A subtle transformation had come over Sarah Zane. She had gone from being an average middle-class mother to a much glossier, designer-labelled version of herself.
She gave Eulalie a distant smile. At their last meeting, she had accused Eulalie of judging her for moving in so quickly on the newly widowed Mark Egger.
“Mark, darling, we should really let these people get on with their jobs.”
Eulalie and Chief Macgregor took the hint and moved on to the next stand. They were at the hospitality tents now. This was where corporate executives would bring their clients to be entertained during the parade. There were champagne bars, gourmet food tents, and whiskey-tastings. Eulalie saw Damien Hodge sitting in a tent sponsored by Hodge Consortium. It offered tastings of different vintages of cane brandies, with artisanal cheeses and chocolates as accompaniments.
Damien looked as incongruous as ever in jeans and a super hero T-shirt. Everyone else in the tent was wearing a suit.
“I need to ask him a follow-up question to my interview the other day,” said Eulalie.
“I’ll leave you then. I’ll finish my circuit of the vendors and report to the control room. We’ll speak again over our headphones.”
“I’ll let you know when I’m in position.”
Chief Macgregor went on his way, while Eulalie walked into the tent to introduce herself to the organizer.
The stall was run by a woman who did public relations for one of the premium brands of brandy that was represented at the tasting. She was brisk and professional, and assured Eulalie that she had the hotline number on speed dial on her phone. She had already met the security guards who were assigned to her tent and had been present at one of Chief Macgregor’s security briefings.
Eulalie thanked her, and moved on to where Damien Hodge was sitting, playing a game on his iPad.
“Good morning, Mr. Hodge. The tent looks lovely.”
He looked up at her, and for a moment his eyes were completely blank. Then he remembered.
“Oh, hey! It’s you. The private eye lady. Good to see you again. Did you come here to talk to me?”
“I’m part of the security detail for the parade, so I came to speak to the organizer, but I’d like a word with you too if you have a moment.”
He put his iPad down and beamed at her. “I have lots of moments! Lots. All I have to do today is sit here and taste brandy. Awesome life, huh?”
“Awesome, indeed. I was wondering if you could think back to that night on the island when Jessica went missing.”
He pressed the tips of his forefingers to his temples, like a sideshow psychic. “Bzz bzz. This is me remembering. What do you want to know?”
“Were you at any stage aware of someone else on the island besides the four of you?”
He grinned at her. “You mean, like ghosts?”
Eulalie returned his smile. “Ghosts, people, whatever. Were you aware of anyone or anything apart from the four of you? That’s what I’m wondering.”
“The thing is…”
“Excuse me.” The voice was low-pitched and pleasant. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Carson Fairweather, official spokesman and representative of the Hodge family.”
“Hey, Carson!” Damien slapped the older man on the shoulder. “This is my friend, Eulalie. She’s a real private investigator. Like on TV? She’s asking me about the day that girl disappeared. What was her name again? Jessica!”
Carson Fairweather patted his arm. “That’s right, Damien. That was her name. Now, why don’t you go and see if you can help those men unload some boxes over there?”
“Oh, sure. I love boxes.”
He skipped to the other side of the tent to help out, and Eulalie turned to face the newcomer.
He had the look of a major domo, or head waiter. He was very smart and impeccably groomed, but not even pretending to be of the same social class as his masters. His manner toward Damien was interesting. It was authoritative, but respectful and affectionate too. It was the manner of an old family retainer speaking to the young scion.
“Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Fairweather?”
“On the contrary, Ms. Park.” He gave her a respectful smile. “I very much hope there is something I can do for you. As the official Hodge family spokesman, I am in a position to answer all your questions. They really are much better directed at me than young Damien over there.”
“Unless you also happened to be on Monk’s Cay five years ago when Jessica Manilow disappeared, you aren’t much use to me, Mr. Fairweather. Damien Hodge was there, and he’s the one I need to speak to.”
“Damien gave a full statement to the police five years ago. He was interviewed repeatedly as the investigating officers came at his memories from every possible angle. And that was while the incident was still fresh in his mind. What do you think he can add now, five years later, when his memories have very naturally faded?”
“I’m doing my job, Mr. Fairweather. And part of that involves interviewing the eyewitnesses to Jessica’s disappearance, however long ago that may have happened.”
“Well, now, Ms. Park. We would be perfectly happy to assist the police again if and when they requested another statement from us. But it doesn’t look like they’re going to do that, does it? I’m here to tell you that your unauthorized conversations with Damien Hodge have just come to an end.”
“Shouldn’t that be up to him to decide?”
“He has decided. There was a family meeting in which he participated fully, and the decision was made.”
“He seemed perfectly willing to talk to me a few minutes ago before you interrupted.”
“He forgot about the family resolution for a moment. Mr. Damien has a lot on his mind as chief financial officer of Hodge Consortium. It is a very responsible position.”
“All I wanted to know,” said Eulalie. “Is whether he was aware of anyone else being on Monk’s Cay on that night five years ago?”
