‘Good morning, gentlemen,’ said Sue as she sat down.
Jonathan introduced himself and Angus.
Hendy and Yong rose to make their way to the sideboard. Jonathan noticed Hendy took his book.
‘So, Sue—may I call you Sue?’ asked Jonathan.
‘Of course,’ said Sue.
‘Are you coming along to Remarkable Rocks this morning?’
‘Yes, I will. I missed the Seal Bay tour, as I felt the need to swing a golf club, but I’m up for being the tourist today.’
‘Marvellous. Well, we will need sustenance. Care to join us at the breakfast bar?’ said Jonathan as he stood and gestured to the sideboard.
As Jonathan returned to the table, he noticed Hendy was writing in his book again.
He was keen to see if he could make out what Hendy was writing, but couldn’t seem to get the right vantage point. Suddenly inspired, he feigned tripping and flung his glass of tomato juice over the table and Hendy’s book. Hendy jumped back as some of the juice ran off the table and into his lap. Jonathan quickly picked up Hendy’s book and started to dab at it with his napkin. He saw the words, Today’s the day I get Yong.
‘Stop that!’ said Hendy as he tore the book away from Jonathan.
Jonathan looked into Hendy’s eyes. What he saw scared him.
By now staff were heading their way.
Remarkable Rocks
Jonathan and Angus climbed into one of the two four-wheel drives waiting to take guests to Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch, and Cape Borda Lighthouse before a gourmet picnic lunch in the bush. Jonathan noticed Hendy manoeuvring Sue and Yong to the other vehicle, and he was relieved that they would be in different cars. Jonathan was now not only suspicious of Hendy and Yong; he was afraid of them.
It wasn’t a long drive to Flinders Chase National Park and Remarkable Rocks, but as they pulled out of the car park the wind picked up considerably, and the skies to the southwest were dark.
‘It looks like it might rain. It wasn’t forecast,’ said Jonathan to the driver.
‘No. Predicting weather on the island is tricky. KI has its very own weather patterns. Any sort of weather can happen in a day—and usually does. Hopefully it will blow through. However, it is pretty dark,’ said the driver, looking up at the sky.
As they passed a couple of chocolate-brown kangaroos, Jonathan asked, ‘So I guess Kangaroo Island was named after these little guys?’
Angus rolled his eyes, while the driver went into full tour-guide mode.
‘Matthew Flinders named Kangaroo Island after this subspecies of kangaroo in 1802 when he was in the area charting Terra Australis. The species is called the Kangaroo Island, or sooty kangaroo, and is related to the western grey but is stockier with a thick brown coat rather than grey. Indeed, the sooty kangaroo was the first kangaroo to travel to Paris. The other explorer in the waters around Kangaroo Island in 1802 and 1803 was Frenchman Nicolas Baudin. The English and French ships met up, and Baudin and Flinders exchanged information over lunch at Encounter Bay. Baudin picked up a few of these fellas when he was mapping the island. The sooty kangaroos made it to Paris, but unfortunately Baudin died on the voyage. The island is also noted for the rare tammar wallaby. You may see the wallabies around the rocks, as there is quite a tame group of them that live in Flinders Chase National Park.’
‘Not a good omen that Baudin died after visiting KI and taking off with its wildlife,’ mused Jonathan as he watched splotches of rain hit the windscreen. Before they went another kilometre, the rain was belting down.
‘I’m not sure I want to be climbing over slippery rocks near cliffs in this rain,’ said Jonathan.
‘It may be all over by the time we get to the rocks. I can see blue sky further south,’ said Angus, pointing to the horizon.
Angus was right. As they pulled into the car park at Remarkable Rocks, the rain had passed, although it was still windy. Jonathan noticed there were already two buses and a dozen other cars, including the other Lodge vehicle.
‘Now, be careful. The rocks will be slippery after the rain, and don’t go near the edge. There are no rails, and it is a steep drop to the rocks and ocean below,’ said the driver as he pointed toward the boardwalk that led up to the rocks.
‘You’d think they’d put up a rail!’ said Jonathan.
‘These rocks are more than 500 million years old. You can’t go sticking rails on them. It would be sacrilege,’ said the driver, overhearing Jonathan’s whinge.
