The Tomb in Turkey

SIXTEEN

The beer and wine did their work, and by the time their main courses arrived Carole felt almost relaxed. She reflected that it had been quite a stressful day – a stressful few days, in fact. All the business of leaving to go on holiday, arriving in Turkey, adjusting to Morning Glory and sleeping so badly there. Then dealing with an unfamiliar car on alien roads. Add to all that the shock of finding – and then losing – Nita’s body, and it was no wonder she had felt tense.

But she knew her improved mood was not just due to the alcohol. Gruesome though it might seem to some people, Carole was also experiencing that little frisson of excitement that always came at the beginning of a murder investigation. She looked across at Jude draining the last of the beer and knew that her friend was feeling the same.

Her gözleme had arrived rolled into cigar shapes on a bed of salad. The way she’d fallen on the pitta bread with the starters made Carole realize how hungry she was (she’d never got round to eating her salami lunch). And she’d discovered that cacik was the Turkish version of the Greek tzatziki and dolma were stuffed vine leaves. Both delicious. Carole Seddon was beginning to think she might have underestimated the qualities of Turkish cuisine.

There was a silence as they addressed their main courses, which was broken by the approach of Barney Willingdon. They had been aware in their peripheral vision of a white Range Rover drawing up outside Antik but hadn’t really registered it as his until Barney spoke.

‘Evening, ladies. I found Morning Glory all closed up, so I assumed you’d be down in one of the restaurants. And since most people have the ghost town as number one on their itinerary in Kayaköy, I reckoned here was a good place to start.’

‘And you won a coconut first time,’ said Jude.

‘Exactly.’ He waved a friendly hand to the restaurant owner. ‘Hi, Ahmet. A large Efes, please.’ But there was something different in his manner. He was presenting his ‘hail fellow, well met’ Barney Willingdon persona, but it didn’t sound as convincing as usual. He was sweating more than the warm evening justified, he kept scratching nervously at his beard, and his eyes seemed to be darting around on the lookout for someone or something. Was he worried about another attack from Kemal, or another of the enemies his business practices had made? Or did his unease have something to do with the death of Nita Davies?

‘Are you eating too?’ asked Carole, not sure that she wanted their tête-à-tête interrupted, but at the same time aware that to make any progress in their investigation they must, at some point, talk to Barney.

‘No, had a late lunch. I’ll maybe grab something back at the villa. Anyway, how did you ladies spend your first full day in Kayaköy?’

‘We went our separate ways,’ said Jude. ‘Or, rather, I didn’t go any way at all. I just stayed and lounged by the pool until we came out here at dusk to have a look at the ghost town.’

Jude’s brown eyes were flashing messages to Carole while she said this, and they were immediately understood. No mention of the second trip to Pinara. No mention indeed of the discovery made on the first trip to Pinara. With regard to Nita, they would wait until Barney volunteered something.

‘And what about you, Carole?’

‘I did a bit of sightseeing.’

‘Good. In the car?’

‘Yes.’

‘Didn’t give you any problems, I hope?’

‘Worked beautifully, thank you.’

‘Good. So where did you go?’

Carole eyed him shrewdly, watchful for any reaction when she said the word, ‘Pinara.’

There was none. ‘Lovely spot,’ he said. ‘I’ve spent some very happy times there.’

‘Yes.’ And then Carole dared to add, ‘Nita recommended it to me.’

‘As I said, she knows the area like the back of her hand.’

‘Yes, she gave us lots of good ideas yesterday of places to go,’ said Jude.

‘She would.’

‘But we haven’t seen her today,’ Jude continued casually.

‘No.’ Barney looked very uncomfortable. ‘And you won’t see her for a while.’

Carole and Jude both managed very effectively to hide their shock at his words.

‘Oh, why’s that?’ asked Carole.

‘She’s had to fly back to England,’ said Barney. ‘Her mother’s ill.’

‘We were right not to ask him any more,’ said Carole.

They were sitting on the upstairs balcony of Morning Glory, which was accessible from both their bedrooms. Carole’s doors were wide open; Jude had closed hers so that the air conditioning could take some effect before she went to bed. Carole had a glass of water; Jude more white wine from the fridge.

‘Hm?’ Jude said.

‘If Barney did know about Nita’s death and was just lying to us, then we didn’t want him to know we were suspicious of him. If he didn’t know, then equally we didn’t want to raise his suspicions.’

‘And are we suspicious of him?’

‘I think we have to be. Clearly, there’s been something going on between him and Nita.’

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Oh, come on, Jude. Last night at that barbecue place she was clearly offering herself to him, and he was equally clearly declining the offer. You don’t have conversations like that unless there’s something going on.’

Jude nodded. Sometimes Carole could be very perceptive. And Jude recognized that there was something within her that didn’t want to admit the relationship between Barney and Nita might still be carrying on. Though the feeling couldn’t be defined as strongly as jealousy, it still niggled at her.

A silence lingered between them. Both sipped their drinks. Then Carole said pensively, ‘It’s so strange. What happened this morning was almost like a dream … you know, finding Nita’s body out in the wilds of Pinara … which, incidentally, certainly did happen.’ Her tone became defensive on the last few words.

‘I’ve never doubted it happened,’ said Jude soothingly. ‘You’re the least likely person I know to be subject to hysterical delusions.’

Carole wasn’t quite sure whether that was a compliment or not, but she hadn’t got time to question it. ‘But as a coincidence it’s a pretty huge one, isn’t it? I mean, that I should be in Pinara …’

‘Who knew you were going to go there?’

‘Well, nobody knew for certain because, in fact, I only made up my mind this morning. But I did mention the possibility of going at that barbecue place last night.’

‘So Nita knew.’

‘Yes, but I don’t think she set up her own murder specifically so that I could discover her body,’ said Carole with an edge of sarcasm.

‘No, but I was thinking she might have told someone else that you might be going to Pinara.’

‘Like who?’

‘Her husband? And then, of course, that was just before Kemal came on to the scene. He might have overheard you talking about Pinara.’

Carole sniffed. ‘Possible, I suppose, but unlikely.’ There was a silence before she continued, ‘And then, of course, there’s Barney.’

‘Yes.’ Jude sighed. ‘And then, of course, there’s Barney …’

They went to bed soon after that. Carole waited until she thought Jude might be asleep and not hear before she closed all her bedroom windows and switched on the air conditioning. She didn’t want to sleep as badly as she had the previous night.