Chapter 30
MARTIN
She has found the cameras.
I had been watching her online, as she moved around the kitchen, putting a pan on the hob and chopping vegetables, then as she went over to the sofa, I switched screen to get a better view.
At first, I had wondered what was making her smile.
She hasn’t done much of that since she’s been here.
Mostly, she has been nervous, jumpy, and at times fearful, and while I appreciate being able to provoke those reactions, the way the smile lit up her face reminded me of what I had first noticed about her.
I heard canned laughter, but the way the cameras were positioned, I couldn’t see the television screen. But then I heard the familiar theme tune and realised.
She was a Friends fan.
Another thing to add to my list of Things To Know About Poppy.
I was indulging myself, enjoying the way she pushed her damp hair back when it fell forward in her eyes, how she rested her bare feet on the coffee table, wriggling and stretching her toes, and then I remembered how she had pleaded with me earlier to help her.
That delicious moment when she had been in the water and I had watched her from the boat, knowing that her fate had been completely in my hands.
I could have started the engine and left her there, claimed it was a terrible accident. They would all believe me. Good old Martin Roe, always there to help everyone out. I look after all of their villas and have keys to come and go as I please.
But of course I didn’t leave her. I am far too much of a gentleman for that.
Besides, she is my current favourite obsession.
I was so wrapped up in my Poppy daydream, it took me a second to react when I realised she was on her feet and rushing back into the kitchen.
I quickly switched back to the kitchen camera and watched her dump the pan in the sink, heard the rush of water as she tried to cool it, but it wasn’t until she stared straight into the lens, waving a tea towel that I realised what she was actually doing.
When she grabbed a chair, her face close and brows drawn in a tight line, I understood it was game over. Seconds later, I had a distorted view and lots of muffled sound, then both screens went blank, the sound cutting abruptly.
Fuck!
Quickly I went back to the camera in the living area, needing to know what was happening, and relieved when I saw she hadn’t spotted that one.
I heard her swear, the TV going silent, then she picked up her phone looking mad as hell. The two conversations that followed revealed I had been rumbled.
Now, all of the cameras are down, and I feel as though I have lost a limb. Not being able to watch her is maddening. It’s already starting to get to me.
She is going to wait for Tom before she goes to the police. That buys me time. And although she has her suspicions, she can’t prove I am responsible. If asked, I will deny everything.
What matters now is getting the lifeline back.
Without the cameras, she’s gone. Out of reach.
She is supposed to go home in four days.
I am running out of time. But how? She doesn’t trust me now, that much is clear, so she won’t let me in the villa.
I will have to hope she goes out, then I can use my key.
I’ve been patient with her.
She is mine. I just need to take back control.