‘Someone left me another message, Vee. Leave Mustique or die like the coral, just like last time.’
‘Why didn’t you come home straight away?’
‘I’ve got a right to be here. I won’t let anyone threaten me, Vee.’
‘It’s silly for either of us to take unnecessary risks.’
Lily’s tiredness shows when she drops onto a bench on the jetty beside me, her head resting onto my shoulder. I feel a stab of fury when I take her hand. The girl has built a strong life from poor beginnings, but someone has her in their sights, and it can’t have been Tommy Rothmore, because his body lay in the hospital refrigerator when the vandalism took place. Keith Belmont’s time-worn features come into my mind again; he could have left the message on Lily’s boat, then strolled up to see me. But why would a man who claims to love her conservation work leave such a toxic threat?
‘Have you told Solomon about the message?’
‘I was planning to see him first thing tomorrow.’
‘I’ll come with you. I won’t have you risking yourself.’
She lifts her head to look at me, her face calmer than before. ‘Me and Tommy were the same age, Vee. I adored him when we were little, but we’d barely spoken in the last few weeks. I feel bad for siding with Amanda after their break-up.’
‘It would have blown over, he knew you cared about him. You were bound to stick by your closest friend.’
‘Amanda would never scare us like this, if she was safe. I have to look for her tomorrow.’ Her gaze shifts to distant lights on the horizon.
‘I want to hold a memorial tomorrow evening, at the Bamboo Church, and I’ll arrange a wake afterwards. Pastor Boakye can run the ceremony. Tommy won’t be buried until his family arrive, but we ought to remember his life on Mustique straight away. He deserves a good send-off.’
‘That’s a lovely idea, Vee.’
I have a sudden memory of Emily’s funeral. The child was as good as gold, sitting between Jasper and me in the Bamboo Church, then watching a memorial stone being laid in Mustique’s small graveyard, even though her mother’s body was never found. I used to fear such a terrible loss would traumatise her, but she’s a survivor like me, which could explain why I adore her. She fights each challenge with boundless energy.
‘You don’t have to finish your mother’s work, Lily. You know that, don’t you? Marine conservation projects all over the world could use your help.’
Her lips tremble when she smiles. ‘I always finish what I’ve started, under my own steam.’
‘In that case you’ve got a new recruit. I’ll help you clean your boat.’
‘Dressed like that?’ She stifles a laugh.
Lily’s got a point; my clothes are ridiculously impractical: a Liberty sundress and flimsy white sandals.
‘I’ve got my bathing suit on under here. Do you have any overalls?’
‘Let me dig something out.’
She returns with a pair of shorts and a T-shirt covered in oil stains. Princess Margaret would laugh if she could see me dressed like a street urchin, scouring paint from a boat, but working together encourages Lily to speak openly. I understand why Keith Belmont is so keen to get involved as she describes her ambitions. If her transplantation system really does regenerate the reef, the method can be used world-wide, and she’ll become famous in the science world. Maybe Keith wants to swap his transient fame and a string of failed marriages for a legacy of doing good.
‘I’m so proud of you, Lily. You know that, don’t you?’
‘I wouldn’t have got this far without you and Jasper.’
‘That’s sweet, darling, but you do perfectly well without us clapping from the front row.’
We carry on until the last trace of paint is removed and I can abandon my borrowed clothes and slip back into my dress.
‘Shall we have a drink at Basil’s on our way home?’
Lily shakes her head. ‘I’m almost ready for bed.’
‘Me too. Keith Belmont’s visit exhausted me.’
‘What did he want, exactly?’
‘Your signature on his contract. He’s prepared to give your charity masses of publicity and cash, provided it runs under his name.’
Lily gives a wry smile. ‘I was tempted, I admit, but I can’t work for someone that confused. One minute he’s talking about purifying his soul, then he’s hitting on some teenager in Firefly.’
‘Who’s he been chasing?’
‘Any woman under twenty-five, the younger the better.’
I turn to face her. ‘Did he pursue Amanda?’
