A Haunting Obsession

‘Not really. I was too young to be a mother back then.’

‘How old were you when you were married?’ ‘Nineteen.’

That is young,’ he agreed.

Their food arrived at that moment, bringing a welcome break to what Bonnie was beginning to feel was an inquisition. Perhaps it was the lawyer in him, but when he asked questions Jordan was very intimidating. It reminded Bonnie uncomfortably of Keith’s never-ending third degrees. She decided it was time to turn the tables.

‘So tell me some more about your life, Jordan?’ she asked as she cut her vegetable pie into quarters. ‘Why haven’t you married before now?’

‘I hadn’t met the right woman.’

‘And is your fiancée much younger than you?’

‘Erica’s twenty-four. I’m thirty-six.’

Bonnie detected a curtness in his voice. He didn’t want to talk about his fiancée, this Erica. She wondered why.

‘I’ll bet you work hard,’ she remarked.

‘Too hard.’

‘Which is why you need some place where you can come and relax.’

His laugh startled her. ‘I doubt I’ll end up doing much relaxing up here.’

‘I... I don’t understand.’

He settled those incredible eyes on her and a little shiver ran down her spine. ‘I write in my spare time, you see,’ he explained, obliterating the sudden ridiculous fear that he was somehow referring to her, that he meant to spend his weekends in orgies of wanton behaviour with none other than Mrs Bonnie Merrick, the closet nympho of Blackrock Beach. ‘When I write, I hole up in my study and tap away on my PC in a compulsive fervour. Relaxation is far from my mind, which is invariably tormented with all sorts of wild characters and wickednesses.’

‘Goodness!’ she exclaimed, hoping she wasn’t betraying any of her own wildly wicked thoughts. ‘What on earth do you write? Accounts of the murder trials you’ve been involved in?’ When talking of his work he’d explained that his law firm was ninety per cent criminal defence, mostly on capital cases.

Again he laughed. ‘If I tell you, will you promise to keep it a secret?’

‘Of course.’

‘I write thrillers.’

‘But how wonderful! I love thrillers. Have you been published?’

He nodded.

‘Would I have read any?’

‘I doubt it. I’ve only had three out so far, under the name of Roger Black. They’re all about a lawyer named Richard Halliday who solves the most gruesome crimes. Plenty of sex and violence, with undertones of political anarchy. My publisher thinks the public will love them, but, alas, my family and business colleagues would not.’

‘Why not?’

He gave her a look that suggested she knew nothing of his world.

‘What about your fiancée?’ she persisted, perhaps foolishly. But she was curious about the sort of woman Jordan would choose as his wife. ‘What does she think?’