Just as I got there, something very exciting happened. Victor sat up, and then, to my surprise, actually started shuffling towards the beach. I watched him as he waded into the water, wincing every now and then when the water lapped against his burnt skin. I waded in too. The water was cool and crystal clear. It was probably the nicest seawater I’d ever been in. I kept a safe distance from him, but stayed just close enough that if he muttered to himself, or did something strange, I would notice. Mostly I wanted to observe his baseline body language. The one he used when relaxed. That way it would be easier to tell when he was lying.
But watching Victor was like watching paint dry. I’d never been so bored in my life and decided to return to my lounger. As I sat backdown, I noticed the man with the blue eyes again. He wasn’t looking in my direction, so I took the opportunity to really study him. He was hot, no doubt about it. Striking blue eyes, pitch-black hair, angular face, strong jawline. Just as I was about to start admiring his body, he turned and caught me watching. I tried to play it cool, but wasn’t sure I’d achieved that, because now he was walking towards me. I suddenly became acutely aware of the silly string bikini I was wearing, and the fact that I was now desperately tryingnotto show how self-conscious I felt.
‘Nice camera,’ Blue Eyes said.
‘You too,’ I replied, gesturing to the one around his neck.
‘I’m a bit of an amateur photographer . . . hobby really.’
‘Me too.’
He leaned in and took a closer look at my camera. ‘Telephoto. Excellent choice.’ He gave me an awkward little smile; it was almost coy.
‘I like to make sure I get all the details. Helps when you’re photographing birds.’
‘Birds?’ He beamed at me. ‘I’m a bit of a birdwatcher myself.’ His smile widened, which made his blue eyes twinkle with something almost playful, possibly even flirtatious. ‘I think I saw you taking some photos earlier?’
‘Yup, got some great ones. Also spotted a tree frog. Did you know they make a whistling sound?’
‘Tree frogs? I’ll be sure to keep an eye open for them.’
‘Well, good luck,’ I said, giving him a little wave as he started walking away.
I settled back into the lounger. The sun was climbing higher as the day passed, and soon I would need to find shade. Since Victor was still splashing about in the water and I needed a break from all this boredom, I decided to check in with Philly. I snapped a stereotypical beach photo, with my knees in the foreground and the ocean stretching out in front of them. I made sure to get Victor in as well. Then I opened the photo in my editor, drew a small circle aroundVictor bobbing up and down in the water and sent it to Philly with a quick message:
Lizzy:Can you believe that’s what all this fuss is about?
A minute later, my phone buzzed.
Philly:What? That little red thing in the water?
Lizzy:Yep.
Lizzy:He hasn’t heard ofSPF.
Philly:Any sign of the mistress?
Lizzy:Not yet.
Philly:Do you think Sharaz got it wrong?
Philly:Maybe he just needed a holiday away from her?
Lizzy:Not sure yet, but looking at him, my gut tells me he’s the cheating type.
Philly:Well, I always trust your gut when it comes to these things.
Over the years, I’d become quite adept at recognising the telltale traits of cheaters. The main one? An air of smugness that hung around them like a bad stench, whether they were skinny and lanky with low muscle tone or larger and more rounded like Victor, they all gave it off like an aura. An aura that they shouldn’t really give off, but only did because they walked around feeling untouchable. And I could practically see him glowing with it. There was no way he was here alone, and as soon as the mistress appeared,whenshe appeared, I was going to get him.
CHAPTER 9
The previous day had been a total bust, but I had a better feeling about today, especially since I was on my way to rummage around in Victor’s villa. To avoid being seen, I decided to bypass the main path and instead walked through the thick jungle behind the villas.
I knew exactly how I was going to get in: the small private garden at the back of each villa made entering and exiting easy. I crept into the garden where the outdoor shower was and moved quickly to the bedroom. I was in luck. He hadn’t locked it.
His room was identical to mine. I’d already decided on the best spots for my bugs and cameras. I didn’t want to waste precious time, so I worked quickly. I placed one of the cameras on the light above the bed, and then hid the microphone next to the bed too. The camera and mic connected to my phone, and I was just about to set that up when I heard a noise.
It was coming from the small garden outside.Shit, someone was coming. I could hear footsteps and they were definitely getting closer. There was only one place to hide: the large closet against the wall. I darted across the room, opened the door as quietly as I could and threw myself inside.
