Silver Linings

vanished into the kitchen.
    Mattie looked down the table at Rainbird. His elegantly carved cheekbones were highlighted by the soft glow of candlelight, and he looked even more handsome than he had in daylight. “Are all your men as young as Howard and the others?”
    “Now, yes. I learned the hard way some years ago that young males work out better in this sort of service. Not only are young men more attracted to the life of adventure I offer, they are more amenable to taking orders. The older we get, the more cynical we become, and the less inclined we are to put our trust in others.”
    “I see.”
    Rainbird chuckled indulgently. “Don't look at me like that. Young men are much easier to train and mold. It's a fact of life, Miss Sharpe. Why do you think that the draft age is always set as low as possible? The military has always preferred eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds.”
    “Because they're more impressionable.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Are you always so calculating, Colonel Rainbird?”
    “Always.” He forked up a bite of vegetable curry and chewed meditatively. “It is the primary reason I've lived this long.”
    “Is there a secondary reason?”
    His charming grin came and went. “I have been blessed with excellent reflexes. They have come in handy on occasion. And not just when I'm fighting with someone.”
    Mattie blushed and quickly changed the subject. “Do you mind if I ask why you are here on Purgatory?”
    He smiled, pouring more wine. “Purgatory, my dear Miss Sharpe, is the perfect home for one such as myself. The government, what there is of it, is most accommodating.”
    “Because it takes orders from you?”
    “Let's just say we all get along very well together here. A live-and-let-live philosophy.”
    “That didn't apply to Paul Cormier, did it?” Mattie asked softly.
    “You may not believe this, but I am truly sorry about Paul.”
    Mattie held his clear blue gaze. “Did you kill him, Colonel Rainbird?”
    A trace of sorrow flickered in the depths of the beautiful sky-blue eyes. “No. I give you my word of honor as an officer and a gentleman, Miss Sharpe. I did not kill Paul. He and I had gone our separate ways over the years, but we were former comrades in arms and I had nothing but the utmost respect for him. I still considered him a friend. I intended for us to be neighbors here on Purgatory.”
    “Then who killed him?” Mattie blurted out, confused and frustrated by Rainbird's obvious sincerity and undeniable charm.
    “I assure you, I made it my immediate business to find out. The culprit was a house servant who decided to kill and rob his employer under cover of the military activity that was taking place on the island. He is presently in the village jail awaiting trial. Justice will be done, Miss Sharpe. Have no fear. I am a man who believes in justice.”
    She looked straight into his eyes and knew with terrifying clarity that he was lying. “Is that right? Then why did you lead a coup on a perfectly peaceful island?”
    “All was not as it seemed on the surface here on Purgatory, Miss Sharpe. May I call you Mattie?” Rainbird did not pause for a response. “The small local government had no military arm, and it found itself threatened by a group of local renegades—hoodlums, really—who had obtained a cache of automatic weapons. I came ashore with my men at the request of the president. It is not an uncommon sort of action, Mattie. Small, ineffectual governments such as Purgatory's frequently need the assistance of men such as myself.”
    “And now you've decided to stay?”
    Rainbird nodded. “I see in Purgatory exactly what my friend Paul saw. A lovely, relatively peaceful place where a man who has grown weary of battle may live out his life on his own terms.”
    Mattie narrowed her eyes consideringly. “What about that man you had following me in Seattle?”
    “That man was your bodyguard, Mattie. I assigned him to keep an eye on you while you were involved with Hugh Abbott. Abbott has killed innocent bystanders before and will probably kill again. I didn't want you to be one of the victims. I realize you are not yet prepared to believe me when I tell you Abbott is dangerous, but sooner or later you will see the truth.”
    It was then Mattie realized for certain what she had suspected earlier. Rainbird did not know she had seen the man break into her apartment and attempt to kill Evangeline. Apparently the Colonel had not yet communicated with his assassin.