Death Off Camera, page 26
Shouted insults, cheers and ritual handshakes ended the game. The boys noticed Horseman on the sideline and cheered him too. Some players flopped on the ground, but most stampeded to the taps, ducking their heads underneath the spout so they could drink and sluice their faces simultaneously.
Horseman spotted Matt Young talking with Dr Pillai and Constable Lemeki. Clearly, the pathologist took his appointment to the board of the Joe Horseman Trust seriously.
This afternoon, Dr Pillai had supplied boiled dalo, breadfruit and sausages. Dr Pillai’s neighbour had donated a hessian sugar sack of oranges.
‘Each boy can take four oranges away with him,’ Dr Pillai explained.
‘What you do is more than feeding them, Raj. They’re learning what it means to be reliable, too.’
‘I’m grateful for a chance to help, Joe. After all, being able to rely on a meal twice a week isn’t much for a child, is it? That’s going to change when they get their hostel.’
‘Let’s see if they’ll agree on a name for it. Gloria wants it finalised for the publicity.’ Horseman’s voice cracked. What was wrong with him today? Dr Pillai showed no sign he’d noticed. Matt Young strolled over to join them. ‘You’ve got some talent here, Joe. I’m sorry I haven’t looked in for a good while.’
‘No problem. Can I ask about Desi?’
‘Yeah, what a crying shame. Perfectly healthy young woman. No violence or injury that I could find. Tissue samples have gone to the lab with a top priority order. Subject to more toxicology tests, it looks like heart failure caused by tetrodotoxin poisoning. Her parents are in pieces, as you’d expect.’
‘Yes. They want to see me tomorrow morning. I’ve got a job to do here now but I’m not sure I can cope.’
‘What name do you like best, Joe?’ Dr Pillai asked.
‘I’m thinking Junior Shiners House or Home of the Junior Shiners or Shiners House. Overall, I prefer House to Home which has children’s orphanage connotations for me. And I think Junior should be in there because if they do go on to play as an adult team, I don’t want Tevita thinking he can live there all his life! Just joking, I think stressing the youth of the tenants will encourage donors. Hostel is too impersonal. So yeah, it seems I favour my first option.’
He’d intended to address the boys together, but now couldn’t handle it. They were sitting in groups on the grass, yarning, eating, and laughing. He approached one group, sat down, and talked with them about their hostel. Dr Pillai, Dr Young and Constable Lemeki followed, each chatting to a different group and moving on. Horseman had feared chaos but found this casual approach relaxing.
When all the boys had voiced their thoughts, the adults conferred and this time, Horseman found his normal voice. ‘Boys, it seems most of you like Junior Shiners House, so that’s what the name will be!’ The usual hoots and cheers greeted the news. Then Tevita stood up and they all quieted.
‘Vinaka vakalevu, Joe, Dr Pillai, Constable Lemeki, and the new doctor. Junior Shiners House is a good name. Boys understand that you have to buy a house and that costs a lot of money. We are all businessmen. We can help, too. We been saving money to give you. We know not enough but we hope you will be happy.’
He pulled a filthy drawstring bag from around his neck. ‘Two hundred and thirty-seven dollars and twenty-one cents!’
Tevita punched the air and handed over the bag of cash to Horseman, grinning in triumph while his teammates roared in self-congratulation.
Horseman now knew the secret Tevita had refused to divulge; the reason he'd been working at the entrance of Jubilee Arcade in his precious free time. He rubbed his eyes again.
FRIDAY
57
Horseman telephoned Dr Young the next morning from the station. ‘I’m about to leave for my meeting with Desi’s parents. Anything new yet?’
‘Sorry, mate. With luck, the lab might have some results by the end of the day, but probably not all of them. I’ve certified death from tetrodotoxin poisoning, with the usual proviso about outstanding lab test results on tissue samples.’
‘Are you suggesting accidental death?’
‘That’s your job, mate. As Desi’s body bears no evidence of violence, the poisoning could well have been accidental. But equally, it could have been a malicious and deceptive act by someone else. Does the guy you’re holding fit that frame?’