‘All right, all right. Humans aren’t as important as rocks,’ said Jonathan dramatically as he took hold of Angus’s hand and walked toward the boardwalk.
Jonathan and Angus weren’t the first to reach the rocks. As they stepped off the boardwalk there were at least fifty people already crawling over the orange-lichen-covered granite.
‘Goodness me, it’s like Rundle Mall,’ said Jonathan, noticing Hendy and Yong disappear behind one of the large bubble-shaped boulders.
‘Hey, Jonathan,’ said Rebecca as she made her way up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Lisa and Penny weren’t far behind.
Rebecca turned to Angus. ‘Hi, Angus. I hope you both had a good night.’
‘Wonderful, darling, but I had an even more interesting morning,’ whispered Jonathan as he leant toward her. ‘I managed to get a sneak peek at Hendy’s diary at breakfast. It said, Today’s the day I’m going to get Yong.’
Rebecca’s eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘That’s all I managed to see before he snatched the diary back.’
‘Help! Help! Someone’s slipped off the rocks!’ yelled a man.
Jonathan and Rebecca, along with everyone else, rushed to where the man was standing.
‘It’s awful. His body is smashed on the rocks,’ cried the man, pointing to the other side of the largest boulder.
Slippery Rocks
Rebecca
Rebecca was the only one game enough to go over to the edge of the rocks and look down. She knew instantly that the man lying face up was Bo Yong and that he was dead.
‘Call the police,’ she yelled, looking back at a group of people who had gathered about ten metres behind her. She took out her phone and snapped a photo of Yong lying lifeless on the rocks. ‘And don’t get too close! These rocks are slippery, and there are strong winds.’
She stepped away from the edge and turned to the man who had raised the alarm, ‘Did you see him fall?’
‘No, I didn’t. I was wandering around the rocks and happened to look down at the beach, and I saw him,’ said the man.
Rebecca looked for Philip Hendy. She spotted him over by another boulder with Sue Barker among a group who appeared to be oblivious to the fact that a man was lying dead at the base of the rocks.
Turning to Lisa and Penny, Rebecca said, ‘I’m going over to speak to Hendy. He had plenty of time to push Yong off these rocks and then rush over to the other group, to avoid suspicion.’
‘Be careful,’ yelled Penny to Rebecca’s back. Rebecca jogged the two hundred metres to the far side of the rocks where Hendy was taking photos.
‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ gasped Rebecca to Hendy as she tried to get her breath.
Hendy turned around to look at Rebecca. ‘Excuse me? Ms Keith, isn’t it?’ said Hendy coldly.
‘What are you doing here?’ said Sue to Rebecca.
Rebecca ignored Sue’s question. ‘Don’t make out you don’t know what’s just happened, Hendy.’
‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you. I have no idea what you’re on about.’
‘Well, I know what you’re on about. You’re a murderer, and you’ve just killed another victim.’
‘You’re mad!’ said Hendy, moving away from her.
‘What are you going on about?’ said Sue.
‘You’ve killed Bo Yong,’ yelled Rebecca to Hendy’s back.
Hendy turning around. ‘What? What the hell are you talking about? Bo’s over there sightseeing,’ said He
ndy as he pointed to the other side of the rocks.
‘His body is smashed on the rocks, as if you didn’t know!’
At that Hendy took off and ran across the rocks toward the crowd that had gathered.
Rebecca was furious.
‘What is going on, Rebecca? And is that Penny and Lisa over there?’ asked Sue, looking over to the other rocks.
‘We are here on a holiday. We had no idea you, Hendy and Yong were planning a trip to Kangaroo Island too. But here we all are, at the scene of yet another murder. Funny about that. But Hendy’s not going to get away with it. Now you’ll have to excuse me,’ said Rebecca as she walked away from a startled Sue.
Rebecca pulled out her phone and rang Gary.
‘Hi, Rebecca. Are you having a good break?’
‘There’s been another murder,’ said Rebecca bluntly.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s happened now?’ answered Gary incredulously.
‘Bo Yong has been pushed off Remarkable Rocks by Philip Hendy. Yong is lying smashed on the rocks twenty metres below the cliff edge.’
‘Wait. Did you see Hendy push him?’
