"Come," she said, taking his hand. She led him toward a chaise lounge.
He frowned. "But my wife ..." he murmured, feeling like seventeen different kinds of idiot as he said the words.
"Your wife is happy where she is. Come to me, Paul."
She drew him down beside her....
What seemed like hours went by. Suddenly he felt a rough hand grab him, awakening him.
A stranger stood there, fully dressed, menace glinting in his eyes. "Who is this man, Louise?" he demanded.
Wide-eyed shock was evident on the woman's face. "But—I didn't expect you until—"
"Of course not." Hendriks watched in horror as the newcomer drew a gun from his pocket. He lifted it; the barrel seemed to point directly at Hendriks' eyes. The finger began to tighten on the trigger—
"THE THIRD ILLUSION," said a soft voice.