Coral Reef Views Page 5

  “You think…”

  “That might have happened after death, when the body struck the rocks. Impossible to tell. And before you ask, Claude Erasmus and his wife were at a party that night. They arrived at six and left around midnight. He wouldn’t have given me that alibi if it wouldn’t stand up. Your father’s on the wrong track, Ashley. Paul fell into the sea. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe he jumped.”

  “Don’t you want to know what he was doing at the jewelry store? Why he wanted to speak to Erasmus?”

  “Sure, I want to know. But if Erasmus didn’t kill him, it’s none of my business. And it’s definitely none of your father’s business.”

  “Maybe one of Erasmus’s employees did it on his order. While he was at this party.”

  “You and your father have given me something to consider, Ashley. Please leave it with me.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  Alan coughed lightly. “I’ve been pretty busy because of this illness that’s swept through the station. But…uh…maybe we can have dinner one night soon.”

  “I’d like that,” I said.

  I hung up as a warm glow spread through my chest.

  I read in bed for a while. I could hear the soft murmur of my parents chatting. They seemed to be arguing but keeping their voices down. I couldn’t hear much. Dad was trying to talk Mom into something. She was resisting.

  The only word I clearly understood was jewelry.

  “Donna would like to do some shopping,” Dad said over breakfast on Sunday morning.

  My mother smiled at me. Her smile wasn’t all that convincing.

  “I thought you’d gotten all the gifts you wanted,” I said.

  “She wants something nice for herself,” Dad said. “A souvenir of the island.”

  “Can’t you speak this morning, Mom?”

  “I want something nice for myself,” she said. “A souvenir of the island.”

  I had a bad feeling about this. “What sort of souvenir?”

  “A piece of jewelry,” Dad said.

  The stores on Grand Victoria open at twelve on Sundays. By the time noon came around, Mom was dressed in blue-and-white capris and a matching T-shirt under a blue linen jacket. She had on her best gold earrings and necklace and had put a big blue straw hat on her head. She’d taken off her wedding and engagement rings but wore her twenty-fifth-anniversary diamond ring. I, having argued until my face matched the color of her outfit, had finally given in. I couldn’t let Mom go alone, so I also was nicely dressed.

  We were, according to Dad, going to “poke around.” To pretend to be interested in buying expensive jewelry. He couldn’t go with Mom, having been banned from Erasmus’s properties.

  We took a taxi to Stone Mills and arrived at twelve thirty. As we got out of the cab, a change came over my mom. Her back straightened, her head lifted, she stared boldly ahead. She looked, I thought, rich. It was more than the clothes.

  We marched into Island Jewelers. She marched. I scurried along behind.

  The sales clerk pasted on a wide smile and hurried to greet us. It wasn’t Catherine, who’d talked to Dad and me the day before. Her eyes flicked between us. Her eyes settled on Mom, and she gave her a beaming smile. “Good afternoon. I’m Barbara. How may I help you?”

  “I’m looking for a new diamond ring,” Mom said. “I want something suitable to celebrate my fortieth wedding anniversary.”

  “Your husband’s letting you pick it out yourself,” Barbara said. “Isn’t that nice.”

  Mom laughed lightly. “Oh no, dear. I divorced him years ago. The ring is to remind me of my lucky escape. Although you can be sure he’s going to be paying for it. Now, what have you got to show me?”

  A spark danced in my mother’s eyes. She’d had to be talked into doing this, but now she was enjoying herself.

  Mom took a seat, and Barbara began showing her rings. Mom picked up a few, studied them, put them back. “I’m thinking,” she said, “a sapphire in the center would be nice. Blue has always been my favorite color.”

  “It suits you so well,” Barbara said. “Wait here, and I’ll bring you a selection.”

  A few other customers entered the store. A young woman came out from the back to serve them. Barbara spent all her time with us. With Mom, I mean. Me, she ignored.

