The South Pacific Murders

by Sylvia Massara

  I nodded. “I’d say so. Chris is having trouble trying to identify Erotic Heart, though. He’ll keep working once he’s rested.”

  “They’re doing a luau lunch at the buffet restaurant,” Smythe tried to sound casual as he commented on this. But I picked up the inquisitive inflection in his voice. He was probably dying to know who I was meeting. If only he knew I made the whole thing up.

  “That’s nice,” I said and glanced at my watch. “Well, gents, I have to go now. Perhaps, I’ll see you at dinner.” Before either of them could reply, I turned and walked away, knowing I looked terrific in a white see-through cotton dress with my swimmers underneath.

  I ended up having a room service lunch in my cabin in case Smythe went looking for me. Let him wonder what I was up to. While I ate, my mind turned to Enrico. If Erotic Heart was to be believed, she was definitely a woman near my age or older. Enrico was too young to even remember what a lonely-hearts ad looked like. Of course, there was always the chance Chris could be right and Erotic Heart was someone inventing an identity—if so, it could be anybody. But all things being equal, my intuition told me Erotic Heart was genuine about her background and experiences. She didn’t reveal much about who she was; but the idea of the forum was to share one’s sexual experiences and not to give away the user’s true identity.

  Taking into account the cheaters’ club as the common denominator among the victims, I ruled out the captain and Mike Yuen as suspects. At least, pending any additional evidence we might find. Their lives had been ruined by doctors—different doctors with different specialties—but we only had one killer. The CCTV had caught enough footage to enable us to confirm the killer was one and the same. And it was a ‘he’, which ruled out Martha Barry. This left Enrico as the main suspect. Of course, there could be other suspects we hadn’t yet come across.

  Enrico had access to information on the convention members, and he was known to all of them. Plus he kept the gossip going on about ‘who might be next’—perhaps to divert attention away from himself. Could Enrico be the killer and Erotic Heart at the same time?

  Although this was possible, it somehow didn’t feel right to me. If Erotic Heart told the truth about her marriage, then gay Enrico did not fit the profile. Besides, those who had something going with Erotic Heart referred to her as a female in their comments. If Enrico truly was Erotic Heart, then he had the best disguise in the world, because nobody on the forum mentioned having a thing with a transvestite who went by the name of Erotic Heart.

  As for being the killer, we now knew the person’s gait and build from the footage we’d gleaned. Enrico was slim and lithe. He could have been a ballet dancer. The killer’s figure was fuller and stockier, and the gait was all wrong for Enrico—unless he disguised himself with bulky clothing and walked more like a man than the waif he always projected in public.

  I shook my head in frustration. Speculation always made me feel restless and it got me nowhere. Therefore, after a decent time interval of pretending to be having lunch with a friend, I made my way out of the cabin and went on deck. I felt rather clammy and decided to go for a swim; but first, I checked the pool area to ensure Smythe had gone. The last thing I needed now was to run into him again, and in my swimmers.

  Thankfully, the coast was clear and I spent the next couple of hours swimming and sunbathing. It felt great to relax for a change. When I had enough, I noticed it was close to afternoon teatime. I was starving. So I threw the white dress over me and made my way to the back of the ship where I knew I’d find Professor Tully.

  Sure enough, I found him at his usual table drinking lemon tea and eating his favourite strawberry tartlets. “Mia, what an unexpected pleasure!” He seemed genuinely pleased to see me.

  “I’ll join you in a minute, Professor,” I said and ducked back into the restaurant to get coffee and a slice of carrot cake with lemon icing. “So how are you getting along?” I asked when I joined him.

  “Feeling much better,” he smiled. “It seems the sunshine and sea air agree with my health. But if truth be told, I think it’s the remedial massages I’m getting from a lovely gal at the spa.” He winked with humour, and I laughed.

  “Well, I’m pleased for you. You seemed to be in quite a bit of pain when we rented the jeep in Vila.”

