by Amy Cross
***
“Damn thing doesn't even look seaworthy,” Cavaleri muttered as she wandered along the quayside, looking up at the rust that was eating into the boat's hull. When she reached the far end, she spotted some faded white letters, parts of which had already begun to peel off.
She paused for a moment, trying to read that boat's name.
“D... Do...”
Another pause.
“Dov...”
Finally, she gave up. Turning to look back toward the hill, she saw that there was still no sign of anyone coming back down from the mansion, and she could just about make out the sound of the brass band still playing. Her blood boiled at the thought of everyone up there having a good time, lapping up Le Compte's hospitality and acting as if the past few months had never happened. Lost in thought, she barely even noticed the beeping sound from her phone, which indicated that another caller was trying to get through.
“There's someone on the other line,” she told Fernando. “Just hang on a moment.”
She waited for a reply, but all she heard was some garbled, static-filled noise that made no sense.
“Just get on with it,” she muttered, before switching to the second line. “Inspector Cavaleri here, how can I -”
“You have to get here at once!” a voice shouted, with the sound of a woman screaming in the background. “Hurry! You have to come to our house! Something terrible has happened!”
“What's wrong?” Cavaleri asked, forcing herself to stay calm. “Who am I talking to?”
As she listened to the reply, she was already sprinting away from the quayside and across the town square. She glanced up at the hillside and saw that there was still no sign of anyone coming back down to the boat. Figuring that it would be safe to leave Fernando for a few minutes, she hurried toward the little orange house on the corner, from which she could hear the sound of Catherine Marco screaming in terror.
VI
“Me? Drunk? Are you kidding?”
Struggling to support Didi's weight, Kate finally managed to get them to the door, at which point she used her knee to turn the handle. Pushing the door open, she half-supported, half-carried Didi over to the huge four-poster bed at the far end of the room, at which point she was finally able to ease the drunk girl down onto the covers.
“Jesus,” Kate muttered, taking a step back. “So much for looking after my heart.”
“What are you saying?” Didi asked, slurring her words as she tried, but failed, to get up. “You think I'm drunk, don't you? I know you always act all superior, but you're not fooling me. You think I'm D, R, U, N, K, and in your head, that makes you better than me!”
“You just need to rest for a few minutes,” Kate told her, unable to stifle a faint smile at the thought of the hangover that Didi was clearly going to be suffering the next morning. “I'm sure you'll be fine soon.”
“Oh, I'll be fine,” Didi continued, rolling across the bed for no obvious reason. “Don't you worry about me. Tomorrow, bright and early, I'll be back on the case. I've got a job to do, you know.”
“What's that,” Kate replied, turning to leave the room, “drink cocktails and sunbathe?”
“I've got to find Mr. Nixon's fate,” she mumbled.
Stopping, Kate turned to see that Didi's eyes were now closed, as if she was falling asleep. She paused for a moment, trying to work out if she'd really just heard what she thought she'd head.
“What did you say?” she asked, making her way back over to the bed.
“What?” Didi mumbled, keeping her eyes closed.
“You said something about Mr. Nixon,” Kate continued, sitting next to Didi and gently nudging her shoulder. “What did you mean?”
“What did you mean?” Didi asked hazily, turning her head and pressing her face into the pillow. She mumbled something else, but Kate couldn't make out a single world.
“Didi,” she continued, grabbing the girl's head and turning it back toward her. “What did you mean about Mr. Nixon? You're talking about James Nixon, aren't you?”
“I've gotta find his fate,” Didi slurred, opening her eyes a little but suddenly looking far drunker than before. “I've gotta find his fate, is all I've gotta do. I've gotta... find out what happened to him, from the one man who knows, and that man, do you know who he is?”
“Edgar?”
“Bingo!” A grin spread across her face. “Edgar is the only one who really knows what happened, and I'm gonna wheedle it out of him one way or another. He's stubborn, but I'll get him to talk eventually, and then I'll be outta here before he has a chance to get me down to his silly basement.”
Kate paused for a moment.
“But what do you care?” Didi asked. “Why... What do you...”
“You don't think that Edgar knows,” she said finally. “Do you?”
