Bon Bini Beach: A Thriller

by Suzanne Vermeer

  She looked at him. Unsure, she said: “But that’s not where we were at all.”

  “Right, but that is where we found that cell phone.”

  “What else have you done?” Thomas asked with a frown.

  “We searched that whole side of the island and had divers search the coast,” Snellen answered calmly. “Again, with no result. Also, we are reviewing all the footage from the security cams in the hotel. For now, it appears that the two young ladies came to the island with their two American friends, but that out of the four only three eventually left the island on the water taxi.”

  That’s right, Dominique thought. Exactly what Fernandes had told her. But of course she didn’t say anything.

  Thomas tapped his fingers on the chair’s armrest. “So, now what?”

  “Maybe the remaining security footage will bring us more clarity. Obviously, we will speak to the girl’s parents, and I would like your permission to search the house the ladies are staying in for any possible traces.”

  “Of course.” Thomas looked to his side. “That’s not a problem—is it, Dominique?”

  She jolted up from her deep thoughts.

  “Not at all—when will you come by?”

  “I will send someone over right away, this afternoon.”

  “Fine.”

  Once they were outside, Thomas looked at his watch.

  “Do you mind if I head to my hotel first? I still have to handle some business. But I will be sure to join you on time tonight, before Lilian’s parents get there.”

  “No problem, I’ll be okay,” she answered. “Shall we have dinner together?”

  Again, he looked at his watch.

  “Sure, as long as we can do that here in the city somewhere around eight? Then I will manage to get everything done.”

  “Perfect. Shall I pick you up at your hotel?”

  “No, I’ll come straight to the restaurant, which will save us time.”

  “Okay, shall we meet at La Grotta? They have good pizza there.”

  When he saw her uncertain look, he said: “It’s probably just a few streets from here. If not, the taxi driver will know where it is.”

  She smiled. “Okay then—I’ll see you there at eight o’clock.”

  He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “And take good care of yourself, okay?” he called out over his shoulder as he hurried off.

  Dominique waved at him, even though he didn’t turn around again.

  47

  Back at the house, Dominique inspected Lilian’s room thoroughly, but she didn’t find anything that needed to be hidden before the police got there. She plopped down in a chair in the living room and waited. It was late afternoon when a young police officer, armed with a large camera, came to the house. He wore a blue jacket with TR in large letters on the back. While he systematically sorted through all of Lilian’s belongings, Dominique suddenly thought of the bloody hat that she had shoved into the garbage can. If this police officer found it, there would be questions that would be difficult to answer. Not without telling them about Fernandes and Pepe. …

  Quickly, she headed to the garbage can, and with great relief she saw that it had been emptied.

  “Angie, you’re fantastic!” she said under her breath.

  After the officer took a series of pictures of Lilian’s bedroom and in the living room, he left, promising that if there were any new developments in Lilian’s case, they would call immediately.

  Dominique asked Leroy to drop her off at La Grotta at a quarter to eight. Thomas arrived precisely at eight, still somewhat restless. He seemed to be totally preoccupied with his work. During their meal, he got up twice to take a business call, for which he apologized profusely to Dominique. But she was used to it; her father was the same.

  After dinner, they decided to have coffee back at the house. Thomas made one final phone call there, after which he finally managed to relax and join Dominique on the veranda.

  To get Lilian’s parents to Aruba as quickly as possible, Charles Werner had booked them a flight through Florida. This got them there hours earlier. A direct flight was easier, but they both preferred the opportunity to get there sooner rather than later. But it put them at Queen Beatrix International Airport in the middle of the night, where Leroy picked them up. Instead of heading directly to the hotel, they headed to the condo, where Dominique and Thomas were waiting for them.

  Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Dominique was still shocked when she saw her friend’s parents come in. Lilian’s dad was white as ghost and Lilian’s mother had an empty, hollow look in her eyes. Both of them looked exhausted.

  They greeted Thomas, who they’d known for years. Then they entered the living room. Lilian’s mother didn’t even hear Thomas offering her a drink. She grabbed Dominique by the shoulders.

  “Do, how could you have let this happen? Why didn’t you call us right away?”

  Clearly uncomfortable, Dominique stammered, “I thought she’d come back. And I …”

  “We’re really upset with you, Dominique,” Lilian’s father said. “When something like this happens, you don’t waste any time. Two days! Who knows what could have happened in the meantime!”

  Dominique began to cry and pushed Lilian’s mother’s hands off her shoulder. “Really, I thought she went with Marc, and I didn’t want to …”

  “Who is Marc?” Lilian’s father asked sharply.

  “An American guy we met here.”

  “And you figured that she would just go away with some guy?” Lilian’s mother’s voice cut like a knife.

  “No, not like that, but I thought …”

  Lilian’s father turned around, letting out a sneering laugh. “Oh, come on, Do! Do you really think Lil would just go off with some American, a perfect stranger?”

  “He wasn’t a perfect stranger!” she yelled out. “We had gotten to know Todd and him very well; we’d been hanging out with them for days.”

  “Who the hell is Todd?” Lilian’s mom interrupted harshly.

