Death Beyond the Limit: Fiji Islands Mysteries 3

by B. M. Allsopp

  ‘Um, certainly. Would you take a seat at the coffee table? I’ll organise refreshments.’ She made another muffled phone call and darted from the room.

  Singh surprised herself by the sincerity of her annoyance. Usually she harassed interviewees purely as a tactic to get results. Rarely did she feel angry with them. But she felt angry today.

  However, the afternoon tea tray of juice, coffee, and buttered scones mellowed her. She needed this break and resolved to be more pleasant to Marisa, who seemed to be out of her depth rather than lazy or uncaring.

  Marisa returned and introduced Siale, the Human Resources Manager.

  He looked concerned, as if he was a doctor. ‘Sergeant Singh, Jimmy’s death has affected us all. You more than most. I understand that you retrieved his remains.’

  He shook his head in sorrow. He had a soothing manner—clearly forewarned about Singh.

  He opened a large envelope with the Fisheries logo. ‘Here is the copy of Jimmy’s will for you, also his bank account numbers and the debit card he authorised us to use while he was on an observer assignment. Only on his specific instructions, you understand.’

  He pulled out other papers, laying them in front of Singh. ‘This is a list of his payments owing from us, and his entitlements following his death while on duty, which will be paid into his account soon. We are holding none of his possessions other than the debit card.’

  Singh was grateful for Siale’s quiet competence. ‘I will call Jimmy’s parents and give them this information. I promised them I would. However, it would be kind if you—'

  ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure one of us here, probably Marisa or me, visits his parents and explains everything to them. We will also express our appreciation for Jimmy’s work. You can rely on that.’

  ‘Thank you, Siale. That will help them, I know.’

  She shook hands with them both. Marisa’s eyes brimmed with tears again. Maybe the woman was traumatised. They both looked very concerned. Perhaps they were right and everyone connected with Jimmy was traumatised. Even herself. Had she been wrong to dismiss the idea of trauma as self-indulgent? But she didn’t have time to think about that, nor was it her way. She must visit the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.

  46

  Horseman waited for Singh at Arabica. The loftiness of the old spice warehouse, the century-old hardwood columns—all this reassured him that some good things lasted. He could focus better on the alarming developments in the case. He hoped Singh had turned up something.

  But her half-smile when she came in didn’t promise good news.

  ‘Your phone call was enigmatic, Singh. I’m on tenterhooks.’

  ‘I couldn’t speak freely at the bank. But you first, sir. Was Shaddock any use?’

  ‘You should have seen his face when I told him Yee was a ranking triad. Genuine shock. And he was pleased he’d been useful. Without his help, we still mightn’t know that bastard’s name. I couldn’t trust him completely but I reckon he’s basically law-abiding. He’ll always be torn between his loyalty to Fiji and his foreign clients. That’s unavoidable. But he promised to try to locate Santo and Filipo. Not that he expects to succeed. Said he hadn’t seen them since he visited Joy-13 last Thursday to give us a tour.’

  ‘Heavens, was that a week ago?’

  He nodded, inhaling the aroma from the coffee ovens. ‘Does that smell do you good, too?’

  Singh rolled her eyes. The waiter brought her long latte and his second espresso. Singh added sugar and stirred with care.

  A few moments later the waiter returned with plates and a basket lined with a white cloth. ‘My mother’s just dropped these in, fresh from the oven. Rock cakes.’ He opened the cloth with a flourish. The cakes were golden brown and erupting with sultanas.

  ‘Vinaka vakalevu, your mother knows what I need.’ He took one and bit into it. ‘Mm, nothing beats good home baking.’

  ‘Vinaka. I had afternoon tea at Fisheries, but I’ve got to sample these,’ Singh said.

  Horseman said, ‘I’m guardedly optimistic the VMS track we’ve ordered from the navy will close the case. Our only chance is to pin the location of Joy-13 during those hours when Jimmy must have been killed.’

  Singh’s face lengthened. ‘Then the VMS track is the only way.’

  ‘Io, barring a confession, but we’re not going to get that. I wonder what the Chinese team are doing, if anything.’

  Singh shrugged. After a few moments she said, ‘You eat your cake up. My afternoon was more enlightening than yours, but not in a good way.’

