by C. A. Larmer
“Please, everyone, let’s go back into the hotel,” said Doc. “Maurice, see if you can find the Zimmermans and get them back here. Via the other side of the island if you can manage it. We don’t need them running into her, too. Mary, fetch us some coffees, there’s a good girl.”
They returned to the dining room and took their seats, randomly around the veranda while Doc turned to Joshua.
“We need to call the mainland police. Do you have the number?”
Joshua nodded his head vigorously. “You can speak to my uncle, man, he’s the Chief of Police. He’s the best! He’ll come.”
He led Doc away to the lobby while Roxy, spotting a box of tissues at the waiter’s station, grabbed it and offered it to Helen and Maya. Meanwhile, Mary began pouring cups of coffee and tea, and brought over baskets of pastries that went untouched.
After several minutes of stunned silence, Joshua and Doc returned.
“The police chief is on his way,” Doc announced. “He will be here within the hour. In the meantime, he has asked that we all remain calm and stay exactly where we are.”
He took a seat beside Helen and patted her softly on the back. By this time, she had grown eerily despondent and simply sat looking out to sea, not saying anything.
Maya had no such qualms.
“I... I can’t believe it!” she burst out. “Oh it’s all so terribly tragic. Poor, poor Abi. How could this possibly have happened?”
She turned to Roxy who looked back blankly.
“I don’t know, honestly I don’t. She was late for our breakfast meeting so... so I went to find her. I never expected...”
“Of course you did not,” said Luc. “It eeze a shock for us all, oui?”
They all nodded their heads and Maya burst into tears again.
“Oh God,” said Helen so softly Roxy almost missed it. “I was so awful to her last night. I was angry... I lashed out.”
“Don’t punish yourself,” Doc said. “I don’t think anyone was themselves last night.”
He pushed a cup of tea towards her and she ignored it. Then he produced a flask and offered her that. She waved him off so he held it out to Roxy.
“No, thanks Doc, I need a clear head,” she said.
“I will ‘ave some,” said Luc, taking the flask and pouring a hefty dose of what looked like whisky into his coffee. He didn’t have to offer it to Maya, she had already grabbed it from him and was doing the same. She also lit up a cigarette and dragged on it long and hard.
“Oh, shit!” Maya jumped up, stubbing her cigarette into her saucer. “I have to call Wade. He must know about this.”
“You can do that later,” Doc said but she ignored him and rushed off towards the lobby. Helen looked around then, as if seeing them all for the first time and strained her lips into a smile. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself.
“I’m so sorry, I’m still in my pyjamas. I need to get dressed.”
“There’s no hurry—” Doc began but she cut him off.
“It won’t take a moment.”
Roxy said, “Can I help you, Helen?”
Helen turned to look blankly at Roxy for what seemed like minutes then smiled again.
“Yes, that would be perfect, thank you.”
As Roxy collected the bag she had dumped by the side steps earlier, Doc came over to have a quiet word.
“She doesn’t know,” he whispered.
“Sorry?” Roxy whispered back.
“Helen knows her mother is dead, obviously, but Joshua didn’t explain the details. She doesn’t know about the head, about the way she... is. Please, do not utter a word about that. I’m just not sure she could cope. At this point.”
“Of course not,” Roxy said before running out to catch up with Helen who was half way to her room on the top floor, directly above Roxy’s.
No sooner had they closed the door then Helen dashed for her bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. Roxy rushed to her side but she waved her off and began dabbing at her mouth with a towel.
“Should I fetch Doc?” Roxy asked.
“Don’t fuss, please Roxy. I’m fine. It’s just the shock of it all.”
She flushed the toilet and splashed some water on her face.
“But Doc can—”
“No, no Doc.” Her voice was clear, her gaze penetrating.
“Fine. But why don’t you have a quick shower. You’ll feel better.”
Again Helen shook her head. “No, I need to get back to the guests. They’ll be needing me.”