‘I think so. A small matter of lack of conclusive evidence, though. So far.’
‘There’ll need to be an inquest after all the test results are in, and I can finalise my report. But there’s no need for Mr and Mrs Carson to attend—they weren’t witnesses. We can release her body today if they want to take her home.’
‘I’ll tell them that.’
‘Your Shiners came good yesterday, didn’t they? Raising all that cash? They’re a credit to you, Joe.’
‘I was gobsmacked. But I shouldn’t have been. Remember when I couldn’t get Khan’s Sports Emporium to sponsor rugby shoes for the squad? After a couple of months, every last one of them had managed to get a pair—mostly from the second-hand warehouses.’
‘You hope! I bet some boys nicked theirs from front porches at night.’
‘This time, you’re the one without any critical evidence, Dr Young. Gotta go now. Moce mada.’
Singh accepted Horseman’s invitation to go with him to the Grand Pacific Hotel. They walked along bustling Victoria Parade, past shops and restaurants and offices old and new. The waterfront hotel, which had once routinely hosted royalty, diplomats, writers and film stars, was already abandoned when Horseman first came to Suva as a new student at the University of the South Pacific. He found its derelict grandeur sad, a relic of old times forever vanished.
His economics lecturer had explained the site was a symptom of Fiji’s declining prosperity due to political instability frightening off investors. But after twenty years crumbling behind a rusty security fence, the old wreck had reopened in time to celebrate its centenary. Few of Suva’s population would ever enter its doors, but the sparkling white colonial architecture cheered them up.
A welcoming receptionist escorted them to a small reading room furnished with mahogany bookshelves, a desk against a wall and four comfortable armchairs. Perfect—it was private without intruding on the Carson’s personal suite. The detectives introduced themselves and expressed their condolences. Desi’s height, athletic build and wide mouth came from her father, while Catalina had given Desi her lustrous black hair, dark eyes, and perfect complexion. If she’d lived, Desi may have also become a bit overweight in middle age like her mother.
Both parents were composed but red-eyed and haggard. Horseman explained the options permitted by Fiji law for the disposal of Desi’s body, although he avoided the word disposal. Len and Catalina had already decided they would bring her home to California so her relatives and friends could farewell her. A waiter served coffee and delicate amaretti biscuits, which relaxed them all just a little. Singh then gently guided them through the official forms and well before an hour was up, they had filled them out.
‘I assume Mr Duke will book your flights, Mr Carson?’
‘Yeah, Desirée’s contract included a generous insurance policy, but I consider it’s more appropriate if I liaise with Steve about all that.’
‘Of course, I apologise for intruding.’
‘Not at all, not at all. I don’t underestimate the trouble you’ve taken to make this tragedy easier for us to cope with. We’re both grateful, aren’t we, Cat?’
Len Carson spoke just above a whisper, but his wife could only nod with a sad little smile. The waiter returned and poured more coffee for them all. Singh offered the biscuits to Mrs Carson, and she took one. A good sign.
After a minute’s silence, Mr Carson pressed his hands to his face, then placed them on his knees firmly. ‘Steve tells me you spoke to Desi several times during your investigation into Ken Johnson’s death.’
‘Yes, that’s true. Your daughter was an important witness. Another finalist found Ken unconscious after falling onto rocks, but Desi had the presence of mind to call the location nurse on their emergency radio and then try to revive Ken. As you know, Ken didn’t survive but Desi gave him the best chance anyone could.’
Singh smiled her approval, a soft light in her eyes.
‘Oh, I didn’t know that. Thank you,’ Catalina whispered.
Mr Carson leaned forward, his eyes intent. ‘Did your questions ever rub her up the wrong way? Did you see her temper?’
How to respond to this? Desi wasn’t the only family member to like provoking a reaction. Under the circumstances, he must take the question seriously. ‘Bad temper? Not really. But I’ll be open, Mr Carson. Desirée’s attitude did change from one interview to another and even from one question to another. Sometimes frankly hostile to us, to contestants or crew, and sometimes cooperative, contributing her observations in a thoughtful way.’ He hesitated.
