Death in the Caribbean by JRL Anderson

Author:JRL Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction

VII

THE MAN IN THE CAVE

I DON’T KNOW what I expected to happen, but whatever it was I didn’t expect her to throw her arms round my neck and burst into tears. ‘Is it never going to end?’ she sobbed. ‘Oh, Peter, tell me what to do.’

I was conscious of the fragrance of her hair, no scent that I could identify, but a warm fragrance that seemed to mingle the sun and the sea and the hibiscus flowering in the bush. I disengaged myself as well as I could, surprised to find her hands quite cold, in sharp contrast with the sun in her hair. ‘It might help if you told me a bit more of the truth,’ I said.

It was late afternoon, but it was still the tropics, and in spite of the tropics she shivered slightly. She said nothing, and I went on rather brutally, ‘I think you know a good deal about the dead man in the cave. Is he your former husband?’

‘Charles? If only it were!’ She gave a bitter little laugh. ‘Whose side are you on?’

‘I didn’t know there were sides to be on. I appear to be a fugitive from the Nuevan Army, and I think it quite likely that they’re after you and Edward Caval as well. Since we’ve escaped together, you can take it that I’m with you for the moment. I can’t say any more, because I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Poor Peter. And you only came to Nueva to sell guns!’ She paused for a minute. ‘Or did you come only to sell guns? There’s something very odd about you. Why are you so close to the Prime Minister?’

‘I’m not at all close to the Prime Minister. His Government invited me to Nueva as a technical representative of the British Government to discuss the re-equipment of the Nuevan Army. It’s purely official business, and naturally I’ve discussed it with Mr Li Cook.’

‘Suppose we both tell each other the truth. You don’t believe me, and I don’t wholly believe you.’

I got up. She stayed sitting, or rather huddled, on the rock, looking pathetically waif-like. ‘My dear Ruth, I didn’t say I don’t believe you, but only that I don’t think you have told me the whole truth,’ I said. ‘There was no reason for you to tell me about your marriage, and the telephone call to your apartment about earthquakes. Your affairs are nothing to do with me, but if you do want to discuss them you shouldn’t go out of your way to mislead me. You said, for instance, that you thought the voice on the telephone was your ex-husband’s, somewhat disguised. But if you are divorced, and had not seen your husband since you left him, how on earth did he know about your trip to Nueva? And I think you did recognise the voice, and knew quite well that it was not your husband’s.’

‘Peter, you talk like a policeman. Are you a policeman?’

I didn’t answer, and she went on, ‘All right, I suppose I haven’t been quite fair.

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