Murder On Mustique

by Glenconner Anne

  ‘I told you, no one comes on this boat without a warrant.’

  ‘I’m only here to offer you shelter. You’ve got my permission to approach the shore. Choose any bay, and keep safe if the storm hits us. Feel free to dock, until it passes over.’

  The captain glares at him. ‘Were you taking pictures just now?’

  ‘Yes, indeed. I’m a marine life enthusiast. Did you know that a whale shark was spotted near here, last year?’

  ‘Shut up, you idiot. I’ll get you fired for this.’

  ‘Stay safe, Captain, like I said. Come ashore if the storm comes this way.’

  Nile feels satisfied when he returns to harbour; at least he’s got a visual record of the yacht’s layout. He collects Charlie Layton’s motorbike from the station and heads back to Lovell. Wesley Gilbert’s cabin is the highest property in the village, giving him a view of dozens of brightly painted cottages cascading down to the beach. Gilbert’s home looks austere by comparison, suitable for an ex-soldier with its sombre dark blue walls, and white picket fences.

  Lady Vee’s butler has the radio on when Nile approaches his property. Spanish flamenco drifts through the door, low and tuneful, every note perfectly in time. It’s only when Nile walks closer that he realises his mistake. Gilbert is cradling a guitar on his lap, eyes closed as he plays. Nile waits until he’s finished before announcing himself.

  ‘That’s quite a talent, Papa.’

  ‘I should practise more.’ Gilbert doesn’t seem fazed by the arrival of a visitor. He props his instrument against the wall then beckons him inside. ‘Don’t call me Papa just yet. Wesley’s fine until I retire.’

  Nile smiles in reply, but Gilbert’s manner doesn’t allow for relaxation. The man is studying him like a headmaster considering a variety of punishments.

  ‘You’re not here for idle conversation, are you, Solomon?’

  ‘I need to find out what’s been going on at Lady Vee’s villa. The violence is linked to Lily Calder’s coral preservation project in some way.’

  ‘Do you want a beer, while we talk?’

  ‘That would be great, thanks. Is this your day off?’

  ‘Lady Vee sent us all home; some of us are helping with Tommy Rothmore’s wake later. Most of the island’s domestic staff are involved.’

  Nile looks around while Gilbert fetches their drinks. The man’s furniture is made from simple dark wood, the walls adorned with paintings of the island’s vivid foliage, tangled with the white flowers of vespertine. He recognises Mama Toulaine’s style but never expected to see her work in Wesley Gilbert’s home. Nile follows him outside when he fetches two bottles of lager and a bowl of nachos. Gilbert settles in a deckchair, putting his feet up on the rail, his expression relaxed.

  ‘How can I help, Solomon?’

  ‘You must have seen plenty of Tommy Rothmore and Amanda Fortini this summer. Has there been any odd behaviour at Eden House?’

  ‘I try not to look too closely. My main duty to Lady Vee and Lord Blake is as their butler, discretion guaranteed.’

  ‘The rules have changed, Wesley. We just found Amanda’s body.’

  Gilbert’s eyes widen. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. So young, wasn’t she?’

  ‘Twenty-three a few months ago.’

  ‘Tommy and Amanda were young heirs to huge fortunes. Money was handed to them on a plate, and I guess that can be a blessing and a curse.’ His voice is neutral; he’s stating a fact, not griping about the wealth gap. ‘Tommy quit visiting Eden House straight after their relationship ended.’

  ‘Can you think why they were targeted?’

  Gilbert takes a gulp of his beer. ‘People like that can be oblivious sometimes.’

  ‘Meaning what?’

  ‘They’re too high class to snap their fingers, but if you’re a waiter, a cook or a maid, you’re invisible. Some people hate being overlooked.’

  ‘Including you?’

  ‘I couldn’t do my job if it hurt me that badly. Working as a butler wasn’t my first choice after the army, but the job suits me.’ Gilbert returns Nile’s gaze. ‘That’s because Lady Vee and Lord Blake treat me fairly. They may not be the richest couple on Mustique, but they’ve got the most class. They’ve passed those values down to Lily.’