  The range of rings was impressive, and the prices had me gaping, wide-eyed. But nothing appealed to Mom. At last she started to stand up. “I’m sorry, but I have a definite idea of what I want, and nothing you have is exactly right.”

  “We’d be delighted to work with you to design the perfect ring,” Barbara said. Her smile had never slipped. “You can work closely with our jewelry artist. We can have it ready for you in a few days. When do you go home?”

  Mom waved her hand in the air. The diamonds on her anniversary ring sparkled. She’d polished it before leaving my place. “I’m here for the season. I’m staying at the Club Louisa.” One of the most expensive resorts on the island.

  “Excellent.” Barbara coughed lightly. “Of course, an individually designed and crafted item will cost a wee bit more.”

  “Whatever,” Mom said.

  “I’ll call our designer now, shall I, and arrange an appointment?”

  “I do want to get this sorted as soon as possible,” Mom said. “I have a small… window…in which to send the bill to my ex-husband.”

  “Won’t be a moment.” Barbara picked up the phone and dialed. “Good afternoon, Emmeline,” she said. My ears pricked up. That was the name of Claude Erasmus’s wife. “I have an extremely discerning lady here who wants the perfect ring custom-designed and made…Why don’t I check? One moment, please.” She smiled at Mom. “She happens to be free right now. Would that suit?”

  “Perfectly,” Mom said. “Once I’ve made up my mind to do something, I like to see it through immediately.”

  We were settled with cups of tea and magazines to wait for Emmeline. We hadn’t even finished our tea before a little red BMW convertible pulled up outside and parked in the loading zone.

  Emmeline Erasmus was a beautiful woman, tall and model-thin with smooth, dark skin, high cheekbones and huge black eyes. She was dressed all in white. Ankle-length slacks, white blouse, white jean jacket. Plenty of flashy gold jewelry and white sandals with four-inch heels. She crossed the floor in a few strides and held out her hand. Her nails were long and painted a deep red. Her smile was wide. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long. I’m Emmeline Erasmus.” She spoke with an American accent.

  Mom made up a name. “Grace.” She didn’t give them a last name. “This is my daughter, Claire.”

  “Hi,” I said. Claire is the name of my oldest sister.

  “Now,” Emmeline said, “what can we make for you, Grace? Just so you know, I studied art and small metal design in New York City. I have my own exclusive line of jewelry.” I’d earlier noticed a display rack with a logo showing an intertwined EE. Nice pieces, but not quite in the price range Mom was—supposedly—looking for.

  The next half hour passed in a blur of sketches and designs and chatter. Mom talked comfortably about gold and jewels, diamonds in particular. I had no idea she knew so much about rare gems.

  Eventually they came up with a design Mom approved of. I thought it garish. I suppose that was the point. “A ring of this quality, with stones that excellent, will run in the fifty-thousand-dollar range,” Emmeline said.

  Barbara had been hovering the entire time. She jumped in now. “Why don’t I take your deposit? Twenty-five percent now, the rest on delivery.”

  Mom stood up. I hurried to follow. “I’ll have to think about it,” she said. I’d barely said two words the entire time we’d been here.

  “A small, fully refundable deposit will allow me to put a hold on the stones,” Emmeline said. “Demand, as I’m sure you know, is always high.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Mom repeated.

  Emmeline’s lips tightened. “Give Barbara your details, and we can chat.”<
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  “I’m at the Club Louisa,” Mom said. “I’ll be in touch. If I decide to continue.”

  She walked out. I ran after her.

  “That was awesome,” I said when the door had shut behind us. “Where did you learn so much about jewels?”

  “You remember when Claire was seeing that man from Oakville?”

  “No.”

  “Your father and I never did like him. All flash but no substance, we thought. He gave Claire a ring, a very expensive ring. So he said. At your father’s suggestion, I learned one or two things about jewelry. The ring was as fake as his smile. He and Claire broke up a short time later.”

  “Wow!” I said. “Fake jewelry. Do you think it’s possible that’s what they’re selling here? Did Paul know something about that? Maybe he was involved?”

