The morning delivers a fresh burst of sunshine that burns away the drama of the night before. As I wake to a beautiful day in paradise, I almost believe I dreamt what happened last night.
After showering and changing into a freshly laundered uniform, I prepare for the day ahead and the gentle tap on the door reminds me I’m having breakfast with Nate.
My heart bangs with nerves as I open the door and see him leaning on the wall outside, looking like every fantasy I ever had. He’s certainly good looking and everything I could want in a man, except for one thing – he’s a murderer, apparently.
You would hardly know it though because his open, honest face smiles with interest and he reaches out and pulls me close to his freshly showered body that smells so intoxicating.
“Hey, I missed you last night.”
I laugh, the nerves fluttering inside me like a trapped moth to a flame. “No you didn’t.”
He bends down and whispers, “I did, and I know it’s early days, but I’m falling fast for you pretty lady. You have captured me in your web.”
He tilts my face to his and kisses me in a leisurely fashion, and I hate the fact I love every second of his attention. Maybe Adam and Matty are wrong, and there was a perfectly good explanation for Jenny’s disappearance. They surely don’t have all the facts and tales of kidnapping and murder seem so fanciful in the cold light of day.
As we walk to the canteen, he maintains polite conversation, which I’m glad about after the deep one last night. “Did you sleep well?”
“Fine, although I think the jog helped.”
“You went jogging?”
I’ve decided to set in place my cover story to explain my night-time activity just in case anyone sees me. “Yes, it helps clear my mind and relax. I went jogging last night, and it felt good to have some time alone. It’s been quite intense since I arrived, and I still have emotions to deal with.”
“Your parents?” He sounds concerned and the tears prick behind my eyes as I think about the two people I miss like crazy. “It’s easy to forget when you’re away from things that trigger the memories, but when I’m alone, they come back to hurt me.”
He squeezes my hand. “Then I won’t leave you alone.”
“What do you mean?” Now I’m worried that I’ve talked myself into a situation I’m not going to like, and he stops suddenly and smiles into my eyes. “Maybe you should move in with me and let me chase those moments away. You don’t have to be on your own; I could help you through your grief.”
I really feel like kicking myself right now because how stupid can one woman be? Backtracking fast, I laugh self-consciously. “No, um, it’s fine. I’m just being stupid. To be honest, I need to be on my own to deal with this. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
He looks so concerned it makes my heart weep bitter tears of ‘just my luck.’ The first time a man shows me any attention, the first time a man like Nate shows me interest, he turns out to be a psychopathic murderer with a crazy family. It almost makes me laugh hysterically, and I try desperately to pull myself together and breathe in a big dose of reality. Adam and Matty must be wrong about Jenny, and that is what I need to focus on to get through this day. I can’t believe their story for my own sanity, so I smile and lighten my voice a little. “Thanks for the offer. I’m just being an idiot. So, how was your work out with Sven?”
“Good thanks. I must say I look forward to them. He can only spare three hours a week, though, and I wish it was longer. Left to my own devices, I don’t work nearly as hard, and I need him to push me to extremes.”
“Does he work with the other staff?”
“Yes, we all get one-on-one time with him as well as the guests. He’s a great guy and never complains. So disciplined too, a good addition to our family.”
“Has he been here long?” I’m curious to know, and he shakes his head. “Less than a year.”
“Who has been here the longest?”
He takes a minute to answer. “Joseph, I suppose.”
He looks a little guarded, which raises my own defences, and he frowns. “Other than Joseph, who has been here as long as Chester, I think it would be me.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Two years. When I turned eighteen.”
“Where did you live before?”
I’m fishing and yet it’s a natural line of questioning and he stops and pulls me toward him. “My mother dropped a bombshell on me one day and I left home almost immediately.”
“What did she say?”
I’m taken aback by the sudden pain in his eyes, and he says gruffly, “I was told I was adopted, and they weren’t my real parents.”
“That’s terrible.” I feel sorry for him because this is probably the truth, and he looks a little broken right now and I know a lot about how that feels, so I lean in and plant an impulsive kiss on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Nate. That must have hurt. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’d like that, Kat. Maybe later, though. We need to eat and start work. How about meeting me for lunch? I’ll arrange a picnic and we can talk then.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I smile but feel my heart weeping inside. He looks how I feel, lost and desolate and despite everything I’ve heard, I want to help him if I can. Maybe it will bring some clarity on what’s going on here and perhaps Nate is just as lost as the rest of us and needs help, too.
* * *
After breakfast I head to reception and Diana is already there.
“Hey, Katrina, did you have a good evening?”
“The best, thanks.”
She grins with a knowing look in her eye. “I bet you did. I’m guessing Nate has a lot to do with that smile on your face.”
I giggle self-consciously and she laughs out loud. “We are living the dream on Catalina, don’t you agree?”
I nod. “It appears that we are.”
She heaves open the huge leather-bound book and runs her finger down the page. “We have some guests checking out and some checking in. We should make sure everything is in place.”
