by C. A. Larmer
“Now, Miss Parker. Tell me first, plis, where are you from?”
“I’m from Sydney. I’m a writer.”
She explained the purpose of her visit and how long she had been at Dormay. “This is only my third day,” she said, thinking, but it feels like I’ve been here weeks.
“So you are here to write Mrs Lilton’s biography?”
“Autobiography, actually. I’m what you call a ghostwriter. Well, I was here to do that. I don’t know what happens now.”
“Yes. Yes. And you have done interviews with Mrs Lilton?”
“Only a couple. We were due to talk again this morning when I... found her.”
“Hmmm.”
He mulled over this for a bit then jotted something down in his notepad.
“Okey dokey. Now, plis, tell me exactly when and how you found the deceased.”
Roxy took a deep breath and launched in, explaining about the missed early morning appointment, about discussing her concerns with Joshua and then taking off to search the path.
“What time exactly did you find the deceased?”
“I guess it was about 7.50am. I left the dining room before a quarter to, had a quick word to Joshua and then headed for the beach.”
“How did you know to go that way? To that part of the beach? This is a big island, no?”
Roxy shrugged. “I guess it’s because Abi had come from that direction yesterday morning so I assumed that’s the way she walked. To be honest I didn’t really give it a lot of thought.”
“So she walked this exact route every morning?”
“I really don’t know. Helen would be better placed to answer that.”
“Who else knew about this daily walk?”
Roxy shrugged again. “I assume everyone did. I don’t think Abi kept it a secret. She told me she’d been walking the island every single morning for 40 years so...”
He nodded his head. “Good. Good. Okay, then what happened?”
Roxy continued with her story, explaining how she noticed no one on the beach at that hour but did spot what she thought was a stray coconut.
“I was so shocked to find it was Abi. I just can’t register it.”
“That is normal, Miss Parker. It will take you some time.”
His voice was so soft, his eyes so empathetic that she found it hard to imagine him grilling a real murder suspect. Perhaps that was his modus operandi?
“So then what did you do?”
“When I spotted the head...when I saw Abi?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t hang around if that’s what you mean. I didn’t touch anything, I just raced back to the beach and ran into Joshua.”
“Joshua was there?” He scanned his notes. “I thought he was at the hotel.”
“Yes, well, I guess he couldn’t find Abi in her room so he came to help me search. Of course now that I think about it, it made more sense to check her room because she’d been a bit sick last night.”
“Oh? What was wrong with her?”
“I don’t know but she looked awful. Really pale and wobbly. She left dinner early. With Doc. He could tell you more. I’m surprised now that she hadn’t cancelled our morning meeting. Or her early walk for that matter.”
“It is a pity that she did not. Plis continue.”
Roxy explained how she sat there for a few minutes before Popeye arrived followed soon after by Maurice and Doc, and of the small gathering by the hotel.
“Who else saw the body?”
“Just me, Josh, Doc and Popeye. But,” she paused and he raised an eyebrow. “Well, I didn’t really see a body per se. Just Abi’s head, poking out of the sand. I don’t mean to pry or anything but I’m having horrible flashbacks. Please tell me she hadn’t been decapitated.”
“No, no, I can assure you her whole body is there. The deceased has been buried, up to her neck.”
Roxy sat back, shocked. “That’s very strange, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. Can I ask, did you hear any boats about this morning?” She shook her head no.
“And you say you saw nobody else?”
“No, well, apart from Mary in the dining room and Joshua at the front desk. However...” she paused and both his eyebrows shot skyward this time. “It may be nothing but I did hear someone up and about very early this morning.”
“At what time?”
“About 6.25ish.”
Roxy recounted the story of the creaking floorboard and the shutting door that had woken her up that morning.
“Who do you think this was? Which room?”
She thought about it. “I couldn’t say for sure, but certainly someone on my floor. I suppose it could have been Doc, or Maya, or—most likely now I think about it—the Zimmermans heading off on their early dive. It’s probably nothing important.”
The Chief didn’t act like it was nothing important and took more notes. Eventually he said, “So, back to your book, plis. Did Mrs Lilton say anything in your interviews that made you suspicious? That indicated that her life was in danger, perhaps?”
Roxy slowly shook her head. “Not that I recall. But I have to say, without wanting to get anyone in trouble...”
“Yes?”
“Well there’s been quite a bit of tension around here in just the few days I’ve been at Dormay.”
“What kind of tension?”
“Oh I’m sure it’s nothing, but, well, Helen wasn’t exactly happy about the book I was writing, although I thought she was coming around. Then, last night, everything sort of blew up.”
She tried to give as accurate a portrayal of the previous evening’s antics as she could while Chief Davara scribbled away.
“Okey dokey,” he said eventually. “Thank you, Miss Parker. That will do for now. When are you due to fly out?”
“I don’t have a set booking if that’s what you mean. We didn’t know how long the interviews would take.”
He nodded his head. “Good. Good. Plis, you must stay at Dormay for now. You understand?”
He turned to the other police officer and said something in his native tongue before turning back to Roxy.
