The White Witch of the South Seas

by Dennis Wheatley

  Gregory smiled. ‘I suspected something of the kind. Evidently Lacost managed to put one of his pals on board to do a job of sabotage, or bribed one of your crew to do it. All the same, I’m a little surprised that he managed to persuade your husband to go with him in the Pigalle. After all, the Colons could have collected the divers quite well without Senhor de Carvalho.’

  ‘That wasn’t difficult. Valentim always enjoyed visiting the smaller groups of islands and he had never been to the Yasawas. There was also some talk of hula-hula girls, and having left me here in Suva, he wouldn’t even have had to invent excuses for going ashore without me.’

  ‘I see. I take it the engine has since been repaired, though?’

  ‘Not yet. We are still waiting for one small part that has to be flown down from San Francisco. It should be here in a day or two.’ Moving over to a cocktail cabinet, Olinda added, ‘But both of you must be tired and thirsty. Let me mix you a drink.’

  While she was busy at the cabinet, James said, ‘You realise, of course, why Lacost murdered Valentim?’

  ‘I assume it was something to do with the licence to get up the gold,’ she replied. ‘Holding it was Valentim’s contribution to the partnership they entered into in Tujoa; the Colons were to do the actual work. After you escaped from Noumea I had no idea where you had got to, or whether you were alive or dead; so I could not let you know that they were making a deal, or do anything to stop them.’

  ‘We guessed that was what had taken place. Anyhow, now Valentim is dead, you have become the licence-holder. Unless Lacost is prepared to risk being arrested he must either come to some arrangement with you or bring about your death; so that the way is clear for him to secure a licence himself. That’s why we were so anxious about you.’

  Her face lit by a lovely smile, she turned and handed him a frosted glass. ‘Dear James. You must know that nothing would induce me to help him rob you of the treasure. It’s yours by right, and since you say that the licence is now mine, I will happily make it over to you.’

  While James kissed her hands again and expressed his gratitude, Gregory took a long drink, then said:

  ‘That’s very generous of you, but it may not be possible. If your husband entered into a legal partnership with Lacost while they were in Tujoa, although you have become the licence-holder, you will still be bound by the contract. And there is another thing. If de Carvalho took the licence with him to the outer isles Lacost will have got hold of it.’

  Olinda shook her head. ‘They would have needed a lawyer to draw up a proper deed of partnership, and no lawyer came on board either while we were at Tujoa or here; neither did Valentim go ashore to see one. As for the licence, since it was registered at Noumea in the name of de Carvalho, what good could the possession of it do Lacost?’

  ‘He might go to Noumea, show it to the authorities and say that he had bought it from your husband, then get them to cancel it and issue one to him.’

  ‘I think it very unlikely that Valentim did take the licence with him. After all, why should he? If he didn’t, it will be in the safe. As my jewellery is kept in it, I know the combination, so we can soon find out.’

  The safe was cunningly concealed behind one of the mahogany panels that formed a front for the banquettes which ran along both sides of the saloon. Kneeling, Olinda removed the panel, twirled the knobs and opened the safe. In it, besides the cases holding her jewels, there were several folders. One of them was labelled Reina Maria Amalia Treasure. Pulling it out, she threw it up on to the table.

  Gregory swiftly shuffled through the papers it contained. ‘Here we are,’ he said after a moment. ‘This is the licence all right.’ Then he handed the folder back to Olinda, who locked it up again in the safe.

  ‘Well,’ she asked, ‘where do we go from here?’

  Gregory remained thoughtful for a moment, then he said, ‘We have to put ourselves in Lacost’s shoes to make any likely guess at what he will do. It really depends on how much value he sets on obtaining a licence. James and I were prepared to go ahead without one, because the Maria Amalia having been sunk before Tujoa became a French possession, he could claim that he had inherited the right to the treasure trove as part of his ancestor’s estate, and an international court might well have given a decision in his favour. But Lacost can claim no such right; so to make off with it would amount to an act equivalent to piracy, and for the rest of their lives he and his pals would be wanted criminals.