  He popped a piece of cake into his mouth and gestured for her to continue.

  ‘First up was the FOP. I think Marisa now realises Jimmy and the other fishing observers haven’t been well protected. Siale from their personnel section came in and explained Jimmy’s entitlements following his death on duty. He assured me that he or Marisa will go to see Jimmy’s parents and express their appreciation for his work. I hope so. He gave me Jimmy’s bank details and a copy of his will, which is interesting. He left one-third of his estate to Salome and two-thirds to his parents.’

  ‘I’m glad Salome will get something. Her plan to start a sewing business won’t be easy without Jimmy’s support.’

  ‘She’ll get rather more than something, sir. I’ve just been to the ANZ bank manager who was keen to help. Take a look at these statement printouts.’ She dived into her backpack and fished out a plastic sleeve.

  He stared at her when he saw the bottom line—a little under one hundred and forty thousand dollars.

  ‘So, with his insurance pay-out, neither Salome nor his parents need to go without. Take your time to go through the five years of statements, sir. The earliest page is at the back, starting with three hundred and twenty-one dollars. It’s easy to see when the corruption started—three years ago. You’ll notice the FOP payments identified. Then the cash deposits start—different amounts, irregular but steadily increasing in size. I got a shock. I mean, we know nothing about him really, but because of how he died—’ She clapped her hand over her mouth.

  ‘Oi lei! I know. Odd isn’t it.’ He reached out and patted her arm. ‘His terrifying death cast us as his avengers. Once I found out about fishing observers and the risks they take, I’ve looked on him like a soldier who sacrifices his life for the good of his country. What a turnaround! A hero’s feet of clay exposed in ANZ bank statements. Give me a minute or two, please.’

  He never regretted his two years of university accountancy studies. He’d found the subject deeply unsatisfying, but the ability to understand financial data was useful to a detective. As he expected, he agreed with Singh’s conclusion.

  ‘Do you think there could be another explanation?’ He could tell she was anxious for him to find one.

  He threw his hands up. ‘Anything’s possible, but no. For now, we’ll assume he was accepting corrupt payments in cash and depositing them over the counter when he got back to Fiji.’

  ‘I remember he gave his parents money when he visited—fat envelopes, his mother said.’

  ‘Did he? It all fits. Salome told me how well-paid fishing observers are.’

  ‘How did it start? Did a captain offer him a bribe to overlook some breach of regulations and it got to be a habit?’

  ‘It would be good to know, but it’s not necessary.’

  She shrugged. ‘He could have been threatened. Maybe he had little choice.’

  ‘I can believe that happening once or twice. But these payments are consistent. They’re irregular because his assignments could be anything from a few days to more than a month. But there are so many over the last two years it looks like they became routine.’

  ‘You mean he started demanding them? Like blackmail?’ Singh asked.

  ‘Probably. That’s what it looks like to me.’

  ‘Then why was he killed on Joy-13 if he was happy to be paid off for the last three years?’ Singh asked.

  ‘Good question.’

  Singh
frowned. ‘Was there something he wasn’t prepared to overlook?’

  ‘Possibly the people smuggling,’ he replied. ‘When are we going to hear from Tani? Kau will be coming off surveillance in an hour but he’ll need to rest. It’s up to you and me, Singh. First, how about you tell Jimmy’s parents about his will? They know you and would be glad to hear the news from you.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll do that. Thanks, sir.’

  ‘I’m going to call Salome. I think she deserves her good news sooner rather than later.’

  ‘Right, sir.’

  Horseman puzzled over Singh’s attitude to Salome. As a woman, wouldn’t she be sympathetic to her sad story and her desire to leave her vicious milieu for good? She didn’t seem to be—she was neutral bordering on frosty.

  Salome picked up his call. ‘Bula vinaka, Joe. Have you got any news for me?’ She sounded fearful.

  ‘Io, Salome. I’d prefer to talk to you in person. Can you suggest a convenient place to meet me? I can come straight away if you’re free.’

  ‘That would be good, Joe. I would like to talk to you, too. I’m in the Carnegie Library now. Could you come here?’

  ‘Sure. See you in fifteen minutes.’

