Dastardly Deeds (10 page)

Twenty minutes later I had to admit defeat. It was likely that the seller had even spotted me at some stage and made himself scarce, no doubt thinking that I wanted a refund. I made my way back up the laneway, still looking, until I reached the mosque steps. Our group was gone. I blinked, trying to take this latest bit of information in.

‘So what was that about?’ asked Ashley, from behind me.

I turned. ‘Where have they gone?’

‘The bus was waiting so they had to go. There’s no parking around here. I volunteered to stay behind.’ He was regarding me thoughtfully. ‘Are you going to tell me why you made a sudden dash?’

‘Because of this.’ I smoothed out the ten lira note, which was still in my hand. ‘It belonged to Kim Satchwell.’

Ashley took it from me to examine it. ‘How do you know?’

‘You remember that cafe we stopped at after Gallipoli Cove? Well, I was behind her in the queue for the bathroom and she was showing that note to her friends. The guy—’ I pointed to Clint’s name ‘—was someone she met there. He wrote his name and number on the note.’

‘I see.’

‘And she put it back in her purse. She was going to hang on to it.’

‘Ah. I see.’

‘Which means the next person who had it was her murderer. Who emptied her purse.’

‘Yes.’ Ashley took a deep breath. ‘I’ve worked that out. And you got it from that guy selling sunglasses, which is why you chased him. But you can’t possibly think he did it.’

‘Of course not.
He
would have got it from someone else. Probably just before he served me. Who else bought sunglasses from him?’

Ashley paused, thinking. ‘Just about everyone. Including me. But, Nell, he could have got it before he even came up to us. It could have been anyone around here.’

‘How likely is that?’ I shook my head dismissively. ‘He would have had to have served someone else who was up at the memorial that afternoon. Like we were. Besides, it was on top of his pouch, which means he’d only just got it.’

‘But then what you’re saying is …’ Ashley didn’t finish the sentence. He was still staring at the ten lira note.

I waited a moment before answering. ‘Yes. One of us is a murderer.’

The words hung melodramatically, with an echo that held a plethora of questions itself. I saw the group gathered around the mosque steps, laughing as they tried on their newly purchased sunglasses. Paid for with the money of a murdered woman. Paid for with her blood.

We walked along the pavement, away from the Grand Bazaar. I had stored the ten lira note in my wallet but the questions still crowded for attention. There seemed to be more people around now, with many probably finishing work for the day. The road was crowded also, with cars scooting along haphazardly, swerving around pedestrians who made the dash to the other side. The sun was warm on my bare head and I fervently wished I had held on to my new sunglasses.

‘Your hair is doing that afro thing.’

I resisted the urge to flatten it with my hand. ‘I lost my hat chasing that guy.’

‘I like it.’

I nodded absentmindedly. ‘This doesn’t make sense. Why would one of us want to kill a stranger?’

‘That’s the million-dollar question. Unless she wasn’t a stranger.’

I stopped dead, causing an immediate traffic jam on the pavement. Ashley grabbed my elbow and steered me to the side. ‘That’s it! Someone
knew
her!’

‘Maybe.’

‘But they won’t admit that now,’ I said, thinking aloud. ‘No, the first angle of investigation has to be who bought sunglasses.’

‘I think everyone did. But, Nell, there’s no guarantee that whoever handed over that note actually got it from Kim. They might have got it from a shop yesterday.’

‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘Too much of a coincidence.’

‘Coincidences happen. Besides, it could just as easily have been money they got from someone else. Like Nick bought two pair of sunglasses for his wife but I paid for the lot so we’d get a discount. He fixed me up later.’

‘Yes, but it’s a start. We might be able to trace it back.’

He regarded me evenly. ‘This is supposed to be a holiday.’

‘It still is. Although not for that poor woman.’

He sighed, and then glanced down at his watch. ‘Shit. We’d better grab a taxi. We’ve got to be back at the ship by five. We’ll get left behind.’

While he peered up and down the road for something resembling a taxi rank, I combed through the information at hand. One of the things I’d have to discover was whether Kim’s friends were still in Canakkale, or whether they had made their way to Istanbul. One theory had them here, with the murderer among them having used the ten lira note shortly before it had been given to me in change. It was just as probable as one of our group having known Kim well enough to want to kill her.

Ashley had succeeded in flagging a taxi so we clambered into the back seat and took off towards the quay. I scrabbled in my bag for my mobile phone, figuring I could turn off airplane mode long enough to send a message to Lew to let him know we were on the way. But it seemed to be gone. If lost, this would be the third mobile phone I had lost so far this year. Fortunately, we were driving against the traffic and within ten minutes had pulled up in the parking bay by the ship. The welcome table had already been dismantled and the staff looked relieved to see us. We scanned our cards to board and then began the long climb up the stairs.

