The cloudless blue sky almost blinded him as he stepped from the taxi. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and fumbled for the Rayburns, poking himself on the bridge of the nose as he attempted to cover his eyes from the burning sun. Mission complete, he turned his attention to the two storey white brick building that was to be his temporary home for the next week. The impressive looking villa formed one half of two adjoining properties, separated by a four foot wall to the home of Maria Costa. He still had no idea how he was going to manufacture a seemingly innocent introduction to his neighbour.
“Hello,” said a woman’s voice.
He turned and instinctively smiled at the long, oval shaped face of the turquoise bikini clad woman. He’d expected her to be a short dumpling of a woman. It turned out she was taller, and slimmer, hair trussed up with her face camouflaged by a pair of the biggest sunglasses he’d seen in his life.
“Are you on your own?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, mind coming to terms with this unexpected stroke of good fortune.
“It’s a big villa for one person.”
“Blind booking,” he said.
“Blind booking, do people do that these days?”
“I did,” he said with a smile.
A curious frown took centre stage on her face, or perhaps it was disbelief.
“They told me a family was coming.”
“All I know is a cancellation came up apparently,” he said. “Not that I’m in any way complaining given the price I had to pay.”
He could see the lack of confidence to the explanation in her dark eyes, now revealed by the removal of the sunglasses.
“Are you the welcoming committee?”
His question broke her silence.
“No, I’m in the villa next door. They asked if I minded giving you the key on arrival. The company rep has succeeded in getting herself double booked.”
“Seems over and above the call of duty,” he said.
“I don’t mind. When you’re a single parent with four kids on the permanent go any kind of adult contact can be a bit of a blessing.”
The reassertion she had four children, fatherless because of him, caused Matt to blink hard. Guilt gripped at his throat and he realised immediately he didn’t want to deceive this woman, and certainly not in the way Will had suggested.
“Are you alright?”
He shook his head.
“My hearing hasn’t fully recovered from the flight. Four children, they must be a handful?”
“I’ve taken to following St Anthony, the patron saint of lost causes.”
Her humour brought a smile to his face.
“Seems to me you’re already on your way to sainthood.”
A bright smile relaxed her eyes. It was pleasant, warm and welcoming. Matt expected the woman to be in her forties. Her youthful face suggested otherwise. His attention focussed on the gold locket hanging around her neck.
“Do you want the key?” she asked, as the driver deposited the luggage by his feet.
“Yes, of course, sorry” he said. “I told you my head wasn’t right yet.”
The key fell into his hand and she withdrew her fingers smartly to avoid contact. According to the information in the file Will had accessed this woman lived a solitary existence since becoming a widow, with little human contact outside of her children. She’ll be lonely, his friend had said, so winning her confidence will be easy. Matt wasn’t as easily convinced. This woman had something about her.
“I’m Maria,” she said.
“Matt.”
She smiled into his eyes for a few seconds before turning to leave.
“If there’s anything you need let me know.”
“Thank you … for the keys and all.”
Matt gripped the handle of the luggage and prepared to make his way when a high pitched voice screamed in panic from behind.
“Come quick, Tessa’s at the bottom of the pool!”
He reacted instantly, forcibly pushing Maria aside to burst through the wooden gate. Within strides he had reached the rear of the property and saw the large, rectangular pool sitting in the middle of the paved area. He ran to the edge, ignoring the children’s wails, and spotted a small figure at the bottom. Instinct prompted an involuntary dive.
The child felt weightless as he picked her up in his arms and swam to the surface where Maria’s frantic hands pulled her from the water. Matt regained terra firma in time to see the tearful woman cradling her daughter, uncertain as to what to do next.
