Rising Tide

by Patricia Twomey Ryan

  ‘OK, Emily, about what time would you say you went to sleep?’

  ‘About nine-thirty. It couldn’t have been any later than that.’

  ‘I know this is difficult,’ Thomas said, his voice softer. ‘What was it that woke you up?’

  ‘Maggie,’ Emily said, staring straight ahead of her. ‘Maggie was crying.’

  ‘No other sounds – footsteps, a door, a car?’

  ‘Nothing. At first, I fell back to sleep; the crying had stopped and I thought … But then it started again. I got up and looked out through the shutters, but there was nothing. I waited a few minutes and then I started to get worried so I knocked on Peggy’s door.’ She paused and took a couple of deep breaths. ‘When there wasn’t any answer, I opened the door and … that was it.’

  ‘And you’re sure you saw and heard nothing other than Maggie crying?’

  ‘Nothing … Thomas, what happens next? I mean, Maggie …’

  For a moment, Thomas’ face cracked, then he quickly rubbed his mouth and took a deep breath.

  ‘I’ve spoken to Peggy’s husband,’ he said.

  ‘Dear God,’ Annie murmured.

  ‘He’ll be here around noon. I’ll meet him at the airport and bring him here. You can imagine the state he’s in. He could barely speak. He said Peggy’s sister would come with him.’

  ‘Sarah knows Ted very well and she knows Debbie … I haven’t called Sarah yet. I just couldn’t face it, but maybe she could go with you to the airport.’

  ‘Thanks, Annie.’

  ‘As for the investigation, so far there’s not much to go on. We’re assuming that the guy who did this is the one in the sketch and the one who killed Ariana. So we’ll make sure that sketch is everywhere – every store, every bar, every bus station, everywhere. It won’t be difficult; this will create an uproar.’

  ‘Does the press know yet?’ Martin asked.

  ‘Not yet, but it won’t be long. We’ve gotten a couple of calls asking about a “disturbance” at Island Bluffs. We said “no comment” for now but that won’t last much longer. Someone will have seen the ambulances or the medical examiner and, of course, everyone here knows. We’ll be lucky if we get till morning.’

  ‘Is everyone finished down below?’

  ‘Not yet, Martin. Forensics is still down there and we’re going to close off that area completely. We haven’t let those people back in their rooms yet. Nelson is working on relocating them. Also, we’re asking that staff not use that parking lot for now. I will tell you it looks like this guy was smart, and lucky – seemed to know where security was set up, walked right into the room, no fingerprints, slipped right back out. We’ll look for other traces but, for now, there’s not much.’

  ‘Did you arrange to have Maggie’s things brought up here?’

  ‘I did. They should be here any minute. Also, your things, Emily. There’s no choice now, you have to stay up here. I thought about maybe moving you away from the Bluffs altogether. We do have a safe—’

  ‘No … I can’t do that Thomas. I have to stay here. At least until Maggie—’

  ‘OK, we’ll leave that for now. Martin, Annie, I have two officers outside. Also, we’re increasing security around the entrances.’

  Security, Emily thought. ‘My God, Thomas, the security … It was Grace, wasn’t it?’

  Thomas’ face went dark. ‘It was, Emily. She was at the service entrance right by the path. He must have come up behind her and—’

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘It’s serious, I’m afraid, but Grace is strong. She’ll pull through.’

  Emily couldn’t bear this anymore. ‘I’m so terribly sorry.’

  ‘Please Emily, no more. Martin, I hope it won’t be too difficult for the guests …’

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about that, Thomas. I think a number of them will be leaving tomorrow. Those who can get flights.’ Martin looked over at Annie and shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Thomas said. He could only imagine the kind of damage this was causing – the Bluffs meant so much to them.

  ‘It’s not your fault, Thomas. And it won’t be so bad. Remember, many of the people here are not just guests, but friends and family. I don’t worry too much about them. Next week’s guests may be a different story. But really, none of that matters right now. Peggy’s death seems too much to bear … for all of us.’

