Rising Tide Read online

  The kids didn’t really have much to share. They came down to the beach first thing. Their mother worked the early shift at the Bucuti resort hotel right here on Manchebo Beach, and on school holidays like this one they’d come to work with her and spend their day on the beach. When they came down this morning, they saw the girl and thought she might be asleep. The boy bent down to shake her but she didn’t wake up. They ran back to tell their mother.

  ‘Was there anyone else on the beach?’

  The boy just shook his head, no.

  After the two kids, Thomas interviewed the mother and several of the workers at the hotel, always asking the same question: had they seen anyone?

  One worker, an older man who washed dishes in the kitchen, thought he saw two beach tennis players coming up from the other end of the beach, closer to Eagle Beach a mile or so to the north, but only from a distance so he couldn’t really give a description. Another thought she saw a maintenance worker by the sea wall at the Bucuti resort when she was arriving at work, but also from a distance and she didn’t really pay any attention. Thomas had two of his men continue the interviews; there would be a lot more of them to do, but the ME had arrived so he headed back towards the water’s edge.

  Jan Van Trigt was a crusty old doctor who had started out as a family physician in the city of San Nicolas. The island’s second largest city, located at the southern end, it was known for its nighttime entertainment. The area had gained a reputation for petty crime and drugs. Here Van Trigt had experienced the seamier side of island life. He had been the medical examiner for almost twenty years and was known for being thorough, but blunt and often brusque. He had almost finished his examination when Thomas walked over.

  ‘Not much here. Probably wasn’t in the water more than three or four hours, but she was dead when she went in. Didn’t drown – strangled, I think, judging by the marks on her neck – although there’s also a bump on the back of her head and some bruising on her face and arms. Can’t be sure till I do the full autopsy. I’d say some sort of struggle and we’ll need to test for drugs and alcohol. Young, blonde, five-nine, weight, maybe one twenty, one twenty-five. That’s all I’ve got for now. Your man got enough pictures?’

  ‘Just need the print guy to finish up,’ Thomas said. ‘Then we can move her.’

  A few minutes later an ambulance with a flashing orange light made its way across the sand. The body was quickly removed and Thomas waited while the barriers were erected and his men began a painstaking search of the area for clues. There wasn’t much more he could do here, so he left Hendricks in charge and headed back to the police headquarters.

  Tensions were high when he got there. News of the body’s discovery had leaked out and Thomas was greeted by a scrum of reporters. ‘No comment,’ he said several times to the shouted questions until finally he had to give them something. ‘Listen, we have no comment at this point,’ he shouted with some frustration. ‘We’re in the very early stages of this. It will certainly be an ongoing investigation. We hope to make a brief statement in about an hour or two. But please let us get on with our work.’ Thomas was known as a straight shooter among the press; they accepted his word and stepped back to let him through.

  ‘OK, what do we have?’ he asked the sergeant when he got inside.

  ‘Well, no missing persons report with the name Emily, and nothing from any of the embassies. We have three Emilys from the airline manifests this past week: an Emily Lawrence from the UK, an Emily Jones from Miami and an Emily Harrington from New York.’

  Thomas was stunned to hear her name, even though he’d known it would come up. ‘You can forget the Harrington one, but try to track down the others. Were they heading to hotels or visiting friends?’

  ‘One to a hotel, one to friends. We’re sending men to both addresses.’

  Thomas headed into his office and for a moment stared at his desk. Her name was Emily, he thought – how strange. Just then his phone rang.

  ‘The deputy commissioner’s on line one,’ Millard said. Then, hearing Thomas’ quiet groan, ‘I could say you’re not back yet.’

  Thomas knew how lucky he was with the men who worked under him. He, Hendricks, Millard and Keary had worked together for several years. Thomas had selected them himself and pushed hard for the commissioner to assign them to homicide. On really serious cases, like this one, Thomas felt they could almost read each other’s minds. ‘Thanks but … no. Put him through.’

  ‘Sorry, sir,’ Millard said.

  Thomas already knew what this would be about. Over the last ten years Aruba had had several of these cases. They hadn’t gone well and there had been a huge amount of press and a lot of criticism of the local police.

