Free Murder on the Riviera by Anisa Claire West Page A

and write about her.”
    The last part of Pedro’s monologue intrigued Herculea.  For her entire career, she had wanted to publish her own book.  What if Pedro were telling the truth?  It couldn’t hurt to at least investigate the possible existence of the Silver Goddess.  In fact, it could be the career opportunity every young researcher hopes for.
    After dinner, Pedro led Herculea by the hand into the parking lot.  Together, they strolled over a foot bridge leading to a romantic gazebo.  He sat down on the bench and brazenly pulled her onto his lap.
    “The tango continues,” he murmured huskily.
    Shoving his hands into her thick tresses, he opened his mouth and seized hers, massaging her neck gently while ardently kissing her lips.  Herculea curled closer to him on his lap, rocking her head back and allowing him deeper access to her mouth.  The combination of too much wine, Pedro’s overwhelming masculinity, and a seductive evening breeze made Herculea dizzy.  She felt aflame with desire to shred this man’s clothes to pieces and let him have her right here in the gazebo.  Instead, she let him continue his passionate assault on her mouth, feeding off her lips as though she were a feast after stark famine.
    Feeling her self-control rapidly waning, Herculea breathlessly pulled away.  “Mmm.  Um, stop.  That’s enough for now,” she breathed shakily.
    He branded her with his gaze and tried to reignite the kiss, but she pulled back again.
    “No.  Really.  I think maybe we should go,” Herculea insisted, still feeling her head whirl from the intense kiss.
    “You know that’s not what you want.  But I will drive you home,” Pedro said with heavy disappointment.
    “Yes, please drive me home. It’s been an unforgettable evening.”
    He smiled slightly at her words, guiding her to the car and keeping one arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
    Alone in bed that night, Herculea struggled to fall asleep.  Feeling a draft from the window, she flipped over onto her belly and pulled the covers over her head.  As a haunting image of his face floated through her mind, she had the unnerving sensation that the evening with Pedro would prove to be unforgettable for a very long time.

Spell of hokus pokus, hell of pure black magic
    Red wine and spices, common vices
    Cayenne pepper, pomegranate juice,
    Lemon, lime and orange rind
    Secrets of the sea, mysteries of the land
    Passed down by the Ancestors
The Stolen Mortals’ revenge
    Awaits soon
    The Island of Vinova
    Awaits forever
     
    ---Verse Two of The Immortality Abyss

Chapter 3
     
    Soaking in her chrome bathtub, ubiquitous glass of wine at her side, the Silver Goddess heard rustling from the adjoining chamber.  The shuffle of sheets and then the snapping of a zipper filled her ears as she took a deep swallow of her drink.  Thaddeus must be dressing to leave after their interlude, she surmised with a cynical smirk.  He liked to fancy himself free, but he could never stay away for long.  That was the magic of the Immortality Abyss.  One could take a brief respite from the Island of Vinova and roam free for a day or two, perhaps even a week, but inevitably the Silver Goddess’s clutches were too tight to escape.  More than that, her allure was infallible, and she knew it.
    Pedro used to rhapsodize about her intoxicating fragrance of passionflower mingled with ripe strawberries.  He had inhaled the irresistible fragrance each time his boat docked onto shore, feeling in his core a sweet prelude of the pleasures he would experience inside the castle with his lover.
    Without warning, the Silver Goddess poured the remainder of the wine into her throat, nearly choking on it.  Angrily, she hauled the wine goblet to the porcelain floor and sneered in satisfaction as it crashed into countless shards.   Thoughts of Pedro always had this effect on her.  She would never admit to herself how utterly foolish she had been to banish him.  So many days she