Malé, Capital of the Maldives – August 24th
It was just before sunrise when Aiden rose from the bed and left the beach house. He walked along the beach for quite a while before he finally dropped into the still warm sand and opened his cell phone. He typed in Nolan's number hastily and prayed he would be reachable.
"Yes?"
"Nolan?" Irritated, Aiden frowned over the formal greeting.
"In the flesh... wait a minute..."
Aiden uttered a faint sigh. Waiting was the last thing he had patience for. He had to finish the phone call before Emily woke up and realized that she was alone in the beach house.
"I'm not alone, if you get what I mean... "
"Spare me the details of your love life! Look, I'm really in trouble!"
"What's the matter?"
"Emily wants to go back to the States," Aiden came straight to the point. "She believes her memory will return when she is back in her familiar environment."
"She might be right."
"That's not the only thing that can happen. And I'm not saying this for selfish reasons," he added. "As long as it's not sure who had shot her, she's in danger!"
"Lydia Davis has disappeared."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean nothing with it. I just noticed. Isn't it strange that shortly after Emily's disappearance, she disappears, too?"
"You think she was the shooter?"
"I don't know. But at least it's a strange coincidence."
"Indeed..."
"But the way it looks, the police will probably not go any further. Patrick entrusted me that Victoria and Conrad wanted to have Emily declared dead."
"They have no time to spare."
"You have to understand that. No one knows what happened. There were witnesses, namely the ship's crew, who heard a gunshot and saw someone go over board, but the associated weapon is missing, just like the body. They found blood on deck and a piece of veil from the dress hung on the railing. The Coast Guard had been looking for her for hours, but it was all in vain. The police assume that the sharks had done all the work. So they canceled the search. Moreover, each of the guests on the yacht had an alibi."
"But one must have shot her and then covered up the deed! And Emily is the only one who knows the perpetrator... if her memory will ever return..."
"What you're trying to prevent."
"Don't give me a bad conscience, Nolan!"
"The chances that she will remember again, are greater when you come back with her. Perhaps her sudden appearance lures the shooter out of his reserve, and he betrays himself... if it wasn't Lydia Davis."
"Maybe. But she's not ready for it yet. Besides, I don't know how to explain to her why I lied to her all the time," said Aiden." I love her, Nolan. I don't want to lose her again."
"But you can't keep her away from everything in the long run. Sooner or later she will become suspicious."
"She already is. She didn't respond positively to my request to remain on the island for a while longer."
"There you are! It may be nice to feed on coconuts and papayas for a while, but at some point in time you want to have a real steak on your plate."
"Spare the sarcasm, Nolan! If everything had gone according to plan, then this would have become our home. No one would have looked for us with our new identities. Emily and I could have been happy here."
"I know and I'm sorry... for you and also for Emily. But since plan A failed, we need a backup plan. And if you ask me, this will only work if she regains her memory. I know Emily. She won't rest until she gets what she wants. And in this case, it's her old identity."
"You're right," Aiden admitted. "She's wondering who hated her so much and wanted to kill her. I wish I had an answer. But when we go back, she will automatically be in danger. It could be anyone on the yacht."
"Don't worry. We're here to protect her. It would be best if she moved in with me. Then I can keep an eye on her and follow any of her steps."
"Sounds like a plan. But only if you accept me as a roommate, too."
"Of course. My home is your home. Is there anything else I can do?"
"Could you rent a plane and fly to us? I'm going to give you the exact whereabouts later. I should go back to Emily... I mean... Amanda and prepare her for her brother's arrival."
"Not really your strongest idea, but fine... I'm going to take the next plane. Maybe my appearance will give her a clue and she will remember things again."
"I'll send you the address by mail. Oh, and one more request, Nolan. You have the spare key to the beach house. Could you bring some clothes for her to wear? Currently she is wearing only such changing cloth dresses. But so far, it hasn't yet been necessary to appear in public."
"Sure. I'll get it all. Do you think it would be wise to warn the Graysons that their beloved daughter-in-law is alive?''
"Not yet. I want to prepare Emily first. This may take a while. Fly to us, then we'll see. I have to hang up now. See you around!" He put his cell phone in his pocket and went back to the beach house.