‘I’ll take it to Kelepi, sir. He’s such an asset, so systematic and thorough. I admit I snatched it from the machine when I saw it was from Hong Kong. It hasn’t been logged yet.’
Horseman smiled. ‘Bypassed the log? I would never have dreamed it of you, Sergeant. What an example to be setting young Musudroka! Ask them both to get themselves tea and bring it to my desk. I want to catch up before we leave for our chat with Dr Chakra.’
‘He’s not coming to the station?’ Singh sounded surprised.
‘Sorry, didn’t I tell you? He’s in high dudgeon about the searches yesterday afternoon and will only speak to us at his solicitor’s office. Mr Madesh Tagore, near the court. There’s no way he’ll let us into his house and he certainly won’t lower himself to come to the station again. The super had to put up with an earful yesterday from Mr Tagore. Complaining that I forced Chakra here yesterday morning. Nonsense. He was quite willing because he never dreamed that drug packaging foil would turn up. Super says I’m to be courteous. But I think today he’ll admit he gave that abortion drug to Nisi. Got to.’
Taleca came in looking worried, waving a fax report. ‘Says here a fax came in from Hong Kong. Where’s it gone?’
Singh handed the fax over. ‘I was passing when it came through, Kelepi. The boss needed to see this straight away. You can log it now.’
Clearly relieved, Taleca took the fax and grinned. ‘I hope you won’t make a habit of this, Sarge! But I came to tell you about the kayak and catamaran records. They keep printed day sheets at the boatshed, filled in by staff and signed by guests taking out a boat. However, if there aren’t any staff around, the guests just fill them in themselves. All craft are supposed to be returned by seven o’clock, when staff check them and secure them. They’re worried about inebriated guests taking out boats on impulse after dinner and getting into difficulties. Mr McKenzie will fax the sheets for last Saturday.’
‘Good! The picture’s getting more detailed now,’ Horseman said. ‘I hope we can fill in even more after our visit to Mr Tagore.’
Mr Tagore was tall and sleek. His excellent air-conditioning permitted him to wear a tailored charcoal wool suit, white shirt and Fiji Rugby Union tie.
‘So pleased to meet you, Mr Horseman. Indeed.’ He shook hands with them both and ushered them in to a smart conference room, where Dr Chakra was already installed at the polished mahogany table. Mr Tagore sat beside his client and Horseman and Singh sat opposite. Singh took out her notebook while Horseman placed a box file in front of him.
‘I am duty bound to inform you that I have expressed to Superintendent Navala my client’s outrage at the intrusive searches conducted without notice yesterday afternoon.’ His tone was serious but mild.
‘The superintendent told me about your complaint, sir. You will understand there’s not much point in a search when occupants of the premises have been given notice.’
Mr Tagore inclined his head slightly. ‘However, Dr Chakra’s purpose today is to amend and expand his statement of yesterday. He was shocked and confused by his treatment and now realises he may have omitted some relevant information due to stress.’
If that’s how they wanted to play it, Horseman could run with that.
‘Indeed, I have prepared Dr Chakra’s supplementary statement, which I now offer to you, Detective Inspector.’ He handed over a single page.
‘Thank you, Mr Tagore. I prefer to work through Dr Chakra’s original statement first.’ He opened the box file and distributed two stapled pages to each of them. ‘Dr Chakra, please read the first paragraph carefully. Have you anything to add or amend?’
Dr Chakra looked at his solicitor, who nodded. ‘No, it’s accurate. Look, I haven’t got time for this, Inspector. I’m taking afternoon surgery and I have house calls before that. You have my supplementary statement.’
‘Yes, and I’ll read it. But I can see it’s not long enough. I need to be quite clear about what’s wrong or insufficient in your original statement. Let’s review the second paragraph.’
‘This is preposterous!’ There was hate in Dr Chakra’s eyes. Mr Tagore shot him a warning look and the doctor turned back to his statement. He calmed himself and confirmed his statement, point by point, until the third paragraph of the second page.
Dr Chakra cleared his throat. ‘Er, I need to say more about Akanisi’s second visit to my staff clinic, nearly three weeks ago. However, I stress that I omitted details purely to protect my patient’s confidentiality.’