  ‘What have you got for me, Thomas?’

  ‘Not much, sir,’ Thomas answered. ‘Body of a young girl washed up on Manchebo Beach. Van Trigt thinks she was dead before she went into the water, but we’ll know more after the autopsy. No ID yet—’

  ‘We can’t afford another one of these cases, Thomas.’ His voice was clipped and sharp. ‘The commissioner is already getting calls. Your men have got to move on this. Find out who she is, what the hell happened down there and who did it. And find out quickly.’ He hung up the phone.

  ‘OK, have them go back another week on those manifests,’ Thomas said to Millard. ‘Anything on the fingerprints yet?’

  ‘Too soon and not likely. She didn’t look like someone who would be in the system, the clothes, the jewelry—’

  ‘The jewelry. That’s right – that’s where you got the name. Get me that bracelet.’

  EIGHT

  It was a simple gold bangle about half an inch thick, no adornments on the front. Inside, however, was the inscription. To Emily, All my love, Michael. He knew as soon as he saw it. It must be hers … All my love, Michael. For a moment he wondered what it meant. Why had she brought it with her? He thought their relationship had ended months ago. Had he been wrong or was it Emily who was confused? Too many questions, but he didn’t have time to think about that now. With a dark scowl, he dropped the bracelet on his desk.

  ‘You can stop looking for Emilys,’ he said somewhat harshly to a bewildered Millard. ‘I don’t think this bracelet belonged to the girl. If I’m not wrong, I know the person who owns it.’

  ‘But it was found on the body. How did it get there? She must have—’

  ‘I don’t know, but that’s something we need to find out. Damn, and that was our only real lead at this point. Back to square one. Anything from the ME?’

  ‘Not yet,’ Millard replied. ‘Want me to call over there?’

  ‘No, I’ll walk over. Meanwhile, get a couple of more men over to Manchebo. I want everyone interviewed, and I mean everyone – every guest, every worker. Someone must have seen something. Check out those beach tennis players. A lot them play down there on Eagle Beach. It’s right next to Manchebo Beach and they all know each other. See if you can track them down. And I want the CCTV footage from every hotel and store down there. Set up a team to start reviewing them.’

  Thomas walked over to the morgue. He needed some time to think. Emily’s bracelet. How had the dead girl ended up wearing that? He had to find out. Find something. The press was going to be all over this and, at this point, the police had nothing. For now, he wanted to keep news of the bracelet quiet. At least until he knew what they were dealing with. As soon as it came out, this case would involve Emily and he wasn’t ready for that. Could she possibly have known this girl? Or maybe she had sold the bracelet? Given it away? He had to get some answers. He’d head to the Bluffs as soon as he’d spoken to the ME again.

  ‘Ah, Thomas. Impatient as ever, I see. Come in. Just finished.’

  Thomas hated going into the morgue. It was cold and stark, all stainless steel and sharp, medicinal smells.

  ‘I don’t have much more for you,’ Van Trigt said. ‘Definitely dead before she went into the water. Lungs are dry. The blow to the back of the head is superficial, as is the
bruising. But the marks on the neck are consistent with manual strangulation. Stomach contents show she ate not too long before she died. I’ve taken all the samples. We’ll send them out for testing. Definitely some alcohol, maybe drugs, who knows?’

  ‘Any thoughts as to where she was dropped in the water?’

  ‘Hmmm, could have been anywhere. Hard to know, given the tides. Could have been right nearby or further down the coast. We don’t even know what time she washed up there, but check the time of the incoming tide – that should give us some idea.’

  The young girl’s body lay face-up on the slab, all but her head covered with a sheet. Thomas took a step closer and looked. Startled, he reached out a hand to touch her face but immediately drew it back. He knew right away. He had seen this girl. Where was it? Last night, after the wedding? No, the night before. My God, he thought, the young girl who was minding the baby. How could that be? That beautiful young girl they had said goodnight to on Friday. He had met the parents at the wedding reception last night. Lovely couple, friends of Annie and Martin, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember their names.

  ‘Thanks, Jan. I’m afraid we have a lot to do on this one.’

  ‘When don’t we,’ Jan said with a shake of his head.