  Nile finds the conversation frustrating. He was hoping for answers, not a statement of professional loyalty. His next line of questioning will damage the relaxed atmosphere, but there’s no avoiding it.

  ‘Whoever’s hurting these people is leaving pieces of coral in their homes, and it must be an insider, unless they can walk through walls. Someone entered Eden House on Saturday night without breaking a window or forcing a door. They went up to the second floor and left coral outside Lily’s door. It has to be someone with a key, who knows the layout.’

  ‘The only people in that category are Lady Vee’s relatives and me. If you’re asking whether I got copies made and handed them out, surely I’d have done that sooner, if I wanted to hurt the family.’

  ‘How about Jose Gomez? She saw him in her garden at midnight.’

  ‘Jose’s dumb, not stupid. He’d never hurt anyone.’

  ‘How did you spend Saturday night and Sunday morning, Wesley?’

  ‘I knew you’d get there eventually.’ Gilbert gives a narrow smile. ‘I went to Patti Toulaine’s straight after work and didn’t leave till 8a.m. the next morning.’

  ‘I knew you were friends with Mama Toulaine, but not that you’re a couple.’

  ‘You were away a long time, Solomon. Patti likes her independence too much to co-habit, but we’ve been together years.’

  ‘That explains your fine artwork. Who else could break into Eden House at night?’

  Gilbert looks thoughtful. ‘I can’t account for Lady Vee’s family. One of them may have been careless, so someone’s taken a copy.’

  ‘How about friends? She’s relaxed about letting people inside, isn’t she?’

  ‘The Blakes have plenty of dinner parties.’

  ‘What about Phillip Everard? He’s been close to the Blakes for years.’

  Gilbert releases a laugh. ‘That guy’s half in love with Lady Vee, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s so mindful of people’s feelings he even remembers my birthday. Last year he gave me a Cartier watch. The guy was over on St Lucia helping Lord Blake when Amanda went missing, wasn’t he?’

  ‘I’m just wondering who may have borrowed a key, then been careless enough to leave it lying around.’

  Nile thanks Gilbert before he leaves. He’s glad that the man’s alibi rules him out, but he needs hard information. It interests him that Mama Toulaine has chosen such a restrained character for her partner, but the man’s true personality showed this afternoon. Gilbert spoke about being ignored by the young people he’s served all summer long, apart from Lily Calder, and it’s possible that someone with a less calm disposition might have taken offence. Until now Nile has believed that Jose Gomez had no role in the violence, too childlike to harbour such murderous anger, but the young man has been behaving oddly for weeks.

  It doesn’t take Nile long to walk down to the waterfront, to look for Jose. The Gomezes’ cabin is a ramshackle structure, raised on wooden stilts to protect it from storm swells, but it still looks vulnerable. Several of the wooden steps leading up to the porch are broken, the whole structure in need of maintenance. Nile waits several minutes after knocking on the door, but the place is empty.

  30

  MY SPIRITS ARE still low when I head for Lovell on my buggy, but I promised to visit Hosea Nile, and I can’t back out, even though Amanda Fortini’s death fills my mind. Time shifts backwards to a happier period once I see Lovell’s cabins ranged across the hillside, picked out in pastel colours that glow in the Caribbean sun. When Jasper first brought me here forty years ago, the community lived in different circumstances, with no running water, electricity or health care. Now the place has a school, church and a library. I can tell the community is prospering on its own terms, from th
e gardens full of lime trees, banana palms and geraniums flourishing on people’s doorsteps.

  Hosea Nile’s house lies at the centre of Lovell overlooking the sea. He’s sitting on his porch with Mama Toulaine, rising slowly to his feet at the sight of me. I have to hide my shock at how thin he’s become, and the tremor in his hands when he holds mine. Mama Toulaine stays in the background, but it’s a pleasure to see her too. The artist looks resplendent in a peacock-blue dress, decorated with scarlet embroidery, her bearing regal. She kisses my cheek before accepting the cake tin I’ve brought, leaving Hosea and me on the porch. He’s changed a great deal from the confident young fisherman who spent days showing us the different coves from his boat, back when the jungle was so thick that much of the shore was inaccessible. He seems delighted to have a visitor, but his speech is slow, and he’s easily distracted, his gaze drawn constantly to the sea.