He didn’t ask, just took charge, placing the small body on the ground so he could pinch her nose and prise open the little mouth. He exhaled deeply and took another breath to repeat the exercise. Her face looked pale and sallow. He rolled the child onto her side and rubbed fiercely between the shoulder blades before breathing in and releasing another invasion of warm air into her lungs. Onto her side again, only this time he punched at her back. Matt feared the worst. A quick glance to the side revealed a tearful Maria swamped by her remaining children, huddled tightly together in anticipated despair. No, he thought, I won’t let this happen. Again he worked through the same routine, his attempt at resuscitation more desperate and the punch to her back harder.
She coughed, spewed, and then coughed again. He lifted her upper body gently from the ground and began to massage her back, whispering gentle words of encouragement in her right ear. She spewed again, and then a second and a third time, before the coughing increased in rapidity. Her body wrenched with the effort, and then stilled.
Slowly, he turned her round to face him and her little eyes blinked at the sunshine. He used the back of his hand to wipe the dribble from her chin and then smoothed away the tears that started to fall as consciousness returned. He smiled and kissed lightly at the little forehead.
“Hello,” he said softly, to the puzzled face and frightened brown eyes.
Her confused gaze examined his face for a few seconds, though it seemed longer, when an unannounced olive coloured arm appeared to push in between and prise them apart. Maria squeezed the child tightly to her bosom, as though defending her from assault, and rose to carry Tessa inside followed by the three others of the brood. Matt stood and watched them disappear aware he was surplus to requirements. Something inside him felt good. Having been responsible for one death in this family he had surely saved another. Perhaps there was such a thing as redemption.
Matt stepped from the shower to hear two voices below the French window. He saw a hunched man carrying a case into the villa next door. The doctor had arrived. He withdrew from the window and picked out a pair of shorts and a paperback from the suitcase. Matt had selected the bedroom with the en-suite for his stay, the largest and situated above the outside pool. He liked space, and this choice provided both ample room to move around and a scenic view. Skipping down the stairs brought him into the enormous but somewhat sparsely furnished open plan living area. The bulky silver television sat atop a maple coloured cabinet, looking surprisingly outdated against the modern décor. Situated to the left of the three cushioned two-seater sofas were a dining table and six chairs. Maybe he’d use a different one for each night of the stay, if he could be bothered. The urge for coffee evaporated from his mind the moment he opened the glass doors leading to the patio. Suffocating heat poured inside the room so instead he turned right into the vast kitchen and took a cold drink from the American styled fridge. Diet cola or not he was intent on enjoying the refreshing feel of cold liquid down his throat.
Once outside he bypassed the two sets of small plastic tables and chairs and took up residence on one of the yellow sun-beds. He reckoned twenty minutes of exposure to the burning sun would be enough before needing to seek shelter under the sun umbrella. At the turning of the second page he reached down for the drink and took a sip. Ugh! The damn stuff tasted like hot water. He downed it quick, too quickly judging by the inadvertent burp which followed, and he slunk back into the frame as though this would somehow make him invisible t
o the people next door.
Matt lost track as he read. Though some distance from being regarded as a classic it was peppered with extraordinary detail of all manner of sex acts. He’d always considered the people who scribed these events on paper must be the same people who weren’t getting any otherwise they wouldn’t have the time to write about it. Even so it was strong stuff and he could feel his brow perspiring, though he preferred to put this down to the heat of the sun. A hand rapped against the waist high gate behind him.
“Come in,” he called.
Maria appeared with a shy and somewhat apprehensive Tessa in tow, hiding behind her mother’s legs.
“Hello Tessa, how are you feeling?”
Maria spoke in her native tongue, urging the little girl to be bold and approach him.
“Thank you, sir,” said the little voice.
He smiled and asked for a kiss on the cheek. After a good deal of maternal encouragement she complied. Matt noticed Maria constantly peering over the wall to her side.
“Why don’t you call them over?” he asked.
“No, no. We do not want to disturb you.”
“You won’t,” he said. “Two pairs of eyes have got to be better than one. And anyway, didn’t you say that any kind of adult contact is a blessing.”
A half smile appeared on her lips.
