Part 3 (1/2)
”Right, you could put your head and shoulders in his mouth”
The last of his reserves disappeared He had been reading history and philosophy at Cae but spent too much ti equipave hi and allowed him to dive most days of the week He did private work and had contracted to the Government and the Navy on some jobs
More than once he mentioned the name ”Sherry” and I probed carefully
”Girl friend or wife?” and he grinned
”Sister, big sister, but she's a doll - she does the books and minds the shop, all that stuff,” in a tone that left no doubt as to what Ja ”She's a red-hot conchologist and she makes two thousand a year out of her sea shells” But he didn't explain how he had got into the dubious co halfway around the world from his sports shop I left them on Admiralty Wharf, and took Dancer over to the Shell Basin for refuelling before dark
That evening I grilled the kingfish over the coals, roasted a couple of big sweet ya it doith a cold beer sitting on the veranda of the shack and listening to the surf when I saw the headlights coh the palm trees The taxi parked beside my pickup, and the driver stayed at the wheel while his passengers came up the steps on to the stoep They had left James at the Hilton, and there were just the two of them now - Materson and Guthrie
”Drink?” I indicated the bottles and ice on the side table
Guthrie poured gin for both of them and Materson sat opposite me and watched me finish the last of the fish
”I made a few phone calls,” he said when I pushed my plate away
”And they tell o and hasn't been heard of since I asked around and found out that Harry Fletcher sailed into Grand Harbour here three months later - inward bound from Sydney, Australia”
”Is that the truth?” I picked a little fish bone out ofblack island cheroot
one other thing, someone who knew him well tells me Harry Bruce had a knife scar across his left arlanced at the thin line of scar tissue that laced the muscle of my forearm It had shrunk and flattened with the years, but was still very white against the dark sun-browned skin
”Now that's a hell of a coincidence,” I said, and drew on the cheroot It was strong and aro of sea and sun and spices I wasn't worried now - they were going to reed, and he looked around hiot a nice set-up here, Fletcher Cosy, isn't it, really nice and COSY
”It beats hell out of working for a living,” I ads”
”I should i to ask you soo you can forget you ever saw us, and we'll forget to tell anybody about that funny coincidence”
”Mr Materson, sir, I've got a terrible memory,” I assured him
After the conversation I had overheard in Dancer's cabin, I expected the, for the dawn light seemed important to their plans However, neither of theone I kneouldn't sleep so I walked out along the sand around the curve of the bay to Mutton Point to watch the h the palhy was gone from the jetty but Has before sun-up the following side I saw the fahy tied alongside
”Hey, Chubby” I jumped aboard ”Your Missus kick you out of bed, then?”
Dancer's deck was gleaht, and all the htly burnished He must have been at it for a -couple of hours; Chubby loves Dancer almost as much as I do
”She looked like a public shi+t-house, Harry,” he gruot aboard,” and he spat noisily over the side ”No respect for a boat, that's what”
He had coffee ready for ent as only he canin the saloon
Chubby frowned heavily into hisblack liquid He wanted to tellthe Ras,” he growled The island does not provide sufficient e men - so most of them shi+p out on three-year labour contracts to the A station and airforce base on Rawano, island They leave their young wives behind, the Ras, and the island girls are justly celebrated for the high temperature of their blood and their friendly dispositions
”That Angelo's going to shag his brain loose, he's been at it night and day since Monday”
I detected rowl Missus Chubby kept hiht lead - he sipped noisily at the coffee
”How's your party, Harry?”
”Their , Harry” He looked at o near the channel you are working inshore”
”That's right, Chubby” He returned his attention to his coffee
”Hey, Harry You watch theood and careful, hear
They badone - but the others they are bad”
”I'll be careful, Chubby”
”You know the new girl at the hotel, Marion? The one over for the season?” I nodded, she was a pretty slis, about nineteen with glossy black hair, freckled skin, bold eyes and an iht she ith the blond one, the one with the red face” I knew that Marion sometimes combined business with pleasure and provided for selected hotel guests services beyond the call of duty On the island this sort of activity drew no social stiged Chubby
”He hurt her, Harry Hurt her bad” Chubby took another mouthful of coffee ”Then he paid her so o to the police”
I liked Mike Guthrie a little less now Only an aniirl like Marion I knew her well She had an innocence, a child-like acceptance of life thatI reht have to kill Guthrie one day and tried not to let the thought perish
”They are bad ht it best you know that”
”Thanks, Chubby”
”And don't you let thely ”The saloon and deck - they were like a pigsty, man”
He helped me run Dancer across to Ad andin the opposite direction and shot hilance that should have shrivelled him in his tracks
Jimmy was on his own, fresh-faced and jaunty
”Hi, skipper,”he called, as he jumped down on to Dancer's deck, and I went into the saloon with him and poured coffee for us
”Mr Materson says you have soht?”
”Look, Mr Fletcher, I want you to know that I didn'tto you before It wasn't me but the others” ”Sure,” I said ”That's fine, Ji to ask your help long ago, instead of blundering around the e have been Anyway, now the others have suddenly decided it's okay” He had just told ined, and I adjusted my opinion of Master James It was clear that he possessed information, and he had not shared it with the others It was his insurance, and he had probably insisted on seeing me alone to keep his insurance policy intact