  THIRTY

  There was very little sleep at Annie and Martin’s house that night. Maggie and Emily’s things arrived a few minutes after Thomas left, but they just put them in the TV room for now. Emily didn’t want to try moving Maggie into the crib for fear of waking her, so they left her in the bed in the guest room and Emily once again lay down beside her. She felt better this way. She knew she wouldn’t sleep and she could keep watch over her. After all, Peggy had wanted her to get a good night’s sleep.

  Annie knew she could no longer put off calling Sarah. She hoped Jon would answer the phone so she could tell him first. Martin sat on the couch beside her as she dialed.

  ‘Jon, it’s Annie—’

  ‘Annie, what’s wrong?’

  ‘I’m calling with some terrible news, Jon.’ Annie could hear Sarah waking in the background. ‘Peggy has been murdered.’

  ‘Dear God,’ Jon said. ‘Hold on, Annie.’

  Annie could hear Sarah’s voice.

  ‘What’s wrong Jon? Who is that?’

  ‘It’s your mom, Sarah. I’m afraid she has some …’

  Sarah grabbed the phone. ‘Mom, Mom, what is it? What’s wrong?’

  ‘Sarah, I’m afraid it’s … it’s Peggy,’ Annie’s voice faltered. ‘Peggy’s—’

  ‘No, don’t say it. Please don’t. Oh my God—’

  ‘I’m so sorry, honey. I know what good friends you were—’

  ‘What happened? How did this happen?’

  ‘Someone snuck into her suite … Someone stabbed …’

  Sarah dropped the phone and Annie could hear her shrieking in the background. It was several minutes before Jon got back on the line. ‘Annie,’ he said, ‘Sarah wants to come to the house. I think she needs to be—’

  ‘Of course, Jon. We’re here. Maggie is up here and Emily too. And Jon, I know Sarah hasn’t thought about this yet, but Ted is coming tomorrow, around noon.’

  ‘We should be there shortly. We can talk about it then.’

  Annie hung up. ‘They’re on their way,’ she said to Martin.

  He sat with his hands held tightly together. Then unclasping them, he rubbed his eyes and then his cheeks. ‘Maybe we should close the resort, Annie?’

  ‘Martin, what are you saying?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’m just thinking … maybe we need to take some time … to think about this whole—’

  ‘Martin, you love the Bluffs. You’ve spent your whole life creating a place where—’

  ‘I know, I know but maybe it’s time to—’

  ‘No, we’re not making a decision like that at a time like this. Look, you said many of the guests were leaving. I don’t blame them. And frankly it will be better for us. I don’t know how you’ve been dealing with this. I know I can’t—’

  ‘This has been a lot harder for you Annie … with Kat and all.’

  ‘Once everyone leaves, it will give us some time to … think … to plan for—’

  ‘I can’t, Annie.’

  Annie was taken aback at how panicked she was hearing Martin. The Bluffs had been their whole lives. What would they do? Where would they go?

  ‘No, Martin. This isn’t the time for making that decision. But you’re right. We need some time and space. Tomorrow, after the guests have checked out, we’ll begin calling those who have reservations for the next couple of weeks and tell them we’re closing temporarily. I’m sure they’ll understand. I’m sure many of them will be happy; it will save them from having to call us and cancel their reservations. Once people hear—’

  ‘We could try to set them up in other resorts,’ M
artin said. ‘I know it’s a busy time in January, but you know everyone holds back some last-minute rooms in case … I’m sure, under the circumstances, they would help out.’

  ‘All right,’ Annie said, anxious to get started. Suddenly the thought of some time away from the Bluffs consumed her. ‘So in the morning, we’ll have Penny draw up …’ But her words were interrupted by Sarah and Jon’s arrival.

  Emily awoke to a gentle tugging on her hair and opened her eyes to find Maggie lying next to her. Once again the reality of what had happened last night flooded back to her and for a moment she could feel the sob in her throat. But she didn’t have the luxury of breaking down this morning; she had Maggie to think about.

  ‘Good morning, sweetheart,’ she said very gently, smiling and reaching over to stroke the side of the baby’s face. Maggie giggled and Emily softly tickled her belly. They lay there playing for a few minutes as Maggie gurgled and babbled and then Emily picked her up and said, ‘Want to get up, little girl?’

