I talked to a few. The places were always books several days ahead."
"Well, we're in luck. I called this morning and they have room."
"For two?" His brows rose.
She nodded. "I didn't know you were going. I made the reservation in case I wanted to go twice. I always heard it was fun."
After they finished their breakfast and drank two cups of coffee, Richard said, "Why don't I meet you on the front porch and we'll be off?"
"Sounds like a plan," she agreed.
They left the dining room together and at the stairs encountered another couple coming down. Richard's hand brushed hers as they moved aside. April swallowed a gasp. What was it about this man that had her pulses racing? She was here to gather information on him and to retrieve her treasure chest. She'd already researched fishing boats and excursion cruises. If things didn't go well, she could always take the box home and burn the plates inside it.
That is if she could get it.
***
Richard glanced toward April harnessed in her parasailing equipment. A huge smile covered her face as she squealed into the air. Five hundred feet below them, the outline of Florida coast and the blue water of the Gulf spread out in a view that was more often available to birds than people. The air rushed over them, as the tether line pulled them from side to side in the sky.
At last the ride was over and they were brought down gently to the boat deck.
"Wow!" April said. "That was so much fun."
A crew member helped them out of their harnesses and they settled into seats for the ride back to shore.
"Every time I go up there, it's terrifying and wonderful at the same time," she said.
"It was terrifying," Richard said.
"You didn't like it?"
"I loved it. Both times."
They had been up twice and he had loved doing it. Being with her was the main reason. Parasailing was not on his bucket list, but he could now check it off as something he'd done in the line of duty. But he wasn't on duty. This was a personal job. He needed to keep that at the forefront of his mind, yet whenever he ran into April, even when he was engineering their meetings, it was difficult to keep his mind on the job.
The photo of the young girl in his room was no comparison to the curvy woman sitting next to him, especially since yellow bathing suit she wore revealed a great deal of skin. She'd put her ankle-length cover on after they got back to the boat, but he'd nearly lost it when she dropped the garment just before donning her harness.
"Thank you," they said in unison as they left the boat and stepped onto dry land. Unconsciously, Richard took her fingers and closed his hand fully around hers. She didn't pull away. They walked toward the parking lot where they'd left her rental car. Just before they reached the slick Lincoln, a shriek from a woman had them turning in her direction.
She was a dark haired, olive-skinned woman wearing exercise pants that she should have left in the store. Around her were three little girls that all looked like her. She started coming toward them.
"Do you know her?" Richard whispered.
"Never seen her before," April whispered back, but she had a full smile on her face.
"You're the cereal queen?" The woman both asked and stated at the same time. "Can I have your autograph?"
She produced a box from her large purse. It was the type and size of those that held granola bars. It took several seconds for her to find a pen among the crayons and pencils she pulled from the bag. April smiled, signed the box and handed it back to the woman. Richard didn't recognize the product.
"No one is going to believe I saw the cereal queen." The woman gushed. Putting the box back in her bag, she told April, "I'm going to make sure this doesn't get wet when we get on the boat. We're going for a boat ride this afternoon." She continued to hunt through her bag.
"You'll enjoy it," April said.
"One more thing," the woman asked. She finally found what she was searching for as she pulled out a cell phone. "Would you take a selfie with me?"
"I'd be honored."
The woman moved to stand next to April, obviously enamored with her.
"Why don't I take it for you," Richard suggested, speaking for the first time since the woman and her children joined them.
She smiled at him and handed over the phone. He took several shots, including some with the children.
Richard smiled as she left. He watched as she turned back several times, saying thank you with each revolution.
They got in the car and he waited until they'd cleared the parking lot and were on the road to the guest house before asking, "Does that happen often?"
April shook her head. "Most people don't recognize me. When it happens, it's usually like it was today, mothers with children. They're big fans of the Q-Flakes."
"Not only that," he contradicted. "I'm sure your company sells a lot of the sweet treats and the cookies in addition to cereal."
"We do, but the majority of our income comes from the whole grain cereals and healthy snacks we market."
Richard vaguely remembered seeing commercials for their products. He didn't watch a lot of television and often tuned out when ads interrupted programs. He admitted he was a remote control junkie, switching stations in lieu of watching ads.
"So you do more than finance," he stated.
She nodded, but added nothing more.
They were passing several road signs leading back to Barefoot Bay. "Do you want to stop by the beach before we get back?" he asked, allowing the subject of her employment to drop.
"I can't," she said. "I have to make some phone calls before the workday ends."
"I thought you were on vacation."
She smiled. "At my level, there are vacations and then there are working absences from the office."
"And this is a working absence?" It was rhetorical.
"I'm sure I'll be free by dinnertime," she said.
