Dangerous Shadows

by Whitelaw, Stella

  “Yes, missy. You can rely on me. ASAP.”

  “I have to tie gold ribbons round each one.”

  “I bet you tie ribbons real nice.”

  Holly was sorry to leave the printer. He was such a happy person. So many people here were happy. It must be the weather.

  The travel agents did not have any good news. No cancellations. No way of flying home unless she went via New York. Holly was beginning to think this was her only option. She was getting desperate. No one would find her in New York.

  “But please come in again. We get cancellations every day.”

  “Is Eva here?”

  “This is Eva’s day off. We are open seven days a week. She will be in tomorrow. Shall I give her a message?”

  “Just say hello and thank you.”

  She went outside and stood on the pavement, the heat beating down. It was almost unbearable. She had to find somewhere cool, somewhere air-conditioned. A local bar was the answer. But first she went into an internet café and waited for an empty place at the row of computers. She was feeling guilty about not keeping in contact with Sadie.

  She found the Yahoo site, keyed in her address and password. The screen took some time to clear and then came up with dozens of messages. Some were the usual junk and she deleted them. There were several from Sadie.

  “Hi lazy-bones. What R U doing? I want 2 know everything. Guess what, I have met a super new man and he’s a copper. More than that. He’s a detective. I told him sad story and he said he’d look the bastard up on their data base or something. Isn’t that cool?”

  Holly’s heart fell. It was the last thing she wanted, getting involved with officialdom. She wanted to forget the whole thing. She read her other messages, one from Zoe, paid the attendant and left.

  Her thirst took her towards the old warehouses beside the Careenage which had been turned into bars and cafes. Holly could not remember which one Danielle had taken her to, but she turned into the nearest, the air-conditioning hitting her skin like a cold flannel. It was dark inside till her eyes got used to the change. The bar was decked with items from its nautical past.

  She ordered a cold beer and a dish of seafood bits and pieces. It was lunch time. She took off her hat, shut her eyes, letting her eyelids cool. She didn’t miss London’s dreary weather but this sudden heat was exhausting. Hopefully the temperature would drop before the wedding. Danielle would faint a dozen times in that tight dress. Maybe it would be cooler on the beach with a sea breeze.

  A man came and sat at her table. He was wearing a white Panama hat which accentuated the coffee colour of his skin. He grinned at her with even white teeth.

  “Hey, you bridesmaid lady? Miss Danielle tell me about you. I’m Earl. I am lifeguard on St James’s beach. Rip tides very dangerous.”

  It all fell into place. Holly recognised him immediately. This was the man who had thought she was Danielle when she was wearing one of her cousin’s hats. And Holly felt sure he was wearing the brand new Panama which Danielle had bought. What was her cousin up to with this handsome young man?

  “Hello, Earl,” said Holly. “Nice to meet you. And I have been very careful, swimming close to the shore.”

  “You go back to Tiger Bay soon? Thunderstorm coming in sky.”

  “I’ll get a taxi.”

  “No taxis drive in thunderstorms. Roads flooded. Stay indoors.”

  “Perhaps I can get a bus.

  Holly felt a moment of fear. Rain in London was easy to cope with, but here in Barbados it was an unknown danger. She heard a clap of thunder overhead and in moments there was the distinct patter of rain on the rooftops.

  “I had better go now,” she said hurriedly. She put down enough money on the table to pay for her drink and sea food.

  “You no go out in this,” said Earl.

  Holly threw open the door. It was like walking into a shower. A torrent of rain was falling from the skies. She struggled with the umbrella, trying to put it up. Earl took it from her, fighting the downpour, getting the umbrella up. But in seconds, it was flattened inwards, unable to cope, spokes broken. He threw it into the gutter.

  “No good,” he said. “Too late.”

  His arm went round her, drawing her back into the bar. They were both drenched, their clothes and skin streaming with rain. “You no go home now, missy.”

  “But I have to go. Danielle will be worried.”

  “Miss Danielle not worry about anyone except Miss Danielle. I buy you another beer. You can phone her.”

