‘No, I’m afraid I can’t, Doctor. You understand how it is.’
Dr Pillai carried the cool-box of milk and Horseman shouldered the full bunch of ripe bananas. On their return the cheers were full-throated and spontaneous. When the food was gone and the registration list complete, Horseman addressed the crowd in Fijian.
‘Boys, I’ve watched you carefully this afternoon and I believe it’s too soon to select a team. So many of you have turned up today that the Shiners may be able to have two teams in the junior competition. It all depends on you—your attendance, your health, and your fitness. I’ve spoken to a few of you already, who I hope will train for athletics, basketball and cricket. All the others have made it into the Shiners Training Squad, meeting here at five o’clock sharp every Monday and Thursday. Congratulations! Next Thursday, Dr Pillai will start checking out your health. Let me be clear, no boy can continue training unless our squad doctor declares him fit. Understood?’
‘Io, Josefa Horseman!’
‘I am very thankful to Dr Pillai, who has generously offered to provide a meal fit for rugby champions after every training session to all squad members who turn up on time.’ The squad clapped, cheered and hooted. Dr Pillai beamed even more.
‘Any questions?’
A hand shot up. It belonged to Tevita. ‘Please, Joe, can we have rugby shoes?’
Horseman hesitated. ‘Fijian feet don’t really need rugby shoes and they’re very expensive. I can’t promise you shoes…’ Tevita’s eyes narrowed, his face closed. ‘But—I’ll see what I can do.’
He smiled at the joyful shrieks, while he kicked himself for giving in to his impulse to please. What could he do? Even the cheapest shoes would cost 1,500 Fiji dollars for thirty pairs. It was next to impossible. He looked over at Tevita. The scarred teenager’s eyes shone with childish hope as he punched the air, whooping.
44
PARADISE ISLAND
Ian McKenzie awoke startled. The phone rang, loud and insistent. Night calls were rare at Paradise; definitely one of the resort’s advantages. He dragged himself over to the desk, clawing his way up from the deepest slumber. It was midnight. He’d been asleep half an hour.
‘Ian? Zeke Tabualevu, calling from Delanarua.’
‘Ratu? Oh, good evening. What’s happened? Sorry, er. . .’
‘Ian, apologies for disturbing you at this hour. First, let me say how much our entire community appreciated your presence and support at the funeral today. However, that’s not why I rang you. One of my marine zone wardens just reported an unusual sighting about twenty minutes ago. He was on the rocky point near here and heard a splash further out. What do you think his torch beam picked up? One of your yellow kayaks paddling away from Delanarua towards Paradise. Even with the binoculars he couldn’t identify the paddler—could only see his back.’
‘Really? Well, all our kayaks were here at nightfall. Do you suspect he’d been poaching?’
‘I don’t know, Ian. Why would anyone come here to poach? It’s the best patrolled area in the whole Vula lagoon.’ Far from being challenging, the chief’s tone oozed courtesy, warmth, and calm authority. He wished he could do that.
‘Exactly. I’ll get Jona to check the kayaks right away.’
‘Forgive me, but I don’t think that’s quite the best plan, Ian. If there’s some organised poaching going on, I really couldn’t rule out Jona’s involvement.’ He chuckled. ‘He hasn’t kept his opposition to the reserve to himself, has he?’
‘Um. . . I see.’
‘Much better if you could check it out yourself, if you would be so good, Ian. I don’t know if that kayak is heading for Paradise or not. But if it is, it could arrive in around fifteen minutes.’
McKenzie sat leaning against a coconut palm a few metres back from the high water line. He couldn’t be seen unless a torch was shone on him, but the jetty lights allowed him to see any approaching craft and illuminated the strip of sand for a few metres. Four chains were secured to the palm trunk. Three beached yellow kayaks were shackled to three of the chains. The end of the fourth chain lay on the sand. If whoever had taken the fourth kayak intended returning it unnoticed, this is where he would come. But if he had no such intention, which was surely more likely, there was not much point sitting it out. The kayak could end up on any of the dozen or so islands in the lagoon.
The breeze freshened, zinging the catamaran halyards against the aluminium masts. He’d give it another fifteen minutes, walk around the water’s edge to the staff quarters, just in case, then return to bed.
