Chapter 48
Julie woke up facing Joe, her head resting on his left shoulder and her left leg draped across him. She carefully extricated herself, trying not to wake him. Lying on her own side, she admired his long, lean body.
The light fuzz of hair on Joe’s tanned skin was blonde from the sun, like the stubble of his beard. In his nakedness, though, Julie could see that his skin was actually much lighter… and his hair darker. He was beautiful.
How did I resist this man for so long?
Joe wore a rugged, stainless steel watch with a brown leather strap. Julie ran her finger lightly over a vein on his forearm, near the watch. He stirred, opened his eyes and then smiled, obviously remembering the night’s activities.
“Morning, Merlin.”
“Morning,” said Julie, kissing around the left nipple on his chest.
“Make bigger circles,” he said.
“Okay, but you can’t move…”
•
They joined David in the kitchen about an hour later.
“Good morning, you two. Did you sleep well?” he asked.
One look at them told the story. “Well…since you don’t smoke…how about some coffee?”
It was still raining. David had turned on the TV to get an update on the storm. The weather picture hadn’t changed much. Tropical storm Carlo was stalled over Cuba, causing widespread flooding. The gusting wind and rain in the Keys was predicted to continue and probably worsen. David was sick of listening to it. He picked up the remote control and changed the channel from the weather to the news.
“There is a new development in the Florida murder case of artist, Marcus Solomon. According to a source in the Key West police department, an APB went out yesterday for Roland Archer, another artist, and a friend of the victim. Roland Archer is now a ‘person of interest’.
“We have learned that the police found Roland Archer’s car in a grocery store parking lot. There is some speculation that the he may have left Florida in his boat, the ‘Miranda,’ which is reported to be missing from a Key West marina…”
“Oh, dear God!” said David. “Rolly’s out there in the boat!”
As one, they all looked out through the rain to the huge white yacht anchored across the canal.
It was pulling its moorings taut…rising and falling as waves pounded the dock.
* * * * *