White Ginger

chapter 6



Arne pushed her door open, bearing a tray with a cup of tea and a plate of freshly cooked bacon and egg and a croissant. He grinned as he watched her examine the superheroes printed all over the lurid paper serviette.

“Leftover from Lani’s birthday party. She wanted a Superheroes beach party. I have the beach and a slice of jungle where they could swing from trees and play hide and seek.”

“Were you Captain Courageous or Superman?” He grinned as she pushed herself into a more comfortable sitting position, pushing her pillow up to rest against the bed head.

The sheet slipped, revealing a glimpse of purple boxer shorts. Her low-cut lavender singlet top hugged her curves, revealing the swell of rounded breasts, lightly suntanned a glorious pale gold. Her fair hair was sleep-mussed and her lips, deliciously soft and inviting. She pushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

As he placed the tray across her lap, she bent to inhale the aroma of cooked breakfast. It would take a stronger man than him to resist. He leaned across the tray and dropped a light kiss on her mouth. Lifting her gaze from an inspection of her food, she surprised him again. “Do you want to repeat that? I wasn’t ready.”

He needed no second invitation. Holding her face gently between his hands, he kissed her again, savoring the repetition. Pulling slowly away, he pushed the same wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. One hand caressed her cheek, his thumb running lightly across her slightly parted lips. She pretended to nip it.

“Eat up.” He grinned, popping the end of the croissant into her mouth. “We leave in twenty minutes.”

* * * *

As they drove to town, Arne explained that Terence Danbury, his head of department at the university, was to meet them at the police station where, along with Jeff Jessup, the police inspector and the local magistrate, Rex Arnold, they would review the video evidence. Decisions had to be made before Arne and Amelie sailed.

Terry was nothing like Amelie expected. Short and scholarly looking, with a pronounced limp, he didn’t appear the type to enjoy diving.

“No, my dear,” he replied to her inquiry. “No, I haven’t the ability to conduct field work. I leave that to Arne now. You’ll gain a wonderful understanding of the life of the reef diving with him. He’s an exceptional diver and the best biologist in his field.”

“I had the best teacher.” Arne’s respect for his old professor was evident. They were good friends as well as professional colleagues. “Let us show you the footage, Terry. Amelie had better explain what she saw in the relevant frames though. Her expertise makes it easier to follow.”

The four men crowded around the small television set while Amelie took control of the remote, pointing out the features she had shown Arne only a day earlier. At the conclusion of their discussion, Rex formally stated, “I have no hesitation in signing this permit, on behalf of the police department. You now have unrestricted access on the reef. There. Good luck.”

Jeff’s response was more solemn. “I’ll organize the spotter plane to over fly your position in the morning. I want to know where the two of you are. I think we may have some nasty characters here.” He drew Arne aside and spoke in an undertone. “Have you got a gun?”

Amelie shoved her thumbnail between her teeth and pressed her fingers against her mouth. No way would she let on she’d heard and give Arne more to worry about.

Arne nodded. “We should be getting underway. It’s several hours sailing out and turn of tide is about two PM. Low tide should make my search a little easier.”