Winston Graves set down his morning paper and strode across the broad, open-air living room to the kitchen where he'd left his phone. It was barely past five-thirty and the sun was still inching its way into the day. He loved getting up before the sun, awaiting the day like some high potentate receiving acolytes.

Fifty-five years of age and rapidly becoming financially independent, Winston accepted his success with equanimity. The fact that conning was his career, accounted for the current setup he enjoyed at Windy Palms, where he was also enjoying the fraudulent reputation of major investor in the resort's potential future.

He checked the caller ID and frowned, answering with a gruff hello.

"I need to see you," the caller said. "We might have a bit of a problem that requires your attention."

"Not on the phone. Come over to my villa but be discrete." He closed his phone and continued to frown. His business day was already intruding and he most certainly didn't want to know about problems no matter how small. In a setting like this there should never be problems.

He looked at his lounging pants and robe and decided to leave them on; this wasn't a visit requiring sartorial perfection. He did however check out his appearance in the mirror and did some casual patting of his silvering hair. His partner would be about ten minutes he figured, so he gathered up the scattered paper, set out a couple of glasses and opened a fresh bottle of orange juice.

The sun crept across the glazed terracotta tiles turning them a bright red and the tiny finches searching for crumbs from the breakfast cart, hopped about as if their feet were burning. Shelia had taken a smaller unit in keeping with the sham that she was Winston's employee, which allowed her to conduct business around the resort without raising eyebrows. When they were together, it was very public or very clandestine - this morning was clandestine.

The subtle chime sounded and Winston climbed the short stairway to the door, admitting his caller.

"You made it without incident?"

"Of course. Nobody noticed, as you might imagine. In fact nobody was even around. It's too early and it's so damn hot out there already."

"Well come out to the front, I've got some nicely chilled juice. Have you eaten, you're up awfully early?" He held out a hand and let her precede him down the steps.

"I had some toast and coffee, thanks." She set her handbag down and settled into one of the upholstered chairs overlooking the resort center below. "I've been thinking about this last group; there's a couple we could have some trouble with." She took her sun glasses from her purse and slipped them on before accepting the glass of juice and sipped delicately.

Winston took a matching chair alongside and settled himself, tasting his juice and staring out at the magnificent view; the sun was a fluorescent ball balancing on the horizon and the water was an opaque slate.

The scheme they were running, formulated at the real estate seminar, which led to their partnership, had worked so far exactly as planned. It was no quick grab and run game; it required long term development and massive patience, daring and risk. Pretending to represent the resort as realtors for the resort's conversion to time share, a complete fabrication, they had secured the interest of several couples and using their own money to rent one of the main villas and one room unit, they began their con.

One couple at a time was invited to come down and stay free for a few days while they examined the property and the supposed opportunity. Shelia's role entailed posing as the resort real estate advisor, taking the interested parties around, emphasizing the fact that until registration was achieved, the investments they were encouraged to make would be held in a modest, interest bearing account.

All this required icy nerve and bold confidence. Avoiding legitimate staff while assuming that role, Shelia conducted tours with the grace of the consummate deceiver.

Through carefully orchestrated meetings and convincingly authentic books, Winston, accepted as the resort corporation representative, managed to allay all concerns, driving home the fact that as soon as the full block of rooms had been registered, a requirement of the government regulations and timeshare practices, returns would begin to flow annually.

The timeline planned on gave Winston and Shelia two full tourist seasons to keep renting the rooms they had for themselves and the one for guest investors. Costs for this was covered by the down payments for which Winston issued receipts and counterfeit timeshare papers, along with assurances that when the resort gained full conversion registration the units would be owned outright and dividends would begin to flow. Meanwhile appeasement, if necessary, would be made with the issuance of modest interest cheques to maintain the appearance of legitimacy.

Investor recruitment continued with the down payments adding to their growing personal account. As the con timeline neared the end stage some investors were becoming a little nosy. They wanted to see their properties again and perhaps discover why it was taking so long for the conversion to get registered.

Winston decided, in the interest of protecting what they had made financially, they should use some to rent a couple of units and let the trouble makers come down and feel more secure. He was confident he had the gift of gab to mollify any concerns face to face.