  “No point in speculating, dear. Everything she showed us looked perfectly fine to me. Not that I’m any expert. Call us a cab. It’s time to go back to the hotel. I told your father this would be a waste of time. He was hoping they’d show me stolen jewelry, with a wink and a nod.”

  TEN

  THAT DAY I was on afternoon shift, meaning three to eleven. Mom and Dad were due to go home Monday evening. Dad was disappointed that Mom hadn’t learned anything at the jewelry store. Alan hadn’t called with any updates. I left my parents debating where to go for their last dinner on the island.

  Around seven Simon and I attended a call for a man who’d fallen down the stairs at his mid-range hotel. He’d had rather a lot to drink. After I did the hospital paperwork and Simon cleaned the ambulance, we headed back to the station.

  “How’s your new job going?” I asked. Simon had taken a part-time gig as a chauffeur. I didn’t ask why. Simon always needed money. I figured it must cost a lot to maintain a wife and several girlfriends.

  “It’s goin’ good. Easy work. Good money. Drive rich people to hotels and parties, hang around, talk to the guys, drive rich people home again.”

  Rich people. Parties.

  “You ever drive Claude Erasmus?”

  “Nah. He has his own driver. His wife uses our company sometimes. I’ve never driven her. Why you asking?”

  “No reason.”

  “I’ve heard things about that Mrs. Erasmus. She’s a wild one, they say.”

  “Do they?”

  “Yup. Can’t say for myself though.” He chuckled. “Maybe someday.”

  “In your dreams,” I said.

  He chuckled again. “She’s a looker, that one. Not too stuck up either, despite marrying into the richest family on the island. She was at the party I was at on Wednesday.”

  He made it sound as though he’d also been a guest. “You were at that party? Did you see Claude?”

  “Yeah. They arrived right behind me. She was wearing this white dress. It must have—”

  “What time was that?”

  “Six. Dinner-and-dancing affair.”

  Claude had told Alan he’d gone directly to the party from his business meeting. He could have swung past his house to pick up his wife. But it was an inconsistency in his account of the day.

  “I don’t suppose you saw him leave,” I said.

  “No, but everyone left at the same time. Erasmus’s car was called for same time as mine. Spot-on midnight.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “Don’t know what she got up to though.”

  I sat up a bit straighter. “What does that mean?”

  “Oh yeah, you can be sure we had things to say about that. She left the party around nine. I figured they’d had a fight.”

  “Did she go with their driver?”

  “Nope. One of the guys was in the house, using the washroom, like, and he saw her crossing the lawn. Heading for the street.”

  “Simon, did you tell the police this?”

  He turned and looked at me. “Why would I do that?”

  “The police are interested in their movements on Wednesday night.”

  “No police came to speak to me. Besides, lovely young lady wants to have some fun without her tired old husband around, I’m not going to tell on her.” He winked.

  I let out a long breath and leaned back in my seat. So Emmeline Erasmus was not at the party at the time Paul Saunders died.

  Did that mean anything? I didn’t know. But it was worth finding out.

  When we got back to the ambulance station and I had some privacy, I called Alan. It went to voice mail. I left a message.

  Simon and I were busy for the rest of the night. Rachel and Liz arrived in time to take over from us at eleven. I called a cab and went home.

  Mom and Dad had already gone to bed. Their flight was at seven the next evening. I made myself a cup of tea and debated what to do. I knew I should leave it up to the police.

  “Good night, honeybunch?” Dad asked.

  I turned and smiled at him. “Busy.”

  He pulled a stool up to the breakfast bar. “We’re leaving tomorrow. I’m sorry I never was able to find out what happened to Paul. He was a decent guy. You say the cops here are good, but they’re busy enough with obvious crimes. Like everyplace else. Some things fall through the cracks.”

  I’d decided earlier not to tell him what I’d learned. But before I could stop myself, I said, “Emmeline Erasmus left the party early.”

  He looked up. “What party?”

