“Good God,” Lilian said, smiling. “Where the hell is our welcoming committee?”
“Outside,” Dominique answered. “Stephanie arranged for us to be picked up by the man who takes care of the condo.”
As soon as they walked through the exit doors, the outside air enveloped them like a warm blanket.
Lilian stopped and took off her small backpack and her sweater. “Obviously, I don’t need this here.”
Dominique nodded and pulled her hair back into a ponytail with a rubber band. “I was in Suriname once with my dad; the weather there is much the same, but far more humid and hot. It feels much nicer here, though, probably because of the ocean breeze.”
From the taxi stand, a dark young man with medium length hair, crooked sunglasses, and a rust-brown T-shirt approached them, one hand in the pocket of his faded jeans. “Are you by chance Werner and De Groot?” he asked with a drawl.
Dominique tried to sum him up quickly. “Yes, do you happen to work for WernComp?”
A broad smile appeared across his lips, revealing that he was missing one of his front teeth. “Yep, I’m Leroy Martina. Come with me please.”
He turned around and walked off, but Dominique remained standing where she was on purpose and stopped Lilian from moving with her hand just as she was ready to grab her suitcase and follow him.
The young man made his way into the crowd, zigzagging through the travelers exiting the main entrance.
It took him a while, but he finally turned around. When he noticed the two of them were not following him, he came back looking confused. “You’re coming with me, right?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes, we are,” Dominique answered, obviously irritated. “But the least you can do is help us with our luggage!”
He smiled arrogantly and made a point to look at the many skycaps around them, who were offering their services to the tourists, but he did not say anything. Carrying Dominique and Lilian’s suitcases, one on each side, he continued at a hurried pace.
When Lilian tried to keep up with him, Dominique placed her hand on her arm again. “Always keep your own pace.”
Lilian looked at her friend from the side. Sometimes Dominique felt like a stranger to her.
8
In the parking lot, which was filled with palm trees and bushes, a few hundred yards away from the main airport building, Leroy stopped at a very dilapidated little yellow taxi. He put the two suitcases in the trunk and leaned against the car, demonstratively waiting for Dominique and Lilian, who were purposely strolling casually to the car.
“I hope that long walk didn’t wear you out,” he sneered. “I don’t have a permit to park closer to the exit.”
Dominique waited until she was very close to him before she said, “My God, this is your car? What a wreck!”
“Wreck? Miss, this is my own car. Do you think I can make a living from the couple of florin your father’s company pays me? I’m also a cab driver; I don’t really have a choice.”
He opened the door for them, and they got in the car. Without another word, he got in the driver’s seat, started the car, and pulled out, rumbling loudly.
“Could you drive a little slower?” Dominique asked. “I tend to get carsick quickly.”
Slowly, Leroy eased his foot off the gas pedal. He put his right hand on the empty passenger seat as he maneuvered the car through traffic with his left hand. All of the windows in the taxi were open, and the warm wind that entered the car blew the girls’ hair in all directions.
Lilian was admiring the strange countryside. She had been to Turkey once with her parents, and she’d seen palm trees, cacti, and other non-Dutch type of vegetation, but here everything was different. The trees had different shapes, were farther apart, and all seemed to lean in the same direction. There was no grass anywhere, only dry rocky soil, with a tiny little bush here and there. Eventually houses started to appear here and there next to the rather quiet two-lane road, but that changed quickly once they entered the city. Oranjestad, Lilian remembered. She actually really wanted to ask a lot of questions about the things she saw, but Leroy seemed unapproachable after the rather unfriendly exchange of words with Dominique. So, she stuck to just looking out the window.
Meanwhile, there was a lot to see. Along the road there were almost as many palm trees as there were lampposts, and the spaces in between the houses became smaller and smaller. These houses were very different from the type of houses found in Holland: not one of them was the same shape. Instead, they had pointy rooftops and a wide variety of facades. All of them were different colors, especially as they got closer to the center of the city. From sky blue to bright yellow and even hot pink.
The road led them along the deep-blue sea, where ships of all shapes and sizes floated in the harbor. Even from a distance, they could see the enormous cruise ship they had noticed from the plane. While on one side of the road more stores appeared, on the other they could see hundreds of sailboat masts bobbing close together. That had to be the marina.
It was very crowded in the streets, but not nearly as crowded as you would see on a sunny day at the beach in Holland. People were eating and drinking on the outside terraces, skinny teenage boys without helmets cruised around on scooters, people were shopping in a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone looked fresh, summery, and in total vacation mode.
The city center seemed to disappear behind them surprisingly fast. The road took them away from the beach, and the houses became scarcer again. The terrain became dry and rocky, with more cacti than trees.
Without saying a word, Leroy turned the car onto a side road that ran around a hill. They approached a small group of low houses in the middle of a remarkably well-kept piece of land, full of green trees and bushes. It looked almost like a park and was surrounded by a large fence.