“Asked and answered during the police interview. Several times, as I recall. No, he was not. As far as Mr. Hodge knows, he and the other three were the only people on the island that night.”
“He said something about ghosts.”
Carson Fairweather gave a paternal laugh. “Mr. Hodge is a paranormal enthusiast. He has been listening to stories about Monk’s Cay being haunted ever since he was a child. It captured his imagination. But, of course, there are no such things as ghosts.”
“Of course.”
“Please remember in future, Ms. Park, that all communication must be directed through me. I have an office at Hodge Consortium, and another one at the Hodge residence in Edward Heights. I am at your disposal any time – any time at all.”
“But no direct communication with Damien Hodge?”
He gave her a pleased smile. “Exactly. I’m delighted we understand each other.”
“Unless, of course, the police want to speak to him again.”
“Unless, in that unlikely event, yes.”
He gave her a last smile and wandered off to inspect the tasting table. Eulalie glanced at her watch. She would decide how to deal with him later. Right now, she needed to get into position.
Chapter 15
As Eulalie arrived at City hall to be fitted with her headset, she found she was expected to wear a yellow reflective vest too. The idea did not appeal.
“I’m supposed to issue them to everyone,” said Phillippe as he fitted her headset for her. “It’s all about visible policing. The public are supposed to see you out there and feel safe as a result. And the criminals are supposed to see you and be deterred from trying anything. Chief Macgregor’s orders.”
“I’ll feel like a target. I’ll feel as if I have a bull’s-eye on my back.”
“Just doing my job, and my job is to make sure everyone is wearing one of these.”
Eulalie put the vest on reluctantly. Phillippe performed a soundcheck to make sure her headset was working properly, and she went up to the roof.
/> It was interesting to watch the preparations for the parade from this perspective. Most of the stalls were ready or nearly ready, and some early visitors were already milling about, popping their heads into anything that looked interesting. She could see last-minute float building going on at the cathedral end of Lafayette Drive. That was where the parade would start. It would proceed all the way down Lafayette Drive to the library end where it would turn and come back up again on the other side of the road past City hall. From start to finish, the parade was expected to last an hour and a half.
The Mayor would say a short speech of welcome at ten o’clock, and then the marching band would lead the way down from the cathedral gardens.
Eulalie tapped a button on her headset.
“Dome to Base. Come in Base.”
“Base here, Dome,” said Chief Macgregor’s voice. “What’s the problem?”
“There’s a stall near Finger Alley which is standing unoccupied. All the merchandise is on display, but the owner has disappeared. It’s the stall selling Panama hats and espadrilles. They will come back and find nothing left. There’s already someone standing in the alley keeping watch.” She lifted a pair of binoculars to her eyes. “It’s Pierre, that sneak. I should go down there and give him a piece of my mind.”
“Hold your position, Dome. I am dispatching two security officers to watch the stall now.”
“Roger that, but I’d love to go down there and confront Pierre. He gives the village a bad name.”
“Not really, Dome, because he doesn’t advertise where he comes from. Thanks for the tip and stay vigilant. Base out.”
Almost as soon as the connection went dead, Eulalie saw two security officers in their yellow vests moving towards the unoccupied stall to keep an eye on its contents.
Both sides of Lafayette Boulevard filled up fast. People were having breakfast at the sidewalk cafes and then setting off to browse the stalls. As the time moved closer to ten, the band began to tune up its instruments. Snatches of music were carried up on the breeze to Eulalie’s perch.
“Dome to Base.”
“Base here. What’s up, Dome?”
“I can see a group of bikers gathered at the docks end. They look as though they’re planning to ride straight down Lafayette Drive. They’ll run into the parade.”
She heard Chief Macgregor sigh. “It’s a motorcycle gang from South Africa. They were specifically told that Lafayette Drive would be closed to traffic during the parade. We were warned that they might try something like this. I’ll make sure the barricades are strengthened, and police officers are deployed to keep them back. Thanks for the warning, Dome.”
Eulalie felt better now that she had justified her deployment twice over. She was collecting an excellent fee for this day’s work and didn’t want to feel as though she were ripping off the taxpayer.
At ten o’clock she could hear the Mayor delivering his speech, although his words were inaudible. He must have kept it short and to the point because the marching band moved off shortly afterwards. Eulalie felt the same thrill she remembered from childhood at seeing the parade get underway. The floats were magnificent. Everything about the day represented the life and color and variety that was Prince William Island. The Sugar Board’s float was one of the first to pass by city hall, with Fleur waving madly in her candy cane outfit. Eulalie laughed and waved back. Then came the women business leaders’ float with all the ladies in their bikinis to raise funds for breast cancer research. Their float was decorated with pink ribbons and they got an especially large cheer from the crowd. Eulalie spotted Angel looking svelte in a black bikini.
The PTA of Queen’s Town School had put together a float featuring an owl wearing spectacles and a black mortarboard. Sarah Zane waved regally from near the owl’s wing.
And still they came – floats in every size, shape and color. Throngs of people lined Lafayette Boulevard on both sides to watch the procession. Their cheers were carried up to Eulalie on great waves of sound.
