Foolish Deceiver Read online

  'You can't throw it away!' Jason protested. 'It's my spearmint. It's going to grow a new leg!'

  Allie looked over to the little boy, then back at the dead starfish. 'I don't think so.'

  'But it will. On TV they showed starfishes grow new legs after they lost one. I cut the leg off this one so I could see it for myself,' he said earnestly.

  'I think it only works with live ones, honey,' Allie explained. 'This one is dead.' Was it ever dead!

  'Is it really dead?' Jason asked. He moved closer and peered at the object in her hand. 'It was wriggling when I cut its leg off yesterday.'

  'Well, it's dead now,' Allie said rather grimly. Poor starfish. From the looks of it, Jason hadn't taken its tentacle off with surgical precision. It was pretty hacked up. 'Could you get me the wastebasket so we can get rid of it?' The smell was making her stomach queasy. She glanced over to Jason's open suitcase. Mrs Dorcus was probably going to have to throw out his clothes.

  'But we don't want to do that! Let's have a ... ah ... an ah-auta ...'

  'An autopsy?' Allie supplied automatically.

  'That's the word. Can we?'

  Allie wrinkled her nose, then shook her head. 'It smells too bad.'

  Jason screwed up his nose as well. 'It does, doesn't it?'

  'So let's get rid of it.' This time, Jason brought over the tin wastecan to her and let her drop the dead creature into it. 'You'll have to take it outside in a few minutes or it will smell up the whole house.'

  'OK,' he said agreeably, then asked, 'Can I go down to the beach and see if I can find another starfish?'

  'No!'

  'But this one died. I didn't get to have my spearmint.'

  'Jason, it died because you cut its leg off,' Allie told him, although stuffing it into his suitcase probably hadn't done anything to prolong its life. 'You can't just keep making poor starfish suffer because you want to play some silly game.'

  He treated her to an affronted look. 'It wasn't a silly game. I was being a scientist. Scientists do spearmints.'

  From what she had overheard of Linc's conversation with Jason's grandfather, she gathered the child had trouble with his teachers. She could well believe it. He might not be much of a scientist, but he certainly was a darn good debater. It was impossible to keep one step ahead of him. He had a reply to everything.

  Wishing she knew more about children, Allie finally said, 'Well, maybe you'll just have to come up with some kind of experiment you can do without having to murder any more starfish.'

  Her choice of words wasn't the most fortunate. The little boy's mouth began to quiver as he looked down into the wastebasket. 'I didn't mean to murder it,' Jason whispered in a slightly awed tone. 'I just wanted to see it grow a new leg.'

  Recalling that the child seemed to be overly influenced by the television programmes he watched, Allie wondered if he was expecting the police to come looking for him at any moment. 'I know you didn't mean to hurt it,' Allie assured him heartily. 'It was only a starfish, after all. Now, just set the wastebasket over by the door for the time being, and you can take it outside later. We'll read a story or something while your dad finishes talking to your grandparents.'

  Jason moved the waste-container, but his mouth was set in a determined line when he came back to her. 'I don't like stories. I told you that before.'

  He certainly looked like his father when he wore that intractable expression! Allie glanced over to the bookcase by the window. For a kid who didn't like stories, he was well endowed with books. On closer study, though, most of them looked as though they had never been opened. Looking back at Jason somewhat helplessly, Allie wondered what she was going to do with him if they didn't read. She didn't know very much about entertaining children. Linc wouldn't want her to let him go back into the main part of the house, though, when he was trying to have a serious discussion with the boy's grandparents.

  Jason himself supplied the answer. Going to the bookcase, he removed a dog-eared tome from the lower shelf and handed it to her. 'You can read me some of this.'

  Allie turned it around to read the title, then looked up at Jason. 'Are you sure this is what you want?' She gestured to the bookcase. 'There are lots of nice books there. Why don't we pick one of them? The Wind in the Willows might be nice.'

  'I want this one. That other book is stupid. Moles don't talk and live in houses!'

