A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul
Page 25
Behind him he could hear sirens. Reinforcements had arrived.
Epilogue
Bronwyn Taylor was dead. By jumping into the crater and covering the bomb with her body, she had protected everyone from the force of the explosion. No one else had been killed by Yusuf’s knapsack bomb, not even Yusuf. When Inspector Singh heard what had happened – Chief Atkinson had come in person to tell him – he closed his eyes for a long moment. He could almost wish that he had agreed with Atkinson all those weeks ago when he had suggested that Richard Crouch’s murder was best ignored. He knew Bronwyn, who had disagreed then, would have disagreed still. He did not doubt that, even if forewarned of her fate, she would have chosen to save other lives rather than her own.
Singh looked up at Atkinson and said, his gruff tone an unconvincing effort to hide his sorrow, ‘Typical of her! Why didn’t she shove the little runt into the crater instead of trying to be a hero?’
Nyoman had survived with minor injuries. His seatbelt had kept him in place as the Kijang had spun against the barriers. Singh realised it was the first time Nyoman had ever bothered with his seatbelt. He must have decided, in light of what he intended to do, that it was a prudent step. It had saved his life. He was being feted all over Indonesia as the brave citizen who had saved the people at the purification ritual from certain death. It gave the press something to write about other than the failure of the ceremony itself to drive the demons from Bali’s shores. He did not, however, begrudge Nyoman his moment in the limelight. Nyoman had saved many lives – including his own.
Ramzi was picked up trying to get on a ferry to Java. His rainbow chin was a feature not even the Balinese police could miss. Like Amrozi before him, Ramzi was delighted to talk. He boasted of his role in detonating the backpack bomb using his mobile phone. The solitary regret he expressed was that he had only killed one Australian policewoman.
Singh was most interested in his confession to killing Crouch. Ramzi was proud of his defence of the family honour. He was particularly smug at his cleverness in hiding the body in the vehicle bomb that had left the crater in front of the Sari Club.
Ramzi asked Singh with genuine curiosity, ‘How did you know he was murdered?’
‘A piece of his skull this big’ – Singh indicated the palm of his hand – ‘with a bullet hole in it.’
Ramzi laughed out loud and slapped the table in his amusement. ‘You police are really clever, aren’t you?’
Singh did not respond. He walked out of the interview room, leaving Ramzi to the AFP and the Bali police. He hoped that the prosecution would seek the death penalty for the bastard – and for the others as well. He spared a brief thought for Nuri. He wondered whether she would be charged as an accessory or released. He had put in a good word for her – explained that if she had not told what she knew, they would not have been able to prevent the attack. Singh found himself hoping that life would give Nuri a second chance at happiness.
Singh was due back in Singapore in twenty-four hours. His job in Bali was done. He had solved a murder and uncovered a terrorist plot – more by luck than judgement. Much was being made of the sterling contribution to the anti-terrorism efforts of ASEAN nations, especially Singapore, whose personnel had been so critical in thwarting the second attack. His superiors would be pleased. They might leave him alone for a few months.
There was one more thing he had to do.
He caught a taxi and instructed the driver to take him to the harbour in Legian. He got out and waved to a middle-aged, balding man with two teenage boys standing on either side of him. It was Bronwyn’s ex-husband with her two sons, two grief-stricken young men trying to come to terms with their mother being a hero – and dead. The man held an urn. At Singh’s urging, the ex-husband had agreed that she be cremated as soon as the DNA identification was complete. Singh did not think her sons needed to know quite how little of Bronwyn had remained after taking the full force of the explosion. Dr Barton had rushed the results. It was the least he could do, he said, very aware that he had set in motion the chain of events that had led to the death of the Australian policewoman.
The four of them did not speak much.
It was time to scatter the ashes at sea and the family had asked Singh to come along – they thought Bronwyn would have liked that. Singh was not sure about this but he agreed at once. He knew Bronwyn would have wanted him to do whatever her family asked of him. They climbed into a fishing boat. The fisherman powered the small vessel out of the harbour until they reached the choppy, open seas. The sun was setting. Singh could see the Tanah Lot temple, one of the most holy sites in Bali, glowing in the evening light. A sea eagle hovered high, screeching in the wind. The two boys raised the urn awkwardly between them and leaned over the side of the boat. Singh and their father watched silently as they tipped the ashes into the water. Immediately, the fine grey ash was caught by eddies and currents and spread out across the water’s surface. The younger boy had tears running down his cheeks but his grief was silent. The older son stoically watched the ashes disappear from sight as the sun disappeared over the horizon. He said, ‘Mum would have liked that.’
Singh could almost picture Bronwyn Taylor’s dimpled smile.
He nodded his agreement – she would most certainly have liked that.
Also by Shamini Flint
Inspector Singh Investigates:
A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder
Shamini Flint lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. She began her career in law in Malaysia and also worked at an international law firm in Singapore. She travelled extensively around Asia for her work, before resigning to be a stay-at-home mum, writer, part-time lecturer and environmental activist.
Shamini also writes children’s books with cultural and environmental themes, including Jungle Blues and Turtle Takes a Trip, as well as the Sasha series of children’s books.
Visit Shamini’s website at www.shaminiflint.com
Also available in Shamini Flint’s exciting series featuring one-of-a-kind Inspector Singh …
INSPECTOR SINGH INVESTIGATES: A MOST PECULIAR MALAYSIAN MURDER
Stop No. 1: Malaysia …
Inspector Singh is in a bad mood. He’s been sent from his home in Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to solve a murder that has him stumped. Chelsea Liew – the famous Singaporean model – is on death row for the murder of her ex-husband. She swears she didn’t do it, he thinks she didn’t do it, but no matter how hard he tries to get to the bottom of things, he still arrives back where he started – that Chelsea’s husband was shot at point blank range and that Chelsea had the best motive to pull the trigger: he was taking her kids away from her.
Now Inspector Singh must pull out all the stops to crack a crime that could potentially free a beautiful and innocent woman and reunite a mother with her children. There’s just one problem – the Malaysian police refuse to play ball …
978-0-7499-2975-6
And don’t miss Inspector Singh’s next stop in …
INSPECTOR SINGH INVESTIGATES: THE SINGAPORE SCHOOL OF VILLAINY
Stop No. 3: Singapore …
Inspector Singh is home – and how he wishes he wasn’t. His wife nags him at breakfast and his superiors are whiling away their time by giving him his usual ‘you’re a disgrace to the Force’ lecture. Fortunately for Singh, there is no rest for the wicked when he is called out to the murder of a senior partner at an international law firm, clubbed to death at his desk.
Unfortunately for Singh, there is no shortage of suspects – from the victim’s fellow partners to his wife and ex-wife – or motives, as many of the lawyers have secrets they would kill to protect. And very soon Singh finds himself heading up an investigation that rips apart the fabric of Singapore society and exposes the rotten core beneath. Perhaps coming home wasn’t such a good idea, after all …?
978-0-7499-2977-0
Coming soon from Piatkus
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and ev
ents portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A BALI CONSPIRACY MOST FOUL: INSPECTOR SINGH INVESTIGATES. Copyright © 2009 by Shamini Flint. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
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First published in Great Britain under the title Inspector Singh Investigates: A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul as a paperback original in 2009 by Piatkus, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, an Hachette UK Company
eISBN 9781429983471
First eBook Edition : June 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
First U.S. Edition: July 2011