‘She was his first this summer. He invited her over to do yoga, and she had to make it clear she wasn’t interested before he stopped sending her flowers. Sacha’s the only girl he hasn’t bothered asking round for dinner.’
‘Was Keith hurt by Amanda’s rejection?’
‘I don’t know. He’s not the kind to show his true feelings.’
‘Did he flirt with you too?’
‘He’s dived with me a few times. The guy’s genuinely passionate about the coral, but he gives me the creeps.’
My thoughts suddenly slot into place. ‘It could be him that’s hurting people, couldn’t it? He’s attracted to you and Amanda. She’s missing, and you’re getting these awful messages.’
‘But why would he attack Tommy?’
‘Come on, Lily, you have to admit it seems a bit suspicious?’
‘I guess we could mention the new graffiti to Solomon. I’ll text him now.’
When I steer the buggy through the trees again I’m glad Lily isn’t walking back alone. The thick vegetation and fetid odour rising from the ground remind me that voodoo rituals once took place in the darkest clearings. Lily’s behaviour has changed too; she falls silent as the darkness thickens, making me wish the buggy’s headlights were more powerful. We’ve only been in the dark a few minutes when she asks me to pull up.
‘I heard it again, Vee,’ she whispers. ‘This is where I got followed last time.’
When I look back, there are only the black shapes of trees, crowding around us.
‘Let’s keep going.’ When we move on, the sound of footsteps increases until I hear it over the buggy’s low buzz. I put the brakes on once more, then call out. ‘Show yourself, whoever you are.’
A man’s tall form lumbers onto the path and I grab Lily’s hand. If he intends to harm us, there’s safety in numbers.
‘It’s just me, Lady Vee, going home from work.’ It’s Dexter Adebayo. He looks the same as ever, a portly figure with grey dreadlocks touching his shoulders, only his expression more sombre than before. ‘I stopped for a smoke in the woods, after a few drinks at the bar. My wife goes crazy if I light up at home.’
‘You gave us a fright, Dex,’ Lily says.
‘Sorry, ladies, but remember the only thing to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt said that, and American presidents never lie, do they?’ The bartender’s face finally breaks into a smile. ‘I’d better go home before my wife files for divorce.’
Lily waits until his footsteps retreat before letting out a peal of laughter. She seems convinced that the sounds she heard before were just Dexter, stumbling through the woods, looking for a place to smoke, but I’m less certain. Lily only falls silent when she pulls her phone from her pocket.
‘Solomon’s still at the police station, Vee. He’s waiting for us.’
The jungle is full of strange echoes as we head south.
25
NILE STARES AT his computer screen while he awaits his visitors. He has compiled a list of every Mustique inhabitant who could have abducted the young heirs to the Fortini and Rothmore fortunes. Logic tells him that the killer is a robust male, fit enough to tackle Tommy Rothmore.
‘Let me out, you bastard!’ Lyron yells through the door that divides the station from the cells.
Nile doesn’t bother to reply. His disappointment with his brother is still so intense, he’s not ready for another conversation, even
though he’s established his innocence. Lyron’s manager at Basil’s has confirmed that he was working when the Fortinis’ villa burned, but he’s still got lessons to learn. They did everything together in the old days, but now Lyron is more likely to sail to St Vincent, looking for mischief.
Nile scans his list of salient features from the case. The coral found at each crime scene and in the homes of victims must have a meaning; it’s the killer’s only direct form of dialogue. DI Black may be correct that the case is a straightforward crime of passion: Tommy Rothmore could have killed his ex-girlfriend, then cast her body into the sea, only committing suicide when his guilt grew unbearable, yet the theory makes him uneasy. Lily Calder’s boat has been daubed with the same message as before: ‘Leave Mustique or die like the coral.’ There was the break-in at Keith Belmont’s house, with coral left there too. If the killer is already dead, who is still harassing members of the island’s elite?