She had to force herself not to get fixated on watching the parade, but to stay vigilant for signs of trouble. So far, the day had been almost incident-free. Eulalie heard over her headphones that there had been a pickpocketing outside one of the cafés, but the perpetrator was quickly apprehended, and the wallet returned to its oblivious owner.
She had also seen the biker gang approach the barricade and be successfully repelled. They turned their bikes around and roared off along Beach Road.
The marching band reached the end of Lafayette Drive and turned to come down the other side. The road was wide enough for even the biggest floats to execute a U-turn without difficulty. The cheering grew louder as the people lining up on Eulalie’s side of the road got a closeup view of the elaborate costumes and float decorations.
Eulalie radioed Chief Macgregor to let him know that one of the smaller vehicles in the parade had blown a tire. Minutes later, a support team was scrambled to the location to change the tire so that the procession was held up for no more than eight minutes.
“That was me again, taxpayer,” she told a pigeon that had joined her up on the dome. “Justifying my fee for today.”
The parade started to move again. One of the biggest floats was a three-story-high model of one of the first governors of the island. He was a popular historical figure and always got a loud cheer from the locals. His float marked approximately the middle point of the parade. The giant float had just drawn level with City hall when it happened.
The sky seemed to lose its color. All the heat drained out of the day, leaving Eulalie shivering. The sound disappeared – the music, the drums, the cheers from the crowd.
Eulalie thought she heard an explosion. Then she saw a cloud of pellets rushing towards her like birdshot from a shotgun. The pellets started out in a narrow funnel that got wider as it travelled through the air, like an expanding cloud.
As light, warmth, and sound rushed back into the world, Eulalie flung herself face-down on the narrow ledge she was standing on. She heard the rattle and ping of the pellets glancing off the metal dome of city hall. The sound rang in her ears even as she covered them.
There was another popping sound and more shot clattered against the iron dome. Eulalie lay still and kept her head down, knowing she had nowhere left to go. If the person holding the gun was firing from above her, she was about to get peppered with shot. But her feeling was that the shooter was below her. In that case, she wasn’t such an easy target.
As she lay there, Eulalie scrabbled to remove her reflective jacket. She had known it was a bad idea.
Flattening her face against the ledge, she peeked down at the parade. Everything was carrying on as normal. It was as though no one had noticed. The noise from the parade, especially at ground level, was so overwhelming that the shots had gone unnoticed.
She got the jacket off at last and sent it drifting to the ground far below. Immediately, there was a crackle in her ears.
“Base to Dome. Come in, Dome.”
“Dome here.” She was pleased to hear that her voice was steady.
“Why have you abandoned your reflective jacket, Dome? It just floated past my window.”
“Can we go to private comms, Base?” she asked.
“Just a minute.” There was another crackle, and this time when Chief Macgregor’s voice spoke in her ear it sounded clearer. “We’re on the private channel. What’s happening up there?”
“Someone is shooting at me.”
“What?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt. It’s some sort of small-grade shot - like bird shot. I think the shooter is below me. I’m lying flat on the ledge, so they can’t get at me.”
“I thought I heard something. But it was more like a clang than a shot.”
“That was the pellets hitting the dome. My ears will be ringing for hours.”
“Do you have an approximate location for your shooter?”
Eulalie thought about it. “South east of me, and at a lower e
levation. Not ground level, but about twenty feet below me.”
“On the opposite side of the road from you?”
“That’s my guess.”
“Is he a good shot?”
“Pretty good. If I hadn’t gone flat, he would have hit me, center mass.”
“Can you stay down while we search the buildings opposite you?”
Eulalie lifted her head. “There’s no need. He’s gone.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“I can. He’s gone. I can stand up now.”
“Not yet.” The tension in Chief Macgregor’s voice was painful to hear. “Stay low. Let us sweep the buildings. Make sure he’s gone.”
“I’m sitting up now, Chief. He’s gone. You won’t find him where he was because he has left.”
“You can’t stay up there. You’re too exposed.”
“I’m supposed to stay at my post until the parade ends.”
“The parade ends in fifteen minutes. You’re excused.”
“I’ll go up to the stairwell at the top of the dome. The view is nearly as good there, and I can take cover if necessary.”
“Okay but be careful.”
“I picked some of the pellets out of the dome for you to look at. They’re even smaller than I thought.”
“Fifteen more minutes and I want you down here for a debriefing.”
Chief Macgregor stared at the pellets Eulalie laid out for him. They were flattened and distorted from their contact with the dome, but he estimated a bore caliber of less than five millimeters. He would guess 4.5 millimeters. He picked one up to confirm what he was seeing.
“This isn’t bird shot.”
“I thought it looked a bit small.”
“This comes from a pellet gun – like a modified BB gun. It fires a hail of pellets rather than individual ones.”
“You mean it’s a child’s toy?”
“Pellet guns are heavily regulated on Prince William Island, but yes, essentially it’s a child’s toy.”
“So, the shooter wasn’t trying to kill me?”
The Complete H-Series of The Eulalie Park Mysteries Page 56