  Thomas headed out to the street, pulling out his phone as he walked back to headquarters. ‘Millard, I think I may have a lead on who this girl is. If I’m right, and I think I am, get ready. We’ll have a firestorm on our hands. I’ll call when I know more.’

  His next call was to the Bluffs. ‘Martin, it’s Thomas. I don’t know if you’ve heard yet but—’

  ‘We’ve just heard. It’s already been on the news. A girl on Manchebo Beach,’ Martin said. ‘A young girl, they said. Do you know anything, Thomas? I can’t believe this has happened again. Young girls. It’s so sad and terrible for the island to have another one of these cases. It’s going to hurt us.’

  ‘That’s not the worst of it, Martin. I’m on my way over. I need to talk to you and Annie.’

  ‘I see,’ Martin said, his voice strained. ‘We’re here. Come straight to the house.’

  NINE

  Annie and Martin were in the living room of their house, a beautiful old villa on the northwest corner of the island that housed six large guest rooms below their own private living space, when Thomas arrived, still wearing his clothes from the night before but now wrinkled and sweaty. It was obvious from his face that this was very bad news.

  ‘Thomas, what’s wrong?’ Martin asked, sensing that this somehow involved the Bluffs. Annie sat beside him, her eyes quiet and anxious, her hands in her lap slowly twisting round and round each other.

  ‘I recognized the girl, Martin. That’s why I’m here.’

  Martin’s thoughts immediately went to the night before. All those young people at the wedding; everyone having such a good time. Could it be possible? One of the guests? They had all been drinking, of course, but Martin had made certain that everyone was OK leaving. He had checked to make sure that there were designated drivers. The roads could be treacherous on a dark night. But how? The body was found on the beach. It wasn’t a car crash. Perhaps someone had stopped at the pier. An accident, a fall.

  ‘Those friends of yours at the wedding, the parents of the girl minding Peggy’s baby?’ Thomas continued.

  ‘The Van Meeterens, but what could they have to do with this?’

  ‘I’m sure that the girl … the girl on the beach was their daughter.’

  ‘Their daughter … but their girls are both away at school,’ Annie said, looking puzzled. ‘How could …’ Then she realized what Thomas was saying. ‘Ariana? No, Thomas.’ Annie jumped up from her seat. ‘Please tell me that’s not true.’ Her voice shook and her eyes begged him to be mistaken.

  ‘That’s just not possible, Thomas.’ Martin’s voice held a trace of anger. ‘Ariana was at the Bluffs last night. She was minding Maggie.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Thomas said. ‘I recognized her from when I saw her on Friday night after the rehearsal dinner. Emily and I were heading down to the beach and the girl, Ariana, was heading for the main entrance. I knew as soon as I saw her this morning at the … I’m so sorry. We’ll need a formal ID, of course, but … I’m sure.’

  Annie tried to speak but all that came out was a muffled cry. She put her hands up to her face and wept. Martin went over and put his arms around her, and for a few moments they said nothing. Finally, Annie looked over at Thomas.

  ‘My God, do Christiaan and Kat know?’ she asked.

  Thomas shook his head. ‘No. I couldn’t remember their names so no one knows yet. I had to talk to you. I’ll have to let the deputy know and then I’ll have to head over there to break the news.’ It was in moments like these that Thomas hated his job. How to tell parents that their beautiful daughter was dead, senselessly murdered? The sheer horror of it was almost unimaginable.

  ‘I’d like to help,’ Annie said, wiping the tears from her face. ‘Kat and I have been good friends since Martin and I moved here. May I come with you?’

  ‘Of course, Annie. I’m sure having you there would mean a great deal. But there’s something else.’ Thomas paused, not even sure how to say what must follow. ‘Ariana was wearing a gold bracelet, a bangle. There was an inscription inside. It read, To Emily, All my love, Michael.’

  Martin and Annie looked astounded. ‘What are you …’ Annie hesitated. ‘How is that possible? Have you—’

  ‘I have to speak to Emily,’ Thomas said, averting his eyes. ‘And Peggy. I need to speak to her too.’