  She carried her over to the window and they both looked out at a bird that was perched in a nearby tree. Emily noticed some diapers and an outfit for Maggie on the nearby bureau. Annie must have put them there; she must have come in during the night. Emily was amazed that she had slept at all, let alone slept that soundly.

  She carried Maggie over to the bureau and got her changed, all the while singing silly songs. Then she put on her robe and headed out to the living room.

  As soon as Sarah saw them, she started to cry. ‘Sarah, you can’t,’ Annie said. ‘We talked about this.’

  Sarah turned away to wipe her tears. ‘I know,’ she said, getting up from the couch. ‘Hey, Maggie,’ she said, reaching out to her with a smile. Maggie seemed delighted to see her and so was Emily. Maggie needed a familiar face right now and Sarah offered her that. ‘Come on, little girl, you must be hungry.’ Annie and Emily stayed in the living room as they went into the kitchen. They all sensed that too many people might overwhelm Maggie. Best to keep things as easy and comfortable as they could.

  The morning went by quickly. Annie went down to the office to help with the guests. They needed to see who they could get plane reservations for and who needed cars to the airport. Thomas had cleared them all. He knew his killer was not here. Annie hoped that many of them would be leaving. The thought of the Bluffs being empty was strangely comforting. Emily and Sarah spent their time playing with Maggie. Occasionally, Maggie would look around, her eyes questioning and a slight quiver on her lips. ‘Mama,’ she would say. ‘Mama?’ Emily and Sarah would distract her with a toy or a game and, for that moment, she would forget.

  Neither of them wanted to watch the morning’s press conference. Thomas entered the room and headed straight for the podium. There was barely room for the reporters to stand, it was so crowded. Thomas could see the usual local press people massed in front; they must have gotten here early. To the sides and in back were representatives of the international press. Thomas recognized the stringers from the New York Times and the New York Post. He already knew he would hate seeing that headline. Photographers packed the room, their cameras clicking incessantly. Between the bodies and the lights, it was stifling.

  He tried to make his statement as brief as possible. The facts about what had occurred at the Bluffs, their assumption that the killer was also the killer of Ariana Van Meeterens, the little information they had and how the investigation would proceed. He stressed the importance of the sketch and held it up, giving everyone a chance to see it. Fliers would be widely distributed. Anyone who thought they recognized the suspect, please contact the police.

  The moment he finished, the room erupted. How had she died? Thomas reported what they knew, but said the medical examiner would have further results after the autopsy. Time of death? Sometime between nine-thirty and eleven-thirty last night. What about the baby? Safe. The father was coming from New York later in the day. Thomas implied late afternoon; he desperately wanted to avoid a scrum of press at the airport. Any witnesses? They were following a number of leads, Thomas said vaguely. Condition of the policewoman? Critical. The questions were endless. Anything new in the Van Meeterens’ murder? Also following leads. Was she at Charlie’s that night? It seemed so. They were talking to witnesses. What about the bracelet? Nothing new. Thomas let it go on for as long as he could and then ended it as he had the others − reminding everyone about the sketch and promising another press conference later in the day.

  As soon as the klieg lights went out, they all scattered, some to file stories and some to try to track down leads. When he looked out the window of his office, he saw reporters doing their stand-up commentary – CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and any number of others. This story would travel around the world in a matter of minutes.

  It didn’t have far to travel to reach Billy Dunlop. He sat in his tiny apartment on Helfrichstraat, his eyes riveted on the TV. He listened carefully to what was said, trying to read between the lines. It sounded like they didn’t have much, except for the sketch. He stared at it as Moller held it up, then walked over to the mirror and stared at his face. He was right − close, but not close enough. He didn’t like the answer to the question about witnesses. The guy was being evasive. Could he have been seen? Did they have a witness? The only one could be that redhead. And why couldn’t they just let go of the bracelet? Billy knew that was trouble for him.

