Deadly Deceit (24 page)

“Then I’d better make sure I’m back,” he joked. In truth he was relieved Jess was coming back for lunch. They had a lot to talk about. “But right now, I have an appointment in town, and I need a taxi.”

Maggie nodded. “I’ll ring for one while you get ready.”

“Thank you, Maggie. I’ll just telephone Brad before I go.”

*

Tom was pretty sure the man dressed in jeans and polo shirt walking towards him was Chuck Lynch. Agile and fit for such a tall man, he looked confident and at ease. He was also bang on time – 10am. That said a lot about the man. Chuck had wanted to meet on a stretch of beach near town, rather than in a coffee shop or bar. Tom guessed he wanted the encounter to look unplanned.

Chuck had been cagey when Tom first introduced himself on the phone as an Australian Federal Agent. He’d warmed up a little when Tom told him about his job in the illegal migration task force back home, and explained that the US guys in Miami had given him Chuck’s name as a contact. Tom deliberately didn’t mention recent events on the island, and simply asked Chuck if he had time to meet up and give him some background about how the local police dealt with illegals arriving on their shores. He’d normally go through official channels, he explained, but as he was on the island in an unofficial capacity visiting a friend, he thought he’d contact Chuck instead.

Now, Tom sat on some rocks on the beach near the jetty, about 300 yards from Front Street, a single row of shops and office buildings along the seafront in Cockburn Town. The beach was deserted except for a group of young boys in their swimmers jumping off the jetty into the sea. They played in the water and swam like fish.

“Tom?” Chuck asked, as he approached.

Tom nodded. He didn’t offer to shake hands because that would indicate the meeting was deliberate. He just beckoned Chuck to sit down. “I don’t have my badge,” he quipped, “but you can check my passport if you want.”

Chuck sat down, took off his metal-framed sunglasses, and slipped them into the top pocket of his shirt.

“Sorry for being so cautious on the phone,” he said in an American drawl. “Things haven’t been so easy round here lately.”

Tom studied Chuck. His black hair was wavy rather than curly, and his skin coffee-coloured. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, and different from the locals. “Hope you don’t mind me asking, Chuck. Are you from these islands?”

Chuck hesitated. “My mom
is
, my dad’s American.” He glanced at Tom. “I was born in North Carolina and spent the first years of my life in the US.”

Tom nodded. “So what brought you back here?” he asked.

“My Mom and Dad split up, and I came back to Grand Turk with her. But I couldn’t settle, so she sent me back to live with my dad.”

It was said with such honesty that Tom believed every word. “Life gets complicated, doesn’t it?”

“Sure does. After my schoolin’, I joined the US police. Then I came down here to work in the Turks and Caicos police.” Chuck sighed. “I’ve been goin’ back and forth ever since.”

Tom nodded. Chuck was okay, he thought. Now, he wanted to get straight down to business. “I need some help, Chuck,” he said, honestly.

Chuck didn’t look surprised by that request. “What kinda help?” he asked.

Tom wasn’t sure how frank to be. On the other hand, he didn’t have time to pussyfoot around. “Do you have many dealings with the US Federal Police, Chuck?”

Chuck continued to look at Tom, as if assessing him. “What’s that gotta do with the Australian Government?”

“Nothing.” Tom noted Chuck hadn’t denied it. “I’m not asking in an official capacity, you understand. I’m here visiting a friend.”

Chuck nodded. “In the Governor’s Office?”

Tom wasn’t surprised Chuck knew who Jess was.

“So, how can I help you, Tom?”

Tom plunged straight in. “As you know, the Governor was injured in a car accident, and has since died.”

“Tragic,” Chuck nodded.

“I want to have a look at his wrecked Land Rover.” Tom paused. “Can you help me gain access?”

Chuck frowned. “Can’t Miss Turner take you to have a look?”

“Well that’s just it,” Tom went on. “It was in Government Garage, but it’s not there now.” He paused. “Would you be able to find out where it is?”

Chuck shifted on the rock. “Why d’ya wanna see the car?”

The question was asked lightly, but Tom knew his answer would have to be right. He decided to be frank. “The damage looks suspicious.”

Chuck frowned again. “You’ve seen it already, then?”

“Only in photos.”

“I see.”

“I know about Mrs Pearson’s murder,” Tom said. “Very nasty.”