Singh filled the gap. ‘We were with her enough to recognise how intelligent she was.’
Mr Carson focused on Horseman. ‘Did she ever hit on you? You’re her type.’
Horseman stared at Mr Carson. Like dad, like daughter came to mind. ‘Never. Desi’s foremost quality that we saw was the strength of her ambition. Wouldn’t you say, DS Singh?’
Susie nodded firmly. ‘Absolutely. She seemed intensely focused on winning Champion.’
Mrs Carson nodded while tears rolled down each cheek.
‘Dr Young explained about the pufferfish poison. I’ve heard about it in Japan, naturally. How did she come to eat that? Was it voluntary? Did she know what she was eating?’
‘We’ve arrested a man working at Champion who says Desirée caught a pufferfish in the shallow water off the beach and asked him to help her cook it. He recognised the fish but doesn’t know if Desi did. He claims he knew how to clean and fillet it safely. Only Desi ate it.’
Mrs Carson’s tears flowed faster, and she gulped back a sob.
‘What’s the charge?’
‘My superintendent is considering that today. Definitely obstructing a police enquiry, and possibly recklessly endangering Desirée’s life.’
‘Hmm, I’m in contracts, so not my field. But why wouldn’t you go for manslaughter?’
‘We don’t have enough evidence now, but that’s certainly a prospect.’
‘Perhaps you can help us, Mr Carson. Would Desi have recognised a pufferfish?’
‘I can’t say. I wouldn’t—I’ve never taken to fishing. I don’t think Desi did either. Do you know, Cat?’
‘If she did, I never knew about it. Maybe she did a bit of fishing at summer camps, but that would’ve been at freshwater lakes. Who knows what she did at Stanford?’
Even Horseman knew Stanford was a top-tier university. He exchanged a glance with Singh who lifted her eyebrows ever so slightly. So much for the poor little victim Desi from the wrong side of the tracks.
‘Do you suspect this guy you’re holding of malicious intent?’
‘We have no evidence of that, sir.’
‘But you suspect him, anyway?’
‘We’re keeping our minds open, Mr Carson, and vigorously pursuing all leads. Can you help us? You know your daughter.’
Desi’s father looked at Horseman as if considering whether to say what was on his mind.
‘Desi always knew how to make people angry, even when she was a small child. She did that to both of us, didn’t she, Cat?’
Mrs Carson reached out to grasp her husband’s arm and nodded. ‘It’s true,’ she whispered.
‘And to others, too. Home, school, anywhere. Nice as pie one minute, nasty goading the next. To be plain, Inspector Horseman, I wouldn’t be surprised if she provoked someone so bad that he wanted her gone for good.’
Mrs Carson’s sharp intake of breath was her loudest utterance since Horseman had met her.
‘We’d be glad if you would join us for lunch here,’ Mr Carson said.
‘Many thanks, but we need to press on,’ Horseman said.
‘Understood. Godspeed, then, detectives.’
When they reached Victoria Parade, Horseman said, ‘Man, Len Carson was a surprise! How many dads criticise their newly dead daughters?’
‘Don’t know, I guess it’s taboo, but some would. I respect his honesty, actually. My reading was he really feared Desi’s habitual behaviour could put her in danger and he wanted us to know about it. I thought he was trying to help.’
‘What if he wasn’t honest, though?’
They strolled along in the direction of their police station, pondering. Singh said, ‘We can’t know one way or the other, but his idea is definitely a lead, and it could apply to Eroni, couldn’t it? I mean, his appearance is odd. What if Desi’s teasing and ridicule became a torment and he seized his chance when she showed him the pufferfish?’
‘Her goading would provide him with a motive, for sure. Don’t know if I buy it, though. Tell you what, Republic of Cappuccino’s just opposite. I could kill a couple of panini. Let’s jaywalk, Singh!’
They dodged between the crawling vehicles with ease and entered the noisy cafe. ‘No one will hear us in here. Let’s work out a new approach with Eroni this afternoon.’
