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“Right.”
He lifted his head from his inspection of his backpack. “It always pays to be prepared. Why?”
She was looking at him funny, a small smile playing over her lips. “I guess it does,” she answered slowly. “I keep finding out new and interesting things about you, Aaron, and it surprises me, that’s all.”
Were they good surprises, or bad surprises? He decided to leave that alone. Instead, he picked up a slim folder Daniella had brought to him this morning.
“Your stepmother gave me a list of the guests staying at the lodge.” He waved the documents in the air. “I want you to look at the list, and we’ll go over it together, just to see if anything sparks a memory, or a reaction. And then we’re going to take another look at your staff, as well. Their backgrounds, their families, that kind of thing.”
“Jeez, are we going over this again?” She stared up at him, running an impatient hand through her hair. Her fingers left a trail of disorderly caramel strands, making her look a little like a pixie. A very cute, if somewhat irritated pixie.
He had to resist the sudden urge to follow her fingers with his own, as he wondered if her hair would still be as soft and silken as it’d once been now that it was short. Aaron had loved Julie’s long, blonde locks, back when they were dating. She usually kept it tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head out of the way while she worked. But when they were alone together, she’d undo it and shake it out, to fall over her slim shoulders. He’d rake his fingers through it, then pull her in and kiss her until they were both breathless.
“I already told you last night, we trust our staff implicitly,” she huffed. “And the guests, well…they’re all much too nice to be the stalker.”
“Don’t be so easily fooled,” he countered. “And stop sounding like a rebellious teenager,” he said, keeping his tone light. “I need to get up to speed on everyone staying here, and I need you to start thinking more prudently about who you let get close to you. I know you’re not even sure if you’ve ever seen this stalker, but keep an eye open for anyone that perhaps sets off alarm bells in your head. You might have detected more than you realized.”
Julie had told him, more than once, that she didn’t remember anyone specifically from the day she went to the clinic. There was a group of protesters chanting slogans and handing out pamphlets out the front, and they all blended together in a blur in her mind. They’d been there when she went in and were still there when she came out, nearly four hours later. That was some sort of commitment. But she couldn’t figure out how the stalker had followed her home. It was the only way he could’ve found out about her abortion, however, unless someone at the clinic had recognized her, but Julie was sure she’d seen no one familiar there. Julie had told no one else about her termination, except her friend Peggy, who had picked her up afterwards. It was a rule of the clinic that no one be allowed to go home alone, which Aaron applauded, because he knew that stubborn Julie would probably have done just that. His heart ached for what she must’ve been through. It was so practical and pragmatic, and everything that Julie stood for. But it was also so very, very sad. Julie said that when she emerged from the clinic, her memories of getting into Peggy’s car were slightly vague, but she was pretty sure no one followed them. This stalker seemed to be a very intelligent and highly resourceful man, and so far, he was eluding all their attempts at finding him. And how had he somehow finagled her mobile number? Lance was checking all the leads, including looking into Julie’s friend Peggy, who Julie told him was an old friend from uni who’d kept in touch over the years.
Julie glared at him, but at least her eyes weren’t that arctic blue from yesterday. They were softer, almost the pastel azure he remembered. Carefully turning around, she chose a seat at one end of the sofa. And just as carefully, Aaron chose the seat next to her and sat, handing her the folder; he couldn’t very well confer over the list if he took the other end. He leaned back into the soft leather and their knees touched briefly. It wasn’t intentional, but an unexpected shot of heat travelled up his leg, scalding him from the inside out, the heat settling in his groin so that his trousers tightened uncomfortably. The shock was so startling, all the words dried up on his tongue.
Julie stiffened beside him, her fingertips going white where she clung to the folder. She didn’t say a word, but slowly inched away from him, making it clear she didn’t appreciate his sudden proximity. Something twisted painfully in his gut. Shit. Of course, she didn’t want him touching her. She’d made that abundantly clear last night. Then why did he suddenly care that she’d rejected him? And why did the urge to lay his leg against hers, just to feel that heat again, nearly override his common sense?
“Let’s start with the couple in the swimming pool yesterday. Who were they?” he said gruffly, pointing at the folder. Casually, he lay a hand along the back of the sofa, as if none of the few previous awkward seconds had affected him in the slightest. She’d moved on. He’d moved on. Julie was nothing but a job to him now. He had to keep reminding himself of that.