The road ended at a crossing gate with a tiny security guard house. Behind it was the entrance. Next to crossing gate was a large sign, which read: WELCOME TO BON BINI BEACH.
Lilian smiled. “So, that means ‘welcome to Welcome Beach.’ ”
Dominique nodded and smirked. Her eyes were fixed on Leroy, who leaned far out of the window and spoke to a big, fat man coming out of the little security house.
“Hi, Harry,” he said and began speaking Papiamento.
The fat man wore uniform slacks and a blue button-up shirt and had large sweat stains under his arms. He listened to Leroy for a moment, looked past him into the car, and lifted his hand to greet the two girls. He raised the bar and let the little yellow car pass through and closed it behind them.
At a snail’s pace, they drove past more than twenty freestanding little houses until they had reached the other side of the park and stopped at a very well-kept bungalow. There was a driveway leading to the garage, separate from the house. Next to the front door there was a sign that had the number 19.
Dominique and Lilian got out of the car and walked to the house. It took a moment before Leroy followed them with their suitcases. He opened the front door for them, and, with an over exaggerated bow, he made a silly hand gesture, politely pointing them inside.
“After you, ladies.”
The whole house was ground level. The broad entryway led to a hallway with three bedrooms, each with its own shower and bathroom. Another hallway led to the kitchen, which was equipped with a cooking island, a large grill, and what appeared to be all kinds of brand-new equipment. Then there was the enormous living room, with doorways leading to the hallways as well as the kitchen. The brightly lit room, surrounded by windows, took up most of the front and the entire side and back of the house. There were two flat-screen TVs, a variety of tables and side tables, one large dresser, a few smaller cabinets, two lush corner sofas, and impressive sliding doors that led to the veranda in the rear of the house. There was an area in the floor that was deeper than the rest, filled with pillows, surrounding something resembling a fireplace.
“Unbelievable,” Lilian mumbled, while taking in her new surroundings.<
br />
Leroy pointed out the computer located in a nook in the living room. “Here’s the computer. There is Wi-Fi available in the whole house. If you want to watch television, we have about forty channels, mostly American. There’s a Jeep Cherokee in the garage for you and also a pair of scooters. Just make sure to take care of the insurance papers. I’ve put them in a folder on the big table for you.”
Lilian saw that there was indeed a plastic folder with papers on the large table, next to a vase filled with fresh flowers and a beautiful fruit basket.
“Is it customary to tip taxi drivers in Aruba?” Dominique asked.
Leroy looked at her with an iron stare. “Cab drivers and personnel in restaurants and bars count on the standard ten- to fifteen-percent tip. It is also customary to give the help in the condos a few dollars every day as well.”
“Dollars or florins?”
“Both are fine.”
“Okay, but this ride was free. So, in your case it’s ten to fifteen percent of nothing then?” Dominique teased. When he went to walk away, she quickly shoved some money in his hand and laughed. “Thanks!”
Leroy put the money in his pocket without looking at it and said, “I put my phone number with the insurance papers. Also, the keys to the front door are there. Don’t forget to lock up when you leave.” He walked to the door and turned around once more. “If you need me, you can always call. If you can’t get a hold of me, you can always call Harry. His phone number is there also.”
He closed the front door a little too hard behind him. A moment later, they heard the taxi drive off.
Lilian made a blissful gesture. “This is not bad, Do!”
“No, it’s not—I’ve got to hand it to my dad.” Dominique inspected a few cupboards and to her satisfaction she found dishes, silverware, and alcohol. “Well, leave it to the businessmen to make sure there’s always booze in the house.”
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Lilian pulled open the doors to a giant American refrigerator.
“Do, come and see this!”
The fridge was filled to the rim with soft drinks, beer, meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit. Two holders contained freshly squeezed fruit juices. The outside of the refrigerator had an ice machine.
“Frankly, I’m not surprised by any of this,” Dominique said, seemingly indifferent and unfazed. “I’ve travelled on ‘business trips’ with my dad before. The hotels we stayed at were so luxurious that I felt like I should wipe my feet each time we entered our suite. Besides, Stephanie, my dad’s assistant, said she’d make sure there was plenty of food in the house. So, yeah, I think we can manage to survive here for a few weeks.”
Lilian opened the large sliding doors. The broad veranda contained a few tables and a few comfortable chairs, including three rocking chairs. There were also three hammocks. A path ran between the grass and the flowerbeds to a large, kidney-shaped pool with a diving board and two ladders. Next to the pool were a small dressing room and two showers. All the way in the back of the garden, right before the resort’s fence, there was a small shack. The fence was covered by thick bushes up to about eye level.
They went on to inspect the garage, where they found the large Jeep Cherokee and the two scooters.
“That big car freaks me out a little,” Dominique said, frowning at the Cherokee. “But those scooters will come in handy. Then at least we don’t have to walk to Oranjestad.”
They went back inside the house, chitchatting cheerfully. They took their suitcases out of the hallway and each chose a bedroom.
“I’m going to send my parents and Bets a text message to let them know we’ve arrived safely. Then they can relax. Don’t you need to call your parents or something?”
