“Why?”
“Well, maybe she bumped into one of you, or someone in your group.”
“No, all of us partied at the bar all night,” Chuck explained. “I was one of the last people to leave, and I didn’t see Lilian.”
Dave looked at her inquisitively. “You were with those two American guys last night—why don’t you ask them?”
Dominique looked down. “I was with Todd, and I thought that Lil had left with Marc. But I just saw Marc, and he says he lost her last night.”
“Where?” Dave wanted to know.
“On the island.”
“Pfff,” Chuck let out. “So, did you try to call her?”
“Yes, of course I did,” she answered, slightly irritated. “I may be blond, but I did think to try that first.”
Chuck put up his hands. “Take it easy. I’m just trying to help.”
“So now what?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I really have no idea.”
“Do you want to go and have a look on the island?” Dave offered. “I can go with you; I can take a break now.”
“I don’t think she is still there,” Dominique said, discouraged. “However, she could be. It’s also the last place any of us saw her. So, okay, why not?”
“Will you let them know I’m taking my break?” Dave asked Chuck.
He took Dominique to the docks, where the water taxi was just leaving. To pass the time, he offered her a drink on one of the many terraces.
“So it’s serious between you and this Todd?” he asked, when they sat down at the table a moment later.
“A little,” she answered. Strangely enough, for some reason she felt the need to apologize to him. As if he had first dibs on her. “Let’s just say it’s a vacation love.”
“He’s a very athletic guy.”
She nodded. “He plays football.”
“You guys don’t care about that in Europe, do you?”
Despite the deep concern for her friend, she grinned. This is what she had liked about Dave that first night: he made her laugh and feel so comfortable.
“It’s not exactly his performance on the field that impresses me the most, if you catch my drift.”
Now it was Dave’s turn to laugh. He looked at her fondly. “So, you’re letting it all hang out, and now you’re worried that Lilian is doing the same thing?”
“Yes, I’m really worried. Can you understand that?”
He nodded in agreement and looked at the ocean. “The boat will be here soon. Let’s go stand over there—it fills up fast.”
She emptied her glass quickly and followed him.
On the boat, she inadvertently looked at the hotel, majestically on the water, with a view of its own island. She was impressed all over again.
Dave knew his way around Enlightenment Island, so he took the lead and headed in the direction of the beaches. “I take it that you went to Flamingo Island?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. “Because Iguana Beach is more for families with children.”
She walked faster, so she could catch up and walk side by side with him. “Exactly.”
They walked for a while in silence then took a look around. This island was made for vacationers. The sun, ocean, and relaxation merged together perfectly here. No one was unhappy.
“Look: Lil and I went here,” Dominique said, pointing to the Spa Cove, where people were getting a massage on the massage tables now, too, under the same palm tree leaf roof.
“That doesn’t surprise me. Nice, right? Those gold wristbands?”
“Did I thank you properly for those?”
“That’s not necessary.” He pointed. “This is where Flamingo Beach begins. Where did you guy sit?”
“There, in the corner.”
Dave looked around. “Do you want to walk down the beach? Then we should do this piece of the horseshoe first, and then backtrack.”
“We don’t need to do that,” she said. “Let’s just look at where we were yesterday.”
It didn’t take her long to find the spot where the big campfire had been the night before. The fireplace was covered up with sand, but the shallow pit in which Dominique and Todd had been in was still clearly visible.
“That’s where Lil and Marc were,” she pointed and looked around. Suddenly she began to wonder what she was doing there. Did she expect Lilian to sit here waiting for her? Suddenly she felt stupid. If Lilian wanted to contact her, she would call or text her. But if somehow she had lost her phone, then she would find her way back to the house. She would not find Dominique there now.
“I’m going back to the house,” she said, determined.
“Okay, but are you sure you don’t want to have a look around here?” Dave asked, surprised.
“No, that doesn’t really make any sense.”
She started walking quickly back in the direction from which they had come.
“Don’t you want to see the flamingos?” he persisted, after he had caught up with her.
She smiled. “I’ll come and see them soon. With Lil.”
“Can I come along then?”
“Of course—it’s your party.”
Back on the boat, she didn’t notice how he gazed at her body and her blond hair, flying around in the wind. “So, how much longer is that Todd staying?”
Her eyes stayed focused on the shore. “That Todd returns home tomorrow, why?”
“Just curious.”
She looked at him quickly. “And how long are you staying?”
“I’m working here all summer. What about you?”
“I just got here. Lil and I are planning to stay four weeks.”
While the water taxi docked, he suggested, “Maybe we could plan a date sometime then?”
“Of course, why not? But first I need to find Lil.”
“Okay, there’s no rush.”
He walked back to the hotel with her.
“Do you have a way to get back?”
“I’ll take a cab,” she answered, a bit snippy.
“I’ll call one for you,” he said quickly.
At the main entrance, he whistled with his fingers and a taxi drove right up.
