‘Four days, in fact,’ Damian lifted his head. ‘I’ve been eating crap food.’
Hera grinned at him. ‘Poor baby, you haven’t had anyone to look after you.’
Damian picked up a cushion from the chair and threw it across the room at her, but he was smiling quietly now. ‘It’s nice to be back here anyway for whatever reason.’
Meredith and Hera chatted throughout the meal, keeping the conversation flowing with anecdotes about the local community, bringing Damian up to date on all the latest romances, births, and one marriage since he was last there.
Martin was sunk deeply into his own thoughts, not taking any part in their conversation. As the meal finished, he finally lifted his head. ‘We need to ring Gabe and Bede, but first, we’ll all sit down and sort out exactly what you each know about the time James asked Damian to leave. We’ll go through into the living room, and then one at a time. I want you to recount everything you can think of, and I mean everything regardless if you think it has any bearing on what happened.’
Damian was the first to speak, ‘I don’t know how they found me if it really is the same crowd. I’ve changed so much since that skinny, arrogant kid I was back then. I wouldn’t recognise me, so I don’t know how anyone else could. I’ve grown four inches, put on several stone, and most of it muscle, thanks to you and Gabe. I’ve learned how to defend myself, and how to keep a low profile.’ He looked at Martin. ‘Again, thanks to you and Gabe. I have the feeling my problem has nothing to do with James. My credentials are as legitimate as is possible under the circumstances, and they’ve never been questioned, not even by immigration.’ He shrugged his shoulders and slumped back into his chair.
Hera looked at him. ‘What about your parents, or any other relatives, could they have slipped up?’
Martin shook his head and answered for him. ‘Damian’s an orphan with no close relatives at all. His parents were killed when he was about six, I think. His education was paid by the state, particularly after they realised his potential. Gabe and I made sure his death was reported with graphic details, and although his body was never found, we made a good story of what we had seen.’ He continued, ‘I’m inclined to agree with Damian, I think this is a separate issue, but maybe not unrelated.’
Hera scowled, ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well’, Martin continued, ‘I suspect, as I said before, that someone has been watching James for a long time. Damian spent a few months here last summer, and then was publicly thrown off the property. It would have been relatively easy to find out what Damian was doing, what his research involved, and how Curtin felt about it.’
They were all silent, thinking through what he had said. And then Damian stirred. ‘Martin, that makes more sense than the Czech mob catching up with me. It would also explain why they were so stunned when I made it clear I didn’t want to talk to any of them. They seemed a little surprised initially, then they just got nasty.’ He touched his cheek again. ‘They’re just another bunch of crooks wanting me to work for them somehow. I seem to attract them like flies.’ He groaned. ‘They’re probably just thugs trying to set up a lab to make ice or something equally lethal, and thought I would jump at the chance because I had just lost James’s backing.’
Meredith smiled. ‘Damian, you poor thing, you really do need someone to look after you.’
He scowled at her, ‘You think me completely inadequate.’ Then sighed. ‘Well, you’re probably right.’
‘Don’t be an idiot Damian, Meredith was joking, but it wasn’t meant nastily.’ Hera slowly stood. ‘Remember Meredith’s weird sense of humour from before and ignore her. It’s her age, I think.’ She turned to Martin standing idly looking out of the window. ‘Well, Sherlock, what do you think?’
‘Damned if I know. I think Damian’s right, but it doesn’t get us any nearer to solving James’s death. I really need to talk to Gabe. I’m going to ring now and wake him if necessary, then we’re going to have a long session of recollections regarding James, what James said, what James did, and when.’ Just then, his phone rang. ‘Hopefully this is Gabe,’ he said, taking the phone out of his pocket. He looked at the number and frowned, looked across at Hera sitting quietly now, and spoke into the mobile, ‘Do you have any news?’ He looked surprised. ‘Really. Keep me informed.’ Turning back to the three eager faces looking at him, he shrugged, ‘Sorry, that was from the guy I have looking for the Watsons. They seem to have disappeared.’ Meredith gave a startled gasp and turned to Hera who shrugged her shoulders wordlessly.