  “I haven’t brought my phone.”

  “Use mine.”

  Holly let him guide her back to the same table. She could not make it to Tiger Bay by herself. Two cold beers in bottles appeared on the table. Earl was looking at her with interest. His eyes were very bright against his skin. He had a good shaped nose. If only she had her camera. Perhaps Zoe would like him as a model. He would be perfect looking, but rather older than their usual models.

  “So you are chief bridesmaid? Yes? You important lady at wedding.”

  “Not that important. I hold the flowers, that’s all, and help with the train.”

  “Miss Danielle has big house, many cars and servants. It must be important wedding. There is a lot of money in the family, yes?”

  “No, it’s a rented house. There’s no money. The bridegroom is working in television and Danielle was a scout for a group of travel agents.”

  “But at the wedding there will be many rich people?”

  Holly did not like the way the conversation was going. She would rather risk a drenching than stay in this young man’s probing company. What on earth had Danielle been doing, having lunch with him, buying him a panama hat?

  “You like to come to the movies with me?” he went on. “The Olympus at Sheraton Centre has six screens. I can borrow a car. I have a friend. The Globe Drive In open air cinema is the tops. So cool. Sit under the stars to watch a movie. Have a few beers.”

  Had Danielle been to the movies with Earl in those empty weeks before Luke returned to Barbados, before she had arrived? Danielle never liked being on her own. She always craved company.

  Holly took a few sips of the cold beer. It was a local brew with a strong taste. It hit the back of her throat and cooled her instantly.

  “Thank you, sounds great, but I’m pretty busy in the evenings,” said Holly. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Need to fix my face.”

  She headed towards the doors marked for men and women. She hoped the cloakrooms would lead to a service entrance, that she could find her way back to the travel agency, shelter there till the worst of the storm was over.

  *

  Earl switched on his phone. “She right here now, man. The bridesmaid of fancy wedding. Nice lady. Very pretty red hair. What you want to know for?”

  “It’s none of your business. Now I want you to keep her talking until I get there. Buy her a drink. Use your charm. What’s the name of the bar?”

  “I don’t know, man. It’s by the harbour. All bars look the same. The beer tastes the same.” Earl stretched out his long legs. He liked his new hat.

  “Damn the rain. There are no taxis. Keep her in the bar or there will be trouble. And I do mean big trouble. We had a deal.”

  “She ain’t going nowhere in this rain. Hey, what about my money, man? You said you’d pay me. I ain’t doing this following for free. This is my own time.”

  “You can wait.”

  “No, siree. I no wait. I want my money now. I got big expenses.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The gutters were running with water, the pavements awash with rain, the battered schooners on the Careenage askew from their moorings. There was a dark, narrow passage from the restrooms out into a yard. A quick get-away for pirates in the old days? Holly stepped over and waded through the puddles. The alley-way behind the bar premises was piled with barrels and crates of empty bottles.

  She was soaked in minutes. Thunder crashed and made the scurrying gr
ey clouds vibrate. Her hair clung to her head. She had forgotten her straw hat in the rush of escaping, not that it would have been much protection.

  She could barely see her way, lashes stuck with rain, though it helped that the crowds had vanished, taking shelter where they could. It was not far to the travel agency. The canopy over their front window was dipping with collected water. Holly hurried in before it dumped a basinful on her head.

  She stood in the doorway, getting her breath back, wiping the rain off her face.

  She dare not go in, dripping on the floor. But the travel clerks were used to wet floors and hurried out to Holly with towels to dry her face and hair.

  “Good heavens, miss. You’re soaked. Come in. Come in.”

  “Thank you, thank you,” she said, so grateful.

  The staff were concerned and kind, remembering that they had been unable find a flight home for Holly. They were as disappointed as Holly but not for the same reason. She could feel herself being tied to the wedding ceremony. The encounter with Earl worried her. She had a feeling that he could cause trouble. If that man was up to no good, then she should stay around for Luke’ sake, not for Danielle’s.

  The rain eased off as suddenly as it had started. The cloud had emptied.

