Death in a Beach Chair

NINE

The police came between the Henshaws and Gordons and their walk.

“I’m so sorry, but we’ve been told to insist that everyone remain within Compass Bay for the time being.” A tall woman with an impeccable auburn French twist and skin so pale that Susan could only wonder at how much sunscreen it took to accomplish this in the Caribbean stopped them as they began to walk around the jetty.

“By whom?” Jed asked.

“By the island’s police chief,” the woman said, while Susan tried to adjust to her husband’s impeccable grammar.

“Is everyone being asked to remain on the premises or just some of the guests?” Kathleen asked.

“The staff has been interviewed and allowed to get on with their work. Those who work different shifts have been allowed to go home and rest before returning to work to pick up their regular schedule later in the day. This is a very small island and everyone knows everyone else. Anyone doing anything unusual will be quickly reported.”

“The police seem very sure of your staff,” Kathleen said.

“They have reason to be. They know that we are very careful whom we hire and who remains in our employ.”

“Yes, but there do seem to be fewer people around,” Susan said. “Perhaps many of the guests have decided to remain in their cottages.”

“Well, there were two parties of guests who were scheduled to fly back to the mainland later this morning and who have been allowed to do so.” For the first time since she had barred their way, the woman faltered slightly. “The police apparently determined that those who were allowed to leave had nothing to do with Ms. McAllister’s death.”

“And how did they know that?” Susan asked.

“I can’t tell you how their minds work, but I can suggest that you not underestimate them. Now, if you will excuse me, I have many extra things to deal with immediately due to this unfortunate event.”

“I gather that was Lila. The woman who manages this place?” Jed asked.

Jerry and Kathleen nodded.

“This is weird,” Susan said when the two couples were alone together. She didn’t expect anyone to disagree.

“Maybe it’s not. Maybe there’s something more sinister going on here,” Kathleen suggested.

“What do you mean?” Jed asked, wandering over to an upturned kayak and sitting down.

“Kath thinks the police are going to arrest me for Ally’s murder.”

“Do you know who killed her, Jerry?” Kathleen asked angrily. “Do you even know anyone else here who knew her? Are you willing to put your future in the hands of a police department you know nothing about in a foreign country? Are you?”

“Do you know if Allison was here with someone else?” Susan asked.

“Did you speak with her?” Kathleen asked.

“I think we should find out who else knew Allison,” Susan said, pressing her point when Jerry didn’t answer.

“I believe our guidebook to the island mentioned something about a local U.S. embassy office. Perhaps we should call there before any more time passes,” Jed said quietly.

“Did you speak with her?” Kathleen asked Jerry again.

“I think Jed has made an excellent suggestion. We should find that guidebook-or a phone book-and insist on speaking to a representative of our government,” Jerry said, ignoring his wife.

“Fine. You and Jed go call the embassy. Susan and I will just sit here and twiddle our thumbs.” Kathleen, despite her words, folded her arms across her chest and turned to look out at the sea.

“We’ll be here when you’re done,” Susan said, speaking more calmly than her friend.

“We won’t be long,” Jed said, getting up and following Jerry back toward the cottages.

“Don’t you think it’s a little odd that the police are allowing some guests to fly home and others aren’t even permitted to leave the resort?” Susan asked after a moment of silence.

“I think it’s more than odd. I think it’s sinister. They’ve focused their investigation on one or a few suspects, and they don’t care about anyone else.”

“If that person is Jerry, then Jed’s suggestion that we call the embassy office is probably a good idea,” Susan said.

Kathleen didn’t answer right away, and when she did she changed the subject. “Who keeps moving around those chairs on the pier?”

Susan frowned. “I think everyone does. James seems to straighten out the chairs around the pool and on the patio in front of the cottages, but everyone moves them wherever they want to sit. The day we got here someone had dragged two chairs down the stairs to the beach, and there were a few chairs out on the gazebo during the day yesterday and then late last night they were gone, and the chair Allison was found on was moved out.”

“You were out there last night? I thought you and Jed went to bed when we did.”

“We did, but I wasn’t tired and couldn’t sleep so I wandered outside. I actually sat for a while on the edge of the pier. The stars were amazing!”

“Did you see Allison?”

“I didn’t see anyone. I did think that maybe there was someone in the gazebo. In fact, I might have stayed there a lot longer, but I heard strange noises and I was afraid that I had interrupted a couple who were enjoying the fresh air and each other at the same time.”

“Or perhaps someone was killing Allison as you sat there.”