  He had a point there. Resigned, Allie seated herself on the side of the bed with the book in her lap. Jason was six or seven years old, and it was odd to say the least that his favourite book happened to be an old college text on natural history. However, when it fell open naturally to a specific section, she began to understand. A ferocious looking Tyrannosaurus Rex stared up from the page at her. Not content with just the picture, Jason prompted her and Allie began to read the dry, technical narrative to the apparently fascinated little boy. His eyes stayed on her in rapt attention as she stumbled over the long, unfamiliar words, only interrupting occasionally to correct her when she mispronounced one!

  Linc's entry into the bedroom about thirty minutes later interrupted them, and rather thankfully Allie set the book aside. She felt as if she'd been saying tongue-twisters for hours.

  'Your grandparents are going to be leaving in a few minutes, so you should come out now to say goodbye and thank them for having you,' Linc addressed his son. His gaze moved over the room, landing on the open suitcase resting at the foot of the bed. 'I thought that I told you to unpack!'

  Standing up, Allie started to explain, 'I thought he should leave it for a while.' Before she could tell him that she wanted Mrs Dorcus to check out the contents of the suitcase to decide whether the dead fish smell could be washed out of Jason's clothes, or they should just be burned, Linc interrupted her with a sarcastic glare.

  'Thanks a lot, Allie. Just what Jason needs is somebody to encourage him to ignore my instructions!' He held his hand out to the boy and motioned him out of the room. 'What's that awful smell?' he asked the child as they left.

  Allie glared at the doorway they had disappeared through. She felt like picking up the wastebasket and throwing that damn dead starfish at him. He could have at least given her a chance to explain! Still angry, she stalked from the room and went to her own bedroom, closing the door behind her with a decided snap. She had barely met the Delaines, so hopefully they weren't expecting her to come say farewell.

  Once in her room, Allie pulled her suitcase from the bottom of the wardrobe where Mrs Dorcus had stowed it. Using her good left hand, she began to awkwardly stuff her clothes into it. That rotting starfish was a rather appropriate send-off, she thought bitterly. There was an old saying about fish and guests going stale before too long. Linc's whole attitude today had made it very clear that she had outstayed her welcome.

  She didn't hear the knock on the door when it came. Swearing under her breath as she wrestled with the suitcase to get it closed, she was concentrating on her anger so that the hurt didn't overwhelm her. She wasn't being very successful either, because tears were seeping down her cheeks.

  When she didn't answer, Linc entered the room anyway. Out of the corner of her eye, Allie caught him watching her and turned to confront him. 'What are you doing in my room?' she demanded belligerently, dashing the tears from her face with her left hand.

  He stared back at her briefly, his eyes narrowing in a frown as he took in her tears. 'I was wondering where you were. I thought you would come out to say goodbye to Jason's grandparents.'

  'I didn't feel like it,' Allie sniped petulantly, then muttered defensively, 'I barely met them.' As Linc stepped towards her, she turned her back to him. When she'd taken her hand off the top of the suitcase, the lid had sprung open and some of her clothes had escaped. She picked up a blouse, and blindly jammed it back in.

  From behind her, Linc said, 'Look, I'm sorry about what happened in Jason's room. He explained about the starfish.'

  Allie didn't respond, but kept her rigidly unyielding back to him. After several se
conds of taut silence, Linc continued, 'Look, I know I was unfair. I was upset, not with you but with Alvin. We don't get on very well, and we had a pretty trying discussion. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, and I apologise.'

  Allie swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. Why was she so helpless at staying angry with Linc? Instead of yelling at him and telling him where he could stick his apology, all she wanted to do was cry.

  When he rested his hands on her shoulders, she tried ineffectually to shrug them off. Tightening his grip, he forced her to turn and face him. The tears were streaming from her eyes and a sob caught in her chest as she bit on her lower lip to stem the tide of emotion.

  'Oh, damn, Allie,' Linc groaned, gathering her to his strong, hard chest. One hand firmly against her back, he lifted the other to gently stroke the smooth silk of her blonde hair as she wept against him. 'I never wanted to hurt you,' he murmured. 'Please believe me, it was the last thing I wanted to happen.'