When Nile looks out of his window again, Lady Vee is stepping out of her buggy, bearing a lump of coral in her hands, and Lily is heading for the building. He can’t afford to be distracted by her looks, but he’s only human. Her shorts reveal legs that go on forever, yet she seems to be without vanity; if she’s noticed the effect she has on him, there’s no outward sign. The two women are just entering the station when Lyron shouts for his freedom again from the holding cells. It’s easier to stare down at the pieces of coral he collected from Amanda Fortini’s home, and Keith Belmont’s villa, lying on his desk.
‘Have you arrested someone?’ Lady Vee asks.
He hesitates before replying. ‘My brother, Lyron. I’m sure now he’s not involved, but I won’t let him go home tonight. He needs to cool down first.’
‘That can’t be easy for either of you.’ Lily’s calm gaze falls on him.
‘Don’t let it distract you. Show me that coral please, Lady Vee.’
She passes it to him. ‘I found this on Sunday morning, outside Lily’s room.’
‘It’s different from the one at Keith Belmont’s house.’ Nile stares at the three carved patterns: a spider’s web, crossed arrows and an upturned cup, or U. ‘I know they’re Obeah symbols, but I’m not certain what they mean.’
‘I still don’t understand why the killer’s leaving pieces of coral,’ Lily murmurs. ‘It’s at crisis point. Once it’s bleached, it’s gone forever, unless human intervention kick-starts the growth cycle again.’
Lady Vee keeps her thoughts to herself, head bowed as she studies the killer’s calling cards.
‘Do you think anyone on the island might resent your work on the reef, Lily?’ Nile asks. ‘You got a law changed last year, didn’t you? Fishermen can no longer use trawl nets inside the bays, and there are some months when they can’t fish at all.’
‘Most of them supported it. The reef is their livelihood; if they damage it, the fish vanish.’
‘That’s true, but perhaps it affects illegal activity too. Boats are much more restricted in their movement now.’
Lady Vee peers up at him, ‘I still think Keith Belmont’s involved. He paid me rather a threatening visit this evening, warning me to keep out of Lily’s business. He seems cold-blooded enough to kill someone, and his latest obsession is coral.’
‘That doesn’t make him a murderer, Lady Vee. If he staged a break-in at his villa to make himself look innocent, he did a good job. He seemed genuinely surprised to see the coral outside his door.’
‘He could be writing those threats on Lily’s boat to make her fearful enough to hand over her charity, and he pursued both Amanda and Lily this summer.’
‘Belmont’s on my suspect list, but we’ve got no hard proof that he abducted Amanda or Tommy. The answer may lie in the pieces of coral. One was left outside your bedroom door, Lily, two nights ago. Can you tell me who’s got keys to your house, Lady Vee?’
‘Jasper, Lily and I, my children, and our butler, of course.’
The detective scribbles in his notebook. ‘I’ll need to speak to Wesley.’
‘He’s been loyal for decades. I’d rather you didn’t bother him.’
‘Wesley might be able to guess who’s stolen a key to your home.’
‘Next you’ll be interrogating Phil Everard.’
Nile holds up his hands in denial. ‘He was on St Lucia when Amanda disappeared, so he’s been ruled out. Our killer needs to be in the right place, at the right time.’
Lady Vee suddenly looks up, her expression startled. ‘I think I understand it, at last. This is all about place, isn’t it? He’s using the coral to give us specific information about where to find his victims. He told Tommy about his method, before he was killed.’
‘How do you mean, Lady Vee?’ Nile asks.
‘Tommy handed me that piece of coral, the night Amanda’s villa burned down. He pressed it into my hand and told me to look there for her body. I thought he meant the Fortinis’ gardens, but he was talking about the reef.’
Lily’s face is suddenly animated. ‘It’s part of the Staghorn family. There’s just one colony that lies north of here; it’s in a dangerous spot, in L’Ansecoy Bay. It matches the one from Amanda’s bed, with exactly the same carving of crossed arrows.’
