Laura stared at Quinn, too stunned to speak. Quinn focused on the floor as he told Laura about Andrea's invitation to spend the day at the Cove of Lost Souls. Then Quinn told Laura how Andrea died.
'One minute she was there, then she was gone. I thought she was playing a game until she screamed.' Quinn shook his head to rid himself of the image. 'I tried to save her. I dove down and grabbed the diver's arm, but I swallowed water and I had to come up for air. I was choking.' Quinn paused. He was having trouble breathing, as if he were underwater again. 'When I dove the second time, Andrea and the diver were almost out of sight. When I went under the third time, they were gone.'
'Have you told the police?'
'No. I was afraid.'
'Of what?'
'Andrea talked about drugs. She said the police are corrupt. That they work with drug dealers. The killing could be drug related. And ...'
Quinn's voice trailed off. Laura studied him.
'Did anything happen between the two of you, Dick?'
Quinn did not answer. His head hung lower.
'Did you . . . were you . . . intimate?' Laura asked, using this bland term because it provided a barrier between her feelings and her fear.
'We didn't ... It never got that far,' Quinn answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
'How far did it get?'
Quinn tried to answer the question, but he could not. Laura stood up and walked away from the bed.
'I don't know what happened,' Quinn told her without conviction. His eyes begged for forgiveness, but he did not see any give in Laura's rigid features.
'It was just a kiss. We . . . we only touched one time.'
Quinn wanted to tell her that nothing would have happened, that he would have remained faithful, but the lie died unspoken.
Laura paced back and forth. Quinn felt smaller and smaller as each moment passed in silence. Laura sat in a chair near the window. She was thinking like an attorney so she would not have to think like a woman.
'How certain are you that you can't be connected to the murder?' Laura asked.
'I don't know. I don't think my fingerprints are on anything, but I can't be certain. Even if they are, the St.
Jerome Police won't have the technology to match them unless I become a suspect.'
'Were there any witnesses? Anyone who knows that you were with this woman?'
'I don't think so.'
Quinn told Laura about the soldiers in the jeep and the people in the village.
'But they didn't see me with Andrea. I did sit next to her on the plane. Another passenger may have heard us make plans to meet, but I doubt it.'
'How certain are you about the corruption on St. Jerome?'
'Andrea was pretty emphatic about it. I have heard other things. One of the organizers of the conference made some remarks while we were talking.'
'Given what you know about the government of St. Jerome, I think going to the authorities would be a mistake, especially now that you've waited to come forward. That looks very suspicious. If you went to the police, you wouldn't be able to tell them anything, anyway.'
'You're right. I'm not even sure of the sex of the diver.'
'If this came out, you being with this . . . this woman in the cove, the murder. If you became a suspect . . . The effect on your career would be devastating.'
'Then, you think I should say nothing?'
'It's a gamble. There's no telling when the body will be discovered. With luck, you'll be back home and no one will connect you to the crime.'
'Thank you, Laura.'
'Don't thank me,' Laura answered harshly. 'I'm doing this for me as much as for you. Do you think I want to be involved in your sordid affair or with the police?'
Laura walked over to the desk and picked up the phone.
'What are you doing?'
'I'm going to get a seat on the next flight back to Portland.'
'Don't leave me. Please. I need you.'
'You should have thought about that when you cheated on me.'
'Don't do this, Laura. I love you. We need to discuss this calmly.'
'We do, but I am not calm now. I am very, very angry, and I need some time away from you to think about what I want to do. We can talk when you get back. Right now, I can't stand the sight of you.'
Chapter 15.
Quinn's plane landed in Portland at eight-thirty Friday evening. Laura knew his flight number and the time of arrival, but she was not waiting for him. Quinn found a taxi.
There were lights on in the house when the cab arrived at Hereford Farms. Quinn paid the driver and carried his suitcases to the front door. Laura opened it before he could ring the bell. She was wearing dark jeans and a black turtleneck. Her hair was combed, but she wore no makeup. There were circles under Laura's eyes and her complexion was paler than usual. He forced a smile, but Laura did not return it.
'We have to talk,' Laura said without any preliminaries.
Quinn left his bags in the hall and followed Laura into the living room. She sat in an armchair and Quinn took the couch.
'You don't know what you've done to me,' she said.
'Laura, I . . .'
'No. Let me say this.' She looked down. Her hands were clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles were white where the blood was cut off. 'I trusted you completely. You have no idea how hard that is for me. I know we've had trouble. I know I'm not the easiest person to live with. But I was certain that I could trust you. '
Laura's eyes began to tear and she swiped at the drops angrily. Quinn was shocked. Laura never cried. The sight of his wife in tears made Quinn sick. 'You don't know how difficult it was for me to fall in love with you. I swore that I would never give myself to a man the way my mother did.'
Laura shook her head, too choked with anger to go on. Quinn watched helplessly, knowing that there was nothing he could say.
'I don't want to live with you.'
'You want a divorce?' Quinn asked incredulously.
'I haven't thought that far. What I do want is to be alone for a while.'
'Can't you forgive me? Don't you see how sorry I am? I love you, Laura.'
'I don't know that. Right now, I don't want to be around you. I've made up the bed in the guest room. You can stay here until you've found somewhere else to live.'
Quinn was desperate.
'Don't do this. Don't destroy our marriage.'
Laura's head snapped up.
'Don't you dare put this off on me. No one made you go with that woman.'
Quinn could see that Laura was so angry that nothing he said would change her mind.
'I'll get an apartment for a while,' he said softly. 'Whatever you want, as long as you promise me you'll think about what we have. No matter what I've done, I still love you and I don't want our marriage to end.'
Part Three
Hell Week
Chapter 16.
