Page 56 of The Night Island

“No,” she said. She reached up and trapped his hand on her shoulder.

He did not argue or ask questions. He kept quiet and waited.

With the worst of the static partially blocked, her own anxiety was easier to contain and control. She raised her senses another notch.

The patterns of the strongest currents stood out in colors that were beyond the spectrum of normal eyesight. They were sharp and intense and they led to the old, long-unused fireplace.

“Whatever it is, he hid it over there,” she said. “The hearth, I think.”

Luke took his hand off her shoulder and crossed to the fireplace. He probed the bricks with his fingers. It did not take long to find one that was loose. He pulled it out and set it aside.

They both looked at the dark opening. Luke took out his flashlight and aimed the light into the shadows. The beam glinted on metal. He reached into the recess and pulled out the object that had been hidden behind the brick.

“A camera,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have thought a digital camera would have worked on this island.”

“It’s not digital,” Luke said. “It’s an old-school film camera with a roll of film inside. No high tech involved. But also no way for us to see the photographs until we can get back to the mainland and find a developer. Damn, you are really good at this finding thing.”

He meant it sincerely, she realized. There was genuine admiration in his voice and in his eyes. He was not looking at her as if she was a member of the Addams family.

“Thanks,” she said, surprised by the warm sensation that infused her from head to toe.

“We found what we came here to find. Let’s go.”

She could feel the energy charging the atmosphere around him. He was riding a rush. She understood because she could feel the adrenaline cocktail that followed a successful search hitting her system, too. The camera was important. It had to be. Keever wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of hiding it unless it held a few secrets.

“I can put the camera inside the pocket of my jacket,” she said.

Luke handed it to her and opened the door. The rain was fallingsteadily again. She pulled up the hood of her coat and followed him out into the storm.

They hurried along one of the garden paths. When they turned a corner Talia caught a glimpse of the conservatory. The plants inside were glowing as if it was the middle of the night.

Her senses were fizzing and flashing thanks to adrenaline and the wild energy of the storm and because of Luke. He was no longer touching her but she could not stop thinking about that moment of intimate connection back in Keever’s cottage when he had put his hand on her shoulder and helped her suppress the static.

They made it into her cabin a second before the squall hit. Luke got the door shut, shot the bolt, and stripped off his dripping plastic poncho. She retrieved the camera and set it on the table, and then she shrugged out of her parka. For a moment she stood there, clutching the jacket, and watched Luke hang his things, including the holstered gun, on the wall hooks.

When he turned around she realized she had been staring at him through her rain-splattered lenses. Embarrassed, she yanked off the glasses and set them on the table next to the camera.

Luke took her parka without a word and hung it beside his jacket. Then he sat down on the one chair and stripped off his boots and socks. She sank onto the edge of the lumpy bed and removed her own soaked footwear.

She tried to ignore the tension that seethed in the small space, but it was impossible. There was a fierce, primal, deeply sensual quality about the energy charging the atmosphere. She tried to find a label for the sensations igniting her blood. Passion? Lust? Hunger? Need?

When Luke straightened in the chair, he looked at her witheyes that burned. “We probably shouldn’t get too excited about the camera. For all we know the pictures may be scenic views of Night Island.”

“No,” she said. “Whatever is on that roll of film is important. I’m sure of it.”

Luke’s mouth kicked up in a grimly satisfied smile. “Yeah. I’m sure of it, too.”

She hesitated. “Thanks for not asking me to find Keever’s body.”

“Like I said, not much point. Also, we don’t have time to waste on a search that doesn’t promise to yield any useful answers.”

Without thinking about it, she reached up and touched the crystal in Phoebe Hatch’s necklace. Luke watched in silence, waiting for her verdict. She shook her head and lowered her hand.

“The vibe is still strong,” she said. “Phoebe is alive and I’m sure she’s somewhere here on the island, but we’re no closer to finding her. Whenever I try to get a focus I feel like I’m looking down into a whirlpool. Phoebe is at the bottom. I have no idea how to interpret that visual.”

“With luck we’ll know more when we get into the conservatory tonight.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com