‘No. But I know he did it. Jonathan saw his diary this morning, and it said he was going to get Yong today.’
‘Jonathan? Not Jonathan Riddle? What’s he doing there, and how did he see the diary?’
‘He’s on holiday too, staying at the same place as Bo Yong, Philip Hendy, and Sue Barker. I asked him to keep an eye on them, and he managed to get a look at Hendy’s diary at breakfast after he spilt juice on it.’
‘Stop right there. Let’s back step a bit. I need to get this straight. Did you or anyone else see Hendy push Yong off the rocks?’
‘No, not exactly. But I just know he is mixed up in all these murders. He has to be. There’s the reference in Hendy’s diary, and Yong nearly got killed yesterday when a bull seal attacked him. Yong didn’t hear the warning from the guide because Hendy deliberately talked to Yong during the safety warning.’
‘Whoa. This is getting weirder and weirder. But so far I’m just hearing conjecture, not hard evidence. And even if Hendy did push Yong off a cliff, how does this murder link to the other murders? Let’s just pause and take a deep breath Rebecca. You need to be very careful before you start throwing the allegation of murder around. Have you called the police?’
‘Someone has. I can hear a siren now.’
‘Okay. Let the police do their job. I’ll be in touch with the local sergeant and find out what I can once they’ve done their preliminary investigations. I’ll tell them to get that diary. You need to calm down, keep logical, and stay with the facts. Why don’t you, Lisa, and Penny go back to the shack and wait for my call?’
‘Fine. I’ll talk to you later,’ said Rebecca, hanging up on Gary and dialling Reg. She had no intention of sitting around at the shack waiting for Gary to call back. She had work to do.
‘How’s the holiday?’ said Reg.
Rebecca took a deep breath and decided to be as factual as she could manage. ‘There’s been another death and it looks like murder. That Chinese businessman Bo Yong has fallen from Remarkable Rocks. He either fell in the slippery and windy conditions or was pushed. Philip Hendy was lurking around at the time, and my money is on Hendy pushing Yong off the cliff. Also I ran into Jonathan Riddle on the island. He’s staying at the same place as Hendy, Bo Yong, and Sue Barker. I asked him to keep an eye on them for me. He saw Hendy’s diary this morning and a reference to “getting” Yong.’
‘Jesus. Another death, and possibly murder? This Jonathan guy, he’s not the Jonathan who was the boyfriend of the Popeye Murder chef?’
‘Yes, the same. I’ll have a few pars to you within a couple of minutes. And I’ve got photos.’
‘Stick with the facts, Rebecca. Don’t let your imagination run wild. You’re a bit on edge, and you can get emotional when you are stressed. I don’t mind drama, but if you have no evidence Hendy pushed this guy, don’t go there. As for Jonathan and what he saw or didn’t see in that diary, he’s prone to hysterics himself. Be careful. Right?’
‘Right, everyone thinks I’m nuts. But, Reg, I’m a professional, and I only write the facts. You might think I’m jumping to conclusions but you know my instinct is rarely wrong.’
‘Okay, okay. Point taken. But remember, it takes a long time to build a reputation and a moment to lose it. You’re known as a credible journalist who gets it right. Keep up the track record and don’t go with a hunch unless you have proof.’
Rebecca hung up, angry. She quickly typed a few pars into her phone, attached the photo of Yong’s body along with a photo depicting a wide shot of Remarkable Rocks, and hit the send button.
She looked up to see Hendy being led away by the police.
‘Some holiday this has turned out to be,’ said Lisa as she walked up.
‘Let’s go see if the police want any statements from us,’ said Rebecca. ‘After that I need a coffee.’
After giving the statements, Rebecca turned to Jonathan and Angus. ‘Hopefully I’ll see you in the next couple of days.’
‘But what about the fairy penguins tonight?’ asked Jonathan.
‘Really? You still want to go to see the penguins after what we’ve just witnessed?’ said Rebecca.
‘Absolutely. I’m not letting the death of a triad member stop me from enjoying my holiday,’ said Jonathan defiantly.
‘Actually, I’d like to go too,’ said Lisa. ‘They’re the cutest creatures.’
‘Really? What about you, Penny?’ asked Rebecca.
‘I’ll go if everyone else is going. Why not? We’re not in mourning.’
