'I guess it's crazy.' I made my voice harsh. 'I haven't a boat so what else can I do? I've an idea she is somewhere along here so I'm looking.'
'You lost her? You mean she's left you?'
I gave her my hard Army look.
'Sorry I trespassed. I'll get going.'
'Don't go temperamental on me.' She cocked her head on one side and gave me a sexy look. 'I've nothing to do and God ! am I
'Why should you care? It's a personal thing. I want my wife back. There's a chance she's using a house along this coast. The rest is my business.'
She pouted.
'You don't have to shout at me. She might be happy without you. Have you thought of that?'
'What the hell has that to do with you?' I barked. 'I'm going to find her !'
She blinked. I was sure no man had ever spoken to her in that tone of voice.
'You're right out of a cave,' she said. 'If I were your wife, I would love you. I'll help. I know all the houses along this coast for around five miles.'
'He will have rented a place. Do you know the ones for rent?'
'Has she run off with some man? She must be soft in the head!'
'So she's soft in the head. When I find her I'm going to give her a hiding. She's been aching for a hiding ever since I married her and she's going to get it.'
Her eyes lit up.
'I wish someone would give me a hiding,' she said. 'I need it. I wish .. .'
'To hell with what you need.' I was now sure I was handling her right. 'I know what my wife needs and that's what she's going to get. Do you know the houses for rent along this strip?'
'Yes. There are three about half a mile from here. About two miles further on there's another . . . a good one.'
'Let's go to look at them.'
'Don't you want a drink?'
'I'll have that later.' I stared at her. 'Let's go.'
She went down into the cabin and started the engine. While I had been talking to her, I kept looking towards the forest that hid the guest bungalow from the boat house, wondering if the regress was watching me, but I didn't see her. I went down into the cabin as the girl began to reverse the boat out of the harbour.
'I'm Nancy,' she said. 'What's your name?'
'Max.' It wasn't a lie. Max is my second name.
She looked at me over her shoulder.
'I like Max. It's a gorgeous name.' She cleared the harbour. 'What do we do now, Max?'
'Take her along the coast, not too fast and not too close.'
'Aye, aye, Captain.' She giggled. 'Did you and her boy friend fight?'
I was always forgetting the marks from Raimundo's fists on my face.
'Not him . . . I got into an argument.'
'I like men who fight. What happened?'
I looked at her. Her eyes were unnaturally bright. I could see under the thin material of her bra that her nipples had come erect.
'Why should you care?'
She pouted.
'I like a good fight. I like it when two men . . .'
'Skip it ! What's that house we're coming to?'
She grimaced, then looked to where I was pointing.
'It belongs to Van Hesson. He's quite a gorgeous man, but his wife is the worst kind of creep. Don't let them see you. She would tell my husband.'
We passed the house. I could see a number of people on the lawn under gay sun umbrellas.
Nancy advanced the throttle and we swept past the place.
'Some women are drags, aren't they?' She giggled. 'She's terrified her husband is going to lay me. She won't let him come near me.'
'How about this one?'
We were approaching another house built on the same lines as the previous one.
'That's rented. He's gorgeous to look at. She's building a baby. She's enormous. He doesn't leave her for a second. I've never been able even to speak to him.'
We went on, passing two more houses. Two elderly people on the lawn of one and a party of old, fat