“Everyone will survive for the moment, Helen. The Zimmermans are off diving and the rest of us can cope. Please, just look after yourself now.”
Helen stared at Roxy with a look of incredulity and said, “But I have a hotel to run.”
Then she stepped across to her wardrobe and selected an outfit. Roxy turned her back as Helen changed into a black pencil skirt and white blouse. She then applied a little foundation and lipstick, combed her hair down and slipped her feet into flat black pumps.
“That’s better.”
She sat on the bed and motioned for Roxy to join her.
“Now, tell me how you found her.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I need to know, Roxy. How you found my mother. It couldn’t have been suicide. Could it?”
Her eyes were frantic and imploring, and Roxy shook her head.
“Look, Helen, I’m no pathologist but it didn’t look like suicide to me. I don’t really want to say anymore than that. I—”
“Never mind,” she stood up and swung her bedroom door open. “I’ll find out soon enough.”
Roxy followed her down one flight of stairs then took the opportunity to return to her own room, to dump her recording gear and straighten herself up. She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Suddenly, without warning, her whole body began to shake and she dropped down onto the closed toilet seat and put her head in her hands. Finding Abigail like that had been such a tremendous shock, more than Roxy realised, and now she could not stop shaking. She also could not stem the tears that were flowing furiously down her face.
She had not known the hotelier very long, had not even had a chance to forge any real bond with her, but she had liked Abigail Lilton nonetheless. She seemed genuine. She seemed like a good person. She didn’t deserve that.
Roxy breathed deeply, in, out, in, out, until the shaking slowly subsided. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose, then pulled herself back up and stared at her reflection again. It was a sorry sight. She washed her face and applied some soft pink lipgloss hoping to add some colour to her drained features. She practised her smile but it only came out looking startled. She gave it up and returned downstairs. She guessed there wouldn’t be too much smiling required today.
By the time Roxy reached the dining room, the police had arrived from the mainland, and Joshua had taken off to the small jetty to help them tie up. Doc was urging everyone to sit tight.
“They will be inspecting the body first, so please let’s just wait here until they finish.”
“The body? That’s my mother you’re talking about,” Helen said, very calmly, very coolly. “And, I’m sorry, Doc, but who put you in charge all of a sudden?”
“Actually, excuse me, peoples, but I am now in charge,” came a deep voice from the restaurant doorway and they all swung round to find a smartly dressed local man standing there, Joshua on one side, a uniformed police officer on the other.
“I am Chief Inspector David Davara. From mainland police.”
He was short and stocky with a chiselled afro, crisply ironed, short-sleeved shirt and chinos.
“You are Helen Lilton?”
“Yes, I am,” she replied.
“My sympathies for your loss. I knew your mother, Mrs Lilton, for many years. She was a good woman—very good to my family and to all the people around here. I had much respect for her.”
“Thank you,” Helen said.
“And,
Doctor Spinks, I see you are still at Dormay?”
Doc stood up and shook the elderly policeman’s hand.
“They can’t get rid of me this easily! Good to see you again old chap.”
“How long has it been?”
“Must be at least a year,” he replied. “I believe we were both trapped at Wade’s godawful hospital fundraiser. Boring affair.”
Davara nodded his head. “Yes, yes. I remember. But, sometimes boring is good, hey?”
Doc nodded. “Sometimes indeed. It’s a terrible business this.”
“Yes. Yes. But we will get to the bottom of it.”
He turned to address them all now. He had a quiet, assured manner and spoke each word as clearly and crisply as he could, as though addressing small children or, ironically, non-English speaking simpletons.
“Doctor Spinks is quite right. I will go and inspect the site now and be back soon to take your statements. Until then, plis (please) remain here with Inspector Sikani.”
“Er, this way is faster, actually, Uncle Dave,” Joshua said, stepping into the room to direct the Chief to the side steps that led down to the patio.