  “You can’t go home in those clothes,” said the girls, fussing around. “You’ll get a chill. We’ll find you something to wear.”

  There was much laughter when they produced one of their company’s trim uniform dresses. Holly was glad to get out of her sodden clothes, and bundled them up into a carrier bag.

  “You can get a job here if you’ve time on your hands,” they smiled. “The uniform suits you. We’re always short of staff.”

  At least Earl wouldn’t recognise her in this outfit. She pinned her hair up with a couple of grips. Now she looked like any Bridgetown working girl.

  They phoned for a taxi for Holly and waved her off at the door. The storm was moving away, the thunder more distant but the road back to Tiger Bay was flooded in places. Eventually the taxi driver gave up.

  “You’ll have to walk now, miss please,” he said reluctantly. “No good for taxi. Not a fish.”

  Holly could see that the road ahead was deeply flooded but she could walk on the raised sandbanks at the side. “OK,” she said. “I know the way from here.”

  Holly paid him the full fare. He protested but she insisted. It was his livelihood. She knew that the Barbados grape-vine would spread the word round the island. The travel agency staff had been so kind to her. Maybe Eva had said something.

  It was a wet walk back to Tiger Bay but she could hardly lose her way. The rain seemed to clear her mind. She knew now what she had to do.

  Lily ran out of the house with an umbrella and sheltered Holly back into the house. Great drops were dripping from the palm leaves. The rain was not cold and already steam was rising from the ground as the sun stole out from behind the clouds.

  Lily said nothing about the uniform but took the carrier of wet clothes from her. “I will put them in the machine for you,” she said.

  Holly shed the rest of her clothes in the downstairs cloakroom, wrapped herself in a robe. Her sandals were sodden. They could go in the bin. She seemed to spend half her time in Barbados in a towel or a bathrobe. The ball gown had gone. Holly didn’t ask where.

  Lily appeared with a tray of tea and small, sweet coconut cakes. She put them on a table on the patio which had been sheltered from the rain by a huge umbrella. Holly unpinned her hair, which was still dripping.

  “Thank you,” said Holly again. The tea was wonderfully reviving. She heard Danielle coming out of the house. She had a tall glass of rum punch in her hand, was dressed in a flowing cream flowered kaftan, her angel hair loose and flowing.

  “Did you check the proofs at the printers?” she asked.

  Not a word about the rainstorm, or asking how she managed to get back in her wet state.

  “One tiny mistake,” said Holly. “But it’s easily rectified. Otherwise it looked perfect. The sheets will be delivered soon. Then I’ll tie the gold ribbon round them.”

  “You’ve been gone a long time.”

  Holly wondered what had upset her cousin. She was usually so sweet-tempered. Her carefully plucked eyebrows were pulled together. She was drinking the rum punch as if her life deepened on it. Bridal nerves, maybe.

  “There’s been a terrific thunderstorm. Hadn’t you noticed? The heavens opened and all of Bridgetown shut down. The roads were flooded. There was no way of getting a ride back. I had to walk part of the way.”

  “I needed you.”

  “I’m here now,” Holly sighed. “Perhaps I should have chartered a boat.”

  Danielle wasn’t even listening. She was swilling the last of her drink.

  “I have to decide on my hairstyle. You work for this London modelling agency. You should have some good ideas. That Hello! magazine have been on to me again. They want to take photographs before the wedding. So I have to look absolutely gorgeous, getting ready.”

  Holly didn’t answer. Whatever she suggested, Danielle would have her own way. Had she always been like this? Holly couldn’t remember. She could only remember a halcyon childhood when the cousins had played happily together in rock pools, searching for crabs and shrimps. Perhaps Danielle had been a bit bossy in those days, used to getting her own way, but it hadn’t bothered Holly.

  “I met a friend of yours today,” said Holly, deciding to drop a bombshell and see what happened. “A lifeguard called Earl. He was very interested in your wedding plans. He kept asking if your guests were very rich.”

  Danielle’s face paled under her suntan. “Earl?”

