You ask Nick about his past
Nick's smile droops downward into a frown. "I came here after my
family died, a couple years ago."
"I'm sorry." you mumble, your cheeks flushing scarlet.
"This is going to sound terrible but- what happened to
them?"
"Well, we were all out on our yacht- we had this small one we
took out every once in while, when we were by the lake. Anyway, we
were out there celebrating my sister Diana's fifteenth birthday.We
stayed out there for most of the day, below decks usually, eating
cake, talking about when Di was younger. We hadn't noticed how far out
we were and that dark clouds were looming over the lake. It wasn't
until the thunder began to ripple over the sky that we knew. And then,
it was too late."
Nick squeezes his eyes together tightly as if to dismiss the memory,
then leaning his head back against the top of the couch, he says,
"You don't think I killed them, do you?"
"No!" you say, "No! Why would I think something like
that?" Actually the thought has occured to you. There's something
in Nick, you think, that's too good to be true.
"The people in the village did. They still do. They're looking
for me, you know." Nick said, a faint trace of a smile sliding
over his lips.
You find yourself with a increasing sense of apprehension. One hand,
Nick could be innocent and you want him to be innocent desperately. On
the other, he could be a murderer, a cold-blooded killer. Either way,
you know you should watch him.
It suddenly dawns on you that for all you know this Nick guy might
be a total creep. For all his good looks, you can't help the feeling
that there is something just beneath the surface, like an iceberg
beneath the breakers. "So, Nick," you smile, trying to
appear casual, "How long have you been living around here?"
