The Shadow Behind Her Smile

Prologue - Remy Disappears

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Queensland, November, 1954

The other boat was barely a speck on the horizon. It grew gradually larger as it veered toward the coast, but even if the blonde-haired girl had noticed it, she had no reason to be alarmed. Who out here, on the cool, calm waters of the Coral Sea, had reason to harm her?

After chasing the wind for most of the afternoon, Remy Sinclair was not only tired, sun-burned and wind-swept, she was emotionally drained. Caught up in a continual tug-of-war between her heart and her head, peace of mind was as elusive and ephemeral as the wind. Even now, more than a year after Richard left her, absconding in the night with the other half of her heart, she was tormented by the question of who was truly to blame. No matter how hard the logical, objective part of her argued she had done nothing wrong, the emotional, bereft part refused to accept such a pathetic shirking of responsibility. It was an exhausting and ultimately pointless battle since it was far too late to change anything.

If only she had realised earlier what a despicable bastard he truly was.

Needing to cool off and clear her head, Remy quickly brought down the sail and secured the sheets, then stripped off her shirt and shorts and leapt into the water. There was no one to see but the birds and the fish; no one to be shocked by her brazenness.

The icy water was refreshing, soothing her puffy eyes, which were red and swollen from crying. Duck-diving below the surface, she found herself in a strange new world, teaming with exotic marine creatures. A school of tiny blue and yellow fish moved frenetically through the water in perfect unison, changing direction and speed with split-second precision. She watched them, mesmerised, until she finally had to rise to the surface to breathe. How much easier life would be if she was just a tiny fish, with no cares or responsibilities to weigh her down.

A nearby splash and a familiar shrill note gave her a moment's warning before she was nudged amiably in the back by a young bottle-nose dolphin. The cheeky creature was a long-time acquaintance and the only member of its pod ever brave enough to approach her. He grinned and beckoned her to follow him - or so it appeared - racing away with a splash of icy water and gliding through the clear depths as free and uninhibited as a bird in flight. The pod followed close behind, mimicking his every movement, diving and gliding and resurfacing to breathe with an effortlessness that seemed magical. How liberating to be so unconstrained!

Remy swam after the pod for a time, pushing through the water with strong, efficient strokes, hoping the exercise might clear her mind. If nothing else, it would give her tense muscles a much-needed workout. Perhaps she would even sleep tonight, too tired to dream.

Arms aching, she halted at last, turning onto her back and staring up at the azure sky, dotted here and there by high, scudding clouds. Perhaps if she was patient enough, the current would drag her out to sea, out of sight of land and civilization and any hope of rescue. Or of absolution. Closing her eyes against the light, she wondered how long it would take before her strength gave out and she succumbed to the lure of the depths. Not long, she didn't think, not when it was what she secretly desired. What she deserved. Not when there was no real fight left in her.

But no, that wouldn't be fair. There were people who needed her. Even she wasn't that selfish.

Opening her eyes, Remy was surprised by how much time had passed. The sky had become a pale, washed-out version of itself and the sun was almost at the top of the western ranges. It was time to go back to reality.

The swim back to her sailboat, bobbing on a distant swell, took more energy than she had expended on the way out, and she was breathing heavily by the time she closed in on it. Treading water, she paused to catch her breath, and for the first time, heard the drone of the approaching motorboat. She couldn't see it yet, but knew from the sound of the engine revs that it was getting close.