Chuck nodded. He seemed to be watching Tom as closely as he was watching him.

Tom waited, but Chuck didn’t volunteer anything else. He was clearly a man of few words – a trait Tom liked.

“I’d also like to get a look at the crime scene, where Mrs Pearson was murdered,” he went on. “I understand it was in her garage at home, in the same place her husband committed suicide?” He paused. “Can you help me with that too, Chuck?”

A sudden gust of wind sprang up from nowhere, blowing fine grains of sand in their faces.

Tom brushed them off his face.

Chuck looked out to sea and frowned. “There’s a tropical storm out there,” he said, simply.

Tom looked out to sea. He could see nothing but cloudless blue sky.

“It’s movin’ north-west from Haiti, towards Cuba at the moment,” Chuck added.

They both sat staring out to sea in silence. Tom guessed if he said anything more, or tried to push him, Chuck would just walk away. He had to wait patiently for him to make up his mind whether to help or not.

Finally, Chuck turned back and nodded. “Let’s see if we can get a look at that car first, Tom. We can take it from there.”

Tom smiled. “I don’t have a cell phone that works on this island right now. I’m going to try and get one from Turks Telecomm on my way back. I’m staying at the Governor’s Residence, so you can contact me there.”

Chuck nodded, as if he already knew.

Throughout the conversation, Tom had been wondering why Chuck hadn’t asked him more questions. Now he understood. Chuck already knew the answers, and must have checked him out before coming to meet him. “I’m only here for a couple of days, Chuck, so…”

“So I’ll be in touch this afternoon,” Chuck nodded.

“I’m going out scuba diving after lunch for a couple of hours, so…”

“So I’ll see you after that, Tom.” And with that, Chuck got up and walked away.

Tom frowned as he watched him go. The whole time they’d been talking, Chuck’s eyes had been scrunched up against the strong sunlight, which meant Tom hadn’t been able to look him in the eye. Could he trust the man, he wondered?

He got up and brushed himself down. He had no other option right now.

When Jess got back to the Residence, Tom was out in the courtyard, where Maggie had set up a table for lunch in the shade of a palm tree. He looked relaxed sitting in a rattan chair, with his feet up on a stool. Head bent over his sketch pad, he was busy with pencil in hand, oblivious to her, or anything else.

She went over to the bar fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “Fancy a beer, Tom?” she called over.

He looked up, surprised to see her. “Oh, hi.” He jumped up and put his pad down on the stool.

“There’s some wine, if you’d prefer?” she said.

“I’ll have water too, please. I need a clear head for this afternoon.”

“You’re going out diving with Brad, then?” She poured some water into two glasses.

“Yes.” He pulled an ice tray from the fridge and started pushing cubes into their drinks. “Can’t wait to get out there.”

“Rather you than me. I can swim, but I don’t like being in the sea. Not out of my depth anyway.”

“Don’t you like diving?” his voice sounded incredulous.

“Never tried it. Never wanted to.” She handed him a glass.

“We’ll have to see what we can do about that! You’re really missing out.”

She shook her head, firmly. “Don’t even think it. You won’t get me out there. Definitely not.”

He held up his hands in a playful gesture of defeat.

“Let’s sit at the table, Tom. I’m afraid I don’t have long, and Maggie’s ready to serve lunch.”

“Okay.” He held out a chair while she sat down, and then sat down himself.

“About last night, Jess.” He cleared his throat.

“Forget it.” She could see his discomfort. “You should have told me about Sally before you went following her into the night. And I shouldn’t have got annoyed. So let’s just leave it at that.”

He looked relieved, and took a long swig of water. “So,” he asked after a while. “How’d it go with Sally this morning? Bit of a handful, isn’t she?”

Jess could see the ghost of a smile on his lips, and knew what he was thinking. She could still see Brad’s hands around Sally’s bottom too.

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Tom said. “It must be lonely for a young woman like her on this island.”

“That doesn’t excuse anything.” Jess looked at him, then at his sketchpad on the stool. “Oh I get it. You were drawing Sally when I came in, weren’t you? That’s why you closed your pad so quickly when you saw me.” She could tell by his expression that she was right. “Can I have a look?” she asked.

He hesitated, and looked away.

She knew he didn’t like anyone to see his sketches. “Must be raunchy, if you won’t let me see.”