"I'd love to take you to dinner, but I have some friends here and I promised them I'd come to dinner tonight."
"Of course," she said.
"They moved here a few years ago. I'm friendly with their son and it would be rude not to spend some time with them."
"You have to go see them," she agreed.
Richard didn't know why he felt the need to explain. She'd invited him on a date and he had to refuse. He thought of rescheduling his dinner with the Jamisons, but knowing Wade's mom, she'd been cooking all day to make him some of his favorite foods. And the thought of her key lime pie had his mouth watering.
***
Perfect, April thought. She and Richard had returned to the guest house and he couldn't have given her a better opening for her Plan B. He was going to be out tonight. Although April had several calls to make, she kept her gaze vigilantly checking the window and listening to see when Richard would leave for his friend's parents' house.
He'd be gone for several hours. She'd have access to his room and the package that she needed to retrieve. Glancing at the card next to her computer, she was ready to dial the number and make a reservation on a fishing boat. Richard had told her that the parasailing reservations usually took days to get. She wondered if the same was true for fishing boats. If it was, she'd wait. She could hire her own boat, but she didn't want to bring any undue attention to herself. The woman at the parasailing parking lot this morning made her think that even though she was usually not recognized, there was always the chance that she could be.
Hiring a boat and dropping something into the depths of the gulf could be seen as suspicious. She could add some dirt and make it appear that she was spreading ashes, but when five heavy objects also fell out, anyone watching would know something was fishy. So maybe the boat idea wasn't a good one. She had a fireplace in her room. She could burn the plates. They would be unrecognizable even if they weren't totally destroyed. But with the temperature outside at ninety degrees in the shade, a fire in her room would be suspicious, not to mention that she was unsure whether the fireplace worked, yet the smoke detector probably did.
She was nervous, pacing back and forth, a million thoughts running through her head. She was getting ahead of herself. When Richard left, she had to get through his door. She had a key, a seven-year-old key she'd forgotten to turn in when she rushed from the place trying to reach her father before he died.
Would it still work? April frowned. She didn't think so.
Changing clothes, she pulled on black exercise pants and a knee-length T-shirt. There was only one other couple on the floor where she and Richard resided. That couple often left for dinner around six o'clock and stayed out until at least dark. April needed to know when they left.
Picking up the keys, she looked at the one for room six, comparing it to her key for room nine. They were practically identical, except the seven-year-old key was still on the expandable key fob that had been there when the desk clerk handed it to her nearly a decade ago. Putting the room nine key in the tiny pants pocket that zipped closed, she hooked the fob of the other one to her waist, covering them both with the long shirt.
April thought it might be an exercise in futility. It was doubtful that the key would still work, yet it was her only method of access.
Leaving her room, she went downstairs and took a seat in one of the white rocking chair on the porch. Purposely, she sat just out of sight of the front door. Richard had yet to come down and when he did, she didn't want him seeing her.
April didn't have long to wait for either occurrence. The couple came down first and quickly disappeared toward the restaurants in the resort area. Richard followed moments later and went directly to his car. He wore gray Dockers and a white shirt that both fit him as if they were made for the contours of his body. April craned her neck to watch him walk. His body was athletic with tight muscles, broad shoulders and sex appeal. She'd noticed it the first day on the beach when he wore swimming trunks and nothing else.
She swallowed and pursed her lips to keep from making a sound. Part of her wanted to call out to him and ask to go with him. Then she remembered her father and the small chest hidden in Richard's room. She knew she had to remember that. As he backed the car out of the space and turned it toward the street, she released a long breath.
It would be time soon, she told herself. April knew it was prudent to wait a while, making sure Richard would not return before she went up the steps. Giving herself ten minutes, she didn't move, although her heart beat like a drum in her head. She could feel it pounding and her body was moist from the heat she generated on her own.
Taking a deep breath, she got up and walked slowly to the door. The desk was empty, as it often was at this time of day. April didn't want to run into anyone. She got to the second floor without incident.
The door to room six didn't open with the key April had kept for seven years. She hadn't expected it to fit, but she'd hoped it would. The place wasn't maintained very well, but apparently, the door locks had been replaced at some point. Maintenance and upgrades hadn't been totally completed, as the doors to some of the rooms were crooked. At first, the old fashion nature of the place was appealing. Having a physical key instead of a plastic card for an electronic lock provided an old world feel. Her plan was to jimmie the old lock or use her newly acquired electronic lock breaker to open the door. Now that Richard was gone, she had another problem.
"Try the easy route first." April heard her father's words flash through her mind. She'd try her key. The lock looked just like hers and the mechanism looked as old as the building. Another thought rushed into her mind, but she dismissed it. It wouldn't work, she told herself, yet, she'd try it.
