Майкл Ридпат - Fatal Error

I realized that Ingrid was watching me through her dark glasses. She grinned.

‘Sorry,’ I said and closed my eyes, too wretched to feel embarrassed. The sun beat down on my back and I think I fell asleep.

Some time later, I heard the hiss of a beer can being opened next to me. Then the shock of cold aluminium on my overheated back. My head jerked upwards. Tony was sitting where Dominique had been. I looked round. The others had gone. I scanned the waves and saw them splashing in the sea.

‘Want one?’ asked Tony.

‘No thanks,’ I said.

He took a swig of his. He was sitting a foot away from me, staring out to sea.

‘If you touch my wife again, I’ll kill you,’ he said matter-of-factly.

My throat went dry. I swallowed. ‘I understand.’

‘Good. Now tomorrow morning you are going to ring your parents in England. They are going to tell you that there is a family emergency and you have to fly home immediately. What the family emergency is, is entirely up to you. I will drive you to the airport and you will catch the four o’clock flight to Heathrow. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for the ticket.’

‘All right,’ I said. That was fine with me.

‘Good. And let me make it absolutely clear. I don’t want to see you ever again.’ His eyes glinted. ‘If Guy invites you here or to any of my other properties you will say no. Do you understand?’

‘Perfectly.’

‘Excellent. Now, I think I’ll join them.’

Without looking, he poured the remains of the beer over my stomach. I flinched as the cool liquid touched my skin, but I let him do it. I watched him climb down towards the waves: a rich, powerful man who wanted to prove to himself that he was still as young and good-looking as his son. Which, of course, he could never do. However much power he had, however much money he spent, however many young girls he seduced, he would always be twenty-eight years older than Guy. It was sad to see someone otherwise so successful in life fail to grasp this inescapable truth. But I wasn’t going to argue about leaving so soon. The prospect of six more days had been weighing heavily on me and now Tony Jourdan had given me the perfect way out. I wouldn’t miss him.

As soon as we arrived back at the house I excused myself, saying I wanted to go and lie down. Guy walked with me back to the guest cottage.

‘What’s up with everybody, Davo?’

‘I’ve no idea,’ I said.

‘Everyone’s acting weird. Mel’s gone ice-cold on me. Something’s up.’

I didn’t answer.

‘At least Dad seems in good form. You should talk to him more. He’s a great guy. It’s cool when you can talk to your parents like normal people, don’t you think? It’s hard to believe he’s forty-six. I just wish I’d had a chance to see more of him these last few years.’

‘Uh huh.’

‘What he’s doing with that French tart, I don’t know. Sure, she looks hot, but I think Dad can do better than that. What do you think? You’ve spoken to her more than I have.’

‘I don’t know,’ I mumbled.

‘Jesus, Davo, you as well! Cheer up, will you? What’s wrong with you? And why were you and Dominique so late for lunch?’

I was going to have to lie. I answered Guy speaking to my feet.

‘She realized I had a bit of a hangover, so she decided to give me some neat vodka. I took it. It worked for a little bit, but I feel even worse now.’

‘Stupid sod. I thought you said you’d never drink again?’

‘I won’t,’ I said, looking him in the eye for the first time. ‘Believe me, not for a long time. Now I’ve got to hit the sack.’

Guy left me to curl up in a little ball of my own misery.

I couldn’t hide in bed for ever, so I emerged at supper-time. Wine and beer were on offer on the terrace, but I didn’t take anything. Neither did Ingrid, nor Owen, who had appeared after a whole day spent on his portable computer. Guy and Tony were drinking more beer, Guy with determination.

‘How are you feeling?’ I asked Mel, who was holding an almost empty glass of wine.

She glanced up at me, as though surprised by the sympathy in my voice. ‘A bit shaky,’ she said.

‘Me too.’

‘Cheer up, Mel,’ said Guy, putting his arm round her and refilling her glass. ‘This place isn’t so bad, is it?’

‘Oh, no,’ she said, summoning a smile. ‘No, it’s lovely.’

‘We’ll go over to Monte again tomorrow. Check out a casino.’

‘Sounds great,’ said Mel, unenthusiastically.

I drifted away from them, leaving Guy working hard. I wandered over to the marble railings and stared down at the sea far below. As I watched closely, I realized that it was so far below that the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks was out of synch with the rhythm of the waves themselves. A long way down.

A voice spoke beside me. ‘This is awful, isn’t it?’

It was Ingrid.

‘Mel looks bad,’ I said. ‘Has she spoken to you about it?’

‘A little.’

‘How did it happen?’ I’d seen Mel laughing at Tony’s jokes all evening, but I had never suspected anything would come of it.

‘Everyone was drifting off to bed. Dominique had already gone. Apparently Tony started talking to Mel about the Romans and the watchtower. He took her over to look at it in the moonlight. Then he kissed her. Then...’

I shuddered.

‘Why did she do it? He’s in his forties, for God’s sake!’

‘He’s a charming man. He may be in his forties, but he’s sexy, and he knows it. Men like that have a pull for some women. Mel’s a romantic and Tony had engineered the most romantic of situations. He’s a pro. She’s an amateur. She never really stood a chance.’

‘But it wasn’t rape or anything?’

‘No. Mel was willing. At least at the time.’

‘Do you think she regrets it?’ Throughout the day I had seen no sign of Mel showing any interest in her lover of the night before.

‘Oh, yes. She definitely regrets it.’

‘What’s she going to do?’

‘Brave it out, I think. What else can she do?’

‘Go home?’

‘Maybe.’

‘She doesn’t look too happy now.’

‘Neither do you,’ said Ingrid.

I didn’t answer.

‘Hey, what are you two doing here? Won’t you come and join us?’ It was Dominique, now dressed in tight white jeans and black top under a white jacket. She smiled broadly. ‘Come on, David. Come talk to me.’

‘I think I’ll stay here for a bit, thanks. It’s a beautiful spot.’

‘As you like,’ Dominique replied, touching her lip with her tongue.

‘What was that?’ said Ingrid, watching Dominique swing her hips back to the terrace.

‘Don’t ask,’ I said. ‘Please.’

Ingrid gave me a look. ‘Curiouser and curiouser.’

The evening was flat. I avoided talking to anyone much, especially Dominique. No one was having a good time and Tony still looked angry. At about ten the gathering broke up, and I went back to the guest cottage with Guy, who was still bemused by everyone’s lack of sparkle.

I lay in bed for a long time in a kind of crazed semiconsciousness. Images of Dominique naked spun around my brain in a tumult of excitement and shame, until my eyes burned and my loins ached. There was a strange sickness in my stomach and a tightening in my throat. My heart beat fast. I would open my eyes and try to calm myself down. Then it would all begin again. I had no idea what to expect of sex for the first time, but it certainly wasn’t this. Eventually, somewhere in the middle of the night, the images left me and I fell into a deep sleep.

I was woken by a loud rap at our bedroom door. A moment later the ceiling light was turned on. I sat up to see Tony standing in the doorway, his face haggard in the artificial light.