Shadow Hunter by Geoffrey Archer

Author:Geoffrey Archer
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 1990-09-05T19:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

Tuesday 22nd October. 0400 hrs GMT.

HMS Truculent.

LIEUTENANT SEBASTIAN CORDELL couldn’t sleep. The night was nearly gone; three more hours and he’d be back on watch.

The bunk was too small; his head touched one bulkhead of the four-berth cabin, his feet another. He was alone; the three he shared with were on watch.

The cause of his insomnia wasn’t the size of the bunk, however, but the turmoil in his mind.

In the past thirty-six hours, conversation amongst the officers had reduced to a single topic – speculation about their captain’s highly irregular orders.

They’d all remarked on his heightened irritability, snapping at them one minute, icy calm the next.

The others could only guess what had got into the old man, but Sebastian – he reckoned he knew. And it had nothing to do with secret orders from CINCFLEET.

Whether to tell someone, that was the question churning round in his mind. He’d seen the first lieutenant and the WEO whispering secretly in corners. Had to be talking about Hitchens. Should he tell them their captain had flipped, and why?

He’d been dodging Hitchens’ eyes, which seemed to burn with pain and anger. Sometimes he’d caught the captain looking at him across the control room; his expression seemed to say: ‘I’ve got your number, you bastard!’

Sebastian cursed his luck for being posted to Truculent – for being brought face to face with the man he’d innocently cuckolded two years ago.

Sara Hitchens was the first woman he’d spent the night with – the first time he’d made love in a bed. Before that it had been fumbles in the back of his car – awkward, and hurried.

They’d not expected to strike lucky, that night in the restaurant two years ago. He and another midshipman had been celebrating his twentieth birthday, when two women had begun eyeing them from another table.

Bold as brass, one of the women had asked them to join them for coffee.

He’d suspected they were tarts; nice girls waited for men to make the first approach. But he’d soon realized he was wrong. These women had class.

They’d only used their first names – made it more mysterious. The women were ten or fifteen years older than them. Divorcees, the boys had reckoned.

‘Come home and we’ll have a little party!’ the women had insisted, after a few liqueurs.

Back at Sara’s old house out in the wilds, Sebastian had sensed she was still married. He didn’t care, though; he’d drunk plenty by then.

It was the other woman who’d got things moving; she’d been all over Sebastian’s chum, and dragged him off to a bedroom. Sara had been more hesitant, nervous even. Sebastian had liked her for it.

They’d had another drink, alone. Then, emboldened, they’d gone to her bedroom. It had smelt of perfume. He could still smell it when he closed his eyes.

She’d seen he was inexperienced, and took the lead; he could still picture the mischief on her urchin face as she began to unbutton his shirt. Her breasts had felt hot, so unbelievably soft. Skin as smooth as cream.

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