Pulling her shirt up, she fished her own key out of the small pocket. Looking both up and down the hall, she made sure she was still alone. Her hands were slick and sweaty and she forced herself to keep from dropping it. April wished she'd worn gloves, but she had not brought any to Florida. Slipping the key in the lock, no one could have been more surprised that April when the tumblers clicked and the door swung inward with barely a creak.
"I'll be!" she said out loud, her voice so soft she could barely hear it. Her former thought had to be true. It had to be what they'd done. They had obviously replaced the lock on the door after she left with the key, but instead of buying new locks, which they probably couldn't find, they'd exchanged locks from other doors.
April tentatively looked around. The room was a mirror image of her own. She was on the bay side and Richard was on the side facing the trees. It was darker here. One lamp on the bedside table cast an umbrella of light over a small area. The remainder of the room was a study in shadows.
Twisting her head from one side to the other, April took a final look down the hall. A quiet sigh escaped as she confirmed her solitary status.
Crossing the threshold, she closed the door taking care to not make a sound. The fireplace stood to her left, its vantage point to the bed constructed to mesmerize the room's occupants. For a moment, she thought of Richard sleeping there. She could see him; bare chested and covered with only a sheet. Closing her eyes, she turned away. With silent determination she faced the fireplace. The room was cool because of the air conditioner. April remembered the history of the couple who built the Eden Paradise house. They were from the north and had fireplaces installed for heat if needed and for the aesthetic beauty of the rooms. April remembered how beautiful they once were and it saddened her to think that this would be her last visit. But she needed to get to her task and get out of this room.
Suddenly, her heart jumped to her throat as she heard a key being slipped into the locked door.
Swinging around at the sound, the door opened and silhouetted by the hall light, Richard stepped into the room. April froze, unable to move. He took only two steps toward the bed before realizing he wasn't alone. He stopped, standing as still as a statue, both of them staring at each other.
"What are you doing here?" they both said at the same time.
The words released her from her state and a second later she found her feet and lunged for the door. Richard, faster than she was, careened into her, tackled her to the floor.
"Let me go!" April screamed, using all her strength to fight him off. She pushed and scratched. Her feet kicked at him, but all she did was exhaust her strength.
"Stop it!" Richard commanded.
"What are you doing in my room?" she shouted through fists that hit at him.
Grabbing both her hands, he splayed them above her head and stared down at her. He was laying on top of her. April stopped struggling. Her body was already hot from her illegal activity, but now that a virile man was pressing her into the floor, struggling only made her excited.
"What do you mean? And let me up," she ordered.
Richard moved off her, but didn't let go of her hands. He stood up, pulling her up with him.
"This is my room," he said. He looked behind him as if showing her the truth of his statement.
"But–" she broke off, pulling her hands free.
"You probably got confused, like I did."
April looked confused. "You did?" Her voice was normal, but only due to the massive effort she used to keep it that way. She could do nothing about the pounding of her heart.
"The nail holding the number on your room must have fallen out. When my key didn't fit, I realized I'd been concentrating so hard, that I was standing on the wrong side of the hall. You must have done the same thing."
He gave her a reason for being in the wrong room, but it was too close to a lie for her to let it be, even though she was going to lie anyway.
"But my key," she said. "I opened the door with my key. Reaching under her shirt, she was careful to pull her room key out of the pocket. Her hand touched the fob, and she pushed it down making sure it was secure.
Going to the door which remained open since it was off center, she slipped the key in the lock and turned it. Both of them watched as the latch bolt turned silently in place, allowing the door to be unlocked.
"That's strange," Richard said.
"I'm sorry," April said. "I'll go to the desk and get another room with a key that doesn't open both doors."
"We'll go together." Richard checked his watch. He was obviously in a hurry and returning to the guest house had made him late. From what he mentioned about the family he was going to see, they were punctual. "I'm late now," he said, almost as if he was remembering that he had an appointment. "I forgot something that I have to take." Turning he went to the beside table, the one with the light and picked up an envelope. He came back to where she stood, stuffing it in his pocket.
Taking her arm, they left the room. He closed the door, making sure it was locked. Quickly, they went to the desk to call the clerk. Richard took control, explaining the problem. April produced her key and handed it over. After several apologies, she was given another room on a different floor and the clerk insisted on helping her move. Richard quickly thanked the clerk for her help and apologized for having to leave.
There would be no chance of April getting into his room now. She watched him rush to the door where he turned and gave her a look that confused her. She didn't know what to make of it. Did he believe that she'd really made a mistake and the numbers on the doors had sent her to the wrong room?
She knew the truth. About him, she wasn't sure.