  The professor popped a tartlet into his mouth. “Those little jeeps are what I call ‘bone-rattlers’. No suspension whatsoever. I was very tired that day after sitting in the jeep for so long, but I still enjoyed our outing.”

  I took a bite of my carrot cake and washed it down with coffee. “Mmm. This is excellent. Isn’t it wonderful just eating and relaxing?” I didn’t understand why I was in such a good mood—not when we had a murderer onboard, plus I was trying to avoid Smythe—but perhaps the professor was right and it was the sea air.

  “I think this is what a holiday should be about, don’t you?” he commented.

  “Sure, except for...” I stopped just in time, but the professor was too fast for me.

  “Except for the murders,” he completed my sentence. “How is your investigation coming along?”

  “Not much to go by,” I replied, knowing I couldn’t tell anybody outside of our group what we’d discovered. “I guess we’re hoping the killer won’t strike again and that we make it to Hawaii quickly so we can hand everything over to the authorities.”

  Professor Tully nodded. “Yes. That makes sense. Well, we’ll be in Pago Pago soon and then onto Hawaii. Not long to go now.”

  “True.” I finished my cake but still felt hungry, so I went back inside to grab a couple of cucumber sandwiches before rejoining the professor. “Despite the unsavoury goings on, how have you enjoyed your cruise so far?” I wanted to steer the conversation away from the murders.

  The professor took a moment to respond and then a smile appeared on his face. “I’m tangoing.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Tango—dancing the tango—just as I used to do with my Eden.” He obviously saw the surprise on my face and went on to explain, “Eden and I used to belong to a ballroom dancing group when we were young, and we used to love the tango. Then, as my practice got busier, I had to give it up. Besides, by this time, my legs were not as strong and my hip gave me much pain.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. So what happened with your dancing?”

  “Eden kept it up. She liked to keep fit, and dancing can do that for you.” His look seemed far away, probably reliving his younger years.

  “And now you’re tangoing again?

  He chuckled. “Yes. I felt much better these last couple of days and I noticed they were giving tango lessons on the ship. So I signed up. Mind you, I’m a lot slower, but then so are the biddies who come along to meet handsome men like me!”

  I laughed. “You’re a modest one, Professor,” I teased. “But I’m glad you’ve found something you love to do. It just goes to prove you’re never too old to do what you love.”

  His countenance turned serious again and I knew his thoughts were back with Eden and his younger years. Somehow, this made me feel depressed. Here I was, almost fifty, and I would never have the memories of someone I loved—at least, not someone who was the love of my life. I thought briefly of my cheating ex and the years I’d wasted on him. Life just wasn’t fair.

  Chapter 20

  We sailed into Pago Pago at 7.00am and I stood on deck with Chris, taking in the panoramic view of clear blue waters against a backdrop of rocky hills and mountains. The weather was picture perfect and I was eager to go ashore.

  “I don’t see what the big hurry is, Mia,” Chris protested, still half asleep.

  I’d ordered room service breakfast for 6.00am and woke Chris with it, pushing him to hurry, eat, and get ready for our day out. I wanted to be off the ship before Smythe appeared.

  The last couple of days we’d spent at sea, Chris worked hard to hack into the ISP archives to no avail. He seemed to be having trouble locating the correct server. The problem was compounded by t
he fact that we ran into rough weather and the satellite connection kept cutting out, thus making working online impossible at times.

  While Chris kept busy working, I mingled with the convention members in case I picked up any useful information. At the same time, I ensured I only came into contact with Smythe when others were around me.

  I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was trying to get me alone so we could talk, but I wasn’t yet ready to face what had happened between us. So I kept busy onboard and always surrounded myself with people.

  The night before we reached our port of call, Dobbs and Smythe discussed over dinner their upcoming meeting with the Pago Pago authorities. I heard them mention the meeting time of 9.00am. My plan, then, was to get Chris and disappear for the entire day the minute we reached land.

  Now, as we stood on the Promenade Deck watching the ship being brought in and secured at the dock, I patiently listened to Chris’s complaints.