  47

  The rain had vanished and the atmosphere was steamier. It only took Horseman ten minutes to get to the grand old library building on Victoria Parade. It was packed out with school children doing homework. He spotted Salome in a nook between a row of shelves and the side wall, furnished with two chairs and a tiny desk. He shook hands briefly and sat at the table.

  Salome spoke softly. ‘I think it will be safe here. We can whisper. The school kids rushed in just after you phoned. I forgot about the time. It was quiet before.’

  ‘It’s fine, Salome. A good idea. But tell me what’s happened. Are you worried you’re not safe?’

  ‘Io, Joe. A few times now, I’ve noticed a Chinese man watching me. Not secretly. He appears ahead of me, stands and stares, sneering and making obscene gestures. It’s awful. I daren’t walk past. After a minute he walks off and disappears. And, twice now, I’ve seen a Fijian boy with him.’

  ‘Do you know who the Chinese man is?’

  ‘No, but he looks hard as nails. Rough. A fighter. My guess would be he’s in a gang running a protection racket. I think he’s trying to scare me off.’

  Horseman tried to look cheerful. ‘I’ll look into this, Salome. But I’ve come to bring you some better news. Jimmy left a will. Fisheries require all the fishing observers to do this. Sergeant Singh got a copy this afternoon. Jimmy must have been an excellent saver, his bank account balance is more than healthy. An insurance sum and his other entitlements from Fisheries will be paid into his account before too long. The good news is that he left one-third of his property to you and the remainder to his parents. You will inherit many thousands of dollars. You’ll have to wait a while for it, maybe months, because there’ll be an inquest into his death.’

  Salome’s mouth opened. She shut it again and looked away. ‘I didn’t know this, Joe. I just wanted some keepsakes of him, that’s all.’

  ‘It’s clear Jimmy wanted to look after you if his life ended. That means he agreed with your plans and wanted you to carry them out. Please, Salome, I urge you, live on your own savings until you receive his legacy. Give up your work now and forever, right this minute. Stay in your cousin’s garden flat and go out as little as possible. I believe you are in danger from evil men who see your independence as a bad example for their slave girls. They’ve come to Fiji to control prostitution and they’ll stop at nothing. You can’t win against them. It’s time for you to retire. Your daughter needs you alive.’

  ‘I know you’re right, but—’

  ‘I mean it, Salome. You must make do without Jimmy, but you will have his money before long to set up your sewing business. Your daughter cannot do without you.’

  All the vitality drained from the thirty-year-old prostitute’s face. A yellowish bruise on her cheekbone was obvious. She looked grey and beaten. No longer in denial, no longer pretending. ‘Io, Joe, you’re right. I will do as you say.’

  ‘I’ll see you into a cab now.’

  He called taxi driver Livai Yayawa on his mobile, walking along the row of shelves as he did so. ‘Livai, there’s a lady with me who’s suffered a bereavement. Can you come to the Carnegie Library and take her home please?’

  ‘Io, Josefa. For you, ten minutes, traffic permitting.’

  ‘I’ll give you the address when you arrive. Please accompany her into her flat behind the house and make sure she locks the door. An Asian man has been harassing her. She’s upset. Please take no notice if she asks you to drop her somewhere else. I know I can rely on you. I’ll pay you in advance. Please call when you pull up outside the library and I’ll escort her out.’

  ‘Vinaka, Josefa, I’m a veteran of the Fiji Infantry Regiment. You can rely on me.’

  When the taxi arrived, Horseman put Salome into the back seat and said goodbye. She gasped as he closed the door. He glanced around and met the scowling stare of an Asian tough, two metres away on the footpath. Salome was right to be afraid. The man smirked and stepped aside, allowing him to see Tevita trembling behind him.

  No time to think. He hurled himself at the man in a flying tackle, swept him off his feet, pinned him to the ground. The tough struggled, flailing, kicking, wild. Horseman punched him hard on the jaw, rolled him over, pulled his cuffs from his pocket and snapped them on. A traffic cop came running across the road. ‘Guard him, officer. I’ll radio for a vehicle to pick him up.’

  That job done, he looked around for Tevita. He’d gone. ‘Did you see the boy with my prisoner? Did you see where he went?’