“Officer Tokarara will take you back to the dining room. You can go to your room if you like but plis don’t go too far. I may have more questions.”
“Of course,” she said, following the young officer out.
Back in the dining room, Helen’s name was called and she stood up stiffly and accompanied the policeman out. Roxy sat back in her chair and ordered another coffee.
“Extra strong, thanks Mary,” she said.
Looking around the room she noticed that both Luc and Joshua had taken off.
“They’ve gone to hunt down the Zimmermans,” Doc told her. “Maurice couldn’t find them and, well, it’s about time they were informed. Terrible business.”
Maya finished her cigarette, stood up and stretched like a cat.
“I’ve had enough of all this waiting around, brooding. Tell that Chief guy I’ll be down at the beach if he wants me.”
“You’re going swimming?” Wade asked, looking astounded.
“And why not?” she held out her arms, surveying her tan. “It certainly beats sitting around here getting all morose. Besides, I really can not take any more of Helen right now. The woman is out of control. I know her mother just died, but honestly!”
She walked out of the room and Wade took this as his cue, pulling his chair closer to Roxy.
“So, come on woman, what did Davara have to say?”
Roxy took a quick sip of her coffee, winced and then applied some sugar. “I did most of the talking. He just wanted to know when and how I found her.”
“He’s not alone! Look, now that Helen’s not here, fill me in. Is it true the old girl’s been beheaded?”
Doc interjected, outraged. “Absolutely not! Abigail’s head is very much attached to her torso, I can assure you. I inspected the body myself and it appears she’s been buried up to her neck.”
&nb
sp; “That’s right,” agreed Roxy. “The Chief confirmed it to me just now.”
Wade looked dumbfounded. “What kind of monster buries a woman leaving her head out for all to see? It’s unheard of!”
“Indeed,” said Doc. “All I can say is, thank goodness you found her Roxy, my dear. You seem a sensible kind of girl. Imagine if Maya had stumbled upon her or, heaven forbid, Helen.”
Wade nodded his head vigorously. “But why bury her that way? With the head out for Christ’s sake. Not exactly smart. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to know she’d be found fairly quickly.”
Then, as if it had only just occurred to him, he added, “That’s the way to the village isn’t it?”
Both Doc and Roxy nodded.
“So maybe one of the villagers did this? A disgruntled worker, perhaps? That makes a bit of sense now. They can be vicious these people, bloody vicious.”
Roxy glanced around to make sure Mary had not heard him. Fortunately, after providing Roxy with her coffee, she too had taken her leave.
“Look, the Chief wasn’t giving too much away but I think I’ve worked out how the body got buried,” she said.
They both stared at her, wide eyed.
“I don’t know if you’ve walked that route lately but there were two pits dug into the ground for a new building, a pergola Luc tells me. I noticed them yesterday.”
Doc leant back in his chair, clasping his hands together. “There was, too. Oh this makes more sense now.” He tapped his fingers together.
“So you’re saying the bastard, whoever it was, bumped her over the head and she fell into one of the holes by chance?”
“I don’t know for sure, Wade, but whatever happened the killer must have gone to the trouble of filling the hole in, covering her body up. Because I certainly couldn’t see any sign of it.”
“Yet the head remained visible for all to see,” Doc said. “Very interesting.”
“Bumped her over the head you reckon?” said Wade to Doc and he nodded.
“Yes, as far as I can tell. She had some bruising near the right temporal lobe.”
He indicated the side of his head.
“Did that kill her?”
“Probably, there was a bit of blood so she was most certainly alive when she was hit. Look, she was getting on, our Abi, and not in the best of health. It wouldn’t have taken much brute strength to do her in.”
“Hang on a minute,” said Wade. “You’re saying it could have been a woman then? Who cracked her over the head?”
Doc looked horrified. “I’m not saying anything of the sort! But, well, you recall, Roxy, she wasn’t well at all last night. I gave her two paracetamol and told her to go straight to bed.”
“So how did she end up out on the path?” asked Roxy. “And, just as importantly, how long had she been there?”
“Not too long from the looks of it, although I’m no expert. She wasn’t yet stone cold, so an hour or two, I’d guess, at the most. But we’ll learn soon enough when the pathologist arrives. I can tell you this, though, he’d better be up to scratch because he’s got his job cut out for him.”
Officer Tokarara appeared then and asked Doc to accompany him to see the Chief. The old man winked at Roxy and did as instructed. Roxy got to her feet, too.
“That’s enough caffeine for me. I’m strung out enough as it is.”
“Don’t tell me you’re heading to the beach, too?” asked Wade.
“No, not really in the mood. I think I’ll just hit my room for a bit.”
As she walked back up the stairs, a few things began niggling at Roxy. If Doc was right and Abi had only recently been killed, that means it probably happened on her morning walk. But why would Abi go for a walk if she was feeling so unwell? Perhaps she’d recovered by daybreak? Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to break the habit of a lifetime.
“It’s a pity,” Roxy said to herself as she grabbed the book she’d been reading on her flight and lay down on the bed to finish it off, “because it was the last walk she ever took.”