Martin left the room heading for the library, and a quiet place to think and make the call to Gabe.
Martin returned to find Hera and Meredith deep in conversation. Meredith looked up, ‘Martin, we seem to have gotten away from our original thoughts about the missing contract and James’s rage against George.’ Hera cut in at that point. ‘We’ve been grasping at straws, I think, that book of letters wasn’t the clue we thought it was, but perhaps the other book with the scrap of paper with James’s signature was more important than we thought.’
Damian looked up. ‘What books are you talking about?’
Martin sprawled in the armchair deep in thought, while Hera talked. He cleared his throat then sat up. They all turned to look at him. ‘I had already thought that we could be on the wrong track, so I asked Gabe to check the auction houses in London for information about both books. He and Bede flew out of Paris this morning. Apparently, James favoured Christies in London, but let’s not discriminate. So yes, bring out the books Hera, and we’ll look at them now then I’ll recount what Gabe said on the phone. We’ll go back to the beginning, as I suggested before, and perhaps each of us should write down our impressions of James, George, and Lucien over the last few months. There has to be a connection somewhere.’
Hera carefully put the book of botanical illustrations onto a clean cloth on the desk. She thought Damian would appreciate the beauty and skill involved in producing this exquisite tome. She was right. He slowly lost the colour in his face, as he bent over to examine the book. His hands were trembling slightly, as he inspected first the cover, and then carefully opened it to the illustrations within. They were beautifully executed in watercolour, ink, and pencil, not the etchings that he had expected. These were original paintings with handwritten notes in explanation. The writing itself was a work of art, and Damian was stunned. He looked up and said in an awed voice, ‘This is priceless. These are originals and it’s been handbound. Where on earth did it come from?’
‘That, Damian, my friend, is the question of the moment,’ Martin said quietly. ‘The book is beautiful and valuable, but I can’t see it as a reason to kill anyone. The potential in the book of letters has more gravitas, but Gabe has now put that one to rest.’
Hera interrupted. ‘You mean Gabe and Bede, don’t you?’ she said challengingly.
Martin grinned. ‘Sorry, point taken.’ He turned back to Damian. ‘Gabe and Bede, between them, have confirmed that there is no conflict at all with Laurent as patriarch of the Family.’ He grinned across at Hera, ‘Better.’
She huffed and sank back quietly into the chair.
‘I suggest we all find somewhere quiet and start thinking. Write down all your thoughts and memories about the last time you saw or spoke to James, then we compare notes.’ Martin moved quietly toward the door and continued, ‘Damian, you use the desk in the office.’ And turning, added firmly, ‘It’s important to be completely honest, no keeping anything back because it’s embarrassing or think it’s not important. Hera, you should put the books away safely.’
She snorted at him, ‘Martin, I’m quite capable of working that out for myself.’ And left the room holding the books carefully in her arms.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Justin Arrives
Meredith was looking a little stunned after picking up and answering the telephone. She turned to Hera. ‘That was Justin. He’s on
his way here. In fact, he’s already landed and has hired a helicopter. He should be here by lunchtime.’
‘Did he say why he’s here?’ Martin asked mildly.
‘No,’ Meredith answered. ‘He just said he had arrived and was on his way.’
Martin quietly left the room, pulling his mobile from his pocket as he went. Hera heard him talking to Gabriel. She couldn’t hear what he said, but he sounded serious.
Coming back into the room, he looked at the three. ‘I’ve suggested to Gabe that he and Bede had better head back as soon as they can get a flight.’ He paused, and then continued thoughtfully, ‘I don’t like the idea of Justin suddenly packing up and flying here. It smacks of knowledge we don’t have.’ He turned to Damian. ‘Have you met Justin?’
Damian got up from the couch where he had been sitting and moved restlessly about the room. ‘No, I’ve heard a lot about him from Gabe, of course, and also strangely, James. He spoke about him a couple of times just before he chucked me out.’ He shrugged. ‘Not that it means anything. Why the anxiety?’