  “Man, I could’ve slept two more hours! I mean, who gets up so early?”

  I sighed and ignored his latest protest. “What do you say we rent a motorbike?”

  This got his attention. “You’ll let me drive it?”

  I knew I was taking a risk riding on a motorcycle with a young man who would probably speed, but I would rather ride with Evel Knievel himself than be stuck with Smythe on a romantic island. He was bound to catch up with me at some stage after meeting with the local authorities, but not if Chris and I rode around the island all day.

  “Yes. You can drive us around,” I responded to his enthusiastic remark.

  He turned a suspicious gaze on me that made me blush with guilt. “Okay, what’s going on?” he demanded.

  “Er... nothing’s going on. I only thought it’d be fun riding around the island seeing as in Vila we had to go rather slow because of the professor.”

  Unfortunately, it looked like he wasn’t buying my excuse. Worse still, he was now fully alert. “Ferrari, I can smell the bullcrap coming from you, and it ain’t good.” He accused with a merciless look in his eyes.

  I sighed and knew when I was beaten. Chris was not going to let this rest unless I coughed up. “Damn you, Chris! If you must know, I’m trying to avoid Smythe.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Is that all? When are you not trying to avoid him?”

  “No. You don’t understand... He... I...” The colour on my face must’ve turned a deep red when I caught the sudden look of realisation in his eyes.

  “Oh, my God!” he exclaimed, a big grin on his face. “The sex site got to you. I knew it! And you and Smythe—”

  Thankfully, anger came to my rescue. “It’s not like that, you fool! What do you take me for?”

  He turned confused eyes toward me. “Then, I don’t understand.”

  I gave him a brief account of what Dobbs had told me about Smythe not interfering with my police application. “Smythe was very decent about the whole thing,” I confided, “plus he took the abuse I threw his way all these years without saying anything.”

  Chris looked stunned. “Does this mean in future we’re going to work together with him, and he won’t stop us?”

  Trust him to care only about future investigations. “How should I know?” I snapped.

  Chris smiled now. “So, you two got cosy, huh?”

  I examined my shoes, trying to find something fascinating about them. “Let’s just say we had a weak moment,” I finally admitted, and added when I happened to glance at his eyes and noticed his knowing gaze, “It’s not what you think, so get your mind out of the gutter. We simply kissed. Besides, it’s none of your business.”

  He looked at me with a touch of triumph. “Touché for when you were teasing me about my ‘ladylove’.”

  “Fine. And now that you know, you keep your trap shut about all this. I don’t want Dobbs in on it as well. I need to work things out with Smythe at some stage. I’m not sure what he thinks about the whole thing, plus I’m not ready to start anything with him.”

  “You know you can count on me, Mia,” he reassured me, and I felt better. “My only regret is my dad didn’t do anything sooner to win your love. His loss, I guess.”

  I pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you, sweetie,” I said and he blushed. “Whatever did or didn’t happen with David, you know I’ll always be your friend and pseudo-mother.”

  He nodded, at a loss for words.

  “Now, let’s get out there and hire that bike!” I declared with a smile.