  ‘He left a message to the effect that he now regarded Olinda as his partner, and expected her to follow him as soon as she could to Tujoa. No doubt when he left the message he was hoping that she would do so; then, covered by her legal authority, he could have salvaged the gold and later devised some way of swindling her out of her share of it.

  ‘But he did not then know that James and I had reappeared on the scene. I don’t suppose he does yet, but he will within a few hours because, to have sabotaged the engines of this yacht, he must have some contact with one of her crew; and the fact that we have turned up will alter his whole thinking.

  ‘He must know about James having attacked de Carvalho in Noumea and possibly knows, or anyhow may suspect, the real reason for that—namely, that you two are in love. In any case, he will learn that the three of us are together in this yacht and on the most friendly terms. That will lead him to assume that, when Olinda arrives in Tujoa, James and I will be with her and that we will prevent him from getting the gold up under the legal cover of being her representative or, if having the lead on us he has already got some of it up, swindling her out of any part of it.’

  ‘You have raised a point there,’ James put in. ‘He has got the start on us, and a good one. For one thing, he knows that this yacht is still out of action and may remain so for some days. For another, we have not yet secured any divers and can’t procure them on Tujoa. If he sails at once and the weather proves favourable, he might scoop the pool and make off with it before we could get there.’

  ‘That would entail defying Elbœuf and becoming a fugitive from the French Government.’

  ‘If the haul is as large as we have reason to anticipate, he might think it worth it. To hunt for a handful of men among the innumerable islands of the South Pacific would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. If they lie up on one of the uninhabited ones that has water, and make do for a couple of years on wild pig, fruit and fish, it is very unlikely that they would be discovered; then they could separate and each unload his share of the spoil in a different country.’

  ‘That is possible, but I don’t see men of their kind having the patience to wait two years for the sort of life they hope to lead on their ill-gotten gains. It is a certainty they would quarrel. After a month or two some of them would plot to murder those who were in favour of sticking it out, get a double share of the loot and gamble on being able to evade the police when they got back to civilisation. Lacost is clever enough to realise the danger of rushing his fences. He would be all for continuing to lie doggo, so it would be him and anyone who stood by him that the others would murder. He must realise the risk he would run of having a mutiny on his hands or being knifed on a dark night. That is why I think he may be prepared to go to any lengths to make his operation legal. And the only way he can do that is to put Olinda out of the way. With her death the licence would lapse. Neither James nor I can return to Noumea; so he’d have a free field, go there, get a licence, pay the tax on the treasure and sail off with it, having nothing to fear.’

  James’ face took on a worried frown. “Then you think Olinda is still in danger?’

  ‘It’s quite possible that she is. Lacost may send the Pigalle off on a cruise, but remain on here himself hoping to find some way of having a crack at her. But if she stays aboard her yacht I don’t think he will stand much chance of doing her any harm.’

  Olinda smiled. ‘If you will both remain as my guests I’m sure I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep.’

  ‘Thanks! Thanks!’ James accepted
eagerly. ‘I was going to ask if I might stay. Just … just in case …’

  Gregory, not relishing the idea of having to play gooseberry and conscious that his presence would put a damper on much of their enjoyment at being together again, replied:

  ‘Thank you, Senhora, but I feel sure that James is capable of taking care of you, and there are certain things I want to do in Suva; so it would be more convenient for me to live ashore. I think I will go back to the Grand Pacific’

  James and Olinda both refrained from pressing Gregory to alter his decision. Then James asked, not very enthusiastically, ‘How about the future? What ought our next move to be?’

  Gregory took his time about replying, then he said, ‘Lacost may stay on here for a few days, in the hope of eliminating Olinda; but he may equally well do as he said he would—sail for Tujoa right away—even when he knows that he now has no chance of getting hold of the treasure legally. So, in spite of the fact that we now have the law on our side, we mustn’t give him too great a lead—say five or six days.’