“I’ll text my dad later.”
“What about your mom?” Lilian looked at her inquisitively.
Dominique avoided her gaze. “I’m in no rush. I’ll send her a postcard later this week.”
9
They decided to eat something first. They fried a few eggs and piled a variety of delicious items from the fridge onto thick slices of bread. Then they kicked back in the two lawn chairs on the veranda, their plates in their laps and large glasses of juice within reach.
“Now this is the good life,” Dominique said, sighing.
“So much better than sitting in class. I had to retake one of my final exams last week,” Lilian added.
“Poor you. It seems like I was only going from one party to another lately,” Dominique said. “Though I get the impression that the parties around here are a bit more hardcore.”
Lilian giggled. “Yeah, that’s exactly what my parents are afraid of. ‘Please be careful in Aruba, don’t drink too much, Lilian, and do not do drugs under any circumstances!’”
Dominique took a big bite of her sandwich and with her mouth full said, “Thankfully, my father doesn’t find it necessary to say things like that to me.”
As she chewed her food she looked at the pool and the beautifully landscaped garden.
“So, if I understand it correctly, your father’s company pays people to take care of all of this?” Lilian said.
Dominique nodded. “I’m not exactly sure how it works. Some things, like the upkeep of the swimming pool, are probably included in the resort’s service costs.
“What I do know is that that Leroy only works for WernComp, not for the resort itself.”
“Right, so how does that work with the other condos?” Lilian asked. “Are they all occupied?”
“I have no idea, really. Let’s go have a look around after we eat.”
They placed their dishes in the kitchen and took their time arranging their rooms, showering, and changing clothes. When she walked back into the living room forty-five minutes later, Lilian stretched her muscles.
“So, this is what jet lag feels like,” she said with a satisfied smirk. “I feel like I’ve got the whole day behind me already.”
“But this day is far from over,” Dominique warned. “Besides, I don’t know why you’re complaining—you slept almost the entire flight!”
“Did not!” Lilian protested. “I may have drifted off, but just for a little while.” Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, she followed her friend outside. The other houses in the resort all bordered a small road, which led in an uneven circular trail to and from the security guard and crossing gate. The houses differed greatly in shape, size, and execution, but each had its own driveway, which, in some cases, was nothing more than a dirt path. There were a total of thirty-six houses on the property within the fence. The houses were all hidden from the outside world—as well as from one another—by strategically placed hedges.
At one of the houses they saw a luxurious car parked in front of the garage, and at another house they saw an elderly lady watering her flowers with a garden hose. There was no trace of anyone else.
“Isn’t this the high season? You would expect it to be far busier here,” Lilian noted, surprised.
“Maybe they’re all out and about, exploring the island, and will return tonight,” Dominique answered. “But what does it really matter? If we don’t bother them, and they don’t bother us, it’s all the same to me anyway.” They arrived at the gate. In the small security box, they saw the man Leroy had referred to as Harry, who was reading a newspaper and had his feet up on what looked like a rather unsteady table. A large can of beer was on the floor next to his desk chair.
“Hello,” Dominique greeted him cheerfully. “We are the residents of house number 19. We were in the car with Leroy.”
The man appeared to not understand a word she said and began speaking in the language he had spoken in with Leroy. When he saw that they didn’t understand him, he changed to English.
“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Dutch. I’m from St. Maarten.”
“Oh, no problem at all,” Dominique said, shifting to English with great ease. “As Dutch people, we’re used to the fact that no one understands our language.”
“Although, I would have e
xpected differently in the Antilles,” Lilian said to her in Dutch.
Harry put his paper down and stood up. “Is everything to your liking in the house? Do you need anything?”
“No, thanks—we only came by to introduce ourselves,” Dominique said in a very friendly tone.
Now that the uniformed man had stood up and wiped down his sweaty head with a rather questionable hanky, Dominique could see a rifle leaning against the wall in the corner. She motioned with her head in that direction.
“Is that really necessary here?”
He followed her eyes. “The gun? Yes, absolutely, just to be sure. Anywhere where there are people with money, there are people who want to steal from them. That is something we like to prevent from happening here at Bon Bini Beach.”
Dominique laughed. “Well, I have to say that sure gives me a real sense of security. Okay, another question: this place is called Bon Bini Beach. But where is the beach? Is it far from here?”
His large round face changed into one big smile. “Not at all! You didn’t see it yet? The beach is right behind us. Maybe a hundred and fifty yards right behind your house. But you’d have to climb over the fence, and I wouldn’t recommend that, because the points on top of the fence are very sharp.”
“So I did hear the ocean when I was in the garden,” Lilian said. “I thought it was the traffic.”
“Let’s take a walk over there right now,” Dominique decided. “Thanks, Harry. Can I call you Harry?”
“Of course you can,” the man answered, waving her away with a hand gesture. “Everybody does!”
10
They passed the gate and left the property.
Bon Bini Beach: A Thriller Page 3
