Murder On Wild Winds Island

CHAPTER TEN

I didn't know what to say.

"Oh great. Thank you. When do you want to meet?" I asked.

"Well I'm on the mainland today, but I can meet you at the office tomorrow morning?" Tony said. His phone was cutting in and out terribly, but I got the gist of what he was saying.

"Okay, sounds great." I said, my cheeks burning with excitement.

We organised to meet at 10 and ended the call. I wondered how Gerard had felt about my request and checked my email again. Strangely, I didn't have a response at all.

I frowned at my phone for a while before deciding to let it go and wait to see if I had an email throughout the day. Perhaps Gerard had been busy, made the call to Tony and planned to get back to me later.

I was excited to get my little office set up.

~

The wind was stronger than I'd expected as I walked up the short gravel path to the lighthouse. It was a beautiful old building that had clearly seen far more than I could even imagine. A group of tourists were just getting on a small bus as I'd parked, leaving me alone on the hill.

I stared up at the lighthouse and walked up the steep stairs to the door. Expecting it to be locked, I was surprised when I pressed on the old wood and it opened.

Although cramped, the lighthouse somehow managed to house what seemed to be a small information centre.

The old metal staircase wound its way up into the darkness and I was reasonably sure the lamp room was somewhere high above my head.

"Welcome to Cape Wilson Lighthouse." A pretty, blonde woman in her early twenties greeted me as I entered.

She was dressed in a dark green jacket with a small emblem on it, sensible cargo pants and although I couldn't see her feet from behind the counter, I was pretty sure she was wearing hiking boots.

I'd realised as I headed out the door that I didn't own any hiking boots and made a mental note to ask around and see where I could buy some.

Instead I'd settled on my slightly worn out but comfortable Converse and hoped they had enough grip left to stop me sliding on the paths.

I smiled back at the woman and wondered how they had crammed a gift shop into one section of the round base.

A man with dark blonde hair was leaning on the counter wearing the same jacket and cargo pants and a very solid pair of hiking boots. He was facing away from me so I couldn't see his face until he turned.

I froze as heat flooded my cheeks and I felt a wave of nostalgia, then frustration, then resigned acceptance.

The man paused mid generic smile as he turned to look at me and I could almost see the cogs in his head turning as recognition spread across his face.

Joe Moody was one of those guys at school who was friendly to everyone but liked to be right. He was always sporty, gorgeous and had a great smile; nothing had changed.

He straightened and gave me one of his best Joe smiles, "Morgan? Whoa! Small world."

He stepped forward and hugged me. I wasn't expecting the show of affection and sort of froze until he stopped hugging me. He was clearly very fit and taller than me; when he hugged me I was sure I could feel nothing but muscle; not that I was wanting to know.

"Joe. What are you doing here?" I asked as he released me and the woman he'd been talking to behind the counter looked at me with a fair degree of uncertainty.

"I work as a park ranger. What are you doing here?" He asked, still smiling.

I shrugged, "I'm the new journalist in town. Taking over from Gerard." I said, trying hard to fight the urge to check my hair.

"Oh wow. I heard someone was taking over from Gerard; good for you." He sounded genuine and I believed him.

The problem with Joe Moody is his confidence; nothing seems to waver it and whether he is right or wrong, he'll always assume he's right by default.

I'd never dated Joe but we'd had a moment or two in music class when he was helping me (terribly) play drums and we were all alone. We didn't make out or anything and it wasn't as deep and meaningful as it sounded; but it wasn't the highlight of my school years.

I was still shocked to see him, "From Sydney to Wild Winds Island. What are the chances?" Joe said, still smiling.

I shook my head, unsure what to say, "The chances are freakishly small." I did my best to smile and not shudder.

Joe glanced at the woman behind the counter, "Mind if I head off a few minutes early? Morgan and I used to go to school together. I can give her a guided tour."

The woman didn't look thrilled but I think that's because I interrupted their conversation, not because Joe was leaving early.

Joe gathered up his belongings and shouldered his backpack, "Okay, ready to go?"

I didn't know what to say and I wasn't sure I wanted to spend much time with him, but I didn't want to be rude and it was kind of nice to see a friendly, familiar face.

I found myself staring at Joe's back as we walked along the path past the lighthouse and down towards the lookout. Joe moved with ease and it was clear he knew the paths well and had spent a lot of time working in and around the area.

He was obviously very fit and I made a point of trying hard to not let my breathing become heavy. I'm reasonably fit, but I'm not nearly as fit as Joe and I don't know if I'll ever be.

"So how long have you lived here?" I asked as he led the way down the wooden boardwalk towards the next lookout.

"I studied conservation as soon as I finished school then I came straight out here as soon as I graduated. I love the tranquility of the island and the wildlife is amazing." He said.

I nodded and almost tripped over a large rock while I was daydreaming about Joe saving all the little animals.

I was surprised when he reached out and grabbed me before I could fall. I felt embarrassed but at the same time relieved; we were far too close to the cliff for my liking.

Joe grinned down at me, "Okay?" He asked, his dark blue eyes almost dancing.

I nodded, straightened and decided I didn't want to make a fool out of my self again.

Joe led the way once more, "You know, you should really think about getting some hiking boots." He said over his shoulder.