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matter to transfer it to the back of my
car. I left the key in the meter box, where it had been when I
arrived. It would be as if I'd never been there.

18
     
    Dinner was over in a blur of
warm food, beer and very little conversation.
    "You don't say much, do you?"
Aidan asked at one point.
    I concentrated on drinking my
beer. I shook my head, drinking deeply. The less I said, the less
careful I had to be. I put the beer down without finishing it. I'd
need my wits about me tonight.
    Aidan dropped his empty glass
on the table. "Do you want to go, or would you like another
drink?"
    I shook my head. "It's been a
busy day. I'd like to go to bed early tonight."
    We paid for our respective
meals and headed out to the dark parking lot.
    Aidan looked worried. "My place
is a fair way along the bay, so it's easiest if you follow me
there."
    I nodded, then realised he
couldn't see my response in the dark. "Sure. Lead the way."
    We started our cars and I
followed his tail lights along the road to the west, along the bay.
After several turns, past a deli that was closed for the night, we
turned onto an unsealed gravel road. I followed him, a little
concerned at our remote location. He made a quick turn to the
right, through a gap in the bush, and I turned behind him. In the
beam of his headlights, I saw two houses set in a large lawn, which
ended at the water's edge.
    I parked my car beside his and
got out, shouldering my bag.
    Aidan fumbled with the keys,
but managed to get the door open eventually. He entered first,
turning on the lights, before holding the door open for me.
    I stepped inside carefully. I
looked at the country-style kitchen, then through the long
open-plan living area to the lounge with a big open fire. The wall
on one side of the room was mostly windows, facing the inlet. The
wall opposite this was a row of doors, which I learned led to the
bedrooms.
    "Pick any room you like," Aidan
said quickly. He pointed at the one closest to the fireplace. "That
one's mine."
    For all that he was my work
colleague, I did not know this man, so I chose the room furthest
from his and closest to my car. I turned on the light in a room
with a double bed and one bedside table. I dropped my bag on the
bed and turned the light off again.
    Aidan stood outside my room,
already pointing to the room next to mine. "That one's the
bathroom. There's towels in the cupboard, if you need them."
    I nodded. I washed up in the
bathroom as quickly as I could and brushed my teeth, before
returning to my bedroom and shutting the door. After a moment, I
pushed the bedside table across the door.
    No, I didn't trust this
man.

19
     
    I slept through the night,
without hearing a bump of the door on the bedside table or much
else besides.
    I pulled some clean clothes out
of my bag and made my way into the bathroom for a shower. Aidan
didn't seem to be awake yet – I saw his door was still closed.
    I turned on the shower, but the
water had a slightly brown tinge to it, along with a smell that I
associated with stagnant fresh water. This didn't clear, so I
shrugged and took a shower anyway. At least the water was
pleasantly hot.
    I dried myself and dressed,
before venturing into the kitchen for breakfast. I'd brought some
bread with me, so I used his toaster and some of his condiments to
make some toast. I settled down on the sofa with my breakfast and a
book I'd picked up from the shelf.
    The novel proved dull, so I was
bored by the time I'd finished my toast. Wondering why any woman
would want to count cigarettes and calories in her diary, I set the
book back on the bookcase.
    I washed up
my dishes and wondered what to do. The whale watching boat was due
to depart in just over an hour . Should I
drive up to the port early and wait on the jetty?
    A door creaked open behind me.
I spun on the spot, in time to see Aidan emerge from his room,
wearing a pair of silky shorts and a t-shirt, scratching his nether
regions with one hand. His eyes widened when he saw