Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

The village of St. Moritz is a charming place.There are miles of ski runs and mountain trails for long walks.There are also horse-drawn sleigh rides, polo matches and a dozen other activities.The village of St. Moritz lies between Celerina and Neir, at an altitude of six thousand feet, in the Engadine valley on the southern slopes of the Alps, surrounded by a sparkling lake.This small village made Catherine breathless with excitement. Catherine and Kirk Reynolds check into the fabulous Palace Hotel.The hotel lounge is crowded with tourists from all over the world. Kirk Reynolds told the receptionist, "We have a reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Furnolds." Catherine turned her head away.I should wear my wedding ring.She felt that all eyes in the lounge were on her, knowing what she was doing.

"Yes, Mr. Reynolds. It's in suite 15 on the second floor." The steward handed the key to the attendant.The attendant said, "This way, please." They were escorted into a comfortable suite by an attendant.There is not much furniture in the room, and there are magnificent views of the mountains from every window. Kirk Reynolds held Catherine in his arms after the page left. "Honey, I can't tell you how happy you make me." "I hope to make you happy, Kirk," replied Catherine, "oh . . . it's been a long time since I . . . " "Don't worry. I won't force you."

How lovely he is, Catherine thought, but what would he think of me if I told him about my past?She never mentioned Larry to him, never about the murder trial or anything horrible that had happened to her.She wanted to be close to him, to trust him, but something inexplicable made her hesitate. "Let's unpack the luggage," Catherine said. She unpacked slowly—unusually slowly—and she suddenly realized that she was in a dilemma, afraid to further develop her relationship with Kirk because she was afraid of what was going to happen next. She heard Kirk calling to her from the other room. "Catherine..."

Oh my God, he's going to say let's undress and go to bed.Catherine swallowed, and replied in a low voice, "Huh?" "Why don't we go out and look around?" Catherine was relieved. "That's a great idea," she said enthusiastically.What's wrong with me?I'm in the most romantic place on earth right now, with an attractive man in love with me, and I'm terrified. Reynolds looked at her strangely. "Are you OK?" "I'm fine," Catherine replied cheerfully, "I'm fine." "You look like you have something on your mind."

"No. I... I was thinking—to ski. I heard it's dangerous." Reynolds smiled. "Don't worry. I'll let you slide on the gentle slope tomorrow. Let's go." They put on sweaters and padded jackets and stepped out into the fresh air.Catherine took a deep breath. "Oh, that's great, Kirk. I like it here." "You haven't seen anything yet," he grinned, "it's even more beautiful here in summer." Will he still want to see me in summer?Am I going to disappoint him, Catherine wondered?Why am I still so worried? ※※※ The picturesque village of St. Moritz is a wonder of the Middle Ages.The village is full of fantastic shops, restaurants and chalets, with the majestic Alps in the background.

They visited many shops and Catherine bought presents for Evelyn and Wim.Later, they stopped at a diner for a meringue. In the afternoon, Kirk Reynolds rented a dog sled.They drove up the mountain along the snow-covered road.The snow crunched under the pressure of the ski poles. "Like it?" Reynolds asked. "Oh, I like it very much." Sekailin looked at him and thought in her heart: I want to make him happy.Tonight, yes, just tonight.I will make you happy tonight. ※※※ They dined that evening in the hotel's Stabili restaurant, a restaurant with the atmosphere of an old country inn.

"The history of this restaurant dates back to 1480." "Then we'd better not order bread." "what?" "Little joke, sorry." Larry knew my jokes in the past, why did I think of him?Because I'm not thinking about tonight.I feel like Marie Antoinette is going to the execution ground.No more cakes for my sweet tooth. The dinner was exquisite, but Catherine was too nervous to enjoy it.After dinner, Reynolds said, "Shall we go upstairs? I have a ski lesson for you tomorrow morning." "Of course, great." Catherine felt her heart pounding as they went upstairs.He's going to say, "Let's go to bed." Why doesn't he say that?That's what I'm here for, isn't it?I can't pretend I'm here to ski.

When they got to the suite, Reynolds opened the door and turned on the light.They went into the bedroom.Catherine's eyes were fixed on the big bed.It seems to take up the whole room. Kirk was watching her. "Catherine... are you worried about something?" "What?" She forced a smile, "Of course not. I... I just..." "Just what?" She smiled sweetly at him. "Nothing, I'm fine." "Okay. Let's undress and go to bed." I knew that was exactly what he was going to say.But does he have to say it?We could have just let it be and ignored the rest.How... how stupid to say it.