‘Indeed, I endorse that,’ Mr Tagore said.
Singh’s orange highlighter hovered above the page and even Horseman picked up his biro.
Now he had the floor, Dr Chakra drew himself up and looked down his prominent nose at his audience.
‘As I said yesterday, she came to see me again two weeks after her first visit, complaining of fatigue and nausea. She also confided she’d decided she couldn’t possibly have this baby because of the shame and all that crap. I didn’t quite believe her, somehow got the impression that there was another reason. Predictably, she turned on the waterworks, begging for my help. Said the father didn’t know and mustn’t know. I did go through the form of suggesting she talk to her parents, but she looked horrified, cried some more and begged harder. I was convinced she knew what she wanted, so explained to her about medication abortion procedure with Mifepristone and Misoprostol. She jumped at the chance.
‘In those enlightened jurisdictions where this drug regimen is approved, the protocol specifies that the pregnancy not exceed sixty three days gestation, which she was approaching, so we agreed to start right away. She decided she would prefer to be at home on Delanarua when she aborted so I recommended a week’s leave. I gave her the Mifepristone in its foil packaging and got her some water and she took it at once. I never noticed what she did with the foil. She must have put it in her pocket. I gave her the second drug, Misoprostol, to take two days later, following which, she could expect to abort within twenty four hours. I also gave her a supply of paracetamol to alleviate pain in case she needed it. I heard later that Ian had let her go on the boat to Delanarua that same afternoon.’
Horseman was flabbergasted at what seemed to him a negligently casual approach. He’d have to ask Matt’s opinion. ‘How could you know the procedure would go according to plan?’
Dr Chakra shrugged. ‘One can never be sure of an individual case. One’s judgement is based on statistics produced from large-scale trials and clinical practice. Akanisi was young, strong and healthy, and she had none of the specified contra-indications. She returned to work on schedule.’
Singh was writing rapidly, but at Horseman’s nod she put down her pen. ‘Now we come to the third page of your statement, Dr Chakra, where you mention Nisi’s visit to your bure last Friday night. Do you have anything to add there?’
Dr Chakra allowed himself a heavy sigh. ‘Well, obviously. What I said was correct, except the abortion was not natural, it was induced by the drugs I gave her, quite justifiably.’
‘But illegally,’ Singh reminded him. The doctor shrugged, confident he was above the law.
‘Were you concerned about her symptoms? Did you consider sending her to hospital?’ Horseman asked, although he felt at a loss. Infuriating, but Chakra was right; he was not equipped to evaluate medical matters.
‘Good Lord, no. An ultrasound scan may be used routinely in wealthy countries for confirmation but that’s rarely necessary. Blatant money-spinning. I conducted an internal examination and I was confident that the abortion was complete.’
‘Did you see Nisi later last Saturday, Dr Chakra?’ Horseman asked.
‘As I stated yesterday, correctly and completely, I noticed her serving at lunch. She looked fine and I didn’t see her again until around seven o’clock, when I found her dead body caught under a shelf on the reef.’ He sighed heavily.
‘Thank you, Doctor.’ Horseman quickly checked the additional statement Mr Tagore had given him. ‘You’ve just told us some details not included here, so I’ll add those. You’ll need to come to the station to sign it.’
Mr Tagore intervened hastily. ‘Detective Inspector, that would be most inconvenient for my client, as he’s explained. Please give me the amendments, and if Dr Chakra agrees, the document can be edited, printed out and signed here within ten minutes.’
This was the outcome Horseman had hoped for. ‘Fine with me. While I’m writing the amendments, Sergeant Singh has a few more questions for your client.’
Dr Chakra raised his eyebrows but stopped short of rolling his eyes.
Singh spoke in a friendly manner. ‘Doctor, Mrs Marama told me that you’re aware that she stocks traditional herbal remedies at the resort, which are quite popular with staff. She said you even recommend them to your patients sometimes. Is that the case?’
Dr Chakra relaxed a bit. ‘Yes. Two of her remedies, the dark green ones, are based on iron-rich plants and are useful sources of iron in cases of mild anaemia. The staff call them “blood tonics”. They’re the only ones I sometimes recommend. I don’t know what’s in the others.’