‘Well, I guess that’s a yes then. We’ll see you tonight on the fairy penguin tour,’ said Rebecca to Jonathan.
As they climbed into the car, Penny pointed toward the other end of the car park and said, ‘Hey, Sue’s over there. Let’s invite her back with us to the shack.’
‘I’d rather not, Penny. I still can’t get over her lying to me,’ said Rebecca.
‘But you don’t know she lied. I believe her,’ said Penny.
‘I get that, Penny. But please. Just you, Lisa, and me. Okay?’
Penny shook her head. ‘Okay, but I feel like I’m treating my old friend badly.’
They began their drive back to Mad Creek Bay. Rebecca wasn’t in the mood for talking. There was too much going on inside her head. She was grateful Lisa and Penny seemed to be in an equally contemplative mood. They were over half way back to the shack before Lisa broke the silence.
‘You know what?’
‘What?’ replied Penny.
‘I could go a pie at the Rabbit Bakery in Kingscote,’ said Lisa.
Rebecca looked at Penny. ‘Me too!’
‘Absolutely. As long as it isn’t kangaroo,’ said Penny.
‘And maybe a jelly cake as well,’ said Rebecca.
Back at the shack Rebecca watched Penny and Lisa swim while she sat on a comfy director’s chair on the verandah. She wanted to go for a swim too but needed to make a couple of phone calls first.
‘Hi, Reg.’
‘I wondered when I’d hear from you again. I’ve tried calling you, but your phone went straight to message bank.’
‘The island has patchy mobile phone reception. Sorry.’
‘Because I didn’t hear from you, I’ve got our poor excuse for a police reporter, Dave Mendelson, on it. He says the police are treating Yong’s death as an accident. No evidence of foul play. They’re putting his death down to the slippery and windy conditions and the fact that he was a foreigner and didn’t understand the dangers.’
‘That’s just what Hendy wants them to believe. What about the diary?’
‘They couldn’t find any diary on him or in his room. I’ve heard they’ve taken a statement from Jonathan, but they don’t think it’s plausible. They say what he saw could have meant a whole range of things. It certainly wasn’t enough evidence to pin a murder rap on him. They’ve let him g
o.’
‘Oh, I can’t believe that. Surely it’s suspicious that they can’t find his diary.’
‘I know. But police on the island aren’t super sleuths. We need your Gary on the case.’
After hanging up from Reg, Rebecca dialled Gary’s number, but the call went through to his voicemail. She didn’t leave a message.
Fairy Penguins
After a light dinner, the girls piled into the car for the short drive to Kingscote. It was nearing eight thirty, and the sun had set by the time they walked into the KI Penguin Centre.
‘Rebecca, darling,’ said Jonathan as he and Angus walked up to the girls. Jonathan gave Rebecca, Lisa, and Penny a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘I think Angus and I are on your tour.’ He added in a whisper, ‘And Mr Hendy as well.’
‘What?’ said Rebecca as she looked up and saw Hendy’s nose pressed against the leafy sea dragon tank.
‘The cheek of the man, acting as if he’s done nothing wrong,’ said Jonathan.
‘What about Sue Barker? I can’t see her.’
‘No. I ran into Sue in the lobby. She was all set to come, and then she changed her mind when I told her you would all be here. She said you wouldn’t want her around.’
‘I feel so bad about this,’ said Penny.
‘Well, there’s no need. It’s her choice. She’s the one who’s acted badly by not telling the truth. I’m glad she isn’t coming,’ said Rebecca.
‘Sounds like I’ve missed out on some gossip. You must fill me in later,’ said Jonathan as he looked over at a young female guide who had just stepped out into the middle of the room.
‘If I could have your attention, please. Before we go on the tour to see our little penguins, sometimes called the blue or fairy penguin, I must go through a few dos and don’ts. The little penguin is endangered. We have had a dramatic drop in numbers on the island in the past few years because of an increase in population of one of their key predators, the New Zealand fur seal. For this reason, it is even more important we don’t do anything to disturb the penguins. They have been at sea for most of the month feeding and will be very tired. Therefore, no flashlights on cameras and the only torches allowed are our special infrared torches that don’t hurt the penguins’ eyes.’
A Royal Murder Page 17