Chapter Seventeen #2
Evermore Island is large enough to support its own town, vineyard, and luxury resort, yet small enough to cross in under half an hour by car.
It lies just past the main towns of Russell and Paihia, adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
As we approach, I can see the lights of Port Evermore clustered in one corner, and a sprinkle of lights like a necklace circling the edges of the island, a ring of luxury homes for the wealthy.
But it’s the blaze of light from the easternmost edge that draws my attention.
Caesar described 35 South as a private coastal estate, and now I can see what he means.
A tall building—the main hotel—curves around a huge complex of buildings, villas, and pools, all lit up so they glow in the semi-darkness.
North of it is a range of tennis courts; south of it is a long white-sand beach with a private jetty.
The rest of the estate is surrounded by a high wall, and I can see the security lights even from up here.
Aurelia exhales, long and slow, and I know she’s seen them, too. She’s going to be safe here. Relief sweeps over me, so strong it makes my throat tighten with emotion.
Caesar speaks into the headphones, announcing our arrival to them, and heads for the large H on the southern side of the complex, some distance from the hotel. He lands the helicopter and switches off the engine and, relieved at the sudden silence, we remove our headphones.
A couple of guys are walking over to us.
One, dressed in black trousers and a white shirt, is possibly a member of staff, because he goes around to the back and starts unloading our cases.
The other guy walks toward Caesar’s door.
He’s tall and dark-haired with a short beard, dressed in jeans and a light-blue polo shirt.
His sharp haircut and large watch suggest wealth without flaunting it.
Caesar gets out while we unbuckle ourselves, and he goes over and shakes hands with the guy. Then they come over and open our door. I climb down and hold up a hand to help Aurelia, and she jumps down beside me.
“Welcome to 35 South,” the guy says. “I’m Gabe.”
“This is my sister, Aurelia,” Caesar says, “and her CPO, Luke Grayson.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Gabriel says, shaking our hands, “although not under the circumstances, obviously. But it’s good to have you here.” He looks down at his polo shirt and scrubs at a streak of dust. “Sorry about my appearance—I was helping unload a shipment of wine from the vineyard.”
“Don’t you have staff to do that for you?” Caesar asks, amused.
“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” Gabriel grins. “Do you want to come in for a bit?”
“No, I’ll head off. My girl’s waiting for me.” He smiles—he must mean Maddie. He gives Aurelia a last hug. “You let me know if you need anything. I can be here in ninety minutes. Okay?”
She nods. “Okay.”
He shakes my hand. “Take care. You know where we are if you need us.”
“Thanks, Caesar.”
He gets back into the helicopter. As we walk toward the hotel, the blades start up, and a few minutes later he’s lifting off and heading the heli south.
The other man with us is loading our cases into a multi-seater golf cart. “I’m guessing you’re exhausted,” Gabriel says. “We’ll take you straight to your villa, and then maybe we can catch up tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Aurelia says with relief. “I’m so sorry to be a bother.”
“Ah, trust me, this is much more interesting than the conference on tax law we had last month,” he jokes.
“Um…” A little embarrassed, I say, “Where am I staying?”
Gabriel looks surprised. “The villa has four bedrooms. Caesar assumed you’d want to be near Aurelia. I apologize if I misunderstood—I can find you a hotel room if you prefer.”
“No, I’d like him with me,” Aurelia says.
Gabriel smiles at me. “Okay with you?”
“Yes… of course.”
“Come on then.” He climbs onto the cart next to the guy who’s sitting behind the wheel, and Aurelia and I get in the back. Soon we’re heading down the path around the hotel.
“This place is huge,” Aurelia says as the cart bears around the edge of the hotel and the complex opens up before us. “I didn’t realize. Wow.”
“It took me twelve years to build.” Gabriel looks over the estate. Then he teases, “I hope you like cicadas. We don’t charge extra for them.” Their singing is loud here, so they’re obviously in the many trees that surround the property.
“There are so many pōhutukawa trees here,” Aurelia comments.
“Yeah, the Māori name for Evermore is Motupōhutukawa.” The word slides effortlessly from Gabriel’s tongue. “You should see it at Christmas. The whole complex is covered in red flowers.”
“I like both names,” Aurelia says. “Evermore is lovely.”
“Do you know the origin of it?” When she shakes her head, he continues, “According to local legend, when Captain James Cook sailed into the bay, he declared that if a person were to forsake the world and settle in one place, they could stay here evermore.”
