by Amy Cross
***
Although she could have taken a ride in one of the many motor vehicles that Edgar Le Compte had laid on for the party, Cavaleri stubbornly insisted on walking the whole way up to the mansion. Having stopped by her office and drawn up the papers outlining the fine, she loosened the buckles on her uniform and set off on the long trek, and she refused all offers of a lift whenever one of the vehicles rattled past her. In the late morning sun, however, she soon began to sweat, and by the time she reached the threshold of Le Compte's land an hour later, she was on the verge of collapse. Still she pushed on, and eventually she reached the main gate, at which point she stopped for a moment to compose herself.
Up ahead, she could hear laughter from the massed crowd.
“Idiots,” she muttered. “Naive, gullible fools.”
Once she was through the gate, she was astonished by the size of the garden party. There were stalls everywhere, with Edgar's men serving various types of hot and cold food, including meat from a large barbecue. A nearby stall held a huge array of cheeses from around the world, along with piles of bread and huge jars of pickle; another stall was overflowing with cured meats. One entire section of the garden, meanwhile, had been set aside for the town's children, with play equipment having miraculously appeared along with special tables of food for young visitors and even games such as a lucky dip. It was all a little old-fashioned, but Cavaleri couldn't help noticing that the town's children seemed to be having a wonderful time, playing freely and happily with one another.
“Mind control,” Cavaleri muttered darkly. “He's indoctrinating them at an early age.”
She made her way toward the mansion, passing the brass band that had drawn a large crowd. Nearby, a test-your-strength machine was also proving popular, with the men of the island lining up to smash the hammer down against a large red target, sending a drum shooting up toward a bell at the top. Even the less athletically able members of the community seemed to be enjoying themselves, and Cavaleri couldn't help but feel increasingly suspicious as she noticed that every single person was having fun. Deep in her bones, she could already tell that something was definitely not right with the situation.
“Inspector Cavaleri!” shouted Melissa Corvey, waving at her while holding a huge hamburger in one hand. “So good to see you up here! Isn't it wonderful?”
Cavaleri paused, realizing that she should at least pretend to appreciate the party.
“It's stunning,” she replied, forcing a smile. “Really... amazing.”
“I can't believe how generous he's being,” Melissa continued. “He's given every child a gift! I can't believe we were all so suspicious of Baron Le Compte! He's actually a wonderful, kind man!”
“Isn't he just?” Cavaleri replied, hurrying along. She felt sick to her stomach, a sensation that became even worse when she spotted Doctor Burns snoozing in a chair by the wall, having evidently had a couple too many fruit cordials already. Stopping, she nudged his shoulder, but the old man merely frowned and continued his nap. She tried again, but he was deep in his slumber.
“Best leave him to it,” said a passing woman with a smile.
“Wake up, old man,” Cavaleri continued, nudging his shoulder for a third time. Although he seemed to stir for a moment, it was clear that he would be no use even if he could be roused.
Turning, Cavaleri looked up at the facade of the mansion. She took a deep breath, before making her way up the stone steps and through the main door.
Inside there were people everywhere, wandering from room to room as if the Le Compte house was some kind of vast museum. Signs had been put up to inform visitors about the history of the place, and huge oil paintings of Le Compte's ancestors stared down at the scene. As Cavaleri pushed her way through the crowd, clutching the legal papers she had brought for Le Compte, she began to wonder if she was in fact dreaming the entire experience. She had grown up on the island, always being told that the mansion was out of bounds, yet here it was with the doors flung open and happy visitors enjoying the chance to snoop around.
It was as if the world had been turned upside down.
“That's his grandfather,” a boy was telling his friend, pointing up to one of the paintings. “They called him the Impaler!”
“He looks just like the current Baron Le Compte,” replied the other boy.
“Maybe he's still got the torture equipment his grandfather used to use!” the first point suggested excitedly. “Maybe it's all hidden away in part of the house we can't get to!”
“Excuse me,” Cavaleri said as she reached an elderly gentleman in a butler's uniform, “I'm looking for Baron Edgar Le Compte.”
“His Lordship is here somewhere,” the old man replied. “My name is Jacob, and I am the head of the serving staff here. Perhaps I can be of assistance?”
“It's Le Compte I need to see,” she continued, holding up the papers. “Official business.”
“I see,” Jacob replied. “I'm afraid that you've come at a rather inopportune moment, so you will simply have to take a look around and wait until you bump into him. I believe he is quite enjoying the opportunity to discuss the history of his family with some of the people who have come to visit. You could always come tomorrow...”
“This is urgent business,” she snapped back at him. “The police don't change their plans just because someone happens to be holding a party, you know.”
“Quite,” Jacob replied. “All I can tell you is that he's most certainly around here somewhere.”
“I'll bet he is,” Cavaleri muttered, making her way past the old man and heading along a corridor. Every time she heard someone laughing nearby, she felt a shiver run through her body as she realized how easily the entire town had been turned to Edgar's side. Less than twenty-four hours ago, Edgar Le Compte was widely regarded as a dangerous man, as someone who was destroying the happiness of everyone on Thaxos; he was being blamed, at least indirectly, for the death of Alice Marco and for the influx of rats to the island. Now, however, Cavaleri felt that she was the only person who still recognized his true nature.