‘Meet me in our usual place?’

I was filled with unexpected warmth at the idea we had a ‘usual place’. Even so, I shook my head. ‘No, I need to spend some time with Ruby. Oh, and I’m going to the restaurant tonight.’

Ashley stopped, taking me by the arm. ‘Please don’t tell me you’re going to start asking questions.’

‘Okay,’ I replied obligingly. I jerked my arm free.

He closed his eyes for a second. ‘Is there anything I can say to stop you?’

‘No. Not really.’

‘Can I at least ask you not to go at it like a bull in a china shop?’

I chose not to be affronted by his analogy. ‘I shall be subtlety personified.’

‘So much for a shipboard fling,’ he muttered as we set off once more. ‘Now I’m going to have to line up behind all the possible perpetrators and witnesses and potential victims. And did I mention that I’m recently retired?’

‘You did. And I’m not asking you to get involved.’

We climbed in silence for a while and then, when we reached the eighth floor, he grabbed my arm again. But this time he used it to pull me around and deliver a resounding kiss. I pulled back, glancing around.

‘Don’t worry, there’s nobody there,’ said Ashley. He regarded me thoughtfully. ‘I’m not sure whether I find you infuriating because I like you so much or whether that’s actually part of the attraction.’

I smiled at him. ‘Let’s go with the latter.’ I could still feel his lips.
Middle-aged woman swoons on steps. Not a pleasant sight for those ascending.

‘Okay then. See you at dinner.’

I watched as he took the steps two at a time and disappeared around the corner, past a dandelion display. I followed more sedately, not least because I wasn’t capable of taking the steps two at a time after climbing eight floors. I let myself into my cabin, a little relieved to find it empty. Although it would have been nice to see some concern over whether I had made it back to the ship or not. I crossed to the sliding door and watched as the port of Istanbul began to slide gracefully away.

I thought back to the two days we had been aboard the ship before docking at Canakkale. Kim and her friends had been very social but I couldn’t recall them having spent time with any of my group, apart from once, when Scott and Donald had joined them around the bar. That didn’t mean much, though, as it was a large ship, with a lot going on. Perhaps Kim and whoever she had been involved with, or stalked by, had been more skilled at limboing under the radar than I was. If I had to make a choice, I’d put my money on Michael Russo.

But then Deb, Scott, Donald and Phoebe had also been on the mosque steps, which meant any one of them could also have used the ten lira note. I thought of Donald, with his prickliness, and Scott, with his joviality. I tagged him as one those guys who had enjoyed a smugly insular life without much happening to disturb his equilibrium. He reminded me of Darcy. This thought gave me a jolt. Surely not.

I turned my back on the view and went into the bathroom to freshen up. My hair was a lost cause so I tied a black chiffon bandana around my head. Then I slipped into matching silk flares and a cream lace top with a scalloped hem. I finished the look off with some strappy heels and a pair of dangly, filigree gold earrings. Rather impressed, I turned my head to get them swinging. This was not the best idea, as they were also a little spiky.

After I locked the door behind me, I sashayed down the passage until I reached Ruby
’s 
and Quinn’s room. I knocked sharply and the door swung open.

‘Mum!’ said Ruby cheerfully. ‘You made it!’

‘Yes. And I can see you were beside yourself with worry.’

‘Actually we were,’ said Quinn from the bed. She was sitting cross-legged with an iPad on her lap. ‘You look nice. Cool top. I was just going to update my status to
Lost my mum in Istanbul
. Like, I even had a photo picked out.’

‘Excellent. Well, I lost my hat in Istanbul if that’s any help.’

‘Not really.’

Ruby laughed as she closed the door behind me. I sat at the desk and scanned the room. There was no sliding door here, and no balcony, but the porthole was of a decent size with a sill that was large enough to sit on. Quinn’s side of the room was distinguishable by the camel’s hump of clothing on the floor nearby, the suitcase that protruded dangerously from beneath the bed, and the tumble of paraphernalia on the bedside drawers. My shopping bags had been dumped nearby. Ruby’s side, while not pristine, made her look OCD in comparison.

‘So why did you take off like that?’ asked Ruby, flopping down on her bed.

‘He gave me the wrong change.’

Ruby grinned. ‘That’s what Grandma said! But she also said you’d probably have your throat cut in some dark alley. She wasn’t happy with you.’

‘Griffin said to say goodbye,’ said Quinn, staring at the iPad. ‘He’s gone.’