  ‘We came here to get divers,’ James remarked. ‘We wouldn’t be able to get them together in so short a time. We can’t get them on Tujoa, and we can do nothing without them. All we can do is to confront Lacost when we reach Tujoa and stall him off. And we dare not leave him there with a free hand long enough for us to return here and get divers, so it would result in a stalemate.’

  ‘We don’t have to get divers,’ Gregory smiled. ‘That is why I suggested that we should give Lacost the best part of a week’s start. We will let his divers do the job for us. Then we’ll turn up unexpectedly and pounce.’

  ‘That sounds all right,’ James agreed, a shade dubiously, ‘but when we get to the point of pouncing what do we pounce with?’

  ‘Now we have the licence we can row in with old Elbœuf, whose job it is to see that no-one gets hold of the gold illegally and to collect the Government’s ten per cent. With his gendarmes and the support of your body-guard—which you will remember you promised him in such a situation—we should have no great difficulty in overcoming half a dozen Colons and taking the treasure from them.’

  ‘Say they have not got it up when we arrive there?’

  Gregory shrugged. ‘Providing we don’t give them long enough both to get it up and get away with it, we don’t have to worry. With the help of Elbœufs gendarmes we’ll put Lacost and Co. out of business, then take over his divers. Our man Baker will do the job of directing them.’

  There seemed no more to be said. James and Gregory had another long drink while Olinda changed into the only dark coat and skirt she had on board and draped a black scarf over her head. They then went ashore—Olinda, escorted by James, to buy a ready-made mourning outfit and arrange for Masses to be said for her husband’s soul; Gregory to the Grand Pacific.

  By then it was a quarter to two. Gregory felt very tired, but not particularly hungry. In the restaurant he made a quick meal off a few giant prawns, then had a bath, went to bed and immediately fell asleep.

  Four hours later he woke, feeling both easy in his mind at the turn events had taken, and much refreshed. Putting on his bathing shorts and robe he went down to the garden for an evening dip. Now that May was only a week away it was considerably cooler than when he had been in Suva towards the end of January; but the sun still shone from a bright blue sky and it was as warm as one of those rare, really good days in an English summer. No one was in the pool but several people were scattered about the garden, sunbathing.

  After he had had his swim he looked about for a place to lie and sun himself. In the garden there were half a dozen basket-work lounge chairs of a type he had seen nowhere else. They were shaped like a big, hollowed-out fish mould and on his previous visit he had found them particularly comfortable. Only one, some distance away, was vacant and it was next to another occupied by a woman lying on her face. As he walked over to it, he gave a sudden smile. That dark head of hair and beautifully-proportioned bronze body could belong to no-one other than Manon.

  While still a dozen yards from her, he halted, took his cigarettes from the pocket of his robe, lit one and stood contemplating her. When on the previous day he had been on her island, Joe-Joe had given him to believe that she was staying with friends; so he had not expected to find her at the Grand Pacific, and on his arrival that morning he had been too tired to enquire at the office if her whereabouts were known. That she should be there after all, and unaccompanied by a man, he took to be a piece of rare good fortune. But, as he again delighted in the sight of her seductive body, he wondered cynically what explanation she would give to account for having lent her house to Lacost and his murderous gang of Colons.

  16

  The Fire-Walkers of Beqa

  Throwing away his cigarette, Gregory tiptoed over to Manon, stooped, and kissed her on the back of the neck.

  Starting up, she turned over as swiftly as an eel. For a second her big dark eyes glared with offended dignity. Then they grew wide with astonishment and joy.

  ‘Gregory!’ she cried. Her arms reached out, closed round his neck and, drawing him down, she gave him a long, luscious kiss on the mouth.

  As she released him, he smiled at her and said, ‘Quite a surprise for you, eh? Anyhow, it’s good to know that I still have a place in your affections.’

  ‘Oh, darling!’ She was a little breathless. ‘Of course I still love you. But where have you been all this time? Why didn’t you write me? I’ve been desolate, positively aching for you for months.’

