“No problem.” He set the tray on a small table. “Hope you like the food. It’s all I could find.”
I sniffed the tea, detecting almond and spices. “Smells yummy.”
“Do you recognize the flavor?”
“No,” I said, “but it’s very nice. What is it?”
“Almond spice black tea.” He pursed his lips together as if bothered by something. “Are you sure you’ve never had it before?”
“Never, but I’m enjoying it now.” I took a sip, warmed by the heat and intrigued by the nutty, bitter taste. “Thanks for hot tea and dry clothes. I was wondering about the clothes … they look new. How did you happen to have them?”
He shrugged. “I bought them for someone special.”
“So you do have a girlfriend?” I took another sip.
“Not any more.”
“Oh … sorry it didn’t work out.”
“Disappointments are learning experiences,” he said. “I’m wiser and won’t make that mistake again.”
There was a subtle anger in his tone that made me uneasy. I set the tea cup down and stood abruptly. “I really have to go now. Leave me your address and I’ll mail the clothes back to you.”
“Keep them.” He pointed to the plate, which I hadn’t touched. “At least eat something before you go.”
“I’m not that hungry.”
“But they’re your favorites.”
“Excuse me?” I stopped short, staring at him. “How would you know?”
“You mentioned it earlier.”
“No, I’m sure I didn’t.” My uneasiness intensified and I realized how vulnerable I was, in a boat with a strange guy. No one even knew where I was. “I need to leave now.”
He blocked my way to the ladder. “Enjoy your tea. I know it’s your favorite, just like I know about the wafers and strawberries. And you should recognize the clothes, too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you figured it out yet? I’ve been waiting a long time to be with you.” Dyce rubbed his stubbly chin. “We have so much to talk about.”
“We never met before yesterday. I don’t know you.”
“But I know all about you.”
“You have me mixed up with someone else.”
“No,” he said simply, with a confident, creepy smile.
But what creeped me out even more than his smile was a jolting realization.
Dyce was right about the clothes — I did recognize the pink blouse and the skinny jeans. I’d never worn them, but this body had. They were identical to what Sharayah had been wearing when I’d dreamed about her climbing on the ocean bluff, when her romantic hopes were crushed by Gabe’s cruelty.
“Gauguin said it best,” Dyce told me with eerie calm. “Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.” Then he reached for a roll of duct tape.
20
Duct tape!
That’s what Gabe used on Sharayah!
Totally freaked out, I backed up on the bench, desperate to get out of there. But there was nowhere to go. The wood-paneled room only had tiny portholes for windows, and no doors except the small hatch at the top of the steps.
And Dyce blocked the steps.
“What’s this about?” I cried, looking around for something to defend myself but seeing nothing within reach except cushions.
“We have a mutual friend.” His tone, accusing and angry, and the way he twirled the roll of duct tape around his finger, told me more than his words.
“Do you mean … Gabe?”
“And the pretty lady wins a prize.” He chuckled darkly. “Hold out your hands.” “Been there, done that. I’m not falling for that again.” I threw my hands behind my back. “Just let me out of here.” “After I went to so much trouble to get you here? I don’t think so.” Shock zapped through me. “You planned this?”
“Yes, although you didn’t act as I expected so I had to improvise.” “Improvise?” I exclaimed furiously. “You knocked me in the water on purpose?” “Nothing I do is by accident.”
“Why would you let me fall into the water, then jump in and pull me out?” “To get you onto my boat and finish what was started months ago.” “But we only met yesterday. I don’t understand what you want from me.” “I don’t expect you to. I’ve been preparing for months,” he confessed with a self-satisfied expression. “I studied you methodically: learning poetry from your favorite authors, filling the pantry with your favorite foods and drinks. I know your worst secrets.” There was something familiar about his words.
“The threats!” I choked out. “You sent them, too?”
“I might have.” He moved closer with the roll of duct tape.
“Then the redhead wasn’t my stalker — it was you!”
“What redhead?”
“A girl from my school, but that doesn’t matter now. Just let me go, and I won’t press any charges against you or tell anyone about this. I’ll pretend it never happened.” “But I want you to remember. The threats were to remind you about what you’ve done. Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about.” Yes, I did. But only because I’d relived Sharayah’s memory of what happened last winter on the stormy cliff. Even now, I trembled at the memory of Gabe falling and lying motionless on the jagged rocks.
“I know what happened,” Dyce said, glaring. “Gabe told me.”
“Impossible! How could he when he’s—”
“Dead? Sorry to disappoint you, but he survived.”
“I’m not disappointed, I’m thrilled!” I sagged in relief. “That’s great news! I’m so glad he’s alive.” “No thanks to you,” Dyce spat out. “You left him and ran away.” “I went to get a rope or find someone to help.”
“Sure you did,” he scoffed.
“I did! But when I got back, Gabe wasn’t there. And the tide had come in so I thought he’d drowned.” “Yet you did nothing about it.”
“What could I do? I tried to report it but no one believed me.” “You wanted him dead.”
I shook my head, remembering Sharayah’s overwhelming love for Gabe, how she trusted him even when he called her a fool and turned violent. If he hadn’t fallen, he would have done something horrible, I was sure of it, and I was glad he’d fallen. But that’s not what Sharayah felt. I didn’t need to consult the GEM to know her whole transformation into a bad girl was a reaction to grief. An important part of her had died when he fell. And now this jerk was trying to make things worse. Well, he was dealing with the wrong Sharayah. I may not know much about college life, but I knew about survival and wasn’t afraid to fight for what I wanted.
“If Gabe is alive, why didn’t he tell anyone?” I demanded. “Where has he been all this time?” “Do you really care?” he asked skeptically.
“I shouldn’t — not after what he did.” My fear surged into anger. “You accuse me of trying to hurt Gabe, when he was the one who attacked me. Do you know what he did that night?” Dyce eyed me warily and nodded.
“Of course you do or you wouldn’t be waving that duct tape. What did he tell you? A lie about how I pushed him over the cliff? The only reason he fell was because he pulled this Jekyll and Hyde attitude and attacked me. When we struggled, he fell and I couldn’t help him with my hands taped.” “You left him bleeding and suffering.”
“That’s not fair! What he did was worse — killing the hope and trust of a girl who loved him. Whatever sick revenge you have planned can’t hurt worse than thinking the man you love more than life is dead.” “Are you sure about that?” He gave me a look that shot chills through my already shivering skin.
I swallowed hard, glancing at the stairs and contemplating the odds of success if I made a run for it. I had less than a five percent chance of getting past him before he’d grab me. No one knew I was here, so a rescue from my “rescuer” was out of the question. My only option was to convince him to let me go.