Reaching the large ballroom at the end of the eastern wing, she stopped for a moment as she saw that yet another crowd seemed to be enthralled by the experience of exploring the Le Compte mansion.
“They're mad,” Cavaleri whispered under her breath. “They've all lost their minds!”
II
“Have you seen Edgar?” Kate asked as she finally managed to find Jacob in one of the crowded rooms.
“I believe His Lordship is somewhere around,” Jacob replied, “but I couldn't tell you exactly where, I'm afraid. As you can imagine, he's rather popular today.”
“I've been looking for him all morning,” she continued. “I need to -”
Before she could finish, she spotted an unfamiliar figure on the other side of the room. She'd noticed the man a few time already during the morning, but she hadn't yet had a chance to speak to him. He certainly didn't look like he lived on the island, since he was wearing a casual but expensive-looking suit, and he seemed to be happy just mingling in the crowd.
“Who's that man?” she asked Jacob.
“Which man, Ma'm?”
“The guy in the pale suit. I haven't seen him on Thaxos before.”
“That gentleman is one of His Lordship's acquaintances from the mainland,” Jacob replied. “He is here for a short visit. A very pleasant fellow, from my experience.”
Kate kept her eyes on the newcomer, who seemed somehow separate from the rest of the people in the room. As she lost sight of him for a moment, she noticed a more familiar figure tottering unsteadily through the room.
“Never mind,” she told Jacob, before pushing her way through the crowd until finally she was spat out the other side next to Didi, who was holding a champagne glass that clearly wasn't her first of the day.
“Katie!” Didi screeched. “Are you having a good party?” She grabbed a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and thrust it in Kate's
direction. “Drink up!”
“It's a little early for me. Have you seen -”
“Come on, don't be a party-pooper! Join the fun! Everyone's having a great time! Isn't it freaky?” She took a big gulp of champagne. “I think it's freaky,” she added, with a hint of darkness to her voice.
“It's not even midday,” Kate pointed out diplomatically, taking the glass and immediately setting it down on a nearby table. “Have you seen Edgar?”
“Who?”
Kate sighed.
“Oh, Eddie,” Didi continued. “The lord and master of all we survey! I dunno, I guess he's around somewhere. He doesn't usually like crowds, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's hidden himself away in one of the private rooms. My Eddie's a lovely guy sometimes, but he's got all the social skills of a broken vacuum cleaner, but hey, that's one of the reasons I love him! Come on, why don't you have a drink?” She grabbed another champagne glass from another passing waiter and held it out toward Kate, as if she'd completely forgotten the beginning of their conversation already. “It's really good!”
“Are you drunk?” Kate asked.
“Are you a size twelve?” Didi replied, looking down at Kate's waist. “I was trying to guess earlier. I've been a size six my whole life, but I really enjoy trying to guess other people's sizes. At first I thought you were a ten, but now, no offense, I'm thinking a twelve. Am I right?”
“You're definitely drunk,” Kate replied stonily, turning to look back across the room in the desperate hope that she might yet spot Edgar.
“Of course I'm drunk,” Didi continued. “How else do you think I get through the days here? At least with this party going on, my drunkenness is in context.” She took a step forward, but she quickly became unbalanced on her ridiculously high heels, and it was only Kate's swift intervention that kept her from tumbling to the floor. “Was that an earthquake,” she continued, “or are you just pleased to see me?”
“Why don't you sit down for a moment?” Kate replied, helping Didi over to a chair and easing her onto the cushion. “Just wait here and I'll fetch you a glass of water. Deal?”
“No deal!” Didi exclaimed excitedly.
“I'll be back in a minute,” Kate replied, turning and pushing her way across the room. It took longer than she'd expected, but she was finally able to get to the kitchen, where she grabbed a glass and began to pour some water for Didi. She knew it wouldn't be much use, but at the same time she was worried that the younger girl might get even more drunk, and might even end up ruining the entire party.
“Have you seen him?” asked a female voice suddenly.
Turning, Kate found that there was a sour-faced woman standing next to her, wearing a police officer's uniform.
“Do you mean Edgar?”
“Baron Le Compte,” the woman replied humorlessly. “Where is he? I've been wandering around this place for half an hour and I still can't find him!”
“Sorry,” Kate replied, “I -”
Before she could finish, the police officer muttered something under her breath and stalked away, pushing her way angrily through the crowd.
“Isn't Baron Le Compte wonderful?” said a woman nearby, talking to her friend. “I never thought I'd see the day when the whole of Thaxos is invited up to the mansion like this.”
“I've heard stories about his grandfather,” replied the other woman, “but clearly they're like night and day. Thank God we're living here today, and not all those years ago when the previous Baron Le Compte was in charge. I've heard some horror stories about that man.”
“That's still no reason for Inspector Cavaleri to be so angry,” the first woman continued. “I don't get why she can't just relax for once!”