Dave stayed and watched Dominique get in the taxi and head north in the direction of the boulevard.
36
Dominique had the taxi stop at the resort’s security gate. She paid the fare and got out.
She found Harry inside, his feet up on the wobbly table, reading the paper.
He greeted her when she entered.
“Hi, Harry, have you seen my girlfriend today at all?” Dominique asked him in English.
He dropped his chair down on all four legs and put his paper down on the table. “Today? No, not as far as I can remember. I think the last time I saw her is when you left together last night.”
She thanked him and immediately continued walking toward the house. Inside, she called out Lilian’s name and looked in each room, but her friend was nowhere to be found. Everything was precisely as they had left it that afternoon. The kitchen and living room had been cleaned, and only the sheets on Dominique’s bed had been changed.
Disappointed, she fell into one of the easy chairs. Suddenly, she felt very alone. What should she do? She leaned back and let out a big sigh. Marc had not seen Lilian since last night. She also hadn’t visited the group of Americans and Canadians. Who else did they know on Aruba? She grabbed her phone and searched for Leroy’s number and called. He picked up almost immediately.
“Yes?”
“Leroy, it’s Dominique. From number 19.”
“Yes, I can see that. What’s the matter?”
Dominique took a deep breath. She didn’t like his tone, but this was not the moment to pick a fight.
“Did you see my friend last night or today?”
“Lilian? No, haven’t seen her. The last time I …”
“Yes, I know exactly when you were spying on us, thanks.”
She snapped her phone closed and held it against he
r forehead for a moment while she thought with her eyes closed.
How could she look for Lilian without alarming the whole world? And, more importantly, without Lilian’s parents finding out that she had no idea where her friend was. That would be the beginning of the end, and they could forget about the rest of their vacation. Lilian would never forgive her if her parents showed up here, worried sick.
She got up and walked over to the large table, which had a pile of papers on it. In the middle of the folders and magazines, she had seen a list with important phone numbers. The emergency number was 911, just like in the movies, she noticed. But that’s not what she wanted. Thankfully, there was also a general-information number for the police. She decided to call right away.
A female voice answered and welcomed her in three different languages to the Aruban police department and asked how they could be of service to her.
“Hi, my name is Dominique Werner. I’m on vacation here, together with my friend Lilian de Groot. Because I haven’t seen her all day, I am wondering if maybe something has happened to her. I wondered if you heard anything about her?”
“What did you say your girlfriend’s name was?”
“Lilian de Groot.”
“And you’re Dutch?”
“Yes.”
“At which hotel are you staying?”
“Were staying in the Bon Bini Beach resort. In a condo.”
“What is your friend’s date of birth?”
“September 26, 1990.”
“One moment, let me check for you.”
She was placed on hold and listened to the elevator music for what seemed like an eternity until the hold music stopped just as abruptly as it had begun.
“Thanks for waiting. I asked around, but we don’t have any information on her. How long has she been missing?”
“I didn’t say she was missing. I just haven’t seen her since last night.”
“Well, you can’t report anyone missing until after twenty-four hours. What time did you see your friend last?”
“The last time I saw her was around eleven o’clock, maybe eleven thirty, last night. But I don’t want to report her missing!”
“Okay. Fine. If you change your mind later, you can only do so after twenty-four hours.”
“Yes, I think you’ve made that clear by now. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Have a good evening.”
Dominique sighed and put her phone back on the table. Her concern was only growing now. Instantly, she grabbed her phone again to check if a text message from Lilian had arrived while she’d been on the phone. When she saw there was nothing there, she tried to call her again. But there was still no answer.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a car stop in the driveway. She stormed out through the back door.
Todd and Marc could see the disappointment on her face as they came around the corner.
“Sorry it’s just us,” Todd said apologetically, while he put his big arm around her.
“So?” Marc asked. “Did you hear anything?”
She shook her head and headed back inside before them.
“Nice of you to come by though.” She looked up at them sadly and grimaced. “I can’t find her anywhere. What am I supposed to do?”
“To begin with, you’ve got to stay calm.” Todd grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and began to peel it. “It’s of no use to sit here and make yourself crazy. You’ll see: before you know it, she’ll just show up.”
“You really think so?
“Of course I do. Meanwhile, I’ll stay with you.” As if he wanted to emphasize the fact that he wasn’t going anywhere, he took a big bite out of the banana.
Dominique looked at Marc. “Are you staying, too?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m going to go back to Oranjestad. Then I will come and get Todd tomorrow.” He raised a warning finger at his friend. “Todd, we need to be at the airport an hour and half ahead of time to check in. So, I’ll be here at a quarter to twelve at the latest. But then you need to be ready to go.”
“No problem,” Todd said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and thanks.
“Okay, see you tomorrow then.”
Dominique and Todd followed Marc to the Jeep with their arms around each other.
