It was a private island, not very large, one of the Keys; few went near it. Some said it was haunted, others mentioned secret government experiments; very nasty things happened there, or so people said. Hardly surprising given who used to own it.
Dr. Armand Porneau: the Mozart of genetic research; submitted his first patent while in his teens; was a multi-billionaire by thirty; bought the island where he was alleged to have done secret genetic research. Then one of those experiments killed him, so the story went.
Porneau had been rich and handsome. A regular around the talk show circuit; a fixture in the magazines; very popular with the tabloids. Described as an inveterate womanizer; the king of geek chic; the idol of nerds everywhere. That a man like him could have hot women hanging off his arm was a miracle.
Tiffany Wells was an aspiring journalist; smart, ambitious, and stuck. She had a journalism degree that was practically useless unless she could find a great story. Tiffany's main problem was people underestimated her. One look at Tiffany made men assume "Dumb, curvy blonde"; women made the same judgment. The difference was while men plotted to get into her pants, women plotted to kill her. It didn't help that Tiffany had gazongas the size of Mount Everest.
She knew she was hot; she never flaunted it. In other circumstances her package would be an asset: waist-length golden blonde hair, warm brown eyes, broad nose, beautiful face, sunny smile, and a 36DD-24-36 body. A package well suited for Hugh Hefner or Bob Guccione; she was more interested in Rupert Murdoch. She always dressed down at work, hiding her breasts and curves in formless outfits, but the beauty broke through.
She found the island by serendipity. It was a particularly bad week. A rival at the paper stole a scoop that would have gotten her noticed. The editor, who made a point of staring at her breasts, was unsympathetic and condescending. Tiffany had vacation time; she decided to take it. "It's either that or kill the son of a bitch," she thought.
One look at the beach made Tiffany decide on a boat trip. The beach was the only spot where she flaunted her body, but Tiffany didn't feel like wasting energy fending off land sharks. "I think I'll take a boat to the Keys, do some private sunbathing, figure if I want to keep this job. Hopefully, I won't run into drug smugglers," she thought, "On second thought, hopefully I will. I need a story."
She took some clothes and enough food for several days, rented a boat, found an island, beached the boat, and went for a walk. Tiffany decided to wear her white string bikini. There were no men to watch and admire, but Tiffany felt it appropriate. It was a warm, sunny day; it was a beach, and on beaches women wear bikinis.
Tiffany walked along the shoreline until it curved, taking her out of sight of the boat. The other island was a mild surprise. It was just offshore; small, lots of trees. She thought she glimpsed a house. "? I didn't know anyone was here." The island was only a short swim. Tiffany debated whether to take the risk; curiosity won out, "Nothing wrong with a little exploring." She had to be careful; drug smugglers sometimes kept their stash on some of these places, and other people were a bit eccentric, "Might be a story here, though."
She swam to the island, stepped on the beach, and found a path. Initially, she planned a brief lookaround and quick exit. When Tiffany saw the house, she changed her mind. The house was a full-blown mansion, decrepit and uninhabited. It was an old Southern manse, stately in its decay, with peeling white paint and gold trim. The property was bordered by a crumbling brick wall; a rusted gate at its entrance. The once-magnificent yard was overgrown to jungle; moss-covered trees decorated the grounds.