Deadly Deceit (16 page)

She pulled out her mobile. She’d call Sally and ask her to track down the Police Commissioner and get him to call round later. She dialled Sally’s direct office line. No reply. She rang Sally’s mobile. No reply from that either. She phoned the Governor’s Office switchboard, but it just rang and rang. She thrust the phone back in her pocket. What were they all doing over there?

Suddenly the lights of Tom’s Trans Air jet came looming on the horizon. She watched the plane line up with the single runway as it approached. Down came the landing gear. The huge wings wobbled in the air currents. Finally, the plane thudded down on the tarmac, rushed past her, and juddered to a stop at the far end of the runway.

Flashing an official airside pass, Jess walked past the single baggage carousel, and up to the immigration desk to wait for Tom there. Standing by the window, she watched the plane taxi over and stop close to the terminal. Steps were manoeuvred up to the plane and the door opened. Her eyes scanned the passengers as they descended. She hadn’t seen Tom for a couple of years. Would he look the same?

When she saw him appear in the plane’s doorway, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her. He hurried down the steps and across the tarmac with a sense of purpose that set him apart from all the other passengers and holidaymakers. Single-minded, that was Tom.

Suddenly, he looked over to where she was waiting, as if he knew she was there, and stopped. He smiled and gave her a salute in the same way he had when they last said goodbye.

She laughed and waved.

Clearing immigration, he went straight over to her.

There was no awkwardness between them as they greeted each other with a friendly hug. The intervening years just fell away. He was still as fit and lean as ever, just a little greyer around the temples. “I’m so glad you’re here, Tom,” she said, anxiously.

He frowned as he studied her face. “What’s wrong?”

*

They were sitting in the corner of the domestic departure lounge waiting for their flight to Grand Turk, and as far away from the other passengers as they could for privacy. They hadn’t stopped talking for the whole 30 minutes he’d been on the ground. Or rather Jess hadn’t. She was trying to explain to him the set-up in these islands. “The Governor is a senior British diplomat from London,” she said. “He chairs Cabinet, which consists entirely of local Ministers. They have their own individual domestic portfolios, you know, such as fishing, housing and immigration.”

“What’s your job then, Jess?”

“I’m the Head of the Governor’s Office. You see, under the Constitution, the UK retains responsibility for foreign affairs, defence, policing and security, and financial regulation. I work to the Governor on those issues.”

He ran his hands through his short, spiky hair. “So, if I’ve got this right, just about everyone works to the Governor.”

“Yes.”

“He’s all powerful, then?”

“Well, yes, I suppose he is, except it would be physically impossible for one man to keep an eye on
everything.
”

“So what are you saying?”

“That’s just it.” Jess flopped back in the chair. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I only arrived two days ago, to cover the job for a colleague. His mother’s gravely ill in the UK. Before that, I was on special unpaid leave, accompanying Simon on his posting to Washington.”

“How is Simon?” he asked.

She hesitated. “Oh, fine.”

“I can’t imagine you not working,” he said. “Must’ve had a lot of time on your hands.”

She looked away. Tom had the unnerving habit of looking into her eyes, as if reading her thoughts.

“So,” he said. “You got here on Tuesday to find the Governor had had a car accident that morning.” He paused. “Except now you think it wasn’t an accident.”

“Yes.” She’d already told him about the woman in the Provo restaurant, who’d said the Governor was going to confess, and that’s why they had to stop him.

“Then there was a dinner party that night at the Governor’s Residence,” he went on. “And later that night, a local lady called Mrs Pearson, was murdered.”

“Yes. She was found hanging by her feet at home in the garage, with her throat cut.”

“Jesus!”

She nodded. “Shocking isn’t it? Her husband, the Minister Clement Pearson, hanged himself in that same garage, a few weeks ago. The inquest confirmed suicide.”

Tom paused to think. “Pretty brutal way to kill someone. Hanging them up by their feet and cutting their throat.” He hesitated. “Why kill her like that?”

Jess shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve asked if that’s ever happened here before. No-one’s come up with anything yet.”

“Hmm. There has to be a reason for such brutality. Unless of course that
was
the reason?”

She frowned at him.

“Perhaps the killer wanted to send a brutal message?” he explained. “Scare someone maybe?”