  ‘Io, he’s a bad lot that one, sir. Used to be a shoe-shine boy, rough but nice enough. The last week I’ve seen him hanging around with that Chinese pimp. What’s he doing here? He should be deported.’

  ‘Where did the boy go?’

  ‘Ran round the back of the library. He’ll be hiding, I’d say.’

  ‘Vinaka, man. Stay until the vehicle comes.’

  ‘Io, sir.’

  ‘I should have remembered you traffic cops know exactly what’s happening on the streets. Vinaka.’

  A pimp, eh. It had felt so good punching the bastard—for Salome, for Fiji, but mostly for Tevita. When the pimp moved to expose Tevita to Horseman, he saw first bravado, then fear on the kid’s face. Where were his huge smiles and happy shouts of welcome? Evil was corroding him already.

  A small door at the back of the building was slightly ajar. Horseman lowered himself to the ground, opened the door and stuck his head into the crawl-space beneath the ground floor.

  He tried not to sound angry. ‘Tevita, you’re in here, I know. Please come out so we can talk.’

  Silence.

  ‘Tevita, your Chinese friend is on his way to the lockup. He can’t hurt you. Please come out.’ He waited a full minute.

  ‘Tevita, you do realise you’re sacked from the Shiners, don’t you? For working with a very bad criminal. Come out and tell me all about it and maybe I can let you join the team again. No one will know what you did except us.’

  After a bit he heard a scraping in the dry dirt. Tevita crawled out. Tears gouged shiny tracks down his dusty face. He sat beside Horseman, copying his posture, leaning his back on the warm stone wall and stretching his legs in front of him. The boy’s deeply scarred arms and legs softened Horseman’s anger. With a childhood marked by violence and neglect, the kid had no one good to guide him.

  ‘What happened, Tevita?’

  The boy sniffed and wiped his face on his T-shirt. ‘Joe, when I tell you about boat leaving Joy-13, you angry with me. I tell you I see ladies in boat but you no believe me. You say not to go near wharf or Joy-13.’

  ‘That’s because it’s dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt trying to help me. That’s not right at all.’

  ‘You angry, so I didn’t tell you all that happen, Joe.’

&nbs
p; ‘Tell me now, Tevita. I’m listening.’

  ‘Small boat head west, paddle slow, so I follow. It goes up Walu Creek, way, way up. Creek is shallow, but rubber boat can go okay. Ladies and one man get out and crew paddles boat back down creek. People walk to road and get in van. Van driver, he see me and tell me to come. He is more angry than you, Joe. He make me get in van and we drive to house.’

  ‘Was he the same man you were with now? The one I punched and handcuffed? The one who is now in the lockup?’

  ‘Io, Joe. Same man! Mr Lee!’

  ‘When we get to house, all ladies go inside. That house is their new home in Fiji. Mr Lee, he hit me but not so bad. He ask me what I do, if I go to school, if I work, can I speak English. Then he says he needs strong boy like me who can speak Fijian and English. Help him look after ladies. Men customers come to, you know, with ladies, pay big money. I can be guard, he show me other things. He say if I work well, I can have free turn with ladies, too.’ He grinned, nudging Horseman, who shivered.

  ‘You’ve been working with Lee one week now? Has he paid you?’

  ‘Not yet, Joe. But I have bed in house, just mattress. But okay. I get free food there. Ladies are kind. I teach them Fijian words, English words too. Mr Lee don’t hit me anymore. When we go to town, Mr Lee buy me food, too. He give me this T-shirt!’ He wiped his face on the second-hand garment again, brightening. Tevita had experienced such misery in his short life that the gift of an old T-shirt was a cause for celebration.

  ‘Tevita, if you want to belong to the Shiners team again, you must come with me now. We’ll get a cab to this house, you will get your bag and I’ll take you back to Pita’s uncle’s house. Can you still stay there?’

  Tevita shrugged. ‘I still got my shoe-shine box there and some things, all in bag. I dunno about bed.’

  ‘I’ll come in with you and talk to Pita’s uncle. You can’t stay in the ladies’ house any longer, Tevita. They are very bad men there and those ladies are like slaves. They are no more to Mr Lee than your shoe-shine box: just tools to earn money. What they do is against the law and I don’t want you there when the police come to check. You could end up in the lock-up too.’