‘Did you know Nisi was taking both the blood tonics at Mrs Marama’s suggestion?’ Singh asked.
‘No. What are you implying? They could only have benefited her. Many young women are slightly anaemic.’
‘What can you tell me about the other two remedies?’
‘Only what Ledua has told me. I doubt they’ve ever been analysed. Like all herbal remedies, their strength would vary from one batch to another. However, while they might be ineffective, I’d be very surprised if they’re harmful.’
Horseman handed the amended statement to Mr Tagore. As promised, ten minutes later, it was edited, printed and Dr Chakra had signed it.
33
PARADISE ISLAND
On Thursday evening, Ian McKenzie sat at his computer reviewing the new copy and images for the resort’s website update. The designer had set up a test site with three alternative versions, but McKenzie felt none was right.
He could do the job perfectly well back at his house, but preferred to keep work separate from home. If he was in the office he could concentrate. Besides, Pat was working in the bar and he believed he supported her somehow by being in his own workplace. Nisi’s death had hit Pat hard, but she’d kept to her routine and so far, thank God, and had not tumbled into the black hole of a binge.
It was quarter to eleven when he finished his work, locked up and strolled over to the bar. The squall that had blown up before dinner had left the air cool. An oversized palm frond was floating in the pool, along with a mass of twigs and leaves. It could be worth covering the pool at night; it was certainly a pest to clean. But guests strolling late in the evening often paused by the secluded pool, enjoying the soft lighting in the water and the gardens. A cover would spoil that for them and besides, the boys always cleaned it out before anyone wanted to use it in the morning.
He ran into the band as they were leaving the bar by the back door. He turned on his bright smile. ‘Hello guys, how’d it go tonight?’
‘A bit quiet, Mr McKenzie. We’re off now. Moce!’
Pat was at the bar, her dark head turned away from him as she busied herself restocking for the following day. Sai emerged from the liquor store at the back, carrying a carton of Fiji Bitter on each shoulder as if they were feather pillows.
‘Hi darling, hi Sai. Finishing up?’
Pat turned to him. She looked weary around the eyes. ‘We are. But there’s a bunch of hangers-on out on the terrace. Oh, looks like the Matsushimas are just leaving. Probably driven out by Vijay and Bill.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Why’d Vijay come over tonight?’
‘He’s got to get back to Suva on the noon boat, so he wants to start the clinic first thing. It doesn’t make any difference to us, there’s a free bure. I’ll go over and say hello.’
They must have dragged the super-comfortable lounge chairs out to the sandy terrace, to sit under the stars. They were indeed noisy—but it was the noise of the happily inebriated. The doctor sprawled out, legs wide apart, waving his glass in the air, adding the smell of whisky to the salty soft air. The professor had one foot on the ground, his mountainous middle anchored in the obtuse angle between the seat and back of the lounge.
‘Good evening, gentlemen. Lovely night for it,’ McKenzie said.
Dr Chakra greeted him. ‘Ah, our favourite host. Welcome, Ian. Are you joining us?’ His speech was slurred.
‘Thanks, just for a bit.’ There was a bottle of whisky on a side table, but Dawson and Burgermeister were drinking beer. Chakra waved the whisky at McKenzie. ‘Have you a glass, Ian? I don’t suppose you’d like a swig from the bottle? Not in your own establishment, I suspect. Am I correct?’
Chakra could really be a bastard at times. ‘Nothing for me, thanks. I’ll be heading off to bed soon.’
‘And no doubt you’d prefer we did the same, eh?’ Chakra splashed more whisky into his glass and on the table.
‘Not at all, not at all.’ McKenzie was soothing. ‘You’re welcome to stay here all night if you want. The light will be on. But the staff need to knock off soon, of course.’
‘My friends tell me you’ve had a constabulary-free day here today, Ian. Must have been nice for a change.’
McKenzie privately agreed but wouldn’t admit as much to the doctor. ‘They’re doing a job that must be done. It’s been a terrible time for everyone. I’ve tried to shield the guests but in such a small place. . .’ McKenzie shook his head. There was a brief silence, shattered by Chakra’s angry shout.