I thought it most unlikely that Griffin Russo had thought to say goodbye to me. I put a hand on Quinn’s shoulder and squeezed it sympathetically. ‘Sorry, honey.’

‘Like,
I
don’t care. He’s a wanker.’

‘Quite possibly, but could we please not use that language? Now, are you two coming to dinner? It starts in half an hour.’

They nodded enthusiastically. The array of food in the restaurant was proving a great attraction. But what I really wanted was to talk with Ruby privately. I let my gaze settle on Quinn’s hair and frowned, just slightly.

‘What is it?’ She put a hand to her head and then ran her fingers through her ponytail, examining the ends.

‘Nothing. Just … when did you last have a shower?’

‘This morning! Does my hair look greasy?’ She whipped around to face her sister. ‘Ruby, does my hair look greasy?’

‘Not particularly.’

‘I’m having a shower. Don’t leave without me. I’ll be quick.’

Ruby was regarding me thoughtfully. She waited until the shower had started before speaking. ‘Okay then, let’s get it over with.’

‘Do you really like Cornwall that much?’

‘No.’

‘Then why?’

‘Because I’m not ready to go home,’ she replied simply.

I blinked. There was no answer to that.

‘It’s not that I don’t love you guys,’ she went on hurriedly. ‘I do. Masses. And I missed all of you like crazy while I was away.’

‘Then come home – which is what I thought you were going to do when you finished, months ago.’

‘And I
was
going to. But then, well, I started thinking …’

‘Oh, never do that.’ I smiled, to soften the tension. Even though my stomach felt like concrete.

‘See, it’s like this.’ She frowned, trying to find the right words. ‘
They’ve
got it all together. There’s Scarlet, engaged to a lovely guy, with a career and a gorgeous baby and a mortgage and all. Then Red has this
amazing
career, and she’s managed to finish her degree part-time and she has all these quirky, interesting, literary friends.’ The words spilt out of her, faster and faster. ‘And even Lucy! She’s doing a business course at night and working with Grandma during the day and will probably take over the shop when Grandma retires.
And
she has a gorgeous baby too and a committed relation …’ She petered off, her eyes widening.

‘Oh for goodness’ sake,’ I said with exasperation. ‘I already know.’

‘You
know
? That’s she’s a—’

‘Lesbian? Of course I do. I’m not an idiot. I’ve known for over a year. Although I suspect she’s more bisexual.’ I shrugged. ‘Anyway, she seems to be very happy with Kate, so that’s what’s important.’

Ruby had sat up straight, staring at me. ‘I can’t believe you know. Does Lucy know you know?’

‘No. And I don’t want you to say anything. She’ll tell me in her own time.’

‘Okay,’ said Ruby slowly and unconvincingly.

‘I mean that,’ I said sternly. ‘I will be
very
unhappy if I find you’ve said anything. Now, back to you. So what if your sisters have got things together? I would have thought you’d be happy for them. You’ve never even met your niece and nephew, not outside Skype anyway. It’s not a competition, Ruby. Nobody cares if you take a little longer to find your feet.’

‘But
I
do. I feel stupid.’

‘Oh, darling.’ I looked at her helplessly. I wanted to fold her in my arms but something told me this would be entirely the wrong move. The problem was that I didn’t know the right one.

‘I just want to know what I want before I head back. Have some sort of plan.’

‘But why do you need to do that
there
, and not at home?’

She answered immediately. ‘Because I won’t be comparing myself there.’

I felt tears prick behind my eyes. My desire to hold her was now tempered by a desire to shake her vigorously. That wouldn’t be a good idea either. ‘But, honey, you just
can’t
live your life comparing yourself to your sisters. Or anyone! Everyone goes through ups and downs – and besides, what you think you see isn’t necessarily the case at all. You have to do what’s right for
you
, not anyone else.’

Her lips thinned stubbornly. It was a look I was familiar with, from all five of my daughters. ‘This
is
right for me.’

The hairdryer roared into life in the bathroom. I only had a few more minutes. I spoke gently. ‘What if it doesn’t happen, though? What if twelve months go past and you still don’t have a plan?’

She curled one leg beneath herself and then shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Okay.’ I took a deep breath. ‘I’m not going to pretend to understand but I’m going to respect the fact that this is how you feel. I won’t harass you about it. But I do want to talk a bit more. About the details.’

She nodded. ‘Now I need to get dressed for dinner, though.’

I swivelled the chair around until I was facing the porthole. I could hear Ruby slither off the bed behind me. The hairdryer had stopped. I wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, and special, and unique. I also wanted to tell her that things would fall into place for her at some stage. Mostly, though, I wanted to make everything right for her. But I didn’t have that sort of power. And that was the most frustrating thing of all.