Martin smiled. ‘It’s just strange, really.’ He turned to Meredith. ‘When was the last time he was here?’
Meredith pursed her lips and looked across at Hera. ‘I can’t remember, can you?’
Hera was looking worried now. ‘No, it was years ago, I was at boarding school. What can he want?’ And turning to Martin, ‘Do you think he had some news, something we haven’t heard about?’ She jumped to her feet and started pacing around the room then turning back to Martin, ‘I’m frightened for some reason.’
Meredith put her arm around her shoulders, and drew her to the door. ‘Hera, it’s okay, it’s just a strange thing for him to do. And there has been a lot happening lately, and you haven’t had a chance to process it all. Justin is a friend as well as a relative. If he’s come he’s here to help, it’s simple. Let’s make sure Mrs Robinson prepares a bedroom for him, he’ll be jet-lagged. He’s not a good traveller, and over twenty-four hours on a plane really knocks him around.’
Damian looked across at Martin. ‘You’re not sure about that, are you?’
Martin still looked thoughtful. ‘No, I’m not sure at all, but he’s on his way. What exactly did James say about him?’ And the two of them left the room together.
Gabriel put his phone back into his pocket and turned to Bede taking her hand, and turned her away from the painting she was studying. ‘We have to leave now. We need to get a flight immediately and take you home.’
She smiled into his eyes. ‘What’s happened now? Or is this just an excuse for you to get some quality sunshine?’
He put his arms around her. ‘That sounds great actually, but Martin just called. Things have been happening back on the farm, as they say, and Justin has just arrived in good ole Oz.’ He paused. ‘And that’s surprising really, so Martin wants us back. We don’t actually need to be here anymore. We can still follow up the investigation on the two books by phone and e-mail.’
Bede sighed. ‘Well, it’s been nice having you to myself for a while.’
He grinned down at her. ‘The feeling’s mutual. Come on, we’ll collect our things from the hotel and head for Heathrow now. I’ll see what’s available leaving immediately, and hopefully with just one stop.’
Meredith was waiting on the veranda when the helicopter landed, and Hera wandered out to stand beside her as Justin climbed down. He waved to them, as the rotors finally stopped spinning.
‘Hi, you two, good to see you,’ he called, as they came down to steps toward him. ‘I hope I haven’t caused you any trouble just arriving like this. I wanted to surprise you.’
At that moment, Martin wandered out and stood on the top step. Justin faltered briefly walking across from the stationary helicopter. ‘Martin’, he smiled his old smile, ‘I didn’t realise you were still here. I thought you’d gone to Paris with Gabe.’ He continued across the grass more slowly now.
‘Good to see you, Justin, what brings you this far south?’
Justin came up the steps, holding out his hand first to Meredith then Hera then taking Hera by the shoulders, looked into her eyes. ‘My dear, you have grown to be a beautiful young lady.’ He bussed her briefly on both cheeks. Turning again to Meredith, he smiled down at her and kissed her on both cheeks in his usual smooth manner.
Meredith took his hand, drew him up the last steps, and into the house. As she looked back toward the helicopter, she saw Pete talking to the pilot. They were deep in conversation. They obviously knew each other really well—not surprising—it was a relatively small community, but Pete seemed to be disturbed about something, almost angry.
Later that night, Meredith, Hera, Martin, and Damian were all gathered around the living room. Justin, as Meredith had predicted, had retired early to bed. He really wasn’t a good traveller, and had looked exhausted during dinner that night.
Martin was the first to break the silence. He looked across at Meredith. ‘Did Justin give you any indication why he was really here?’
‘No, in fact, he very cleverly avoided any mention of his motives except to say that he felt it was time.’
Hera, sitting quietly on the sofa, spoke for the first time since dinner, ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this. Something is going on that I don’t understand. How did he arrange for the helicopter so quietly without someone from Perth notifying us that we were to expect a visitor? There are only so many options, and mostly they should have let us know. Justin must have insisted we not be notified. We could have been away from the property for all he knew unless he did know, and that’s a worry as well.’ She looked at Martin leaning quietly on the arm of the sofa.
