Lizzy:In your fucking dreams.
Cam:You better believe it!
I glared at him again and then tossed my phone into my beach bag so he could see me doing it. He just smiled and turned away with a little wave. But when the waiter had delivered his drink and my phone beeped again, curiosity got the better of me and I reached for it.
Cam:Thanks for the drink.
I glanced over at him again; he was holding the glass up in the air, a little cheers.
It’s not a drink, I typed.It’s a warning.
I heard another chuckle.
Lizzy:I’m not joking, Cam.
Cam:Oh, I know you’re not. And I wouldn’t expect anything less from you either.
Death in the Afternoon. So Lizzy. So pointed and poetic. Violence in a glass. And I loved it.
I sipped it slowly. It was rather delicious, actually, I would savour this little gift, first one I’d got from her ever, even if it was laced with a very clear threat. But I suppose that made the poison taste so much sweeter.
CHAPTER 18
I needed to get a photo of that mistress come hell or high water. She had eluded me the entire day and I couldn’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs while I waited for her to take off that hat or at least look vaguely in my direction. And that was how I found myself in the bushes opposite Victor’s villa as the sun was starting to set. I had my camera, a long lens and a fully charged battery, everything I needed. Well, almost. What I really needed was them.
I peered through the leaves towards the villa. I could hear them in the plunge pool on the deck, but I couldn’t see them. There was only one thing for it. I hung the camera around my neck, and with a last look around to make sure no one was watching, I started climbing the tree to my right. It was dark, but tree-climbing had always been a particularly impressive skill of mine. Give me a tree, any kind, and I could scale it. Not to mention perch in it all night if need be. As well as training my muscles at the gym, I’d also managed to train my bladder, and long stakeouts were easy for me. This job was what I was built for. I quickly found the perfect branch. It had just the right amount of foliage to keep me covered, not to mention a direct line of sight to the plunge pool. I settled in.
The lights on the deck were on, but unfortunately not nearly bright enough for me to get a clear photo. And I couldn’t use a flash. I’d have to do a long exposure if I wanted to get a good enough image of her face. Laughter echoed through the rustling leaves, and it was clear that the pair were really enjoying themselves. When I pulled some foliage aside and looked through my lens, I was nearlyblinded by a flash of intense whiteness: Victor’s big white teeth. He looked happy and smug, and for a moment I imagined how much fun it would be to hide here and shoot berries at him with a slingshot. He’d get all confused and flustered and would have to climb out of the pool and run away from the incoming bombardment. The berries would hopefully leave little red marks all over his already red body. But alas . . . no slingshot, no berries.
I could see Victor perfectly, but the bloody mistress’s back was facing me; still no way of getting a photo that could positively identify her. Just one photo meant my job would be done and I could get myself off this island: goodbye, Seychelles, goodbye, Cam. The thought made me smile.
‘What’s with the smug smile?’
‘Oh myGOD!’ I swung around, almost losing my balance, and looked up to where the voice had come from. ‘WHATTHEFUCK!’ I whisper-screamed so loudly that I hurt my throat. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
Cam was sitting on the branch above me, around the other side of the tree. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t spotted him on my way up.
‘I could ask you the same question.’ He sounded completely unrattled.
‘I’m trying to get a photo of that woman. And it seems that you are very much in my way. In fact, you need to go, Cam. Right now.’
‘Well, not really, Lizzy, since I was here first.’ He leaned back against the part of the branch that curved upwards and made a show of settling in comfortably, as if in a hammock. ‘You’re the one who needs to go.’
‘Oh my God,’ I groaned. ‘This island is cursed. That’s the only explanation for this. First a cupboard, now a tree.’
He smirked. ‘Told you, it’s a small island.’
‘And an even smaller tree, now that you’re in it.’
‘Well, you shouldn’t have climbed into my tree then.’
I stared at him in disbelief. ‘Your tree?’
‘Like I said, I was here first.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘I don’t care. I’m the one who needs the shot of her face.’
‘Do you think I’m just here for the ambience? You’re not the only one who’s trying to do a job here. I’m not going.’