  “Todd was with me. He was vacationing here with Marc.”

  “Was?” Lilian’s mother stood right in front of her. “Where are Marc and Todd now then?”

  “Back home, in Texas.”

  Lilian’s mother sighed deeply, closed her eyes, and brought her hand to her face. Her husband went to her and put his arm around her shoulder when he saw she was crying.

  “Maybe it’s better if we all try to get some sleep first?” Thomas said, who had kept himself neutral and in the background up until now. “It’s been a very long day, and we’re all very tired.”

  “I knew it!” Lilian’s mother pointed an angry finger at Dominique. “I should have never let her go with you, but you talked me into it. You’re still children, for God’s sake!”

  “Come on now, Gerda,” Thomas shushed her. “Do and Lil are both adults.”

  “Well, I can see that,” Lilian’s dad said coldly. “And now Lilian is gone!”

  Thomas made a calming gesture. “Henk, there is no use in doing this. Of course, Do has made some mistakes. But we won’t get Lilian back by placing the blame on one another.”

  Lilian’s mother put her hands over her eyes and began sobbing and shrieking loudly. When Dominique saw that, she also began to cry again.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Thomas decided. “Henk and Gerda, you really need to get some sleep, because we are expected at the police station in just a few hours.”

  He turned to Dominique. “Do, go to bed now.”

  Obediently and with her head down, she left the room.

  Lilian’s mother sat at the edge of the large table. Her face was grim.

  “This is a nightmare,” she said flatly. “This can’t be happening. Where is our Lilian?”

  Her husband didn’t know what to say and glanced helplessly at Thomas.

  “This is horrible. But we will do everything we can to get her back as soon as possible,” Thomas said. “You should stay here tonight; y
ou can sleep in Lilian’s room.”

  “But we have a room at the Marriot?” Lilian’s father protested weakly.

  “I will give them a call.” Thomas grabbed his cell phone and looked up the number while walking to the front door. “I will have you suitcases brought in and put in your room now.”

  Outside, he called Leroy, who was leaning against his car smoking a cigarette.

  “Change of plans. They are going to spend the night here. Bring their stuff inside. Make sure you are here at eight thirty. We all have to go to the police station.”

  48

  The next morning, after the talk with Sergeant Snellen, all Lilian’s mom could do was cry. Her husband tried to comfort her and pulled her close, but you could see it from his twitching lower lip—he was having a hard time, too. Dominique felt an intense and deep sympathy for these two people. They had given the police officer all the information he needed. But really what they were looking for was hope, which he could not offer them.

  Now the bulky sergeant and his significantly thinner, lower-ranked colleague were waiting for the four Dutch citizens to join them.

  Thomas Van Dorp gently assisted Lilian’s parents outside. Not only was Leroy’s taxi waiting for them there, but so was a police patrol car.

  Dominique was all too relieved when the policemen asked her to get in their car. Not only because the taxi had been overcrowded on the way to the police station, but also because she couldn’t take much more of Lilian’s parents intense grief.

  “First we will go to the hotel and the island,” decided Sergeant Snellen, who was seated in front next to his younger colleague. “There, you will need to show us exactly where you went.”

  Dominique nodded from the backseat.

  They took off, Leroy’s taxi just behind them.

  Once they arrived at the Enlightenment Hotel, the police car was parked bluntly at the head entrance. The approaching parking attendant was afraid to say something about it after Sergeant Snellen got out of the car and put on his sunglasses with a dramatic flair. But after Lilian’s parents got out, he quickly directed Leroy’s taxi to the parking lot.

  Dominique entered the lobby first. Because of the two men in uniform, their group got a lot of attention from the guests.

  At the elevator she saw Jerome, the student with glasses from Dave’s group, with a cart filled with suitcases. He raised his hand at Dominique, who reciprocated his greeting with a smile.

  “This is where we started,” she explained. “We met up here with our American friends, who arranged the hotel wristbands for us.”

  “Were those the same two Americans who went to the island with you?”

  “No, the wristbands were given to us by a few American guys who work in this hotel. Dave, Chuck, and Jerome. You have already questioned them. Todd and Marc came with us. They were also given wristbands, but different ones then we had. After that we went to the island,” Dominique explained.

  The group followed Dominique outside. Thomas looked appreciatively at the surroundings, but didn’t say a word. Dominique led them to the places where Lilian, the guys, and she had eaten barbecue and drank.

  While they waited at the docks for the water taxi, she pointed to the terrace by the trees. “We sat there too.” Only when she saw that Snellen also noted this detail on his notepad did she realize that she had also been there the next day with Dave. But she left that out for now.

  Lilian’s parents clearly didn’t notice the beautiful surroundings of the Caribbean island. They just wanted to get to the last place their daughter had been seen.

  Once on the island, Dominique took the lead again. She stopped at the Spa Cove. “Lil and I had massages here. On the tables outside there. Todd and Marc went to grab a drink on that terrace over there, and we joined them after we were finished. That was with another group of Americans.”

  “The same ones from the hotel?”

  Dominique shook her head. “No, a few people we met here. Two men and two women from Texas. All I know is that one of those two women, a blond with very white teeth, was named Cheyenne.”