Chapter 9
The faint tap at Roxy’s door surprised her and she opened it to find Helen standing on the other side, the hint of a smile on her lips.
“So sorry to disturb you, Roxy,” she said. “May I come in?”
“Of course, Helen.”
She closed the door behind them and Helen walked straight across to the window and looked out. Roxy returned to the bed and waited.
Eventually, Helen cleared her throat, took a seat at the small cane table and said, “I need your help.”
“Of course, Helen. Anything you need, just ask.”
“I need you to help me find my mother’s killer.”
Roxy’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry?”
“I’ve just had a conversation with that Davara fellow and quite frankly, I have no faith in him. Already he’s talking about some random maniac coming onto the island and doing my mother in. It’s ridiculous.”
“Why would he think that?”
“Because, apparently, one of the village children says she heard a boat of some kind very early this morning, while it was still dark. Sounded like it was heading south, towards the airstrip.”
“Then surely it’s a possibility?”
“I don’t see why. That’s the other side of the island. Besides, people don’t sail around to islands and start bumping old ladies off. It’s absurd. It was probably an early morning fisherman or a tourist or something.”
“Could it have been the Zimmermans, going diving?”
“Perhaps, although that’s early, even for them.”
“Okay then, but that means you think someone on the island—one of us— had to have done it?”
Helen nodded her head slowly, sadly. “Yes I do. And I intend to find out whom. With your help, of course.”
Roxy stood up and walked over to where Helen was sitting. She sat down in the chair opposite her.
“And what makes you think it wasn’t me?
Helen laughed a small, wry laugh and shook her head. “Oh don’t think it didn’t cross my mind. You’re the newcomer around here. But it doesn’t make any sense either. Of everyone on this island you had the most to lose by my mother’s death. You were set to score a tidy financial reward for her book; now she’s gone, so is your paycheque. If you were going to bump her off, for whatever reason, I’d say it would be smarter to do so right at the end.”
“That’s very true. But I would have thought you had more to lose than me, surely?”
Helen flashed Roxy an impatient glance. “Well, of course, that goes without saying.”
“Helen it’s an interesting request, but I’m no investigator. I’m out of my league here. Surely you can take your fears to Davara?”
“I already did and he had nothing to say. Please, Roxy, I know you’ve done this kind of thing before.”
Roxy raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.
“So, I looked you up on the internet yesterday. I... I was so upset with mother for not telling me about the book and I was worried. I wanted to make sure you were up for the task. I just needed to check out your credentials.”
“And were you satisfied?” Roxy was not at all offended. She would have done the same thing.
“Yes, as it happens. You have a pretty impressive resume of books and articles. But that’s not the point. While I was searching I also noticed your name pop up in relation to several murder investigations. It seems you come in handy when there’s murder about.”
Roxy grimaced. “I can’t seem to avoid it. I must have done something very nasty in a past life.”
“Or perhaps not. You’re still here, aren’t you?” Helen paused. “Look, I’m happy to pay you a hefty retainer to stay and help me sort this all out. It’s just that I can’t trust anyone here anymore; no one, not even the staff.”
‘She wrapped her arms tightly around herself.
“You really think the staff had anything to do with this? And what about the Zimmermans? S
urely they’re not involved?”
“How do I know that? They’re such a tediously odd couple. I have no idea what those two are up to most of the time, we’ve barely seen them the entire trip. No, sorry, as far as I’m concerned, they’re just as guilty until proven innocent.”
“Okay, fair enough. But I still don’t think you can dismiss the random maniac idea. Yes, it sounds absurd, but stranger things have happened.”
“It had to be someone from Dormay, Roxy, it had to be.”
“Why? I just don’t understand why you’re so adamant.”
Helen stood up and returned to the window. This time she picked up the nautilus shell and stared at it for some time. Eventually she placed it to her ear and listened.
“Hear anything profound?” Roxy asked and Helen shook her head.
“No, I never do. Joshua says I don’t know how to listen, how to stop and really focus.”
She placed the shell down and turned back to Roxy. “Well, I’m stopping now, I’m focusing, and I can tell you, there is something very suspicious about the way my mother died, they way she was buried.”
“So you know?”
“Yes, I know. There was only so long they could keep that gruesome detail from me. But the way she was buried, don’t you see, only a local could have known...”
She stopped, faltered.
“Known what?”
She took a deep breath, brushed her crinkly bob from her face. “The way my mother was buried in the sand like that, it’s a local island tradition. Didn’t Joshua or Davara explain that to you?”
“Explain what? Sorry, I’m a bit confused.”
Helen sat down again and took a deep breath.
“According to traditional folklore, when a villager died in this area, the survivors placed the body vertically in the soft sand near the sea and left the head out for the crabs...”
She paused, swallowed, looking as pale as a ghost suddenly. “Once the skull was... cleaned, it was then removed and taken to a special burial site on the hillside. It was a Dormay ritual. And one that belonged to only a handful of islands in the region.”