  The womblike comfort of his embrace had a calming effect on her shattered composure, but her voice was still choked with tears as she muttered against his breast, 'You were so rotten today.'

  'I know, I know,' he agreed contritely. Moving his hand from her nape, he brought it around to lift her face to his. For a moment he stared down into her tear-soaked eyes, then he kissed the salty moisture from her lashes. 'I'm so sorry, Allie,' he whispered against her lips.

  His mouth was warm and loving against her own, a kiss of comfort and regret. It dried the remaining tears in her sad grey eyes and stilled the sobbing in her breast. The caress lasted only a few moments, then he cradled her head against his shoulder, holding her securely in his embrace.

  The action calmed the riot of her emotions, leaving her spent but tranquil. His gentle kiss, more than any demand of passion could have, had told her that he loved her. And, as long as he loved her, nothing else mattered.

  When he eased her away from him, her eyes shone up at him, sparkling with stars of love. He met her gaze, his dark eyes sober and strangely wistful. 'Don't leave yet, Allie,' he asked roughly, glancing to the suitcase on the bed behind them. 'At least let me take care of you until your arms heals.'

  She stared back at him, moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue. He could take care of her forever. Her heart was forever in his keeping already. He had no need to ask, and yet he waited for her answer. She nodded slowly.

  For several long moments he looked down into her face. Then suddenly he swooped, kissing her long and hard with a passionate, painful urgency. It was a harsh, unrelenting kiss, but she revelled in it. There was a sense of desperation in his touch that communicated itself to her, sparking the need to reassure him. Her hand sought his shoulder, the nape of his neck, holding him to her. She pressed against him, wordlessly giving herself to him.

  He responded, his mouth savouring hers, draining it of all she offered. Finally, though, Linc lifted: his head, and there was something disturbingly final in the gesture. 'Thank you for staying,' he said thickly.

  Removing her arm from about his neck, then letting his arms drop to his side, he stepped back a pace. He seemed to be composing himself, drawing himself inwards and pushing the last few minutes behind him. When he spoke, it was of the prosaic. 'Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I have it a little earlier when Jason is around,' he informed her. 'You might rest until then, clean up a bit.' His hand reached out to stroke her still damp cheek. As his fingertips touched the wetness of her cheek, though, he quickly pulled back, as though regretting his action. 'I'll see you later,' he said abruptly, turning away and striding from the room.

  There was a bittersweet happiness to the next few days, ruled by the drone of Linc's float-plane. He left very early in the morning, signalling to the rest of the household that it was time for them to stir. Allie was usually awake before he left, but some inner reticence held her back from seeing him off. Instead, she'd wait for the sound of the plane leaving before rising from her bed.

  She breakfasted in the kitchen with Frances and Jason, chatting with the housekeeper and coaxing Linc's son to finish his meal. School wouldn't be out for the summer vacation for another two weeks, so afterwards she helped Jason to dress and walked him to the stop where the school bus picked him up.

  Her working day began then. Going to her own cabin, she spent the day with Harold developing her fish-count project. It was slow going, as she could use only one hand on the keyboard, but that didn't bother her. Usually, she was an impatient, though meticulous worker, but that sense of inner urgency that usually accompanied a new project didn't develop. She enjoyed her work, but was not chained to it. In some ways it was just a time-filler until Linc and Jason returned.

  Promptly at two-thirty, Allie shut down the computer and tidied away her notes. Strolling to the bus stop, she only had to wait a few minutes for the big orange school bus to arrive, and with it, Jason.

  As they walked home Jason chattered away about his day in school, but when they reached the top of the drive leading to Linc's house they always fell silent. After a few minutes, they were rewarded by the distant drone of the float-plane, a sound that sent Jason galloping down the driveway and around the house to the seaplane dock.