"What did you say?" Catherine did not realize that she had said it out loud. "Nothing." Catherine was already at the bedside.This is the biggest bed she has ever seen. It is a bed specially made for lovers.It's not a bed to sleep in, it's a bed for... "Aren't you undressing, dear?" Should I take it off?How long has it been since I slept with a man?more than a year.That man is my husband. "Casey...?" "Yeah." I'm going to undress, I'm going to bed, and I'm going to let you down.I'm not in love with you, Kirk.I can't sleep with you.

"Kirk..." He turned to her, half undressed. "what?" "Kirk, I...forgive me. You would hate me, but I...I can't. I'm so sorry. You must have thought I was..." She saw the disappointed look on his face.He forced a smile. "Kathy, I told you I'd be patient. If you're not ready, I...I can understand. We can still have a good time here." She kissed him gratefully on the cheek. "Oh, Kirk, thank you. I'm so funny, I don't know what's wrong with me." "You have no problem," he assured her. "I understand."

She gave him a hug. "Thank you. You are an angel." "By the way," he sighed, "I sleep on the sofa in the living room." "No," cried Catherine, "since I am responsible for this inexplicable problem, I must at least let you rest comfortably. I sleep on the sofa. You sleep on the bed." "It's absolutely not possible." Catherine lay in bed, sleepless, thinking about Kirk Reynolds.Can I still have sex with another man?Has Larry burnt out my enthusiasm?Maybe in a way Larry did manage to kill me.Finally, Catherine fell asleep. In the middle of the night, Kirk Reynolds was awakened by a horrific scream.He straightened up on the couch, and the screaming continued as he rushed into the bedroom. Catherine closed her eyes and was flapping wildly on the bed. "No," she cried, "No! Don't touch me!" Reynolds knelt on the bed, hugged her, and held her tightly. "Oh," he said, "well, well." Catherine's body writhed with sobs, and he held her tightly until she was quiet. "They—wanted to drown me." "It was just a dream," he reassured her. "You had a dream." Catherine opened her eyes and sat up.Her body was still shaking. "No, it's not a dream. It's real. They're trying to kill me." Kirk looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. "Who wants to kill you?" "My... my husband and his mistress." He shook his head. "Catherine, you had a nightmare and..." "I'm telling you the truth. They tried to murder me, and they were executed for it." Kirk had a look of disbelief on his face. "Catherine..." "I didn't tell you before because...it hurts me to talk about it." He suddenly realized that she was serious. "What happened?" "I don't want to divorce Larry, and he...he fell in love with another woman, and they decided to murder me." Kirk listened intently. "When did this happen?" "a year ago." "What happened to them?" "They were—they were executed by the government." He raised a hand. "Wait a minute. They were executed for trying to murder you?" "yes." Reynolds said: "I'm not an expert on Greek law, but I bet there's no death penalty for attempted murder. There must be a mistake. I know a lawyer in Athens. He actually works for the government. Tomorrow morning I'll give him a call and get this out of the way. His name is Peter Dimonides." Catherine was still fast asleep when Kirk Reynolds woke up.He put on his clothes on tiptoe and walked into the bedroom.He stood there, looking down at Catherine.I love her so much.I have to find out the truth of the matter and dispel the shadow of the past for her. ※※※ Kirk Reynolds went downstairs to the hotel lounge and hung up the phone to Athens. "Operator, I would like to have a private conversation. I want to speak to Peter Dimonides." Half an hour later, the call was connected. "Mr. Dimonides? I'm Kirk Reynolds. I don't know if you remember me, but..." "Of course I do. You work for Constantin Demiris." "yes." "What can I do for you, Mr. Reynolds?" "Excuse me for disturbing you. I have just received some information, which I do not understand. It has to do with a certain provision of Greek law." "I know some Greek law," said Dimonides cheerfully, "and I will be glad to help you." "Is there anything in your laws that allows someone to be put to death for attempted murder?" There was a long silence on the phone. "May I ask why you're asking this?" "I was with a woman named Catherine Alexander. She seemed to think that her husband and his mistress were executed by the government for trying to murder her. That doesn't sound logical. Do you know what I mean?" "Understood," said Demonides thoughtfully. "I see what you mean. Where are you, Mr. Reynolds?" "I'm at the Palace Hotel in the village of St. Moritz." "I'll check and call you again." "Thank you very much. In fact, I think Miss Alexander may be thinking wildly, and I want to find out about this, so as to lighten the burden on her mind." "I see. You'll get my call. I promise you." ※※※ The air was clean and fresh, and the beautiful scenery around the hotel dispelled Catherine's fears of the previous night.They had breakfast in the village.After