  He didn’t need a second invitation.

  ~~~

  We spent the day touring the island, stopping here and there to explore a beach and buy souvenirs from quaint open-air markets we came across. We then went into town for lunch; and after riding to a few lookout points, we finally returned the bike and made our way back to the ship one hour prior to sailing time.

  Dobbs and Smythe met us when we came onboard. I knew they’d been on the lookout for us.

  “Where the hell did you guys get to?” Dobbs enquired, sounding put off. “I thought you were going to wait for us so we could spend the day together.”

  He looked rather disappointed, but I couldn’t help it. I also noticed the frown on Smythe’s face, and said, “We didn’t know how long you’d be. You know how it is with these official things, so Chris and I decided to venture out on our own.”

  They seemed to accept my explanation even though Smythe still looked rather unhappy. “What did you end up doing?” he asked.

  I’d pre-warned Chris not to babble about the bike as Dobbs would freak out and threaten to tell David Rourke. So Chris said, “We found a great spot for snorkelling and hired some equipment. It was really great.”

  Wow! The kid was beginning to take after me. I was impressed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to shower. My hair’s full of salt.”

  “We’re meeting for dinner with the captain,” Dobbs informed us. “After this morning’s meeting with the police, we decided it would be better to expedite our way to Honolulu.”

  I remarked, sounding surprised, “He’s going to change the itinerary?”

  Dobbs nodded. “We’ll talk later. Let’s meet at seven in Horizons. I’m starving already and it’s not even four.”

  I smiled. “Get yourself some afternoon tea. That’ll tie you over till dinnertime.”

  Chris and I started to walk off, but Smythe stood in front of me. “Can I have a quick word with you?”

  I saw Chris smirk and he and Dobbs went off toward the lifts, chattering in a lively manner. I knew I was trapped. “If this is personal, now’s not the time. I’m dusty, sweaty, and tired.”

  His blue-green eyes pinned me to the spot. “You can’t avoid me forever, Mia.”

  I sighed. “Later, okay? I promise.”

  A variety of emotions passed fleetingly across his face, and I thought he was going to keep me standing there until we had it out, but he gave me a half smile and let me go on my way.

  ~~~

  We met for dinner in the a-la-carte restaurant and were seated at a round table behind black rattan screens for privacy. The captain, Garcia and Mark were already there having pre-dinner drinks with Dobbs and Smythe. When Chris and I arrived, I went straight for the chair next to Dobbs and sat down. Chris ended up sitting next to me with Smythe on his other side.

  “Mia, Chris, can I order you a drink?” The captain greeted us with a smile.

  “Just Pellegrino water for me, thanks,” I replied, and Chris nodded for the same.

  We chitchatted until the drinks arrived and we ordered our meals. Then, the captain turned to business.

  “Under the circumstances, I decided to change our course. We’ll still complete the trip as is, but I intend to put into Honolulu next so we have an extra day to deal with the authorities and offload the bodies. Then, we’ll end the voyage on the Big Island.”

  “Can you do that?” Chris asked.

  Mark answered, “The company reserves the right to change the itinerary as the captain sees fi
t. So yes, we can do that. In any case, we’ll offer passengers free flights back to Honolulu for those who were originally going to end their voyage there.”

  “But they could stay in Honolulu once we arrive,” Chris returned.

  “Yes, but they already paid to visit the Big Island, so we’re not going to cancel this for them.”

  “What about the extra day in Honolulu, are we going to sail faster to make up for it?” I asked the captain.

  “Yes. As you probably know, we usually sail at a leisurely speed so we give the impression that we’re cruising,” the captain replied. “But the ship’s capable of going much faster if need be.”

  Our entrees arrived then, and while we ate we reverted back to chitchat.

  “Hey,” Chris said to me quietly, “this means we get to go to Honolulu with Dobbs and Smythe after all.”

  “Yes, but don’t go thinking they’ll let us hang around with them while they’re dealing with the authorities.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t care about that. Let them deal with all the red tape. I want to visit Pearl Harbor.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “So if you let me rent a bike, we can—”

  “Not this time, Chris. Honolulu has a lot more traffic than some small island in the middle of nowhere.” He looked crestfallen, so I added, “But we can rent one of those big American Cadillac convertibles and drive all around.”

  His eyes shone. “Wow! That’s even better.”

  “Let’s just keep it between us, okay?”

  He nodded and we joined the general conversation once again. “Captain,” I said, “when do we arrive in Honolulu now?”

  “Well, instead of the four days we were going to spend at sea, we’ll make it in three. This’ll give us the extra day for the stay in Honolulu.”

  The men then started discussing the procedure for handing over to the Honolulu Police while I turned back to Chris. “This is our last chance to catch ourselves a killer. You’ve got to find out who Erotic Heart is.”