Marc got in. Before he put the key in the ignition, he said, “If I hear anything or see her, I’ll let you know right away. I’d appreciate it if you did the same thing?”
“That’s a given,” Todd said. “Ciao.”
Marc started the car and backed out of the driveway. Once he hit the small road, he lifted his hand and waved good-bye, honked his horn, and disappeared in the direction of the security gate.
“Shall we go swim for a little bit?” Todd suggested. “Otherwise, we’re just sitting around here, waiting.”
Even though Dominique didn’t feel like swimming at all, she walked to her bedroom to put on her bikini. Despite her deep concern, she giggled when she noticed that Todd had followed her to help her with this.
37
The following morning, Dominique woke up to the doorbell ringing long and hard, repeatedly. She broke free from Todd’s embrace, quickly slipped into her shorts and T-shirt, and hurried to the front door.
It was Marc.
“What’s taking Todd so long?” he asked, irritated.
Todd appeared in his underwear behind Dominique in the hallway. He let out a roaring yawn and scratched his head.
“Is it time to leave?” he asked sheepishly.
“Yeah, man. Hurry up!” Marc walked inside, past Dominique, and stood right in front of Todd. “We still need to stop at the hotel on our way to the airport, so we can check out and pick up our stuff. I already had them hold our suitcases, because we had to check out no later than twelve o’clock.”
“What time is it now?” Todd wanted to know.
“A quarter to twelve. Like we agreed. But you’re not ready to go.”
“Shit. Sorry.”
Todd hurried back to the bedroom and came back a moment later, fully dressed but clearly unwashed. He grabbed his sunglasses, his phone, and his wallet from the living room. He panned the room.
“Did I forget anything?”
“Yes—me,” Dominique said, pouting.
He grinned, pulled her close to him, and kissed her for such a long time that Marc let out an impatient cough.
Todd let go of Dominique and looked around one more time.
“We’re leaving,” Marc said, and walked out the door.
Before Todd followed him out, he kissed Dominique one more time. Then he raced out to catch up with his friend.
Dominique waved at them from the doorway as the Jeep drove off, its horn honking. Todd was in his seat backward, waving at her until the car disappeared around the corner.
Only after she had closed the door behind her and walked to the kitchen did she notice she was crying.
She wiped her tears away and poured herself a glass of juice, which she drank all at once. Lethargically, she made herself a sandwich and ate it standing at the counter. It didn’t taste good to her, but she swallowed it automatically.
Still no messages from Lilian on her phone. There was a text from Todd that contained a lot of little Xs. But that didn’t help her in any way; he had just left her all alone.
She pulled her legs in and curled up in fetal position. Suddenly, the room felt empty and big. She had never felt so alone and deserted in her life.
This time when the tears came she didn’t make an effort to wipe them away.
38
“Are you all right, miss?”
Dominique looked up, startled. She relaxed when she saw the cleaning lady.
“Oh, hi, Angie. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Sorry, I thought you’d left with those two men. Shall I come back later?”
Dominique made a slow waving gesture. “No, go ahead. It doesn’t bother me.”
Angie grabbed her cleaning cart and pushe
d it into the kitchen. While she filled a bucket with water, she asked: “Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”
“No, actually, I’m not okay. My friend—Lilian, you know—I haven’t seen her since late two nights ago. I have no idea where she is. I’m worried sick.”
She had not planned to share her concern with the cleaning lady, but she felt so miserable that she was happy to talk to someone about it.
“Did she leave?” Angie asked in a serious tone.
“No. We were on Enlightenment Island. I was with one of the American boys, and Lil was with the other one. At one point, he had to use the restroom and then walked to the docks to see if he could catch up with Todd and me, because we had left. Well, when he got back, she was nowhere to be found.”
Angie listened in silence.
Dominique made a desperate gesture. “I don’t know what to do anymore. She hasn’t returned to the house. No one we know has seen her or heard from her.” She lifted up her cell phone. “She doesn’t respond to calls or text messages. No reaction whatsoever.”
“Maybe she went back home?”
Clearly hurt, Dominique looked at her. She hadn’t thought of that. She simply couldn’t imagine her friend leaving without saying something to her first.
Angie followed close behind her as they entered Lilian’s room. Everything was in place, exactly where it had been the day before. Dominique searched through Lilian’s suitcase and took out the small bag, which she knew held all of Lilian’s important papers. She felt a wave of disappointment come over her when she found Lilian’s passport and airline ticket in it.
“So that means she is still on the island,” she said out loud, zipping the bag closed.
“Unless she left by boat, without her passport,” Angie suggested, trying to be helpful.
Dominique looked at her in horror. “But with whom?”
She didn’t even wait for an answer, but stormed back into the living room. Her heart was pounding, and she could no longer think clearly. She massaged her forehead with her fingertips. She had to do something! But what?
“Miss, maybe you should call the police,” Angie said, who was now standing close to her.
Bon Bini Beach: A Thriller Page 11