“They’re Dieter and Maria Fischer. Newlyweds arrived from Melbourne three days ago, on their honeymoon.” Julie kept her eyes on the paper in front of her. “A delightful couple. This is their second marriage, but they’re both so in love.” Julie’s eyes went misty.
Aaron thought back to yesterday afternoon. The couple had been completely engrossed in each other in the pool. Barely even flicking a glance at him and Julie as they walked by. Daniella had written their home address next to their names. These two seemed to check out, especially because they were from Melbourne, so they could probably be discounted.
“Do you get a lot of honeymooners here?” he asked. It was a surprise when she said that, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided this was exactly who the resort had been targeted toward. It was an adult-only retreat, centered on couples. They could either throw themselves into the everyday activities available on the station, or stay hunkered down in their luxury cabins the whole time; the choice was theirs.
“More than you’d think. I’d say at least one third of guests fall into that category,” Julie replied. “We’ve even held a few weddings at the station. Dale and Daisy will be the next to get hitched here.” She turned to face him, eyes alight with interest once more. This was obviously a topic close to her heart. He liked the animated glow on her face. And when she smiled, tiny dimples showed in the corner of her mouth. “I’m helping them plan the whole thing. I can’t wait.” She clapped her hands in front of her, almost childlike in her anticipation. He didn’t want to ruin her happy mood by reminding her that if this stalker was still out there, then her attending a wedding might well be off the agenda. But that was many months into the future, and they’d have this guy collared by then. Most definitely. He hoped.
“Sounds wonderful.” He tried to keep the cynicism out of his tone. Then, changing the topic, he said, “How about those mafia look-alike blokes? I believe they’re a father and son duo?” Aaron had taken an instant dislike to the puffed-up guys strutting around the lodge. They looked out of place, and had his guts all twisted in a knot.
“You mean Dominic and Joseph?” Julie giggled quietly. “They’re harmless. They’re here to try and reconnect as father and son. Although, Joseph thinks he’s God’s gift to women,” she added quietly. “He’s been flirting a lot with me.” She turned blue eyes up, her worried gaze hitting him in the solar plexus. “Don’t tell me I need to be worried about a man simply flirting with me now?”
“You can’t take anything for granted,” Aaron replied, although he tried to soften his tone. He didn’t want to frighten her, but she needed to stop walking around with blinkers on. “Let’s just say, those two are at the top of the list of guests I’ve got Lance checking on,” he added. “But they put Sydney as their home address, so unless one of them is lying about where they live, they’re probably not our man.”
“Wow.” Julie stared thoughtfully at the closed curtains. “It seems I really can’t trust anyone.”
At last, she seemed to be getting the message.
“How about we concentrate on anyone showing a home address in Brisbane, for now?” he suggested. That narrowed the list down to three couples. Another newlywed pair and a group of four friends.
“Sure.” Her gaze returned to the document on her lap. “Chase and Maya Graymann are also here on their honeymoon. They arrived four days ago, and Maya is just so sweet. She’s younger than him, but the way they look at each other, they’re just so in love.”
Aaron watched her face as she spoke. She didn’t seem to realize, but when she talked about people in love, the lines around her mouth softened, her eyes taking on a faraway look.
“Chase works in IT for some big finance company.” Julie tapped a finger against her top lip. “I talked to them quite a bit the other night at dinner. They moved into his top-floor apartment in the city straight after they got married. They deferred their honeymoon until now, because they wanted to make it extra special.”
Aaron nodded along with her remarks. “It doesn’t seem like this guy is lacking money,” he added thoughtfully.
“Most people who come here are…how do I put this?” Julie screwed up her face. “We’re an exclusive luxury resort, and we offer top-notch accommodation and experiences. None of this comes cheap.” Why did she seem a little uncomfortable?
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just because some people can’t afford to come here, you shouldn’t feel guilty.”
“I know that,” she replied a little too abruptly. “Anyway, I don’t think this couple is the stalker type. I mean, look at him. He’s clean cut, with the glasses and the comb-over. I don’t remember anyone like that at the clinic or in the protest group. If anything, the men were a little on the scruffy side. Some even had beards.”