  ‘Of course,’ Martin said with a deep sigh. ‘I’ll walk down and get them.’

  ‘I’ll go with you, Martin,’ Annie added. ‘I don’t want you to walk alone.’

  TEN

  Emily had showered and dressed as soon as Thomas left. She had been stunned by his news. She didn’t really want to see anyone, not sure if she should say anything about the call, so she made coffee in the suite and ate a couple of pieces of leftover fruit. For a long while she just sat looking out the window at the bay beach. Somehow it looked different now, quiet and deserted. The morning was overcast and the air humid. Emily knew that there would probably be rain soon, a quick shower that would blow over, but she couldn’t stay in her suite any longer. She decided to take her book and sit outside.

  She settled herself in the lounge chair and tried to read, but with little success. She couldn’t help thinking about Thomas, but not in the way she had envisioned. She imagined him in his car racing to the crime scene, all thoughts of last night overshadowed by the horror of what lay ahead of him. Gone would be the lightness, the laughter they had enjoyed. Would it be lost forever? she wondered. Swallowed up by the sight of the young girl’s body.

  After a while Peggy and Maggie emerged from their room. ‘So … how was your night?’ Peggy said with a mischievous grin. ‘Thought you’d be sleeping in this morning.’

  For a moment Emily allowed herself to think of the pleasure of last night, but only for a moment. She honestly didn’t know how to answer Peggy, so she settled for a subdued, ‘It was great.’

  ‘Not the rousing response I expected,’ Peggy said, looking at Emily suspiciously.

  ‘The wedding was great fun,’ Emily went on. ‘Thomas and I had a ball. How was Maggie when you got back to the suite?’

  ‘Sound asleep and she slept all night but, as always, she was up at seven. Ariana is terrific. I’m hoping she’s coming this afternoon for a few hours. I’d love to do some snorkeling and Annie said there was a group going out to Baby Beach. It’s all the way over at the other end of the island and I hear the sea life is amazing. You should come along … unless you have other plans?’ There was that grin again.

  ‘No plans. Not so far, anyway.’

  Peggy tried to distract Maggie with her pail and shovel, but Maggie was restless and the humid air had brought out the tiny beach gnats. ‘Want to take a walk?’

  ‘I’d love to,’ Emily said, droppin
g her book on the lounge chair. A walk would be perfect, she thought.

  ‘I haven’t seen the ocean beach yet. I hear it’s beautiful and we might catch a breeze there.’

  They put Maggie in the stroller and headed along the garden path that led down a few steps and curved to open up at the ocean beach. There was almost no one out and the main house looked deserted as they passed. Peggy kept up a lively conversation, jumping from comments about the wedding guests to Sarah and Jon, to stories of home. Emily said little, her thoughts invariably drifting back to last year. In the distance she heard church bells ringing. Sunday morning, she thought.

  The ocean, when they reached it, was roiling, its usually blue waters reflecting the grey of the sky and its giant waves crashing against the beach. ‘It’s magnificent,’ Peggy said as the winds picked up. ‘Sarah told me about what happened here last year. She was so worried at the time … Oh, Emily, I’m sorry. I should have thought. You probably have awful memories of—’

  ‘That’s OK, Peggy.’ For a moment Emily’s thoughts returned to that horrifying day when she had found Roger Stirhew’s body on the ocean beach. She could see it so clearly and felt a shiver down her spine at the memory. ‘But you’re right, I do have awful memories. Let’s head back before the rain starts.’

  They had just about reached their rooms when they saw Martin and Annie coming towards them.

  ‘Morning,’ Peggy said brightly, then saw their faces.

  They both looked terrible, pale and worn, and Annie had obviously been crying.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Emily asked, sure that this had something to do with Thomas’ early morning call.

  ‘We need both of you to come up to the main house. We’ll explain there,’ Martin answered. Annie just stood there, her face like stone. No one spoke as they walked up the path.

  Thomas was waiting when they got there. ‘Thomas?’ Emily said, her voice wary.

  ‘Emily.’ Thomas came towards her, his arms outstretched as if to hug her. But then he remembered why he was there, thought of the bracelet and dropped them to his side. ‘Please, both of you, come and sit down.’