  Mama Toulaine carries the conversation when she returns with slices of cake arranged on plates. It could be my imagination but the painter seems burdened by something, even though the news of Amanda’s death hasn’t yet been announced. I can’t tell whether she’s worried about Hosea, or has troubles of her own.

  ‘How’s Solomon finding his new job?’ I ask.

  Hosea’s reply takes a long time to arrive. ‘He should have stayed in Oxford. His sense of duty brought him home.’

  ‘That’s an admirable quality in a young man. I’ve always believed in loyalty.’

  ‘Me too, Lady Vee, but one of my sons has too much, the other too little.’

  The sadness on the old man’s face makes me change the subject. Hosea has always had an uncanny knack of reading the sea; he says that Storm Cristobal could take twenty-four hours to choose which island to attack next. There’s time to lock our storm shutters in place and batten down the hatches. It’s been decades since a tropical storm caused serious damage on Mustique. Typhoons normally pass us by, uprooting trees and smashing down buildings in the Bahamas instead.

  Hosea is soon tired, even though I’ve only been in his home for half an hour, his speech becoming slurred.

  ‘Why not take a rest inside, before your strength goes?’ Mama Toulaine asks him.

  When Hosea finally complies she helps him up from his chair; his brisk walk has been reduced to a stagger by Parkinson’s disease and I sit in silence, unable to help. After a few minutes Mama Toulaine emerges again, her expression solemn.

  ‘Are you going to the memorial service, Mama?’ I ask.

  ‘Of course, I always pay my respects when a soul passes over. It’s an Obeah custom.’

  ‘I wanted to ask you about it. Obeah’s a kind of sorcery, isn’t it?’

  She gives a firm headshake. ‘It’s a religion like your Christianity. It’s followed by thousands on St Lucia, and here on Mustique too. There’s enough room in the sky for plenty of gods.’

  ‘No offence intended; I only want to understand it better.’

  ‘Obeah magic can be used for good or evil, but few people have the gift like me.’ When she turns to face me again, her gaze is unsettling. ‘Hosea’s worried about his son, Lyron, that’s why he’s tired. He didn’t mean to be rude, going back inside.’

  ‘I loved seeing him, there’s no need to apologise.’ My glance falls on two faint symbols etched on the backs of her hands, just like the carvings on the pieces of coral. ‘Do you mind me asking what your tattoos mean, Mama?’

  ‘Life and death.’ Toulaine holds out her hands, showing me the symbols. ‘The open cup is the god of life; he’s the water and wine that never runs out. The crossed arrows symbolise Gede, the god of death. He stands on the crossroads between this world and the next, dressed as an undertaker, with his gang of coffin bearers. Our fates are in his hands.’

  ‘That’s fascinating. Are there more Obeah symbols?’

  ‘Most come from the natural world. We believe that birds are spiritual messengers. If you see a white owl, death or illness will come to your community in three days’ time.’

  ‘What does a spider’s web mean?’

  ‘They’re bad luck too, they symbolise confusion. If you find a spider’s web it means someone is getting in your way.’

  ‘Are the crossed arrows very powerful?’

  Mama gives a slow nod. ‘It’s the worst sign of all. The arrows show that Gede will come for you, straight away, if you’ve done something wrong.’

  ‘The young never understand how closely life and death are linked, do they?’

  ‘They expect to live forever, but you’ve got your own troubles, Lady Vee. I can hear it in your voice.’

  ‘Haven’t we all?’

  She gives a low chuckle. ‘Second sight can be a burden.’

  ‘I don’t envy you. It’s complicated enough dealing with the present. Do many people here practise Obeah?’

  ‘Dex Adebayo was raised that way, like me, but there are plenty of others. Some of the villa owners put faith in our rituals too.’

  There’s so much wisdom in Mama’s face I’d like to confide in her, but can only offer generalities. ‘Someone’s hurting young, privileged members of the community, and leaving Obeah symbols behind.’

  ‘Look at the ones closest to you. Take that Dr Pakefield, for example. He’s been sailing out at night to that big yacht that stains the horizon, like a shadow.’

  ‘Why would he do that?’

