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We walked back to the jetty, and by the time we got there, the yacht had appeared and was racing towards us. After we’d heard the profuse apologies of the captain, which Alex politely refused, we made our way back. It had cleared up since last night, and watching the sun rise up and cover the sea in a shimmering gloss made my heart leap, even if I was anxious to get back to the comfort of the Continental and change.
I took out the ring as we came into the dock and looked at it. It was the kind of ring I hoped someone would give to me today, and I got pretty silly and sentimental thinking about how I’d found it with Alex.
But that opened up too deep and dark a well of feelings in me so that as we sailed into the harbor I was kind of melancholy. Our adventure, as unplanned and awkward as it had been, was kind of fun. And it would be strange to part ways with Alex, who’d been with me, by my side for almost twenty-four hours.
“I guess this is where we say goodbye,” I said, as we got down from the boat.
“Doesn’t have to be a goodbye,” Alex said.
“Doesn’t it …?” I said.Was Alex asking me to date him?
“I’m having Charlie pick us up in a second. We can go down to the police station and hand in that ring.”
“Sure,” I said. Happy that Alex hadn’t asked to see me again. And unhappy, too. But mostly happy, that I didn’t have to say farewell just yet.
As we saw the car parked up by the end of the jetty, we stepped towards them. But as we did, something happened.
I saw a slender, young man standing by the end of the jetty. Around his neck was something big and dark. He brought it up to eye height, and for a moment I frantically thought it was a gun or something.
I looked up in shock, and the small, dark object clicked.
A bright flash dazed me.
“Goddammit,” said Alex. “How did they know? I specifically told Pete not to tell anyone we were stuck out there …”
“You had a nice time at the nature reserve, Mr. Alson?” asked the paparazzo, and fled, rounding the corner.
“Bastard,” muttered Alex.
“Was I in that?”
“Probably,” he said. “Look, just ignore it.”
I couldn’t let it go. All the way to the station I worried about whether the photo would end up on the web somehow, or on some gossip page.
And whether Jared would see it, a picture of me and his brother, returning from a night on a mystery island, in the clothes we’d worn the day before.
Little did I know, I should have been worried about something else. That tiny, shiny object I was holding in my hand.
“Whydidn’tyoukeepit?” said the cop, as he leafed through the lost property book.
I looked confused and turned around to look at Alex.
“Because it’s not mine?” I said, bemused.
“Are you sure?” said the cop.
“Yes,” I said, laughing in disbelief. “Trust me. I’d have known if I brought a diamond ring out there and lost it.”
“Well, there’s no record of it. No one’s reported a ring missing.”
“No one at all?”
“I can call Honolulu and double-check with them if you like. But I’m pretty sure it’s unclaimed.”
“So, what do we do?”
“Well, your partner’s given us your contact information,” said the cop. “So, we’ll get in touch with you if there’s ever a claimant. In the meantime, you can hold onto it, if you like?”