“How?” She taps her fingers on the desk. “Arrange for the maid to prepare the room. Make sure Nate is on hand to help with their bags and take them to the mainland. Welcome cocktails and cold towels for the guests and we always arrange a goody bag for the departing guests to take to the airport with them. Bottled water, refreshing wipes and a few snacks to keep them going.”
She looks thoughtful. “If you head to the kitchen, you can arrange the welcome platter of fruit and I’ll stay here. You should also look for Drew and tell him we need two cocktails for our arriving guests. I usually time it three hours from when Nate leaves. He deposits one set of guests to the taxi on the mainland and then hangs around for the new arrivals.”
“Three hours. what does he do while he waits?”
“Maybe you should ask him. If it were me, I’d do a bit of shopping and maybe grab some lunch. He’s lucky to get that opportunity.”
“What about the staff? Do we get time on the mainland?”
She shakes her head. “No, not unless Chester agrees. I mean, we have everything we need here and if you need supplies, you add them to the delivery. There’s no real need to leave, but if you feel like it, Chester allows us half a day.”
My ears prick up until she laughs. “Not that it ever happens, of course.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugs. “I tried to arrange an afternoon off once and at the last minute I was as sick as a dog. The thought of travelling anywhere lost its appeal, and I decided against it.”
“So, you have never left the island.”
I’m surprised and she shakes her head with an accompanying deep sigh. “No, to be honest, none of us can be bothered. There’s nothing on the mainland anyway and Chester and Nate pick up anything we need if we ask them.”
She grins and I can tell the subject is closed as she says briskly, “Anyway, we should start work. Go and arrange the stuff with Joseph and don’t be put off by his scratchy behaviour. The mans a culinary genius and we indulge his eccentricities.”
I leave her to it, glad of a chance to explore a little and as I pass a few of the guests heading to the veranda for breakfast, I think about how normal everything appears on the surface. Seeing the waitresses smiling their welcome, I wonder about their stories. Does everyone here have a sorry tale to tell? Are we all a carbon footprint of the next in line? Everyone seems young and impressionable and even the older staff doesn’t have many years on us. There must be a fast turnaround because we all appear to be the same age. That fact alone strikes me as weird and so I’m surprised when I head into the kitchen and find an older man barking orders at the busy staff who appear rushed off their feet.
He sees me hovering nervously on the edge and barks, “What!”
It makes me jump. “Um, I was sent to arrange the guest’s welcome and leaving requirements.”
He looks angry and growls, “We are in the middle of service. Does anybody around here understand what that means?”
I am shaking in my canvas shoes because he looks so ferocious, and I don’t miss the pitying glances thrown my way by the kitchen staff. He shouts across, “Adam! Deal with this.”
I’m relieved about that because I instantly hate this chef magician on sight.
He turns away and Adam races over, rolling his eyes, which makes me giggle. He whispers, “Come on, let’s get out of his way.”
He draws me to the side and says with concern, “Are you ok? That was a lot to take in last night.”
“I think so.”
I try to smile. “I still can’t believe it.”
“I wish it wasn’t true, but there are too many things that can’t be explained.”
He grabs a notebook from a hook on the wall and says with a sigh, “Ok, what do you need?”
“Whatever the guests need to take when they check out and the welcome package for the incoming ones.”
He writes it down and then lowers his voice. “Nate was in earlier.”
“He was?”
My heart starts thumping at the mention of him and Adam whispers, “He ordered a picnic lunch. I’m guessing it’s for the two of you.”
“He did?”
I feel a little anxious, and Adam looks concerned. “I expect he’s going in for the kill.” His face falls, probably because I turn as white as the dress I’m wearing and gasp, “Not literally, I hope.”
His lips twitch. “No, it’s a standard seduction technique around here. He’ll probably take you to the retreat. It’s the nature reserve on the other side of the island. Guaranteed to get you in the mood and lower your defences.”
“Are you serious?”
Now I’m extremely worried and it doesn’t make me feel any better when he laughs softly. “Relax, there’s not a lot he can achieve in a lunch hour, but I’m guessing he’ll be wanting to cement your partnership before meeting with his father later.”
“Why?”
He says in a low voice. “Because that’s Nate’s job. To get you on side and indoctrinate you in our ways.”
“You make it sound like a cult.”
“Maybe it is.”
My eyes widen and he raises his eyes. “Think about, Katrina. They make weird appear normal. They make you believe that this is acceptable behaviour, and you start to accept this is how life is. There’s a reason they recruit impressionable teenagers who have suffered trauma. They give you the world and change theirs forever.”
“I still don’t understand why?”
I’m conscious that we’re taking longer than we should when I see the chef’s irritated gaze fall on us and Adam must get the vibes too, because he snaps the notebook shut and says as an aside. “I’m guessing the answer lies in those meetings Chester arranges with the guests. I just need to work out a way to listen in.”
He moves away with a loud, “All done. Catch you later.”
As he heads back to his station, I walk away with this fresh information, adding more confusion to the pile already waiting to be sorted into some kind of order. There appears to be a lot wrong with Catalina Island and now Adam has brought it to my attention, I feel more afraid than ever.