“I've gotta find Mr. Nixon's fate,” Didi continued. “I've gotta find out what happened to him, and then I can get what I want. I haven't got what I want yet. I'm still waiting.” Rolling onto her side, she muttered something unintelligible, as if all the alcohol was finally dragging her into unconsciousness.
“Didi,” Kate continued, nudging her shoulder, “what exactly do you mean?”
She paused for a moment, but it was clear that the conversation would have to wait until at least the following morning. Grabbing one edge of the duvet, she gently wrapped it over Didi's sleeping body and then got to her feet, as a long, slow snoring sound started to emerge from the girl's mouth. Kate had no idea exactly how many glasses of champagne Didi had managed to get down her throat during the course of the party, but it was clearly too many for her to be able to talk properly. Questions would have to wait until the morning.
“Is everything okay in here?”
Turning, Kate saw to her surprise that Edgar was standing in the doorway.
“Totally,” she replied, startled that he had yet again managed to sneak up on her, and unsure about how much of the conversation he might have overheard. “I was just putting her to bed.”
Edgar made his way over to the bed and looked down at Didi with a faint, sad smile on his lips.
“Drunk again,” he muttered. “Sometimes I wonder whatever is wrong with this girl. I honestly don't remember the last day she didn't end up passing out. Why do some people like to knock themselves into oblivion like this?”
“Maybe -” Kate started to say, before thinking better of it.
“Maybe what?”
“Nothing.”
“I'd like to know your opinion,” he continued. “I've tried to do something to help her, but... Perhaps you might have some better ideas.”
“People don't drink like this without a reason,” Kate pointed out. “Something must be wrong.”
Edgar nodded.
“So you just have to figure out what,” she added.
“There's something she keeps from me,” he replied. “She's not honest about her intentions.”
“What do you think that might be?”
“She looks to be sleeping peacefully enough,” Edgar replied after a moment, his eyes fixed on Didi as she continued to snore. “Perhaps that is the problem. An alcoholic daze is preferable to reality, in which case it might be worth seeing if a nightmare shakes her out of this state.” He reached down and placed a hand on the side of Didi's face. “Or maybe I'm being too harsh,” he added. “Let us hope that she dreams of something that brings her a little happiness, such as... Let us hope that she is dreaming about me.”
As if on cue, Didi's sleeping face ruffled into a frown, and she rolled over on the bed, as if she had indeed been struck by a nightmare. Although Kate knew that such a thing was impossible, she couldn't shake the impression that Edgar seemed to have slipped the nightmare directly into the girl's mind.
“There is no time for this,” he said after a moment, turning away from the bed. “If she wants to get drunk, that's her problem, but it need not detain us. I trust your check-up with Doctor Young was all in order?”
“And he didn't find anything wrong with you?”
Kate paused. “No,” she said after a moment, forcing a smile. “I'm absolutely fine.”
“Is that so?” Edgar asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Maybe one or two minor things, but nothing to worry about.”
“Then I must go and find him at once,” he continued. “The afternoon is proceeding so fast, and I still have to reveal the surprise that I have lined up for everyone. If Doctor Young agrees that it's ready, I plan to make the announcement in the garden in just a few minutes' time. Please, promise me that you'll join the crowd. In fact, could I trouble you to urge anyone else you find to come and join us out there as well? I really don't want anyone to miss it.”
“Sure,” Kate replied, trying to hide the fact that she was feeling distinctly uneasy. “I can't wait to find out what you've got up your sleeve.”
“It's...” He paused, as if he wanted to tell her already. “I will be very interested to see your reaction,” he said finally. “I believe it will change everyone's opinion about me, including your own.”
“Are you sure you don't want to wake Didi and drag her out there too?” Kate asked as Edgar headed to the door.
“Wake Didi?” He turned to her for a moment. “Why would I bother to do such a thing? I don't give a damn what she thinks about anything. The only opinion I care about is...” He paused. “Please, gather people together on the lawn.”
With that, he left the room, leaving Kate to wonder exactly whose opinion really mattered to him the most, as Didi continued to toss and turn on the bed.