One of Us Is Dead

72 Thursday 13 October 2022

James Taylor was on fire! He had the butterflies in his stomach of a schoolboy waiting to meet his first date.

Debbie Martin would be entering the arrivals hall any moment now. And he had the hotel driver, Tony Skeete, waiting outside in his Mercedes. It was coming up to 5 p.m., an hour and a half or so of daylight left. Enough for her to see something of the island as they headed to the hotel. Although he could scarcely believe she really was on that plane and that she was about to appear.

And then she did.

An apparition in large sunglasses, denim shirt, skinny jeans and white trainers that looked fresh out of their box, pushing along a large, smart, black suitcase. Her fair hair, cropped to near the shoulder, looked like she’d just stepped out of a hairdressing salon, not off an eight-hour flight. She was looking around, and when she saw him, she pushed her glasses up onto her forehead and her face exploded with joy.

They hugged hard, really hard, as if this moment, bizarre in some ways that it was, meant everything in the world to both of them. They kissed, almost innocently, on each cheek. Then, hesitating for an instant as they looked into each other’s eyes, their lips touched, just once, just fleetingly.

And Taylor felt a bolt of electricity spark through him. There were a million things he wanted to say, but for a moment he was almost struck dumb, by her radiance, her presence, her faint rich cologne, by the fact she was really here. ‘How was the flight?’ he said, and immediately felt it sounded lame.

‘Oh, you know, it was tough having to slum it in Business Class.’ She gave him a mischievous sideways look. ‘That was very naughty of you. I’d have been happy to have actually slummed it!’

He shrugged, then with a slightly embarrassed smile said, ‘You deserve it.’ He took her bag and they walked out to the taxi.

Ten minutes later, sunglasses still on her forehead, leaning back in her seat, her window cracked to let in the balmy air, Debbie suddenly gave a big smile. ‘I can’t believe I’m here,’ she said.

‘Nor me.’

‘Sandy Lane! Not that I want to talk about him, but it was Barnie’s dream of taking me to Barbados one day to stay in Sandy Lane. He said we would fly Business Class, that was another of his dreams. I guess sometimes dreams come true — just not in the way we imagine.’

He smiled. ‘I’ve booked you a separate room — I don’t want you to feel under any—’

She gave him a mock frown. ‘Really? I haven’t got that much luggage!’ She reached out a hand and gripped Taylor’s. Squeezed it hard. So hard he could feel her nails digging in.

Then she leaned over and gave him a long, soft kiss on the cheek.

Tony Skeete drove in discreet silence.

Taylor felt smitten. He squeezed her hand back. God, how much he wanted her. And she was here. And not playing any games with him. And suddenly he felt a little guilty. Sure, he had invited her because he really fancied her, but he had another agenda too, that he was going to have to broach. But maybe not now, not tonight.

‘So tell me,’ she said. ‘Chicago, were you happy with how you did overall?’

‘I didn’t get a PB, but got fourteenth in my age group.’

‘Out of fourteen?’ she teased.

He feigned a look of hurt. ‘There were fifty thousand runners — over sixteen hundred in my age band!’

She squeezed his hand again, tightly, then kissed him on the cheek and whispered into his ear, ‘I hope you haven’t used up all your strength?’

He felt a crazy tingling of desire deep in the pit of his stomach. He whispered back into her ear, ‘I saved some for you.’

‘Hey, lovebirds, none of that in the back of my taxi!’ Tony Skeete said. ‘This a nooky-free cab!’

They all laughed.

‘Got you covered, guys!’

Taylor looked at Debbie and the look she gave him back totally melted him. I could fall in love with you, he thought. I really could.