“I-my God, do you think that’s possible?” Despite the sultry heat, Susan experienced a sudden chill. Had Allison been killed while help was only a few feet away? So much had happened in the past few hours, but she could still remember the feeling that she wasn’t alone in the dark. She turned back to her friend. “Kath, do you think-”

But Kathleen, without a word of explanation, had turned around and was jogging back toward the cottages. It took Susan only a moment to realize that Jed-and only Jed-was loping toward her, a very nonvacationing expression on his face. “Jerry’s been taken away,” he explained when they met.

“By-By the police? They’ve arrested him?”

“I don’t know. I just know he’s on his way into town with a police escort.”

“Then we’ve got to get hold of the U.S. embassy right away.”

“There are embassy representatives here already. One of them was looking for Kath. They’re probably together now.”

“So what do we do?”

Jed shook his head, obviously perplexed. “Wait and see, I guess.”

“Wait and see? Are you nuts?”

“What do you propose? I’m willing to consider any other suggestion.”

“I-I can’t think of anything,” she admitted.

Jed surprised her by reaching out and putting his arm around her shoulders. “Why don’t you snuggle over here next to me?”

“Jed, I know we’re on vacation, but-”

“Let’s try to look as though you’re upset and I’m comforting you.” He interrupted her protest and pulled her closer. “We need to talk and this is not exactly a private place,” he added in a whisper.

Susan got the idea at once. “What?” she asked, turning and snuggling her face into his chest where she was sure no one would overhear or overlook their conversation. “Is Jerry actually under arrest?”

“I didn’t hear anyone put it quite like that. He was asked to come to the police station in town to answer some questions about Allison. I thought it was pretty obvious that they knew about his relationship with her. Anyway, the woman from the embassy suggested that it would be a good idea to do as requested, and she went along with them without anyone questioning her right to do so, as far as I could tell.”

“And Kathleen is with someone else from the embassy? Where are they?” Susan asked, leaning back and gulping a deep breath of fresh air.

“I’m not sure.”

“What do these women do at the embassy? Who called for them?”

“I don’t know what their positions are, but they got here in a timely fashion and they seem to be respected by the islanders who are in control of the situation.”

“I suppose that’s good. But do you think we can trust them?”

“Trust them?”

“To help us. To make sure Jerry isn’t accused of Allison’s murder.”

“I don’t think that’s their job, Sue. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t go over to the office and make some calls. I thought cottages without phones were such a good idea when I read about them in the brochure, but it’s turning out to be a real inconvenience.”

“Who would you call?”

“Friends at home. Lawyers. Anyone who might know the law down here and what we’re becoming involved in-”

“Yoo-hoo! Henshaws! Up here!”

Susan and Jed turned and looked up. Standing on the top of the breakwater was a heavyset woman Susan recognized as one of the card-playing group. She smiled weakly.

“I need to speak to you and it’s a lot easier for young people like you to come up the steps than for an oldster like me to waddle down.”

Susan and Jed exchanged glances.

“Now I might be interrupting a romantic moment or I may not, but I really think we should have a little chat. It has to do with the murder.”

The Henshaws acted as one, moving up the stairs as quickly as their “young” legs could carry them.

“What do you know?” Susan asked.

“What’s happened?” was Jed’s question.

“I know that you’re going to need my help here. Why don’t we find someplace to sit down and talk-preferably in the shade. In all the excitement, I’m not sure I applied sunscreen evenly before I left my cottage this morning.”

“There are some umbrellas leaning up against the wall over there,” Jed said. “I could find James and ask him to set some up for us.”

“Oh, my. You could try, but I imagine James is somewhere with the rest of the staff, gossiping about this horrible thing. He’s one of the best of the staff, but under the circumstances, I think we will have to fend for ourselves.” She looked Jed up and down and then turned to Susan. “Perhaps you could ask your husband to bring us an umbrella or two.”

“Of course. Jed…”

“I’d be happy to set up an umbrella for you both, but then, perhaps, I should go make those phone calls we were discussing.” He looked at his wife, and Susan realized that he had decided she was better off dealing with this woman alone.

“That’s a good idea,” she agreed. “In fact, why don’t you go do that and… and we can go over to the restaurant, sit in the shade, and we can talk there.”

“Better yet, we’ll go back to my cottage, order room service, and sit on the porch. Number 16 with a seagull by the door, down by the breakwater. Your husband can find us there if he needs to.”

Susan couldn’t think of any reason to refuse. “You’ll let me know if Kathleen needs me, or there’s anything else I can do, won’t you?” she asked her husband pointedly.

“Sure,” he agreed, hurrying off.

Susan suspected he had missed the point. She was stuck talking with this woman whether she liked it or not.