"Nothing you're doing is slowing their impatience?"

"I can only repeat the same excuses so long, Winston. We might have to put a little more money on the table to squash any revolt. What do we have now?"

"Just over eight-hundred thousand. Six hundred and eight in the safe and the balance in our resort bank."

"I think we should move more out of the bank and back into their pockets. When we're this close, a little more won't be missed."

He new she felt secure enough to give away that much because this kind of success could be repeated over and over almost anywhere. "I'll prepare some paperwork and you can tell them that the corporation is declaring a small dividend with registration coming very soon. It will be mailed to their home addresses."

She licked her lips and drank some more juice. "It should work. There really is just one couple making noises - they aren't even a couple, just traveling together. That Weiss woman and a Gary Ordman. The others are simply echoing them."

"Tell them they will all get a dividend in the mail before the end of the month. They'll get them, they'll feel better and before they get suspicious again we'll be gone."

"So now it's dancing shoes again."

"You do it so well my dear."

"In that case you can handle Prince, I do not like that man and I don't think it was a wise move to bring him on board. I don't trust him."

"We needed someone inside. You wouldn't be getting access to the necessary parts of the resort without his help. His past record, should it be exposed, would banish him from any employment in this country or the Caribbean for that matter. We needed someone who was greedy enough to play along and vulnerable enough to stay in line. He still thinks that you are trying to sell units for another company. I'll talk to him at the manager's party tonight."

"He'll want more money, you know that don't you?"

"I'll handle Hector Prince, you just placate our new investors with your extraordinary charm and our new offer." He reached over and patted her leg, letting his fingers linger. "Speaking of placating . . ." his hand made a small circular motion on the slippery material of her skirt.

"Do I have an option?"

"I would like to think of it as a welcome opportunity, my dear."

"Hmmm," she stood and smoothed her skirt down. "Give me a couple of hours. I have that last tour to run shortly." Winston turned to watch her walk away, his eyes brightening with anticipation.

******

Gary Ordman blew away the last of the smoke from his cigarette and squashed the butt out in his bedside ashtray. A mild breeze fluttered the curtains on his window and he could see splotches of fluffy clouds low over the ocean on the horizon. It would be another scorcher out of the shade. Thank goodness his room didn't face the full sunrise.

He looked to the side and stared thoughtfully at the mound of hip beside him under the thin sheet. The girl had delivered his room service at the end of her shift on her way home and had stayed the night. Gary gave her a light slap and told her it was time to scram. She yawned and flopped onto her back, arms stretching high above.

"You better take off, sweetheart, you don't want to get caught here."

He got up and wandered naked to the window, arching his back and grunting with satisfaction.

"¿Qué hora es?"

"Time to go, it's quarter to eight. Pronto." Gary turned, admiring the solid little body and the generous curves and held out his wristwatch for her to see.

She crawled out from under the sheet and rubbed her eyes. "¿Me puede dar una toalla y jabón?"

"Just hurry up. You know where it is." He waved her off and turned back to the window. A few moments later he heard the toilet flush and the door open and she came out dressed and ready for work.

He walked over to the hallway as she started through to the door.

"Lo he pasado bien." He smiled and chucked her under the chin. "¿Mañana?"

"I enjoyed it too, senor. Tomorrow would be fine." She smiled widely at his surprise and darted out the door.

"Son-of-a-bitch," he laughed. "She spoke English the whole time." He checked his watch and remembered that he'd promised to take the tour with Glenda so he quickly showered and shaved then called for a ride to the resort center.

********

Hector Prince, the deputy security guard for the resort watched as the maid let herself out of the suite and scurried up the walkway, carrying the room service tray. He smiled and drew deeply on his smoke letting it drift from his nostrils in a hazy screen. Knowing he had two more little morsels of information to file away, one on an employee and one on a guest gave him a feeling of command and control.

He made his way down to the stretch of resort shops where he took up a position watching the woman, whose employer hired him, prepare for her tour. Hector felt powerful being part of their scheme and it paid very well indeed. Better still was having his secret little bits of information that he would use when the time was right.