“No, I … we couldn’t impose …”
“There’s no imposition. I’ve invited you. You might have to bring your own refreshments though.”
The half smile returned.
“Please,” he said. “You could do with a break and I would appreciate the company.”
She looked nervous, cautious and hesitant. He held his open smile while her mind processed the generous offer. Then she lifted on her toes to peer over the wall.
“Children, come round to this side.”
“Do we have to!” he heard them exclaim in unison.
“Bring the towels and sun cream. And remember Tessa’s things also.”
He could hear mumblings of discontent.
“Do as you are told.”
The mutterings continued for a while as they gathered their belongings. Minutes later three more children stood silently before him.
“This is Andrew, the eldest,” introduced Maria, pointing to the tallest of the siblings. “Sophie is Tessa’s twin, and last but not least is Jonathan.”
“I’m Matt,” he said.
They continued to stand in silence and uncertainty, wary of this strange man who sought to befriend them. He thought of a way to break the stand-off.
“First one in gets a ride on my back later,” he said.
The two boys needed no second urging, galloping to the side of the pool and throwing themselves into the water. The girl remained rooted to the spot.
“Why did you punch my sister so hard like that? She has a big bruise on her back.”
He smiled.
“I apologise Sophie, and to you Tessa. I did not intend to hurt or be so rough.”
Her mother urged them to join their brothers and they skipped hand in hand towards the shallow end of the pool. He watched as they slipped over the side.
“I don’t know how you cope,” he said.
“With great difficulty,” said Maria.
“How old are they?”
“Andrew is twelve, Jonathan eight. The two girls are close to their sixth birthday.”
The information caused him to wince inside. They would be toddlers when he killed their father. Remorse readied to attack his conscience as he watched her take residence of the adjoining sun bed.
“You are good with children. Do you have little ones of your own?”
He shook his head.
“No, I’m a bachelor.”
“At your age?” she asked.
He burst into unintended laughter.
“Guess I haven’t got the DNA of a fatherly, settling down type of guy. There’s plenty of time.”
“It soon passes.”
Yes, it does, he realised.
“I haven’t thanked you, for what you did earlier.”
“No need to,” he said. “I’m just pleased I was around at the time to help.”
“Even so, I am grateful.”
He turned his attention away from the playful group in the pool and smiled.
“I don’t have much in but I can offer coffee, tea or a mildly cool soft drink.”
“How will you eat tonight?”
“I’ll wander into town a little later. I’m told the marina in Vilamoura is a nice place to eat.”
She paused.
“Perhaps you would like to join us. It is the least I can offer for what you did today.”
He thought for a moment.
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you come to Vilamoura?”
“No, no. It is far too expensive to eat there.”
“My treat,” he said. “Think of it as an apology to Tessa for being so rough with her this morning.”
“I must refuse. It is we that owe you.”
“And this would be the best way to repay me, by joining me for dinner tonight.”
He noticed a worried frown appear on her face.
“Why would you do such a thing?”
Why indeed, he thought.
“I’ll bet you can’t remember the last time you didn’t have to prepare the evening meal. Don’t worry. I’m outnumbered five to one so I hardly think it would be safe to change my mind at the last minute.”
A smile replaced the frown.
“Why don’t you give it some thought while I nip inside and get us a soft drink.”
He left her to mull it over, returning shortly armed with two glasses of opaque liquid topped up with ice. She received his offering gratefully and sipped at the rim.
“Are you sure, about tonight?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “Would you prefer a table for six, seven, or a little later?”
“Six,” she said. “They’re constantly hungry.”
“Okay, we’ll set off around half five. Now, I’d better keep my promise about this piggyback ride in the pool.”
He swigged at the drink, rose, and rounded to the deep end of the pool before diving in. A few strokes and he reached the foursome at the shallow end. There wasn’t time to find his feet. They were on to him, in an instant, smothering him into submission as they pressed down and submerged his body under the water line.
Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea.
Chapter Thirteen
Temptation