The Mysterious Stranger (Triple Trouble) Read Free

took precious seconds to clear, and all the while she struggled to catch her breath, to clear her lungs, to breathe! She stared around in horror as she realized the tide had come in to the sheltered cove and she was at risk of drowning. The water was up to the cliff, covering the entire beach.
    Stay calm, she told herself. She tried to relax, to let herself float. Everything was going to be fine. She could swim. It was just the tide. The cove wasn’t that big. If she had to, she would swim in the direction of the resort, and eventually she would come to the beach where she’d been walking and be able to make shore. It wasn’t that far.
    When her panic faded to a manageable level, she rolled onto her stomach and started swimming back the way she’d come. She worked at an angle, heading close to the cliffs in hopes of being able to touch bottom. The water didn’t look as deep there.
    Her long hair swirled around her face and she brushed it away. When her feet felt heavy, she kicked off her shoes. She’d nearly reached the cliff wall when the first cramp struck.
    The pain shocked her and she doubled over in distress. As she gasped, she swallowed a mouthful of water and started to choke. With the second cramp, panic returned and Fallon started to cry. She coughed and held her side, all the while struggling to stay afloat in the warm sea.
    A wave broke over her, pushing her toward the cliff. The rocky walls loomed closer. She kicked away from them and managed to draw a clean breath. Then her stomach convulsed again. The next wave pushed her nearer to the unforgiving stone. She held out her hand to brace herself but it wasn’t enough. The last thing she remembered was the searing impact of slamming into the rigid, vertical surface.
    * * *
    “Tell them the bid is final,” Jarrett Wilkenson said, turning his back on the spectacular view exposed by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in his office. “Either they sign or we walk away. Understood?”
    “Yes, sir,” the voice on the other end of the phone replied briskly. “Just two more items on the agenda.”
    Jarrett pulled a sheet of paper toward him and crossed off the third-last line. These biweekly conference calls took a lot of time, but they were easier than flying back to the States and meeting with everyone in person.
    “There is still the matter of the Riverbend hotel,” his caller said. “According to my sources…”
    The door to Jarrett’s office flew open. Anna Jane dashed into the room. “Uncle Jarrett, come quick! There’s an emergency.”
    He glanced at his niece. Her dark eyes were wide with fear.
    “Hold on, Roberts,” he said, and pressed the Mute button. “What is it?” he asked the girl.
    She skittered to a stop in front of his desk and pressed her hands tightly together. “There’s a lady on the beach,” she said quickly. “Frank said she probably got caught in the cove and washed ashore. She’s hurt. He says she needs a doctor.”
    Jarrett nodded. He released the Mute button and spoke.
    “We’ll pick this up later, Roberts. I have to take care of something here.” He hung up without waiting for a reply. By pressing two different buttons, he engaged his autodialer. When a woman answered the phone, he explained about the injured person on the beach and received confirmation the doctor would be sent right away.
    He rosé to his feet and started for the door. A mysterious woman washing up on his beach. He grimaced. It was a good trick—original, if risky. But they were often willing to take incredible risks to get to him. Somehow he’d thought he would be safe here. For a while he had been.
    He crossed the foyer of the large house and headed for the rear doors. From there it was a short walk to the beach.
    The woman had probably made her way up from the resort. Had she known about the danger of high tide in the cove? Had she counted on it? Or hadn’t she noticed the watermarks on the stony cliffs?
    It didn’t matter, he told himself.