58
Prompting Eroni to narrate the precise chronology of his doings on Tuesday afternoon didn’t trip him up at all. He stuck to his most recent official statement about his actions, observations, and the order in which they happened.
It was time to lay their cards on the table.
‘Mr Nemi, you wanted Mili to win Champion, didn’t you?’
He smiled. ‘Io, don’t you, sir? The whole population of Fiji wants her to win!’
Singh said, ‘Yes, me too. But your desire for her to win was stronger than most, I’m sure. She told us once what a loyal fan you were.’
Eroni’s dark brown skin flushed darker. He looked down. ‘Did she? Yes, I’m a big fan. She’s a superb singer. Her songs bring tears to the eyes. I like to sing myself, you know, but haven’t gone further than my church choir.’
‘Well, your choir training has made you a very good judge of singers, hasn’t it?’ Horseman added.
‘Io, sir. Mili should have won The Voice, in my opinion. She was the best. Probably the Americans would never want a Fijian to win.’
‘Mili’s a US citizen, isn’t she?’
‘Maybe, but they would still be prejudiced against her.’
‘Could you use your position on the crew here to help her in the Champion contest?’
‘Not really, but I tried my best. I only saw her briefly when the contestants came to the arena for the challenges. Sometimes we had a few words, often just waved. When the challenges were on Motu and I had to set up the props in advance, we would have a brief chat. She was always friendly and polite.’
‘Did she ever ask a favour of you?’ Singh asked.
‘No, what sort of favour?’
‘Oh, let me think—perhaps lend her a tool, or take a message to someone in the barracks? Anything, really. I understand the contestants had a lot of restrictions.’
‘That’s true, but that’s an important part of the game.’
‘But to have a fan on the crew—she must have been tempted to ask you for help.’
‘I don’t know. I was friendly, that’s all.’
‘Friendly enough to lend her a tool which would give her an advantage over the others?’
‘I didn’t do that.’
‘I think Mili wanted to win the game too. Didn’t she ask you to play pranks on the front runners, to make them nervous and perform badly? That was clever of her.’
‘No, how could I do that? Anyway, she certainly didn’t ask me. And she’s not ambitious enough, actually. She told me it was her parents who always put pressure on her. Winning isn’t so important to her. But she loves to sing for an audience.’
‘Tell the truth, Eroni. Did Mili ask you to put the giant millipede in Desi’s sleeping bag?’
‘No!’
‘What about the rotten octopus? What about the bucket over the toilet door? What about the zipline?’
‘No, no no!’
‘Because the pranks worked didn’t they? They did make the players lose focus and Mili, who isn’t athletic, made her way to the finals.’
‘You forget that she was a prank victim too.’
‘Ah yes, the bucket of seawater. You forget that if you play a prank on yourself, it’s not very scary, is it? Not if your pal and fan sets it up for you. Isn’t that so?’
Eroni recovered his composure and shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe.’
‘Definitely, Eroni. Especially when that fan is your cousin.’
‘Cousin?’ Eroni dropped his head and smoothed his shoulder length crinkly hair.
‘Io, Eroni. You told us you weren’t even a clansman to Mili. But she told me you’re her cousin.’
‘Very distant cousin, maybe.’
‘Come on, Eroni. All Fijians know who they’re related to.’
‘My family moved off Taveuni, I told you. Then her parents moved to the States and we didn’t see each other for years. It’s all complicated. I’m older than her, too.’
‘No more games, Eroni. Here’s what we believe, straight up. You’re Mili’s devoted fan and relative and determined that she win Champion, just like every Fijian. You start off with pranks that aren’t so dangerous, but you can see Ken Johnson’s a much stronger player than Mili, so you decide to engineer a fall. With a bit of luck, he’ll break an ankle or a leg and be out of the game. We know you didn’t mean to kill him. You just wanted to help Mili.’
Eroni clicked his tongue in distaste. ‘No, I didn’t. How could I?’
‘Easily. You only had to borrow a kayak from the boatshed and paddle to Motu on a cloudy night. Setting up a booby trap on the steps to the spirit-house would be simple for you. Then paddle back.’