Funny, the chief ringing him up like that. Why hadn’t he rung Litia, his daughter, if he didn’t trust Jona? Maybe it was no more than a protocol thing, top man to top man, need to know and all that. He wouldn’t have minded at all if the chief had rung Litia or Jona. But of course the chief was correct, now he thought about it. He needed to be much more careful about that sort of thing—status. So important in Fiji.
He thought about how pleased he’d been by the news that the police had found the missing Yamaha outboard. It was so trivial, really. What was $20,000 U.S. dollars compared with two deaths, two murders? Yet when he told the staff, he could feel their spirits lift. Some had even clapped. He’d been stupid not to report the theft to the police when it happened, he saw that now. But would the culprits ever be identified?
When the kayak entered the ring of silver water, McKenzie was fighting sleep. The paddler must be weary too, yet he stroked swiftly until the hull crunched on the sand, jumped out, pulled the kayak up the dark beach and reached for the end of the chain. Maika! What a relief! There’d be some straightforward explanation.
McKenzie took only one step forward before the blow to his head blinded him, felled him. Face down, scrabbling at the sand with useless fingers, he forced his mind to work, fought the pain hammering every cell of his body. He tried to spit the sand from his mouth but his leaden tongue wouldn’t obey him. A moment later blackness snuffed out his remnant senses and his will.
TUESDAY
45
SUVA
Horseman switched off the recording machine in the police interview room. ‘You need to think, Maika. Let the constable know when you’re ready to tell us what you were doing at Delanarua in a resort kayak last night. What you know about two murders on the resort in a week. Why I shouldn’t charge you with attacking Mr McKenzie. That’s a charge that could well change to murder before the day’s out too. We’ll come back then.’
He rose, held the door open for Singh and followed her bobbing ponytail down the narrow corridor. ‘Fancy a decent cup of coffee, Susie?’
She turned and smiled, the least guarded smile he’d seen yet. ‘No need to ask, sir. Ever.’
‘A fellow coffee fiend eh? Good.’ He supposed that’s what she meant.
Eleven o’clock on a Tuesday morning was not a particularly busy time for downtown Suva, yet vehicles congested the steep crooked streets and pedestrians spilled over the footpaths. They jostled their way across Percy Road at the lights, up the hill for a block, then turned left into a narrow lane inexplicably named Major Street. The heavenly smell meant Arabica was still in business, roasting Fiji’s own beans grown in the highlands. They ordered at the timber slab counter, scarred by a century’s use and abuse, then settled at a table in the tiny cafe which occupied one corner of the old warehouse.
Horseman inhaled deeply and slowly. When their coffee arrived, he immediately ordered another, then downed his short black in two gulps. He forced his tumbling thoughts into a logical line.
‘So why did Maika paddle a kayak all the way to Delanarua and back again in an evening? Secretly? Damned if I know. He’d been there most of the day for Nisi’s funeral. Why would he go back?’ he said.
Singh sipped her latte, frowning. ‘I don’t know either. He swears he found Mr McKenzie unconscious, but won’t explain
why he was there. He’s scared of something or someone, and I don’t think it’s us. Oh, did you get anything from Steve’s sister yesterday?’
‘Nice woman. She saw him last Thursday, believed he was taking the overnight ferry to Savusavu to visit his sick mother, who doesn’t have a phone. Last night I rang the next door neighbour, who seemed a bit confused. He said there were quite a few visitors to the ill lady, but wasn’t sure if Steve was among them. I thought that odd as Steve must be well known to them. I’ve asked Musudroka to ring again this morning and speak to someone else there who’s more observant. So, we still can’t confirm his alibi for Thursday night.’
‘And Kelepi still hasn’t got the Savusavu ferry passenger lists from Sea Track. Computer meltdown or they just don’t care?’
‘I know Kelepi will keep on their backs until he gets those lists.’ Horseman looked at his watch. ‘Time to check on Mr McKenzie I think.’ He rang the hospital and was immediately transferred to the correct ward. He listened to the duty sister’s report, thanked her, and smiled at Singh.
‘He’s regained consciousness, but he’s still confused—doesn’t know where he is or why. His wife’s with him. The neurologist says he’s concussed and will recover with time, but he can’t be interviewed yet. The ward sister will let me know as soon as he becomes more lucid.’
