Page 54 of Don't Point at the Moon

“There was a picture with you and Daley in Bali. At a launch party for a brand of sports watch.”

“JPY. Active Timepieces range. Yeah, that was us.”

“And there was a girl in between you and Daley.”

“Ellery Yeoh. That’s right, mate.” Mitchell didn’t know Alec but felt sure a flicker of concern showed in his eyes. “She’s the sister of the sports company owner. Daley went to high school with her.”

“Why was Daley holding her hand?”

Alec’s expression changed, going from neutral to sad.

“That’s what I wanted to talk about, Tommy. But as I mentioned, it’s a little delicate, so I asked to see you privately.”

“Do you want me to leave?” asked Mitchell.

“No,” blurted Tommy, looking startled at Mitchell before shaking his head.

“Okay, look,” said Alec. “Daley wasn’t holding her hand, she was holding his. I know that doesn’t make much sense at the moment, but hear me out. Ellery works for an ophthalmologist practice, eye specialists, that Daley’s family have been using for years. As you know Daley wears glasses, and he’s had to visit the specialist a couple of times over the years. That day testresults came back to confirm that he’s suffering from a rare type of glaucoma, something that usually affects the elderly. It’s early days, and most people don’t even notice, but his vision is partially impaired, a bit like having tunnel vision. Most of the time you wouldn’t even know and he manages unaided—flat surfaces that are well-lit and relatively even—but being on that uneven lawn at dusk was a challenge and Daley didn’t want to spoil the event by face-planting in the turf. Hence the moment of hand-holding between him and Ellery, which happened to be caught on camera.”

Tommy heaved out a sigh.

“See? I knew there would be a simple explanation. Sammi already knows about his eyesight.”

“Yeah, but the tests indicate his condition’s getting worse. That’s why I wanted to talk to you first. He knows he needs to tell her—pretty bloody soon—but he’s terrified she might want to reconsider marrying him. And I think that would just about kill him.”

“My sister would never pull out of the marriage just because—”

“Wait a minute,” said Mitchell, touching Tommy’s forearm. “There’s something you haven’t told us, isn’t there, Alec?”

“I’m afraid so. There’s a good chance Daley will lose his vision completely within the next eighteen to twenty months.”

Chapter Fourteen

Tommy singled Mitchell out as he stepped down from the minibus dressed as a pirate captain. From what Zane had told him, the sight should have been amusing, bordering on hilarious. With time on his hands during the week and apparently settling nicely into Hong Kong life, Zane had picked up their costumes and sent Tommy photos of each component part. Wearing long, black boots, grey-and-black-striped trousers belted in gold, a white silk poet shirt open and loosely laced at the neck, a three-cornered hat and a long black coat with gold trimmings, Mitchell should have looked ridiculous.

What he should not have looked was ridiculously hot.

Even his thunderous expression added an air of brooding sexual magnetism. Visions of unlacing the shirt while unclasping the belt and pulling down those breeches had Tommy forgetting to breathe for a moment. He quickly shook the thought away.

“You say one word, Tommy Chow,” warned Mitchell as he drew near. “Just one word, and I get back on that bus.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”

Finally, Mitchell cracked a smile just as Zane stepped off the bus, dressed equally impressively as a version of Sinbad the Sailor, complete with silver hoop earrings and a red and black bandana tied tightly around his head. His darker skin added a swarthiness and an air of authenticity to the costume.

Tommy had opted for a crisp French sailor costume of sleeveless blue-and-white-striped top—to show off his arms—with matching blue neck scarf, white sailor’s cap and tight white shorts.

“Nice outfit,” said Mitchell, raising an eyebrow. “Economical. Popeye?”

“Hilarious. Wait until you see Alec.”

“Alec’s here?”

“I invited him. He was supposed to head back to Singapore Friday, but he agreed to stay on because we’re having a family dinner. And Daley couldn’t be here.”

“Does Sammi know about Daley?”

“I have no idea. And it’s killing me.”

---