Davara followed him out while his officer remained standing at the dining room entrance.
“Please come in, Inspector Sikani,” Helen said wearily. “Have some tea, or something.”
He held one hand up to indicate that he was fine.
Very soon another voice could be heard booming from the lobby and Helen groaned.
“Here we go,” she said.
Maya sprung up and ran out, returning soon after wrapped in Wade’s arms.
“What the hell happened?” he demanded, first of Helen and, when she simply looked away, Doc.
“We’re still trying to work that out, old chap.”
“Still trying to work it out?! What’s to work out?!”
“Don’t get yourself in a bother,” he said. “It won’t do your heart any good.”
“You worry about your own goddamn heart, Doc, I want to know what happened to Abi! I get this hysterical phone call from my wife telling me Abi’s dead and then the blasted local cops try to stop me from landing. It’s a travesty!”
He had worked himself into quite a state, his face red, his shirt pooled with sweat. Maya dropped back into her seat and Doc took Wade by one arm.
“Let’s discuss this outside,” he suggested but Wade pushed him away.
Roxy spoke up then.
“I found Abi near the workers’ track this morning. It was no use. She was... gone,” she said it as softly as she could. “The police are only just checking the scene now but I’m sure they’ll have some answers soon.”
Wade scoffed.
“You clearly don’t know the first thing about our local police force then.”
“In the meantime,” Roxy continued, “we’ve been asked to stay calm and stay put.”
This seemed to appease Wade who loosened his collar a little and pulled a chair out to sit down.
“Mary! Get us a scotch will you!” he called out and Maya glanced at her small gold watch.
“Wade, it’s not even 9.”
“I don’t give a damn what time it is! Besides, if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black I don’t know what is.”
He took a deep breath, then added less harshly, “Abi was a friend of mine, I’ll drink to her if I like.”
Maya sobbed again into her tissues while the rest of the group settled back into their seats and waited.
“I guess this means the end of your book, Roxy?” Maya said eventually, reaching for a spoon to check what damage all this crying had done in its reflection.
“Don’t be ridiculous woman,” Wade said. “Now we have to get the book out. To honour Abi’s life.”
They looked at Helen who had her back to them all again.
Doc helped himself to another coffee and said, “We will see.”
This brought Helen back to life. She swung around to the doctor, delivering him an icy stare.
“We will see?” she repeated. Her tone was calm, much like it was before, but this time there was an icier edge and even Roxy braced herself for the onslaught.
“I’m sorry, Doc, but who are you to decide anything when it comes to my mother? You weren’t married to her. You weren’t even a very good friend to her. You ignored her for 25 years, then, when it suited you, turned up out of the blue and sponged off her for the next ten.”
“I was a welcome guest here!” Doc croaked, his lower lip wobbling. “Your mother and I had a very special relationship and I will not have you speaking to me in that manner.”
“He’s right. Take it easy, Helen,” Wade cut in. “You’re distraught, we understand that but there’s no need—”
“As for you, Governor Thomas,” Helen continued, standing now and pointing a finger towards him. “You’ve been trying to steal Dormay from under my mother’s nose for decades. You must be delighted by all of this.”
“Oh Helen!” Maya looked aghast. “That’s a scandalous thing to say! Take it back instantly!”
Helen swung now to her, forcing the younger woman to shrink a little behind her husband.
“Maya Thomas. Another bored, rich whitey using and abusing my mother’s good will. Tell me... In fact, tell us all: How often have you paid for a room here? How big is your bar bill now?”
“I don’t see how that’s got anything to do with—”
Helen raised a hand to stop her. “She was my mother—my mother. She was a good woman, she didn’t deserve this.”
She waved her outstretched hand around the room and then out, toward that deserted beach where Abigail had been found. Her voice cracked, her chin quivered.
“She didn’t deserve... any of this...”