“All right,” he said after a while. He got up and went over to get his pad. He stared at a page for a while, then came back and angled it towards Jess. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Jess stared at Sally, stark naked from the waist up. Her breasts were huge and perfectly round. He’d drawn her red hair down to her waist, rather than her shoulders. But it was the look of wild delirium on her face that made Sally seem other worldly. “It’s amazing!” She paused. “Is that how you see, Sally?”

He shrugged. “I can’t get that look of sexual ecstasy on her face right.”

“She could be a mermaid, or some mythical sea goddess in this?”

“Or someone high on speed.”

Jess couldn’t help but smile. “Better not let her see this.”

His face fell. “Why? Do you think she’d be upset?”

“Hardly! She’d probably take all her clothes off and insist you draw the rest of her.”

He laughed out loud. “Pity she’s spoken for.”

She nodded. “She says she loves Brad.”

“Do you believe her?”

“I don’t know
what
to believe.” Jess pushed her hair back off her face. “It’s this place, it’s… surreal.”

He smiled. “I know what you mean. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere quite like it.”

“So you won’t be surprised when I tell you what Sally and Brad’s big secret is.” She paused for effect. “Sunken treasure.”

“Sunken treasure?”

She nodded. “
That’s
their secret. Brad’s found a Spanish galleon off shore.”

“Really?” Tom had a spark of interest in his eye now.

“Oh, not you too.”

“Well, plenty of wrecks have been found in the Caribbean Sea, and off the coast of Florida.” He paused. “Spanish galleon, did you say?”

“Yes.” She raised her eyebrows. “And Brad has to keep it a complete secret or other treasure hunters might recover the booty first.”

Tom nodded. “That makes sense, Jess. There are plenty of treasure hunters who’d give anything to get there first.” He paused. “What’s supposed to be down there?”

“Gold bullion and silver coins, according to Sally. At least that’s what Brad’s told her. Apparently convoys of Spanish galleons used to sail from Europe to the Americas, stopping at Havana on the way there and back. And that’s where the pirates got them.”

He looked almost as excited as Sally. “What a find, if it were true!”

“
If
it were true,” she repeated.

He smiled. “You don’t believe it, then?”

“Oh I don’t know.” She didn’t know what to believe. Nothing about this place would surprise her.

He had a gleam in his eye when he said: “So what would you say if Sally came in now, and said she’d seen Captain Jack Sparrow in the Turks Bank in Front Street depositing a swag of silver coins?”

As Jess started laughing, all the built-up tension from the last few days seemed to flow from her.

Tom smiled.

“It’s not f-funny.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

“No, it’s not,” he said, grinning.

“S-stop it, Tom!”

He looked at her. “Make me… Go on,
make
me!”

She collapsed with laughter now, remembering Sally on the beach with Brad last night.

Tom was laughing too.

That’s when Maggie came out with the lunch. She looked at them both giggling, plonked the dishes down on the table, and went back inside.

“F-for God’s sake, Tom!” Jess took a sip of water to stop herself coughing, and wiped her eyes with her paper napkin. “Goodness knows what Maggie must think.” She didn’t dare look at him for fear of starting up again. “She’ll think I’m as hysterical as Rebekah.”

He laughed again.

She coughed and composed herself. “Now that’s enough talk of pirates and treasure.” She lifted the lid of one dish to find fried chicken wings and rice. In the other was a crisp, green salad. “Come on, let’s eat.”

They both helped themselves to some food, and sat quietly eating for a while. Jess was hungry since she’d had no breakfast. The chicken wings had a sticky, barbecue sauce on them and were particularly tasty.

“Mm.” Tom put a chicken bone down on his plate, and wiped his fingers on his paper napkin. “Can I be serious now, Jess?”

“Of course.”

“I went to the Government Garage this morning, at the crack of dawn.”

She stared at him.

“I thought it would be better to go while no-one was there. To avoid any awkward questions.” He paused. “The Land Rover wasn’t there,” he said, quietly. “The garage had been swept clean too.”

She banged down her knife and fork. “What the hell are they playing at?”

Tom looked at her. “This looks bad, Jess. Almost certainly that car crash was deliberate. I don’t know if someone intended to kill the Governor, or just frighten him. But it was fatal, and that makes it murder.”