“He’s done that all right,” she said. “Scared the whole island.”

Tom nodded. “You say the Minister was the murdered woman’s husband, and that he committed suicide?”

“Yes, press reports said he was depressed after his son died of a drugs overdose.”

He nodded. “Could that be what’s going on here? Drugs?”

Jess shrugged. “I wondered that too, but these are small islands. Only a few people could afford hard drugs, so it couldn’t be that lucrative a trade. Not enough to murder for, surely?”

“Unless the drugs are going through these islands on their way to the US market. That would earn megabucks for the traffickers.” His eyes flashed. “And for those facilitating the trade here.”

“Mm.”

“I’m just speculating,” he said, quickly.

“I’m going to ring London when I get back to Grand Turk, and ask them to send a UK police team over to investigate the Governor’s car accident. They can assess local police resources and their response to Mrs Pearson’s murder while they’re here.” She looked at him and gave an apologetic smile. “And you thought you were coming for a holiday?”

He smiled. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. But I’m afraid I can only stay for three days. I have to be back at work next week, you see. The Illegal Immigration Task Force I’m working for have to include the findings from my overseas trip in their report for the PM. I’m a member of the panel presenting it to him next Friday.

Only three days.
She felt deflated, especially after being so relieved to see him walk off that plane. Of course he had no locus in these islands to do any detective work, and wouldn’t be able to do any actual investigating. But he’d be company, a friend she could trust. And right now, that’s what she needed. “You don’t have a problem flying, do you?” she asked, as their flight was called. “We have to go over to Grand Turk on propeller planes.”

Those steely, grey eyes she remembered so well narrowed. “I’m an Australian Federal Agent. We fly everywhere on helicopters, single engine propeller planes and whatever else.”

“You’ll be right at home here, then, won’t you?” she quipped.

On the flight over to Grand Turk, Jess stared out the window at the sugary sand banks popping up out of the sea. She tried to relax, but couldn’t help worrying. She hadn’t managed to get Sally on the phone, and she’d specifically told her to stay in the office.

On a single seat across the aisle from her, Tom sat remarkably still.

She glanced over and saw him drawing in his sketch pad, a habit she found both intriguing and irritating. She peered sideways to try and get a look at his drawing, but she couldn’t quite see it. She hoped it wasn’t of her.

It was impossible to talk much on the plane. Everyone was so quiet they would have heard everything. She settled back into the seat, but her head was buzzing. It wasn’t just Sally she was worried about. Simon hadn’t replied to any of her texts. She started sifting through the events of the last few weeks in her mind. Had there been any signs that something was wrong with him? Now that she thought about it, he had seemed rather preoccupied. And he’d been working later than usual. Was something wrong at work, perhaps? She hoped he was all right in Los Angeles. He’d call if he wasn’t, wouldn’t he? If she didn’t hear from him soon, she could always ring his secretary in Washington to check he was okay.

It was a relief when the plane landed to be able to get off. The sun was still hot as they walked across the tarmac to Grand Turk’s domestic terminal. She left Tom at the baggage carousel to wait for his suitcase while she went out to find Sally. She looked around, but there was no sign of her in the terminal.

Pushing through the door, she was relieved to see her pacing around on the pavement outside.

“Sally?” she called and waved.

Sally came rushing over.

It was only when she took off her sunglasses that Jess saw her red-rimmed eyes.

“It’s the Governor.” Sally’s breath caught in her throat. “He p-passed away in hospital about an hour ago.”

Maggie came straight out of the Residence the moment the car drew up outside, as if she’d been waiting by the window for them to come back.

Jess climbed out of the car and went over. The tears in Maggie’s eyes said it all, and she put her arm around her. “I’m so sorry, Maggie.”

Maggie pulled a handkerchief out of her uniform pocket and wiped her tears. They stood together in silence, until Jess looked over to the car and beckoned to Tom. “We have a guest, Maggie,” she said, quietly. “Will you be able to look after him?”

Immediately Maggie straightened up and nodded.

Jess smiled at Tom as he walked over. She knew he felt awkward arriving at a time like this. “Tom,” she said, brightly, “this is Maggie, our housekeeper. Maggie already knows who are you.”