Singh raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m impressed. You have more success with ward dragons than I’ve ever had. How do you do it?’
He had to be honest with her. ‘It’s not me, it’s my mother. She was a chief dragon for a long time. All the current generation took notes from her.’ He was sorry to see her happy smile disappear, her usual reserved manner return.
‘Sorry sir, I didn’t mean—’
‘Nothing to be sorry for. They are dragons, protecting their treasure. Feel free to tell any nurse in Fiji you’re making enquiries on my behalf. If they know my mother, it’ll help.’ He checked his watch again. ‘Let’s go back and see if Maika’s changed his mind.’
Maika leaned forward, his red-rimmed eyes round, his hands thrust across the table, pleading. ‘I tell you, I didn’t attack Mr McKenzie. I didn’t see him until he fell down in front of me. You know I ran to get help straight away.’
Horseman spoke reasonably. ‘We don’t know that at all. We’ve only got your word for that. Looks like you attacked Mr McKenzie, panicked when you thought he was dead, then raised the alarm in the staff quarters.’
‘No! I didn’t! I was shocked when he keeled over into the light on the sand, um. . .’
‘If it wasn’t you, who did hit Mr McKenzie, Maika?’ Singh asked.
‘I don’t know. It was dark, clouds all over. I couldn’t see a thing beyond the edge of the sand.’
She persisted quietly. ‘Who were you expecting to meet at the jetty?’
‘No one! No one at all! Please, I took the kayak to spend more time at Nisi’s grave.’
‘Did you meet anyone there?’ Singh asked.
‘No, no, I wanted to be on my own. No one goes to the cemetery at night—you know that.’
Horseman leaned forward, his face close to Maika’s. ‘So, we have to take your word as proof? You paddled ten kilometres in the dark to spend private time with the girlfriend you murdered? Then ten kilometres back again? You’re joking, aren’t you?’ He lowered his voice. ‘I think we’re wasting our time again, Detective Sergeant. This constable is needed elsewhere—he can’t be Maika’s private guard any longer. Better let him do some more thinking in the lock-up.’
‘I... I’ve got something to say, Ovisa.’
‘Better hurry up then. What?’
‘I. . . I don’t know where to start.’ He looked from Horseman to Singh and back again.
‘From the beginning, Maika. When did it start?’ Her voice was soft, encouraging.
Maika sighed, already calmer. He’d decided to tell the truth, or some of it. ‘Over a year ago, when the research team were in camp. I got talking to a guest on our boat trips. This guest went on all of them—fishing, visiting other islands, diving. He wanted to know all about the birds, the fish, even the sea snakes. He came along when I took Anil and Steve to an island with breeding colonies of boobies and frigate birds. They were doing some sort of survey. He mentioned he was really interested in parrots, so I invited him over to Delanarua the next day, when I took the boys and the crate of snakes from the research camp. There are some trees near the village the parrots like and he was lucky to see the kaka, red shining parrots, and the kula, collared lories.
‘He took lots of photos and was really pleased. Later he asked me if any vokai, Fiji iguanas, lived on the lagoon islands—he’d seen them in the wildlife park near Korotogo. I said yes, on a few, including Delanarua. There aren’t any mongoose there, you see—they eat the eggs. He asked if he could see some, and I said he’d have to be lucky, as they live high up in the trees and they’re very well camouflaged.’
Horseman himself had only seen both critically endangered endemic iguana species, the banded and the crested, in the wildlife park. They had to be among the most beautiful reptiles in the world—brilliant emerald patterned by irregular white bands that swirled stylishly around their strong bodies and long, elegant tails. Their powerful claws and aggressive reputation had inspired an island rugby team to adopt the name Vokai and wear green and white. On his one visit to the wildlife park, Horseman had found them lively, curious creatures, almost friendly. He could see now where Maika’s story was going.
‘Don’t be shy, Maika. This guest was Winston Lee, wasn’t it?’ he asked.
Maika, wild-eyed, looked first at Singh, who smiled encouragement, then around the tiny room, as if seeking an escape route. Eventually he hung his head and nodded.