dinner Reynolds said: "We'll go to the ski slopes right away and turn you into a little snow-white bunny." He took Catherine to the beginners' pistes and hired an instructor for her. She put on her skis, stood up, and looked down at her feet again. "This is ridiculous. If God wanted us to look like this, then our ancestors must have been trees." "what?" "Nothing, Kirk." The instructor smiled. "Don't worry. You'll be skiing like a pro in no time. We're starting on the Covirgilla Sass Lonsel piste. That's the beginner's piste." "You'll be surprised later, you'll get the idea so quickly." Reynolds was encouraging Catherine. He looked up at the piste in the distance, turned to his instructor and said, "I think I'm going to try the Forkla Gressa piste today." "Sounds delicious. I'm going to bake mine," Catherine said. No laughing. "Honey, this is the ski run." "Oh." Catherine was embarrassed and didn't want to tell him it was just a joke.I shouldn't be joking around like this around him, Catherine thought. The instructor said: "Greska is a very dangerous slide. You can practice on the Corvagia standard slide first, Mr. Reynolds." "Good idea. I'll go. Catherine, I'll meet you at the hotel for lunch." "OK." Reynolds waved and walked away. "Have a good time," cried Catherine, "and don't forget to come and find me." "Okay," said the instructor, "let's get started." ※※※ To Catherine's surprise, ski lessons are a lot of fun.She was a little nervous at first.She fumbled up the gentle slope, finding it a bit overwhelming. "Lean forward a little. Keep the skis pointing forward." "Tell them they don't obey," said Catherine loudly. "You're walking fine. Now we're going downhill. Bend your knees. Keep your balance. You're sliding." She fell. "Get up and do it again. You skated well." She fell again.Fall again.Suddenly she had a sense of balance.She glided along the hillside as if she had wings.It's so exciting, it's like flying.She loved the sound of the snow crackling under her skis and the cool breeze blowing against her face. "I love skiing," Catherine said. "No wonder people get addicted to skiing. When are we going to be able to do the steep slopes?" The coach smiled. "Let's skate here today. In the future we will participate in the Olympic Games." All in all it was a pleasant morning. ※※※ She was waiting for Kirk Reynolds in the restaurant when he came back from skiing.His cheeks were flushed and he looked refreshed.He went to Catherine's table and sat down. "Well," he asked, "how's the skating going?" "It was great. I didn't break anywhere. Only fell six times. You know what?" she said proudly, "I was skating really well towards the end. I think he's going to let me go to the Olympics .” Reynolds smiled. "Excellent!" He was about to mention his phone call to Peter Dimonides, but decided not to.He didn't want to upset Catherine any more. After lunch they went for a walk in the snow, sometimes stopping to browse the shops.Catherine felt a little tired. "I want to go back to my room," she said. "I might take a lunch break." "Good idea. The air is thin here, and if you're not used to it, you'll get tired quickly." "What are you going to do, Kirk?" He looked up at the distant hillside. "I thought maybe I'd give the Graska piste a try. I've never skied before. It's kind of a challenge." "You mean—'Because it's there.'" "what?" "Nothing. It looks dangerous." Reynolds nodded. "So it's a challenge." Catherine took his hand. "Kirk, I'm so sorry about what happened last night. I...I'll do my best." "Don't worry about it any more. Go back to the hotel and get some sleep." "I will." Catherine watched him go and thought to herself: He is a very good man.I don't know what he saw in a fool like me. Catherine had been sleeping all afternoon, and this time she had no dreams.It was almost six o'clock when she woke up.Kirk will be back soon. Catherine took a shower and dressed, thinking about the evening to come.No, not at night, she said to herself, but at night.I want to make up to him for my mistakes. She went to the window and looked out.It was getting dark.Kirk must be having a good time, Catherine thought.She looked out over the distant hillside.Is that Greska?I don't know if I'll be able to slide down that slide. At seven o'clock, Kirk Reynolds hadn't returned.Twilight has become a dark night sky.He couldn't be skiing in the dark, Catherine thought.I'm sure he's having a drink in the bar downstairs. As she was walking towards the door, the phone rang. Catherine smiled.I got it right.He's calling me to come downstairs. She picked up the receiver and said in a cheerful voice, "Hey, have you met any Sherpas?" A strange voice said, "Is that Mrs. Reynolds?" She was about to say no when she remembered that was what Kirk had said when he checked in. "Yes. I'm Mrs. Reynolds." "I thought I'd tell you some sad news. Your husband had an accident while skiing." "Oh, no, Yan... serious?" "I think it's serious." "I'll be right there. Where is he...?" "I'm sorry, but I've got to tell you he's... dead, Mrs. Reynolds. He broke his neck sliding down the Ragup ramp."