Nile can picture the scepticism on DI Black’s face on hearing that Tommy Rothmore’s killer might be drowning his victims, then leaving their bodies underwater, attached to specific beds of coral, yet he saw the rope around the young man’s leg with his own eyes. Someone on the island might be unhinged enough to carry out a unique set of murders.
‘If that’s true our killer’s got access to a boat and diving gear, and he’s strong enough to overpower a fit young man,’ Nile says. ‘If the storm holds off, we can dive in L’Ansecoy Bay early tomorrow morning, before the storm hits, to look for Amanda. It’s the only way to prove the theory.’
‘Are you qualified?’ asks Lily.
‘Dex Adebayo trained me years ago, then I got my BSAC qualification in the UK.’
‘We can dive together then, using the buddy system.’
Lady Vee raises her head again. ‘Shall I bring Phillip? He’s not a great sailor since his ear trouble affected his balance, but he can help me on deck.’
‘That’s a good plan, Lady Vee. Let’s meet at the harbour at 8a.m.’
Nile remains hunched over his desk at midnight, long after his two helpers leave, aware that their quest tomorrow may lead to nothing, but it beats doing nothing, like the Layton brothers. He’s trying to find criminal records for every Mustique citizen, but the simple act of checking is a major headache. The Internet signal is weak and the Police Records Bureau software is so ancient, it takes hours for basic queries to be resolved. He’s about to quit when the window above his desk suddenly blows open, admitting a gust of cooler air. The storm is announcing itself at last, just when he needs conditions to remain calm.
A sudden noise makes Nile yank open his office door, inhaling a lungful of smoke. A firecracker bounces across the floor, igniting a thin stream of petrol. Instinct makes him grab the fire extinguisher and shoot foam at the flames, before the building becomes an inferno, like the Fortinis’ place. He runs outside, but there’s nothing except the gathering wind. Whoever shoved a Molotov cocktail through the letterbox was fit enough to escape unseen.
Shock only hits him when he gets back inside. If the killer poured petrol through the station door, his brother’s innocence has been confirmed, even more forcefully. It proves that the killer is watching him closely, even though it’s long after midnight. Sacha Milburn’s obsession with keeping watch over everyone on Mustique comes to mind. It strikes him as far-fetched, but he can almost imagine her setting light to Amanda Fortini’s villa, after a lifetime of feeling overlooked and believing she mistreated Tommy – but is she crazy enough to try to burn the island’s police station down?
Nile abandons his plan to go home. Despite his frustration with Lyron, his brother can’t be left in a place that’s just been firebombed. He returns to his office and swi
tches off his computer, then tries to get comfortable on his hard chair, but it’s a losing battle.
26
Tuesday, 17th September 2002
I WAKE EARLY, wondering if I’m losing my mind. Last night it seemed logical to search for Amanda’s body on the reef, but daylight makes me question myself. I could be dragging everyone on a wild-goose chase, but Lily seems determined to press ahead when we meet downstairs. I feel concerned about her and Solomon diving to the coral bed where the dead men’s fingers grow, in the most dangerous part of Mustique’s coastline, but once her mind is made up, there’s no stopping her.
The weather feels different this morning when we get into the buggy. A warm breeze is gusting from the sea, and the clouds are moving again, precursors of the gathering storm. Lily doesn’t seem worried by the weather conditions as we pass Dr Bunbury’s villa. The two-storey building looks like it’s been transplanted from the UK, with whitewashed bricks, and new picket fences. Dr Pakefield is taking exercise on the lawn already, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, putting himself through a brutal round of star jumps and lunges, while the sun beats down. There’s something self-punishing about his regime. He’s exercising so hard, he hasn’t noticed us, circles of perspiration on his T-shirt when I come to a halt.
‘That’s a tough workout on a warm day, Simon,’ I call to him.
The man swings round to face us. ‘Just keeping fit, Lady Vee. It’s my only option; I can’t swim to save my life.’
‘Pity, in a place like this.’
The man gives a tentative smile, using his hand to shade his eyes from the sun.
‘I hope we’ll see you at Tommy’s memorial celebration this evening, Simon?’
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