  ‘You can find that out yourself.’ Mama Toulaine gazes into my eyes again, so deeply it’s like she’s reading my soul, until she recoils suddenly, her smile vanishing.

  ‘What did you see?’

  ‘Nothing I can say out loud. You love that girl of yours, so keep her safe. Do you hear me?’

  ‘Loud and clear, Mama.’

  The conversation becomes awkward after that. Whatever fate the artist saw written in my eyes has made her retreat into silence.

  31

  NILE IS NOT looking forward to his next task at the station this afternoon, but it can’t be avoided. He can only hope that his brother’s short incarceration has improved his attitude. Lyron is standing under the overhead window, his expression calm while he gazes through the bars. The young man keeps his distance when the door is unlocked, showing no inclination to fight. When he sits on the bench outside Nile joins him. The two brothers watch the sea slowly turning grey.

  ‘I was looking forward to you coming back, believe it or not,’ Lyron mutters.

  ‘Me too. I thought we’d hang out on St Vincent, looking for girls.’

  ‘Why bother? They never pick you.’

  Nile can’t help grinning. ‘The same old taunts.’

  ‘I got the sex appeal, you got the brains.’

  ‘It’s time to move on, Lyron. You’re smart enough to be a pilot. If you want money for training, I’ll help you raise it.’

  ‘I’d have to pass the entrance exam first.’ There’s silence before the younger man speaks again. ‘Something’s bugging you, Sol, isn’t it? Did you get fired over there, in the UK?’

  ‘I made a mistake. Just like you did. I’m trying to find a way to live with it.’

  Lyron studies him with a calm gaze. ‘You’ve been remembering other things from the past, haven’t you?’

  ‘How do you mean, Ly?’

  ‘I changed your life, didn’t I? Our mother died because of me.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  Lyron kicks at a stone on the ground. ‘It’s what happened; I can’t change it.’

  ‘Have you carried that round all this time?’ Nile wants to reject the claim out of hand, but the truth slowly registers. ‘I hated you when I was seven years old, but it ended long before I turned eight. How could I stay angry with a baby, just learning to walk?’

  Lyron sits up a little straighter. ‘You’re sure about that?’

  ‘Positive.’

  ‘And you’d help me go to aviation school?’

  ‘I’ll equal any amount you save, as long as you stay away from trouble. If you need money, ask me. Okay?’ />
  Lyron gives a slow nod, then rises to his feet, but the detective can’t accompany him home. He gives his brother’s shoulder a light slap, then turns away, grateful for the chance to clear the air.

  Nile’s mind is back on the case when he rides Charlie Layton’s motorbike to Lady Vee’s villa. He doesn’t care that the rising wind is shaking the trees’ branches and nudging the bike off course. All he wants is to find out how the two victims died, to remove their weight from his conscience.

  Nile parks outside Eden House, his skin clammy from the moist air. He catches sight of the Fortinis’ ruined villa, only a hundred metres away, remembering that the family have suffered a far bigger loss today; Amanda’s mother wept hard on the phone when she heard about her daughter’s death. The collateral damage is severe too, their mansion reduced to piles of rubble, melted glass and trees damaged by the fire.

  Lily Calder has regained her calm when he spots her on Lady Vee’s terrace. She rises from her sun-lounger in one fluid movement, like a gymnast, her turquoise gaze studying him intently.

  ‘Are you on your own?’ he asks.

  ‘Vee’s going to the memorial after visiting your dad.’

  ‘You should have gone with her. It’s not safe to spend time alone.’

  ‘I’ll be surrounded by people for the rest of the day.’

  They sit down together at the outdoor table. ‘Are you okay, Lily?’

  ‘More or less,’ she says, but her smile is unsteady. ‘Except I’ve just lost two of my closest childhood friends.’

  ‘I hate saying this, but you might be the killer’s next target.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘You’re the island’s coral expert, he’s left death threats on your boat, and he’s killing people you love. He even broke into your villa at night to leave his calling card outside your door.’

  ‘It doesn’t make sense. I don’t have any enemies here.’

  ‘Amanda and Tommy probably thought that too.’

  She shivers in the breeze. ‘Are you saying this to scare me?’