‘Fucking bastard cops! They’ve really got it in for me. My solicitor’s filing an official complaint. That bloody Horseman practically kidnapped me at the airport yesterday! Invading my premises. Grilled me again today, too. Harassment and intimidation!’
This must be a gross exaggeration, McKenzie was certain. Burgermeister patted at the air, as if warding off Chakra’s anger. ‘Chrissake, Vijay, chill! Come on now, he had to talk to you. You’re getting kinda paranoid, man.’
‘And I wouldn’t have found her if you hadn’t been so bloody obsessive about retrieving your fucking ball! And too fat to get it yourself! Fucking stupid greenies! Hypocrites, one and all! Look at you, in bed with this bloody Hong Kong pirate here. The aquarium trade, for fuck’s sake! And yet the bloody cops are pursuing me?’
Chakra spilled more whisky into his glass and downed it. Thank God, Burgermeister had the sense not to reply. Winston Lee’s mouth twitched, amused. He was totally unperturbed, as far as McKenzie could see.
Dawson broke the tense silence. ‘We’ve all been questioned, Vijay. Some of us more than once. I found Horseman reasonable, myself.’ He articulated slowly and deliberately; must have had more than his usual two beers. ‘Genius on the field, bloody genius. Strange he’s still a copper. Coulda gone anywhere.’
‘It’s a stressful time for all of us, Vijay,’ McKenzie said, trying to restore calm. ‘And it’s a very good thing that you did find Nisi’s body, you know. You were a great help to all of us, being a doctor. I admit I didn’t really know what to do.’
‘Well, you do now!’
It was definitely time to leave. ‘Thanks to you, Vijay. Gentlemen, if you want anything more, Sai will be at the bar for another five minutes. Good night, everyone.’
‘Gotta go too,’ Guy Dawson said. ‘Diving trip after breakfast. See you tomorrow.’ He grasped the arms of the lounge, hauled himself upright, found his balance after a moment and walked away.
‘I’m worried about Vijay,’ McKenzie said to Pat, as they walked along the beach to their bure a few minutes later. ‘I’ve never seen him in a state like this. I hope he’ll be fit for his clinic in the morning. Ledua wa
nts him to check two guests she treated for nasty coral cuts today. We can’t have him reeking of whisky.’
‘You worry too much, you know,’ she said, taking his hand. She didn’t often do that. His worries eased.
FRIDAY
34
SUVA
Horseman had ordered no interruptions to Friday morning’s case review. He liked to run a brisk meeting. The other members of the team, even Musudroka, got the message and summarised their actions succinctly. It was useful for them all to consider the evidence together. It was all too easy to overlook something discovered on the first day of an investigation that hadn’t come up since. Five days of constant and often scattered work seemed like a very long time.
The first bars of the Fiji national anthem interrupted them. Singh fished out her phone and checked it. A radiant smile lit her eyes. ‘A text from Dr Young, sir. Toxicology’s through. Ledua’s herbal remedies are clear, not implicated at all in Nisi’s death. And she wasn’t suffering any systemic infection either. So the blow to her head was the sole cause of unconsciousness and subsequent death.’
Horseman felt profound gratitude to his friend the pathologist for getting that news to them ahead of the official report. Now the doubts he’d felt since Chakra’s interview were dispelled.
‘Good of Dr Young to let us know straight away. It’s a step forward to be certain about how she died. You’ve done good work, everyone. We need to look more closely at Jona’s and Maika’s movements on Saturday afternoon. Minute by minute if possible. Yes, I know we’ve done that already. But they’re the only ones with a motive that I can see, so let’s ask all the staff again, and any guests remaining from last weekend. The scientists too. Constable Taleca, see how quickly you can get us a police boat to Paradise Island. The day sheets Mr McKenzie sent through for Saturday show very few kayaks and catamarans were taken out. He’s probably right when he says the guests were keen to take part in the marine reserve celebrations. But we can’t rely on the self-serve records, so we need to ask—’
DEATH ON PARADISE ISLAND: Fiji Islands Mysteries 1 Page 21