Martin shrugged, ‘I suggest we all get an early night. I’ve heard from Gabe. He and Bede managed to get a flight from Heathrow immediately, so they’ll be here within the next two days. I suggest we not mention to Justin that Bede and Gabe are heading back.’ He raised his eyebrows in enquiry at Meredith. She moved her head slightly in acknowledgement and smiled.
Martin left the room quietly saying he though a walk in the cool of the evening would help him think. He moved quietly and casually out of the room and to the front door. Once outside, ever indication of relaxation left him, and he moved silently across to the outbuilding where Pete and the rest of the workers slept. He silently moved across the veranda to Pete’s door, and knocking quietly, waited for an acknowledgement. He slipped into the room looking around. He hadn’t actually been here before and was interested. It was a large room, comfortably furnished with a combined bedroom and sitting area, air conditioning, and through an open door, he glimpsed a modern pristine bathroom. Pete had all the comforts of home. The paintings on the walls looked like originals, and he moved over to one depicting the waterhole they usually swam in. Looking across at Pete still sitting in front of his computer, and indicated the painting. ‘One of yours?’
Pete shrugged, ‘One of many. That one actually worked. You’re curious about how our visitor got here?’
‘Very, I thought you had an arrangement that no one from any of the firms out of Perth would fly anyone here without notifying you first?’
‘It’s true, but Les, our friendly pilot, thought he looked innocent enough and he’d spun a romantic story about wanting to surprise Meredith after many years. He also paid triple the going rate. Les took a chance, one he will never do again if he wants to keep our business.’
‘So do we actually know when he arrived?’
‘No, he could have been in Perth for days. It didn’t, of course, occur to Les to ask, but he’ll do some checking for me. I thought he would have rung by now. Sit down and I’ll ring him. We need to know, don’t we?’
‘Yes, it’s out of character for him. He’s devious, and although I’ve known him all my life and he’s my uncle, I don’t actually trust him and never have. Neither does Gabe. He’s too slippery to ever take at face value.
’
Pete had picked up the phone, dialled, spoke briefly, looked surprised, then hung up. ‘Well, your devious uncle has been in Perth for a week staying at the Rydges. He’s kept his room and reception think he’ll be away for a couple of days.’ Pete continued to look thoughtful. ‘I think we need more information. I’ll get someone on it, try to find out what he’s been doing for a week.’
Martin, leaning against the door frame, nodded. ‘Thanks, let me know if you come up with anything, I’ll also get my guys to check a few of our contacts. I don’t want them tripping over your lot.’ He moved to the door quietly.
Pete cleared his throat. ‘Does Damian know your uncle?’
‘No, he knows of him, but to my knowledge, they’ve never met. Justin has no idea of the connection to myself and Gabe. He thinks he’s just a friend of Hera’s. Why?’
‘Don’t know, just a feeling I have. I think it’s important somehow that he doesn’t know. Goodnight.’
Martin left just as silently as he’d come. He drifted across the clearing then turned and wandered back to the front of house. It was quiet. Everyone in bed, he thought, but he was still restless. Taking out his phone, he sent a long text to Gabe. There was something not quite right about Justin’s sudden visit.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gabriel and Bede Return
Two days later, Justin was sitting quietly on the veranda, reading, when he heard the telltale sound of a helicopter. He put his book down and called into the house. ‘Incoming visitor, are you expecting someone?’ He was relaxed, and looked slightly better than he had the day before. He still felt lethargic and tired, but he’d been in Western Australia for over a week, he should be feeling better by now, but his mind was still not as sharp as usual. He really hoped the visitor, whoever it was, wouldn’t stay too long. He had been sitting there thinking about what he needed to say to Meredith, and wandering how to get her alone for a couple of hours. He was pissed that Martin was still here, and he couldn’t quite decide what he thought about the young lad, Damian. There was something about him that raised the hackles on his neck. Getting up slowly, he put his book down on the table beside his chair and moved to the front steps.
A Conundrum Page 16