by Amy Cross
***
“I think your family might have been the very first people to settle Thaxos,” Kate said as she sat, still cross-legged on the floor, explaining the results of her first day's work to Edgar as he sat on a nearby packing crate. “Obviously it's very early to say anything definitive since I've only been doing this for a day so far, but I've found multiple references to the place being barren and deserted when the Le Compte family first arrived.”
“Fascinating,” Edgar replied. “I must admit, I had long suspected that this might be the case, but the idea seemed too preposterous to believe.”
“It looks like, barring the past eighty or so years, there has always been a Le Compte living on Thaxos, always with a home up here on the hill. I've found some plans relating to the construction of the mansion, and also some details of the older house that stood here previously. Before that, there appears to have been some kind of wooden structure.”
“I'm surprised my forebears didn't name the island after themselves,” Edgar added. “It would seem somehow appropriate.”
Kate couldn't help but smile. After the dramas of the previous night, this first full day of work had been much more how she'd expected, and Edgar himself seemed to be calmer and more like the man she'd first met three months ago. It seemed as if he was much more relaxed whenever Didi wasn't around, and Kate was starting to wonder what the hell he saw in that girl. Edgar was so calm and intelligent, yet he apparently intended to marry someone who was his polar opposite in almost every regard.
“If I'm right,” she continued, “then it would stand to reason that the port was built by your family, most likely in order to facilitate the importation of whatever items they required, and that the port town maybe evolved over the centuries as a place for support staff to live.”
“You think that my family built a whole town as a home for its staff?”
“The idea isn't that crazy,” Kate pointed out. “Over time, the town continued to support the family's needs, but eventually the link between them became blurred and the town took on a life of its own.” She paused for a moment as she imagined how Ephram would react to such an idea. “I'm not sure the people down there would necessarily like the idea,” she added, “but it's hard to see how the alternative could be true. Your family must have chosen to allow the town to develop, so it stands to reason that it benefited them in some way. After all, would they really have wanted to have the entire island to themselves?”
“So Thaxos was defined by the Le Compte family's needs,” Edgar replied. “I knew we'd had a major impact here, but it's still rather startling to realize the full extent of that influence.”
“Which means that everything here was created by your family,” Kate continued, carefully edging closer to the big realization that she wanted to deliver. “Everything, Edgar. The port, the town, the mansion...” She paused for a moment. “Everything. Even the stones.”
“The stones?”
“I guess. I mean, it stands to reason that your ancestors must have erected them.”
“Why couldn't they have been the work of some previous civilization that had died out before the Le Comptes arrived?” he asked.
“Because there's absolutely no evidence that any civilization was here before,” she continued. “Even if they were primitive, they'd have been something left behind. Anyway, those stones don't come from around here, so whoever brought them such a great distance must have had resources and expertise. I'm keeping an open mind, but at this stage I'm starting to think that perhaps your family's involvement with Thaxos goes back even further, and if I had to put money on it, I'd say that they were definitely responsible for the stones.”
“Amazing,” Edgar replied. “You've only been on the case for one day, and you've already made so much progress. I can't even imagine what you'll discover as you continue to search through the documents.”
“I was lucky to start on this particular box,” she explained.
“I doubt that luck had much to do with it.”
Kate looked down at the papers again, keen to make sure that Edgar couldn't see her blushing.
“I also found some information about your grandfather,” she continued, trying to change the subject. “I hope you won't take offense when I say this, but the records he kept... The man clearly had one hell of a dark side.”
“Really?” Edgar asked. “How so?”
“How honest do you want me to be?”
“Please.”
“He more or less tortured people,” Kate continued. “He kept a meticulous diary, and I've only leafed through it a little so far, but it seems like he lost someone who was very important to him, and after that he just became this tyrant, endlessly seducing and then hurting women. It seems he fitted out part of the basement as some kind of chamber, and I'm hesitant to say that he tortured people but... I mean, he left behind some very graphic descriptions of what happened down there.”
“Such as?”
“Hair-raising stuff.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“I...” Kate paused, reluctant to give voice to such things. “I mean, I can provide you with a copy to read for yourself. Let's just say that he was endlessly inventive when it came to finding ways to hurt people. You might almost say that he had a real talent for it.”
A faint smile crossed Edgar's lips.
“There's so much inner turmoil and conflict in his writing,” she continued, “that I can kind of understand why your family became so unpopular on Thaxos.”