“Aw,” she murmurs, “that’s wonderful.”
“It doesn’t really matter if he actually said the words,” Gabriel states. “The name suits the island perfectly.”
The main road from Port Evermore ends in front of the hotel in a circular drive with a fountain in the middle.
From there, smaller lanes thread through the rest of the complex.
Here, the ground is higher, and we can see the villas nestling between the pools, lined with tall palms, ferns, and tropical flowers, all well lit with solar lamps.
“I’ll take you around the complex tomorrow and show you where everything is,” Gabriel says, speaking over his shoulder. “For now, we’ve put you in the Hibiscus villa. It’s got great ocean views.”
The guy driving heads the cart to the south. The villas here are all surrounded by six-foot metal railings, discreetly hidden behind climbing plants and hedges. After five minutes, he stops the cart by a gate, and as we get out, watching the security lighting flick on.
“There are cameras on all the roads,” Gabriel states. “None in the grounds of the villas themselves for privacy reasons, but they all have excellent security lighting.”
We get out of the cart, and Gabriel touches a key card to the panel by the gate, then leads us down the path that’s surrounded by hibiscus plants to the front door. He opens that with the card, too, and we go inside.
A single lamp is on just inside the door, which is enough for us to see by as we make our way across the room.
I can see why he’s left the lights off as we stand by the large windows on the far side.
We’re facing the beach, and beyond that the ocean.
The sun has set now, and the moon is rising, casting a silvery path on the sea.
Aurelia doesn’t say anything, so I say, “Wow, that’s amazing.”
“It’s one of our nicer villas,” Gabriel says. He flicks a switch then, and a few lamps spring into life, revealing a large living room with two long sofas and several armchairs. A gas fire promises warmth on chilly nights, sitting not far from the huge TV on the wall.
While the guy brings in our cases, we toe off our shoes, and Gabriel walks us through the building, showing us the four bedrooms, the sparkling bathrooms, and the large kitchen.
“It’s fully stocked,” he says, opening the fridge and revealing bottles of wine and a variety of fresh foods.
He does the same with the cupboards, then opens a long, low cupboard to reveal bottles of whiskey, brandy, vodka, and gin.
“Our kitchens are open twenty-four-seven,” he says, “just pick up the phone and order anything you want, and it’ll be delivered within thirty minutes. But there’s a bowl of homemade seafood chowder in the fridge. Our chef thinks anyone arriving after dark needs feeding.”
I chuckle. “Thanks.”
“I’m leaving you my personal number here…” He places a business card on the kitchen counter, next to two key cards. “Please, just call me if you need anything at all. Otherwise, dial zero on the main phone and you’ll get through to reception.”
“Thank you,” Aurelia whispers, shaking his hand again. “I really appreciate this.”
“Ah… well… you’re welcome.” He closes his free hand over hers. “I’m so sorry to hear about what’s happened. Caesar was very worried. I’m glad I could help.”
He shakes my hand, then heads out with the porter, closing the door firmly behind him. I walk over and slot the deadbolt home and test it. It’s secure. I’m glad there are security lights and cameras on the road. Nobody’s getting in here without anyone knowing about it.
When I turn back, Aurelia has unlocked the sliding doors and opened them, and she’s standing on the deck.
I follow her out and stand next to her, looking out at the ocean.
There are security lights all along the beach that would obviously come on if any boats approached.
And although Gabriel told us there were no cameras on the properties for privacy reasons, I’m betting anytime a security light is triggered, it sends an alarm to their central security office.
I look across at Aurelia. Her eyes are closed, and her face is lifted to the sea breeze. The only sounds are the whoosh of the waves on the sand, and the singing of cicadas from the pōhutukawa trees and palms surrounding the villa. There are no horns and no sirens.
She opens her eyes and looks up at the sky. “I haven’t looked at the stars in weeks,” she whispers. “Look how bright they are here.”
I tear my gaze from her and look up. The Southern Cross is clearly visible, and above it the Milky Way lies splashed across the sky like a bucket of spilt stars.
“What are they?” she asks, pointing to two small patches of light.
“The Magellanic Clouds. Satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.”
“Ohhh…” Her face is filled with wonder, and her eyes shine. She presses her fingers to her mouth. “It’s so beautiful.” Her bottom lip trembles.
Without being asked, I open my arms, and she turns to me and moves up close, resting her cheek on my chest.