  Snellen wrote down what she was saying while his colleague took pictures. “And then what?”

  “Then we headed to Flamingo Beach.”

  They came to the horseshoe-shaped bay. There weren’t many guests there yet. Among the swimmers, they saw six statuesque pink flamingos walking through the surf. One of them held his head upside down in the shallow ocean water. Dominique paused in amazement for a moment. Those birds really did exist here! When Lilian’s mom passed her, Dominique quickly resumed her tour. “Look, over there, in that bend, is where we sat by the campfire at night. In that pit over there—you can still see the charred remains of the fire. Todd and I were over there. Marc and Lilian were on the other side.”

  “By themselves?” Lilian’s mother asked.

  “No, there were dozens of other people with us. And music. And lights. The sun had just gone down, so we watched the sunset.”

  “Can you show us exactly where Lilian and Marc sat?” Snellen insisted.

  Dominique searched for a moment and pointed. “It had to be right over there. Because later, when I passed those palm trees over there, I could still see them.”

  On Snellen’s cue, the younger police officer took a few more pictures. Lilian’s father inspected the spot closely but didn’t say anything.

  “Then what?”

  “Then Todd and I left, to go back to the house. When I left, I saw Lil and Marc lying right over there. That was the last time I saw Lilian.”

  Snellen looked at his colleague questioningly. “Andy?”

  “There are no security cameras here. There are some in the hotel and also at the docks,” the young police officer reported. “We’ve reviewed almost all the footage, and, based on what Miss Werner just told us, we will do a thorough investigation of this part of the island to find any possible traces or evidence.”

  Snellen nodded and thumbed through his notepad. “I will check and see if we can find any witnesses that were present at the campfire. And I’ll see if I can track down an American woman named Cheyenne.”

  “What should we do?” Thomas asked.

  “I suggest that you return to the house with Miss Werner,” Snellen said. “I will come by later in the day to investigate further. Make sure your phone is on, so I can reach you.”

  49

  The morning crept by at a snail’s pace. Dominique had made coffee three times, when the doorbell finally rang. Thomas hurried from the living room to open the door. Dominique came from the kitchen. They got to the door at the same time, each giving the other the right of way and both of them putting their hands on the doorknob at the same time.

  Dominique laughed nervously and opened the door. However, it wasn’t Snellen and his colleagues they found there, but the two Americans in suits, the ones who had come by a few days earlier to ask about her father.

  The eldest of the two men stood close to the doorway, while his broad-shouldered partner stood at angle right behind him. The older man’s piercing gray eyes looked right past Dominique to Thomas.

  “Charles Werner, I assume?”

  “No, my name is Van Dorp,” Thomas answered calmly. “I am Mr. Werner’s colleague. And you are?”

  “Miller, Drug Enforcement Administration. This is my partner Zubowski.”

  “DEA, you say? Can you identify yourself, please?” Continuing in English, he asked Dominique, “Do, can you excuse us for a moment?”

  She left them alone. On her way to the living room, she saw the two men show their ID cards. Thomas did not invite them in, but remained protectively in the doorway.

  “Who are they?” Lilian’s mother asked after Dominique closed the living room door behind her.

  “Two men from the DEA.”

  “The DEA?” Lilian’s father looked at her. “Isn’t that the American Drug Enforcement Agency? Why did the Aruban police involve them in this?”

  Dominique smiled faint
ly. “No, they’re not here because of Lilian. These two men came to the door earlier this week. They want to speak to Daddy.”

  “Why?” Lilian’s mother wanted to know.

  “No idea. Would you like some more coffee?”

  “No, I’ve had enough coffee.” Lilian’s mom stood up, wrapped her arms around herself, and shivered, even though the temperature was just as pleasant as it had been the other days. “What’s taking that policeman so long?”

  “I’m sure he will be here any minute, dear,” her husband reassured her. “You heard him yourself, he still had to question a lot of other people. Be glad he is doing such a thorough job.”

  Lilian’s mother grabbed a cardigan from her chair and placed it around her shoulders and stood by the sliding doors. She stared at the pool, her eyes glazing over. “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this,” she said, her voice breaking up.

  “Come on, sweetheart.” Her husband walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “These things take a moment to sort out. Lilian is a big girl who can take care of herself. And the police are …”

  “She’s been gone for three days, Henk,” she interrupted him. “Three whole days. God only knows what can happen to a twenty-one-year-old girl in three days.”

  Lilian’s father opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and let out a heavy sigh instead.

  Dominique hated to see them like this. She felt guilty, worried, powerless, and sad. She looked at the clock for the hundredth time. What was keeping the policemen? And why was Thomas talking to those DEA men for such a long time?

  It was quite a while before Thomas returned.

  “What did the DEA want, Thomas?” Lilian’s father asked. His wife also turned around.

  “Just business stuff,” Thomas said, waving them off. “Charles’s company supplied pharmaceutical products to the hospitals over the past few months, and they had questions about that.”

  Lilian’s father snorted. “If the DEA comes all the way to Aruba, they probably have a good reason. Charles isn’t doing anything illegal is he?”