Everyone was silent, stunned, staring up at Helen waiting for the next onslaught. But the hotelier’s daughter was spent. Her eyes had glazed over and her legs were now shaking. Doc stood up and helped her silently back to her seat. He ushered Mary over and asked for some chamomile tea.
Just then, Joshua returned to the veranda. He looked at Helen and then, worriedly at Doc who shook his head.
“What news have you got for us, Josh?” he asked.
“Err, I just wanted to let everyone know that my uncle, I mean Chief Davara, is on his way back. He’ll talk to us in a minute.”
“Thank you,” Doc said and the younger man sat down, his eyes now firmly on Helen. He, too, looked extremely worried.
The Chief was soon back in the room having a quiet word with his second in command. Eventually he turned to the group, produced a small notepad and cleared his throat.
“Inspector Sikani will take each of your names and details, and then I will meet with you one by one on the main veranda, is it?”
He looked at Joshua who nodded.
“Good. Good.”
“Just a second, Davara,” said Wade, getting to his feet and Davara looked at him, surprised.
“Ahh, good morning, Governor Thomas, I see you have joined us. When did you get to the island?”
“What? Oh, um, not long after you. My wife called me. Very distressed. I have every right to be here.”
“Of course. Of course.”
“I hope you have alerted the Provincial Commander? He should be overseeing all of this.”
“Commander Curraway has been informed of this incident and has put me in charge.”
Wade didn’t look too thrilled with this arrangement but let it pass.
“Look, I know you’ve got a job to do but I think you owe this mob a bit of an explanation. We’re all bloody confused about exactly what’s happened to Abi.”
The Chief nodded. “Yes. Yes. It is very confusing.”
He paused, then, addressing the congregation, said, “Our pathologist is on his way over to Dormay now and will tell us more when he can. But I can say that Mrs Lilton is indeed deceased and has been this way for some hours.”
“No shit, Sherlock!” said Wade. “But what the hell h
appened?”
“We are still determining that,” said the Chief clearly not flummoxed by the Governor’s rudeness. He’d no doubt seen it all before. “There are certainly suspicious circumstances.”
“Not a suicide then?”
This caught the Chief by surprise and his bushy eyebrows rose a little.
“No, Mr Thomas, this is not a suicide. This is why I need to speak with each of you. This is also why I must ask for nobody to leave the island, plis.”
“What?!” said Wade.
The chief raised a hand to calm him.
“Except you, Mr Thomas, you have only just arrived, yes?”
“Yes I already told you that, dammit.”
“Then you are free to come and go. But the rest of you, plis, I need your passports. You can give them to Inspector Sikani. And you must remain here until the investigation is complete.”
Now it was Luc’s turn to look outraged.
“But you are not saying eet eeze one of us, surely?”
“And who are you plis?” the Chief asked.
“I am Luc Bermont, resident artiste.”
“Mr Bermont, I do not know who did this thing to Mrs Lilton. I have only just arrived. So you must give me some time, yes? I must question everybody and get all the facts in one straight line. You understand?”
Luc looked like he didn’t understand at all but let the matter drop.
“So we’re prisoners at Dormay?” said Maya, sounding suddenly chipper.
“I am sorry but yes, Mrs Thomas. This is right. Of course,” he indicated the beach and the ocean beyond, “it is not such a bad prison I think. Now, to business. I would like to start with the person who found the bod—” he stopped, correcting himself, “who found Mrs Lilton, plis.”
Roxy stepped forward and he referred to his notebook.
“Roxanne Parker?” She nodded. “Come with me.”
As he led Roxy out and back towards the lobby she could hear Wade grunting, “Well that’s a lot of bloody help!”
Chapter 8
A table had been set up on the main veranda with a pot of lemongrass tea, and Chief Davara pointed Roxy into a seat, then took one in front of her. He placed his notepad on the table and offered her a drink. She shook her head no. A third police officer appeared and silently took his post beside the door. Chief Davara clasped his hands together on the desk in front of them.