Maggie shook Tom’s hand. “Come in,” she said, warmly. “Please.” She ushered him through the front door.

Tom stood in the hallway and looked at them in turn. “I’m really sorry about the Governor.”

Jess nodded and put a reassuring hand on his arm. “And I’m sorry you’ve arrived in the middle of all this.”

“I don’t want to be in the way,” he said, quickly.

She shook her head. “You won’t be. I can assure you. I’m very glad you’re here. We all are.” She turned to Maggie. “Did Sally ring about supper tonight? Only we can cancel it.”

Maggie shook her head. “I’ve got everything in hand, Miss Jessica. It helps me, keeping busy.”

Jess looked into Maggie’s soulful eyes. “I don’t know what we’d do without you?” She turned to Tom. “Can I leave you in Maggie’s capable hands to settle in while I go back to the office and make some calls?”

He nodded. “Yep. You go and do what you have to do.”

She looked up at the still cloudless sky. The sun had gone, leaving a soft, mellow light. “It’s lovely on the beach at this time of day if you want a swim after all that travelling. But don’t go out too far… there’s no-one to help if you get into trouble.”

He frowned at her, as if to say
are you serious?

“Yes, I know you Australians live at the beach,” she said. “But…”

He smiled. “No worries. I’ll be careful.”

“Right, Mister Tom. Follow me.” Maggie looked relieved to have the distraction of another guest in the house. “I’ll show you to your room.”

Jess left them together, and returned to the car, where Sally sat silently, hands still gripping the wheel. “You okay, Sally?” she asked as she got in.

Sally nodded. “London rang to tell us about the Governor while you were in the air. I didn’t know what to do.”

Jess could still see shock on Sally’s face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you got that news,” she said, kindly.

That display of sympathy prompted the floodgates to open. Tears spilled down Sally’s cheeks. “Poor Jayne, she’ll be devastated… and the kids.”

Jess felt a lump in her throat too. She hadn’t known the Governor, but she knew exactly what his wife and children were going through right now. “At least Jayne was at his bedside when he died.”

Sally nodded and wiped her eyes. “London asked if you could ring as soon as you got back.”

Jess nodded. “I’ll do that. Come on, let’s go back to the office.”

Sally turned the car round and headed back along the drive. “I got hold of the Police Commissioner. I told him about the Governor.” She looked over for reassurance that she’d done the right thing.

Jess nodded.

“He asked me to ring him the moment you got back, and he’d come round.”

Jess sighed inwardly with frustration. She’d tried to phone and text him several times during the day. Why hadn’t he got in touch? That question was really bothering her. “Please phone him back and ask him to come here straightaway.”

*

Dexter Robinson let out a tired sigh as he lowered his bulk into a chair, and placed his peaked hat on the Governor’s conference table in front of him. He had the ever present beads of sweat on his forehead.

Jess had decided to see the Police Commissioner in the Governor’s office. She wanted him to be under no illusion that he had to deal with her now. And, hopefully, being in a room he was used to would make him feel more at ease.

She noticed the tremor in his hand as he pulled his handkerchief from his uniform pocket and mopped his brow. His face looked drained.

“I’m sorry about the Governor.” His voice was grave. “It’s the worst possible news.”

Jess nodded. “We knew he was badly injured in that accident, but we hoped… well, we hoped he’d pull through.”

There was a pause while they both collected their thoughts.

“Has there been any decision about funeral arrangements?” he asked. “Will it be held here, or in the UK?”

“I haven’t heard yet, but I expect it’ll be at the Governor’s home in the UK. We’ll hold a memorial service for him here of course.” She was thinking aloud now. “And we’ll open a book of condolence in reception for people to come in and sign.”

He nodded. “I’m sure the other islands will want to open one too, for people who can’t get here.”

“Of course.”

As they talked about the Governor’s death and all the arrangements, the Police Commissioner seemed to sink lower and lower into his chair. He looked exhausted, and had now lapsed into his customary silence. Jess was still irritated he hadn’t kept in touch during the day, but she decided to try and work with him. He was a man of status in these islands, and well respected by the local people. She had to try and gain his trust. First, she wanted to know what he’d been doing all day. “We missed you at the hurricane planning meeting,” she said.