  “He’s very handsome and charming. He asked after you and the wedding.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  Holly shrugged. “Nothing much. What is there to tell him? A wedding on the beach is much the same as any other wedding on a beach.” Holly knew that this remark would not go down well. It didn’t.

  “My wedding will not be the same as any other wedding,” said Danielle, gulping another rum punch which had appeared. “It’s going to be spectacularly brilliant, quite outstanding. Wait and see. Barbados will be holding its breath.”

  Holly felt that the rum punch was talking. Danielle was drinking too much and too fast. Her cheeks were flushed.

  “Of course,” said Holly. Danielle was clearly rattled. “It will be wonderful. I wouldn’t have endured an eight hour flight if I hadn’t wanted to come to a spectacular wedding.”

  “It will be wonderful, won’t it?” Danielle wanted reassuring.

  “Everything will be perfect.” Holly was tired of saying it.

  “Luke does want to marry me, doesn’t he? He seems a bit strange recently, preoccupied. He’s never here at the house.”

  “You seem to forget that he’s working hard. He has two programmes to film. Perhaps if you took an interest in them, you could spend more time together.”

  “All that sitting around and waiting for him, no thank you,” said Danielle.

  “It’s all that sitting around and waiting that pays for everything,” said Holly.

  “Luke has loads of money.”

  “That’s very reassuring,” said Holly, bringing the conversation to an end. “You’ll have fun spending it. I’ll go and put some dry clothes on.”

  “Hurry up. We’ve got masses of things to do.”

  *

  Holly didn’t hurry. She was worn out with being told to hurry. She felt like ignoring Danielle altogether and instead start combing the beaches for two young people to photograph for Zoe. The sun was out and steam was rising from the ground as it absorbed back the moisture recently flooding it.

  There was a knock on her door as she was dressing. “Who is it?” said Holly, more sharply than she had intended. Danielle would have walked in.

  “It’s Lily, Miss Holly. May I speak to you?”

  “Of course, Lily. Come in. I’m sorry I sounded a bit cross. I wa
sn’t cross with you. It was the long walk.”

  “I know what it’s like,” said Lily. “I done that walk many times when my bike got a puncture.”

  Lily came in. She was twisting her hands. Her round dark eyes looked worried.

  “It’s that Earl Phillips, the lifeguard from the beach,” she went on. “He been coming round here this morning. He keep asking me questions about the guests coming to the wedding, wanting their names and addresses. I don’t know their names and if I did, I wouldn’t give them to him. I don’t trust him.”

  “Quite right, Lily. Don’t tell him anything but be careful, don’t antagonize him either. If he comes here again, get one of the garden boys to see him off. Or if Mr Kenyon is here, find him and he will ask Earl to leave. He’s the man to do it.”

  “That Earl thinks he has a right to come here, to the house, because Miss Danielle, she go swimming with him a lot. He guard her from the rip tide, she say. Miss Danielle lonely when Mr Kenyon not here but not lonely now you are here.”

  Holly felt more handcuffs chaining her to the Tiger Bay wedding. She was here to protect Danielle from Earl’s unwanted attentions. She was here to stop Danielle from being lonely. Was there no end to the duties of a bridesmaid?

  “Thank you, Lily. Don’t you worry any more. I’ll take care of this.”

  Lily’s face broke into a big smile. “I knew you would. I knew you very efficient and sensible. Everyone says so. Thank you, Miss Holly. I much happier now. I go back to the kitchen now, make more drinks.”

  So everyone thought she was efficient and sensible. People could depend on her. It was becoming a burden. She wanted to throw it off and be as empty-headed as Danielle.

  She took her time dressing in shorts and a clean T-shirt. She pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and went down onto the patio. Danielle was drinking another rum punch. She was looking more relaxed. The alcoholic content was getting to her.

  Holly wondered if Danielle would be a tipsy bride. That would make some good pictures for Hello! Magazine. The groom holding the bride up, the bridesmaid tripping over an ocean of fluffy net, the cake melting in the heat and falling onto the sand. The possibilities for sensational photos were endless.