“You can?” Edgar asked.
“Did no-one ever find out what happened to him? It's said that he disappeared, but how can a man disappear from an island? There's at least have to be a body. Didn't your parents ever try to find out where he ended up?”
“As far as I'm aware, his disappearance was simply noted in the family archive. And then we all moved on.”
“Maybe they were relieved her was gone,” Kate pointed out. “If he was even a tenth as cruel and violent as these diaries suggest...”
“Perhaps it is better to leave such a man in the past,” Edgar replied. “He doesn't sound like someone whose presence would be a good thing. Such anger and cruelty must be hopelessly destructive. One can only hope that the man found some peace before he disappeared.”
“Plus he'd have to be almost two one-hundred-and-fifty years old right now,” Kate pointed out. “Whatever happened to him, I think we can assume that he's dead. I just wonder what happened to his body.”
“Perhaps you will find it stashed in one of the crates,” Edgar replied.
Kate turned to him.
“That was an attempt at humor,” Edgar continued. “I'm sorry if it was a little unfortunate. If there was a body here on the grounds of my estate, I'm quite certain that we would have found it by now. But enough of such a macabre subject. Perhaps we can continue our discussion about the history of the island over dinner tonight. The kitchen -”
“Actually, I'm going into town,” Kate said suddenly, surprising herself. It hadn't been her intention to leave the mansion at all that day, but the thought of spending another cringe-inducing evening with Edgar and Didi was horrifying and she figured that a gentle walk into town would offer a chance for her to clear her head, not to mention touching base with Ephram and reminding herself that there was more to Thaxos than just the mansion and its inhabitants.
“I see,” Edgar replied. “I hope this isn't due to any discomfort on your part. Last night -”
“It's just to see some people,” she continued, trying desperately to sound convincing. “I've spent so many hours in here tonight, I feel like maybe I'm on the verge of going stir crazy. You know how it can be good to just get out every so often, right?”
“I...” Edgar paused, and it was clear that this wasn't something that had occurred to him before. “It's entirely up to you,” he added finally. “I can certainly imagine that it might be beneficial to socialize with some of the locals.”
“Yo
u could always come with me,” Kate added before she could stop herself. The idea of someone as starched as Edgar popping into town for a few drinks was somehow both hilarious and wrong.
“Me?”
“Just a thought,” she replied cautiously.
“Another time, perhaps,” Edgar continued. “I'm not sure that I would be...” Another pause. “Well, another time,” he said again, getting to his feet. “I'm afraid that Didi and I don't go down to the town very often, if at all. The Le Compte family is still somewhat unpopular among the local residents, and I feel that it will take quite some time before the situation changes. Nevertheless, I hope that you enjoy your evening, and I trust that perhaps tomorrow night you might join Didi and myself for dinner once again. I can assure you that it will be a much more pleasant evening that last night.”
“Absolutely,” Kate replied, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. “That sounds great.”
“And...”
Kate waited, but something else was clearly on Edgar's mind.
“While you're in town,” he continued eventually, “could I trouble you to do me one small favor? Perhaps I'm being needlessly concerned, but I would very much like to know how Anna Kazakos is faring. If you could drop by to see her grandson at his store and inquire as to her health, I would be very grateful.”
“Sure,” Kate replied, “but if you don't mind the question... Why don't you just go and ask him yourself?”
“I hardly think that I would be welcome,” he replied. “As I have already admitted, I'm all too aware of my family's unpopularity on this island, and I should think that my presence in town would be unwelcome. I have only been down there once since I arrived, and that was very much under cover of night.”
“Then isn't that another reason to go down there yourself? It would be a gesture to show that you care, and it might even make people realize that you're not completely separated from the life of the island. If you just stay up here all the time, you might end up reinforcing some negative perceptions.”
Edgar paused for a moment, and there was clear anguish in his eyes, as if he genuinely wasn't sure what to do.
“Perhaps,” he said eventually. “We shall see. Some time... But for now, if you could ask after her, I would be eternally in your debt.”
“Of course I'll ask,” Kate replied, finding Edgar's reticence to be a little amusing but also puzzling, “but I really think you should consider going down yourself some time in the next few days. I mean, you can't just sit up here in your home forever, can you?”
Edgar opened his mouth to reply, but he seemed momentarily lost for words.
“Go on,” Kate continued with a faint smile. “Trust me. I think it'd be good for you.”