  “Claude’s alibi for the time of Paul’s death is a party. The police checked, and he was there all night. But I found out that Emmeline left without him. Around nine.”

  “Do you know where she went?”

  “No.”

  “You think…”

  “I don’t know what to think, Dad. She’s involved in the jewelry store. Maybe more involved than her husband is. She designs custom jewelry for the store’s customers. It’s possible Paul was after her, not her husband.”

  “We’ll have to ask her.”

  “We can’t ask her if she killed a man.”

  “Sure we can. If we do it the right way.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Nothing we can do about that now. Let’s get some sleep. I have an idea.”

  ELEVEN

  AT TEN O’CLOCK the next morning, my mother called Island Jewelers.

  “Hello,” she said. “It’s…” She threw a panicked look at me. She’d forgotten the name she’d given them.

  “Grace,” I whispered.

  “Yes, this is Grace. I thought over what we discussed yesterday, and I have a few questions for Emmeline. No, I’m afraid that won’t work. I’ll be at the spa most of the day. We can discuss it on the phone. Her number is…?”

  I heard Barbara say she couldn’t give it out. She asked for Mom’s number instead.

  Mom huffed in disapproval. “Oh, very well. If I must.” She rattled off her own cell number. It was her Toronto number. My dad would have a fit when they got the phone bill. “My first appointment at the spa is at ten thirty. I’ll be turning my phone off for the rest of the day. There are other shops I can visit, you know.” She hung up.

  “You are so good at this,” I said.

  “I do believe I am,” she said modestly.

  My dad grinned.

  The weather had turned overnight as a storm moved in. High winds whipped the fronds of the palm trees outside. Rain pounded steadily against the windows.

  Mom’s phone rang. That was quick. She picked it up. Dad and I leaned in closer.

  “Thank you so much for returning my call,” Mom said.

  “I was pleased to hear from you,” Emmeline said. “I’m so excited about doing business together.”

  “This isn’t about the ring,” Mom said. “I have other business to conduct.”

  “What sort of other business?”

  “You mentioned fifty thousand dollars yesterday.”

  “That was an estimate only.”

  “Let’s make it a firm price. My price.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Fifty thousand dollars or I go to the police
and tell them you killed Paul Saunders. At nine o’clock on Wednesday night you left your husband at a house party. You met Paul. You argued. You killed him.”

  There was a long silence.

  “Now,” Mom said. “I’m a busy woman. I can meet you this afternoon. You pay me and I’ll hand over the proof.”

  “I don’t have fifty thousand dollars in cash,” Emmeline said. “Not that I would give it to you even if I did. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You can get it,” Mom said. “I’m leaving the island this evening. I’ll be at Smugglers’ Point at three o’clock. If you’re not there, I’ll mail the photographs to the police.”

  Dad pointed to the phone. Mom hung up. They high-fived each other.

  “I’m the child of a couple of con artists,” I said.

  “Do you think she’ll come, Frank?” Mom asked. “I certainly wouldn’t know how to get that much cash in a few hours.”

  “You’re not a criminal or a killer,” Dad said. “She’ll know. If she can’t get it, she’ll offer to give you what she has and pay the rest later.”

  “You’re assuming she’s guilty,” I said. “She didn’t confess.”

  “If she’s not guilty,” Dad said, “she won’t show up. And we’ll make our flight home. Ashley, your turn.”

  I called Alan. It went to voice mail again. I told him it was important that he call me back. “If I haven’t heard from him by the time we leave,” I said to my parents, “I’ll call the general police number.”

  Next I called Darlene and asked if I could borrow her car for a short while. She said sure without asking why.

  I put on a pair of loose sweat pants, heavy socks and hiking shoes, then tied my hair into a ponytail. I studied myself in the mirror, thinking I must be out of my mind.

  Mom curled up with her book in a corner of the living room, and Dad and I played gin at the dining-room table. The kitchen clocked ticked on. Rain continued to fall. At two thirty Dad threw down his cards. “Time to go.”

  “We’ll be early.”

  “So will she.”