  ‘It’s a long story,’ he replied, sitting down on the other fish-shaped basket lounge. ‘For most of the time I was in prison and it was impossible to write.’

  ‘In prison?’ she repeated. ‘Whatever for?’

  He then gave her a version of the tribulations which had befallen James and him, following James’ assault on de Carvalho; but suppressing the facts that on Yuloga they had been prisoners of the Russians, the part that General Ribaud had played, his own knowledge that Lacost and de Carvalho had gone into partnership and that the latter was now dead.

  When he had done he added casually, ‘By the by, hoping to find you there, I went to your island yesterday.’

  She could not suppress a start, and her eyes widened. For a moment she was silent, then she said, ‘I’ve been away from home for some time. As you know, it is a delightful spot, but if I am there alone for long I do get bored. So I spent a week with friends at the lovely new Fijian Hotel halfway down the south coast, then came on here for a few days to do some shopping before going back.’

  Gregory’s expression remained quite friendly, but his eyes bored into hers as he said, ‘Meanwhile you had either let or lent your island to Lacost.’

  Ready for him now, she raised her tapering eyebrows and repeated, ‘Lacost?’ as though she had never heard the name.

  ‘Yes. The man who tried to kill me when we were in Guatemala.’

  ‘Oh! Yes, of course. For the moment his name didn’t ring a bell with me. But how can you possibly suppose that I’d let my island to a man who tried to murder you? I haven’t even set eyes on him since we saw him at Mexico City airport.’

  ‘The fact remains that up till two days ago, for a week or more, he and his Colons made your island their headquarters while they went round the Yasawas engaging divers. And Joe-Joe told me they were there with your permission.’

  ‘Oh, Colons!’ Manon exclaimed, her face suddenly brightening. ‘Now I understand. One evening while I was at the Fijian I ran into an old acquaintance of mine. His name is André Gougon and I knew him both in Algeria and Tahiti. He told me he had come ashore from a boat in which he and a few other men were about to make a trip round the Yasawas. They were all nearly broke and fed up with Tahiti, where living has become appallingly expensive; so they were going to look for an island where they could settle and perhaps go into the copra trade. I said that if they liked to make my house their headquarters for a week or two while they looked round they were welcome; and I wrote h
im a note to take to Joe-Joe.’

  Gregory shook his head. ‘As it turns out that your Monsieur Gougon is now one of Lacost’s gang, I fear having fallen on evil times must have driven him to crime—although he probably didn’t need much driving. While I was in Tujoa I learned that Lacost had only recently been let out of prison. Apparently, on his return to Tahiti, the police got him for smuggling. Maybe your friend Gougon was in that racket with him. Anyway, it set their plans back for a couple of months, which was a bit of luck for us.’

  With a light laugh, he added, ‘Still, you weren’t to know that Gougon was one of Lacost’s pals, so that explains everything. What a joy it is to see you again. You look positively ravishing.’

  ‘Do I?’ She preened herself and fluttered her long eyelashes at him.

  ‘Indeed you do. How I wish that we were on a deserted beach instead of in this garden. I’d have that bikini off you quicker than you could take one sip at a dry martini. As it is, I’ll have to make do with a good nibble of your lovely neck.’

  As he spoke he took her by the shoulders and brought his face down close to hers.

  ‘Non, je t’en prie!’ she cried, squirming away. ‘Not here! Not here!’ Then, as he released her, she gave a happy laugh. ‘Mon Dieu, what a man you are! Such ardour. And at your age. You should be ashamed of yourself.’

  He grinned at her. ‘I’m not, my dear, because I can’t help myself. It’s the old candle flame and moth trouble. Lying about like this with next to no clothes on, you are a public danger.’

  ‘Then let us go in, get dressed, then meet in the lounge for a drink,’ she suggested. ‘Anyhow, it is getting a little chilly.’

  ‘Fine,’ he agreed. ‘And what about dinner afterwards? Or have you an attendant beau who has to drag himself from your side to do some errand for you?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. I am staying here alone, and can think of nothing nicer than to dine with you.’