‘Did Mr Lee see any iguanas, Maika?’ she asked gently.
‘No, Ovisa. Steve was staying for two nights and Winston asked him to find out their whereabouts from the villagers. He told us if we could get parrot and iguana eggs for him he’d pay us well, and any villagers involved, too. He showed us how to pack them in a thermos. He’d hatch them in Hong Kong and sell them for hundreds of dollars. True!’
Horseman laughed. ‘Oh really, Maika? He deceived you. He could sell them for thousands in Hong Kong. Each!’ Maika’s eyes and mouth opened wide again.
‘Did you find any?’ Singh asked, sounding truly interested.
‘Not on that trip. Anil and Steve read up on them and found it wasn’t the egg-laying season. My little brother, he’s still at primary school in the village, he helped Anil and Steve and they got some kula eggs. Winston was pretty pleased and he paid us fifty dollars each. Said he’d pay more if the chicks hatched and lived.’
‘Who else knew about this, Maika? Professor Burgermeister? Jona?’ she asked.
‘No! We kept it to ourselves. Anil said the professor wouldn’t allow it, but we couldn’t see any harm.’
‘Did you know exporting the parrots and iguanas, and their eggs is illegal?’
Maika was all innocence. ‘No. Why?’
Horseman didn’t believe him, but explained anyway. ‘To make sure these creatures don’t disappear forever, Maika. They live only here in Fiji. If everyone steals their eggs, there won’t be any more babies, will there? It’s just like the marine reserve.’
Maika jutted his chin, defiant. ‘We didn’t take many. There are plenty.’
‘Kaka, kula, vokai—they’re all in danger of extinction. You’re not the only ones robbing nests, Maika. Winston Lee’s not the only one buying eggs, I’ll bet.’
‘True? I didn’t know. Next time he came we’d found a batch of eggs in a hole in the ground. It was Nisi really—she stalked an iguana she spotted climbing down a tree, and actually saw it burrow in the ground and lay the eggs.’
‘You asked Nisi to help you?’ Singh asked.
‘No,
not at all. She told me about the burrow after she returned from a village visit. She got restless sitting around in the village, so she often went walking in the bush when she’d finished her jobs. She’s interested in wildlife—was, I mean. She has sharp eyes—quick too. She enjoyed spotting a bird or a lizard before anyone else.’ Maika’s mouth lifted at the corners, remembering. Then he came back to the present. His eyes filled but he continued doggedly. ‘So, Winston got twenty eggs, and paid us. Nisi, too. It was fun for her and she boasted she’d find more next season. Winston sent Anil an email saying the eggs hatched okay, and we’d all get a bonus on his next visit to Paradise.’
Like so many, once Maika started confessing, he couldn’t stop. This wasn’t the vain boasting of the criminal psychopath. Confession was lifting the burden of lies and deceit that tormented him and that he concealed so miserably. A little gentle steering was all that was needed now.
‘Did you get the bonus?’ Horseman asked.
‘Io, he paid us. When he arrived at Paradise, just before the marine reserve day.’
‘What did you find for him to take back to Hong Kong this time?’
Maika hesitated for a few moments. ‘I didn’t get much time off but Steve and my little brother found some nesting kula and kaka. It was difficult—Nisi wasn’t well then. Steve and Anil couldn’t get to Delanarua so often—the research was winding up.’ Tears rolled down his face.
‘So last Monday week, Mr Lee decided to go and get them for himself?’ Singh asked.
‘What? I don’t know anything about that.’ Maika rubbed at his face with the back of his shaking hand.
‘Anil took me to the island and Mr Lee was there with Steve. He’d paddled all the way over from Paradise, like you did last night,’ she explained.
Maika shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that. My little brother managed to get some eggs, packed them and left them in the house the research team was using. None of the scientists came, except Wes, Ratu Ezekaia’s nephew, and he’s not in on this. It was a risk Wes would look in the thermos flasks. My brother asked me to take them back with me after the funeral, and I meant to, but I couldn’t get away to the house without being noticed. So I went back last night. Mr McKenzie decided the Voyagers wouldn’t play, to show respect for Nisi’s funeral. So I could get away.’
DEATH ON PARADISE ISLAND: Fiji Islands Mysteries 1 Page 26