  He lit a cigarette and tried to figure out what to do. He knew he was risking everything, but he couldn’t take the chance that she had seen him … And what if she remembered about the bracelet? No, he had to get rid of her. He quickly came up with a plan, rough but possible, and it involved getting back into the Bluffs. He knew the place would be crawling with cops, but he had thought ahead and his first step was already in motion.

  Around eleven, Sarah got ready to go to the airport with Thomas, a trip she was dreading. ‘I don’t know how I’ll face him,’ she said to Emily, but there was little time or space to dwell on it. Emily decided to take Maggie for a walk in the stroller; she didn’t want her to see Sarah leave. One of the police officers attempted to follow them but Emily waved him away. ‘We’re just going down to the main house,’ she called. ‘We’ll be fine.’ She could see him talk into his walkie-talkie as they started out.

  They headed down the path and Emily could see the guests streaming in and out. She knew Annie and Martin were trying to arrange flights for those who were leaving and from what Annie had said, that was most of the remaining guests. It would be strange to see the Bluffs empty. She would stay the few days until her scheduled flight on Friday.

  Emily walked down towards the beach bar. There were a few people sitting at the tables having an early lunch. Almost all of them were wearing long pants and sensible shoes – a sure sign in the Caribbean that you were heading home. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Marietta and Nora. ‘Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry,’ Marietta said. For once she was quiet, almost at a loss for words. She looked down at Maggie, smiled for a moment and Maggie smiled back, but Marietta had to turn away with tears in her eyes.

  ‘Are you heading home?’ Emily asked.

  ‘Not today,’ Nora said. ‘It’s just too complicated making new arrangements. We were leaving tomorrow anyway … and we thought Annie and Martin could use some support. This is so difficult for them.’

  ‘It looks like most people are leaving,’ Marietta said, regaining her composure. ‘A few are switching to different resorts, mostly those who were staying through the weekend. Everyone is being very good about it – after all, these are old friends.’ She stopped and looked around her. ‘You know, I’ve been all over the world – great cities like London, Paris and Rome and small towns, rural and remote. I’ve been to the mountains in Switzerland and the islands in the South Pacific but this, the Bluffs, has always been home. The place I come to be myself, to rest and rejuvenate. I hope it will still be here when this is all over.’ She turned to Emily. ‘Will you go?’

  Emily shook her he
ad. ‘No. I’ll stay till Friday.’

  Maggie started making noises in the stroller. ‘I’d better keep moving,’ Emily said. Marietta leaned towards her and hugged her. ‘It’s all too terribly sad, isn’t it?’ she said, as she and Nora headed for a nearby table.

  Emily looked beyond the beach bar and saw the deserted bay beach. Strange to see all the vacant lounge chairs. No one snorkeled offshore, the small sail boats and kayaks were all pulled up on the sand and the empty hammocks swayed slowly in the breeze. At the end of the beach Emily could see the yellow tape that cordoned off the rooms. A young police officer stood guard on the path. Yes, it was all too terribly sad, Emily thought, and headed back towards the house.

  It was empty when she got back there. Empty and quiet. She made Maggie a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and went out on the veranda. She spread a blanket on the floor, grabbed a couple of toys and a bright orange ball and played with her there. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Ted arrived.

  Emily saw them a few minutes later. They didn’t come to the house first but headed down to the bay beach. Ted and Thomas walked ahead and Sarah and another young woman followed. Their bent heads and hesitant walk bore out the anguish of this journey. They spent just a short time down there then turned and headed to the house.

  Emily met them at the door, holding Maggie in her arms. Their faces were a map of grief, every line and crevice etched with unbearable sorrow. Maggie reached out to Ted. ‘Dada,’ she cried as he held his arms out to her. For a moment, as he held her, he sobbed. Maggie looked like she was about to cry too, but Ted stopped himself and, wiping away his tears, he lifted her high in the air. ‘Cupcake,’ he said, and Maggie laughed.

  Emily headed into the den knowing that it was best to give Ted and Peggy’s sister time with Maggie. Sarah went into the kitchen to make some lunch, even though everyone said they weren’t hungry. ‘I’ll just do some light sandwiches,’ she said, sounding just like her mother. Thomas followed Emily into the den.

  ‘How are you?’ he asked.