  Linc had been wonderful in including her in his afternoons with Jason. There had been games and outings with the little boy. One afternoon, he'd taken them in his boat over to Brother XII's island. On another, they'd gone into Nanaimo and lain on the sand at Departure Bay beach while Jason built sand-castles near the water's edge.

  Their afternoons together were relaxed and happy. Linc teased her and his son, slipping his arm around Allie in a companionable fashion as they strolled along. When she'd fallen asleep at the beach, he'd woken her with a gentle kiss, his lips brushing lightly over hers. They had stared into one another's eyes for a long, unspeakable moment, before Jason had run up to them, demanding that they come and inspect his last construction project. As they got up, brushing the sand from their clothes, their eyes met in a moment of wry amusement. A warm flood of happiness washed over Allie. It was so easy to pretend that she was the mother in their family group—that Linc was her husband.

  After an early dinner with the little boy, the atmosphere changed subtly. Relaxed and easy in her company while his son was present, Linc seemed to withdraw once his son was tucked away in bed. It was as though an invisible shield dropped between them. They drank coffee together, chatting about the day's events, but it wasn't long before Linc would excuse himself to go to his study. Allie wouldn't see him again until the next afternoon.

  On Thursday afternoon, Allie glanced down at the white bandage on her arm as she and Jason walked silently to the house, listening for the sound of the plane. That morning, Clare, temporarily free of house-guests, had driven her into town to see the doctor about her arm. The wound was healing nicely, and he replaced the heavy bandaging with a lighter covering and let her dispense with the sling. Although he didn't want to remove her stitches for another few days, he told her that if she was careful she could start using her right hand to some extent.

  There really wasn't much reason for her to continue staying at Linc's.

  The scar on her wrist probably would be the only tangible reminder she would have left of these last few days. She hadn't had a chance to take any of her birth-control pills before Linc had made love to her, but there had been no consequences. It was the time of the month that she should start taking them now, but it seemed rather pointless.

  Maybe Linc really was that busy, his job so demanding that he needed to devote every evening to working in his study. But often the light in her room would still be on when he finished. She could hear his footfalls as he moved along the hall to his own bedroom. He never paused at her door. He never came in.

  'I wonder where Daddy is,' Jason said, breaking into her thoughts.

  Allie glanced over to him and saw his frown. She realised they had nearly reached the house and still hadn't heard Linc's plane coming into land yet.
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br />   'I expect he was delayed taking off,' she reassured the little boy, though a frown was starting to pleat her forehead as well. Although he was only a few minutes late, she couldn't help worrying. Linc was always so punctual, and small planes were rather dangerous. It seemed as if one was always hearing about one that had crashed.

  'Oh, damn!'

  'Jason!' Allie admonished in a shocked voice. 'That is no way for a nice little boy to talk. I know you're disappointed about your father, and ...'

  'I wasn't saying it because of Daddy. Look!' He pointed to a car pulled up before the front door. 'That's Auntie Elaine's car.'

  'Oh,' Allie said, Jason's 'damn' echoing in her own mind. Elaine hadn't been over since Allie had been staying at Linc's—a circumstance Allie had been exceedingly grateful for. Confused as she was about the other woman's place in Linc's life, she simply didn't want to see her. She was too fearful that a meeting just might confirm some of the worst of her fears.

  'I don't like her,' Jason confided as they walked on to the house, their steps unconsciously dragging.

  'You shouldn't say things like that,' Allie chastened half-heartedly. She and Linc's son had apparently found something else they had in common.

  The front door of the house opened and Elaine emerged, pausing a few moments on the step to have a word with Mrs Dorcus. Reluctantly, Allie and Jason went to join them.

  CHAPTER TEN

  when Elaine turned away from the front door and suddenly caught sight of them, Allie saw her look of disconcertment, before she managed to assemble a polite smile for her and Jason. As they reached the step, Frances winked from behind Elaine's back and quickly disappeared into the house. Coward, thought Allie, knowing the housekeeper's opinion of Elaine. Left on her own, she prepared her own smile of greeting for the woman.

  'Allie, how are you feeling? Linc told me about your accident.'