Tooting Moon (Dusty Kent Mysteries Book 5) by Brigid George

Author:Brigid George [George, Brigid]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Women Sleuths, cozy, whodunit, Murder, Mystery, Crime Fiction, australia
Publisher: Potoroo Press
Published: 2020-11-08T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

“Oh…my…god!” Dusty’s eyes were glued on a bronze sculpture about three metres tall depicting the silhouette of a naked Aboriginal girl thrusting forward through a wave, reminding me of a traditional ship’s figurehead. The young girl’s hands reached upward, desperately cupping a pearl shell, her hair flowing back as though pulled by water. The lower part of her body was still submerged in the wave but we could see her stomach was distended with pregnancy.

Dusty had contacted Rhona to arrange a meeting to update her on the progress of the case. Rhona had suggested meeting here in Bedford Park to introduce us to ‘a pearl goddess’.

“For some reason she reminds me of Aphrodite,” said Dusty.

“Me too, which is why I call her a pearl goddess. It’s an apt comparison. Aphrodite is sometimes compared to a pearl because she was born fully formed and voluptuous rising out of the ocean from a pearl shell. That’s exactly what a pearl does; emerges as a fully-formed finished product that doesn’t need to be cut or polished.”

“Aphrodite was also the goddess of fertility.” Dusty inclined her head at the sculpture’s expanded belly.

“Indeed. This goddess represents the women who dived for pearls.”

Dusty looked at the plaque underneath. “There’s no indication of her name.”

“She doesn’t have a name. I call her Margaret which is derived from an old Sanskrit word meaning pearl. The native language of her people, the Yawuru, might have a different name for her, but I don’t know what it might be.”

“Why does the sculpture depict a pregnant girl?” Dusty was gazing at the statue, her head tilted to one side.

“The pearlers considered pregnant women the best divers; they were thought to have the greatest lung capacity.”

Dusty’s sharp intake of breath expressed her horror. I was too shocked to speak.

“Hard to believe pregnant women were forced to dive to depths of seven fathoms for pearl shells.” Rhona, whose passion for the ‘gems of the moon’ was today represented by a double row of large expensive looking pearls around her neck, stared out at the ocean. “I’m talking about freediving; no suits or helmets.”

“It must have been a hell of a life.”

“Doesn’t bear thinking about,” agreed Rhona. “Thank goodness those days are over. But we still have a long way to go in stopping exploitation and abuse of women.”

I had no doubt Blake Montgomery was uppermost on Rhona’s list of abusers.

A shout attracted our attention. We turned to see Inspector Lyons hurrying across the park toward us.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she drew level. Dressed in a sarong skirt and T-shirt with her hair falling loosely to her shoulders, the Inspector looked more like a woman and less like a police officer today. Dusty had asked her to join us in order to give us further details of the murders of Petra and Vicki. After greeting Dusty and me and giving Rhona a warm hug, the Inspector explained she’d just arrived back in Broome this afternoon after a few days in Perth.

Dusty reassured her.

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