Master of the Game

She laughed. "All right. I’ll go change. It won’t take me a minute."

"I’ll race you."

He went upstairs to his clothes closet, changed into a pair of slacks, a sweater and boat shoes. Now that the moment was here, he was filled with a sense of wild anticipation, a feeling of excitement that was almost an explosion.

He heard her voice. "I’m ready, darling."

He turned. She stood in the doorway, dressed in a sweater, a pair of black slacks and canvas shoes. Her long, blond hair was tied back with a little blue ribbon. My God, she’s beautiful! he thought. It seemed almost a shame to waste that beauty.

"So am I," George told her.

She noticed the motor launch secured to the stern of the yacht. "What’s that for, darling?"

"There’s a little island at the end of the bay that I’ve always wanted to explore," George explained. "We’ll take the launch over to it so we won’t have to worry about rocks."

He cast off the lines and powered slowly out of the slip. He nosed into the wind to raise the mainsail and jib, and the boat fell off on a starboard tack. The wind caught the large sails and the Corsair surged forward. George headed out to sea. As they cleared the breakwater, they were met with a stiff force-five wind, and the boat started heeling, its lee rail running under.

"It’s wild and lovely," she called out. "I’m so happy, darling."

He smiled. "So am I."

In an odd way, it gave George Mellis pleasure that Alexandra was happy, that she was going to die happy. He scanned the horizon to make certain no other boats were close by. There were only faint lights from afar. It was time.

He put the boat on automatic pilot, took one last look around the empty horizon and walked over to the lee railing, his heart beginning to pound with excitement.

"Alex," he called. "Come look at this."

She made her way over to him and looked down at the cold, dark water racing below them.

"Come to me." His voice was a harsh command.

She moved into his arms, and he kissed her hard on the lips. His arms closed around her, hugging her, and he felt her body relax. He flexed his muscles and began to lift her in the air toward the railing.

She was fighting him suddenly. "George!"

He lifted her higher, and he felt her try to pull away, but he was too strong for her. She was almost on top of the railing now, her feet kicking wildly, and he braced himself to shove her over the side. At that instant, he felt a sudden white-hot pain in his chest. His first thought was, I’m having a heart attack. He opened his mouth to speak and blood came spurting out. He dropped his arms and looked down at his chest in disbelief. Blood was pouring from a gaping wound in it. He looked up, and she was standing there with a bloody knife in her hand, smiling at him.

George Mellis’s last thought was, Eve…

Chapter 34

It was ten o’clock in the evening when Alexandra arrived at the house at Dark Harbor. She had tried telephoning George there several times, but there had been no answer. She hoped he would not be angry because she had been detained. It had been a stupid mix-up. Early that afternoon, as Alexandra was leaving for Dark Harbor, the phone had rung. She had thought, I’m late. Let it ring, and had gone out to the car. The maid had come hurrying after her.

"Mrs. Mellis! It’s your sister. She says it is urgent."

When Alexandra picked up the telephone, Eve said, "Darling, I’m in Washington, D.C. I’m having a terrible problem. I have to see you."

"Of course," Alexandra said instantly. "I’m leaving for Dark Harbor now to meet George, but I’ll be back Monday morning and – "

"This can’t wait." Eve sounded desperate. "Will you meet me at La Guardia Airport? I’ll be on the five o’clock plane."

"I’d like to, Eve, but I told George – "

"This is an emergency, Alex. But, of course, if you’re too busy…"

"Wait! All right. I’ll be there."

"Thanks, darling. I knew I could count on you."

It was so seldom that Eve asked her for a favor, she could not refuse her. She would catch a later plane to the island. She telephoned George at the office to tell him she would be detained, but he was not in. She left a message with his secretary. An hour later she took a taxi to La Guardia in time to meet the five o’clock plane from Washington. Eve was not on it. Alexandra waited for two hours, and there was still no sign of Eve. Alexandra had no idea where to reach Eve in Washington. Finally, because there was nothing else she could do, Alexandra took a plane to the island. Now as she approached Cedar Hill House, she found it dark. Surely George should have arrived by now. Alexandra went from room to room, turning on the lights.

"George?"

There was no sign of him. She telephoned her home in Manhattan. The maid answered.

"Is Mr. Mellis there?" Alexandra asked.

"Why, no, Mrs. Mellis. He said you would both be away for the weekend."

"Thank you, Marie. He must have been detained somewhere."

There had to be a logical reason for his absence. Obviously some business had come up at the last minute and, as usual, the partners had asked George to handle it. He would be along at any moment. She dialed Eve’s number.

"Eve!" Alexandra exclaimed. "What on earth happened to you?"

"What happened to you? I waited at Kennedy, and when you didn’t show up – "

"Kennedy! You said La Guardia."

"No, darling, Kennedy."

"But – " It did not matter any longer. "I’m sorry," Alexandra said. "I must have misunderstood. Are you all right?"

Eve said, "I am now. I’ve had a hellish time. I got involved with a man who’s a big political figure in Washington. He’s insanely jealous and – " She laughed. "I can’t go into the details over the telephone. The phone company will take out both our phones. I’ll tell you all about it Monday."