Cold Grave (43 page)

That meant the two competing brothers, Mats and Lars, were both paying Carlos.

The captain smiled at her and Anya could see why he had many ‘favourites’ among the crew. She remembered the woman with Carlos’s room mate, the one with the diamond pendant.

The
Paradisio
had been to Africa and India during Carlos’s contract. He could have made a similar purchase to the captain. ‘Where are the world’s cheapest places to buy diamonds?’

The captain raised his eyebrows. ‘There are some markets in India that peddle what some believe are blood diamonds. They are the cheapest I have come across and the quality is excellent.’

‘Why didn’t I think of it before? No wonder Carlos wanted me to get the painting and the jacket.’

The captain gave her a quizzical look.

‘Fitz didn’t find anything when he X-rayed Carlos’s jacket because glass and crystals are radioopaque but diamonds are radiolucent. Carlos used his money to buy diamonds and then hid them in plain view, on cheap items no one would want to steal. We just assumed they were rhinestones.’

‘I can see why FitzHarris respects you so much,’ Burghoff said.

‘How is he doing?’

The captain pursed his lips. ‘Fighting the breathing tube as of a few minutes ago.’

That was better news, he had to be making efforts to breath on his own. She had to know, though.

‘Was FitzHarris in with the others?’

On the floor, Alessandro groaned and Doctor Novak snapped at him in something that sounded like Serbian.

The captain half-smiled. ‘No, but he has kept a detailed file on Mats documenting everything he communicated. Times, dates, instructions, offers of payment. Thanks to FitzHarris, Mats Anderson can be charged with fraud and a number of corporate crimes.’

Anya felt relieved about Fitz’s innocence.

‘What about Rachel?’

‘I’m afraid you can’t see her. She is busy attending to her patient. FitzHarris requires twenty-four-hour care, you see.’

Anya took a moment to process what Burghoff had said. Rachel had been released.

‘Ah, you would not have heard,’ he said.

Two security men arrived with a plastic stretcher and lifted Alessandro onto it. Karen carried a drip and Doctor Novak gave instructions about how to load the patient. As quickly as they had appeared, the patient and medical team left for the emergency treatment room.

‘Heard what?’

‘I spoke to a contact who informs me the piping used on the tender to hold the explosives had old Russian markings, the type used by their mafia. Apparently, Sven Anderson was about to divorce his latest wife. Word is, there’s no scorn like a Russian oligarch’s little princess. Plus the added incentive of a multi-billion dollar industry. With the other Anderson heirs dead, or under arrest, Sven’s wife assumes control.’

‘What about Mats?’ Anya cleared her sore throat. ‘He could fight the charges.’

‘Ah, but he still has to survive the Russian mafia.’

Anya had read that old man Anderson had married the oligarch’s daughter to gain better access to Russian business. In the end, it had cost his family their lives.

Martin had been right. The first question in an investigation should always be who was most likely to benefit from the crime.

‘So Rachel is free?’

‘She will see you when she can.’ The captain stood and placed the chair back by the desk. ‘If you will excuse me, I have a ship to command.’

45

The following night, before arrival in Bora-Bora, the captain arranged a private dinner for Anya, Ben, Martin, and whoever else they wanted to invite.

Alessandro had been airlifted in advance and it looked like he would survive to face murder charges.

Wesley pushed his father’s wheelchair into the dining room. The elder Meeks wore a tie and suit, one arm of which was pinned to his side. He nervously greeted everyone at the table. Wes had on a grey button-down shirt and black jeans, his hair swept off his face. He looked more handsome than usual. Karen wore a casual skirt and blouse, plus make-up. Rachel’s glasses were purple-rimmed, and her top a cobalt blue.

Laura brought FitzHarris in a wheelchair. He had been extubated and demanded to be released from his hospital bed so he could attend.

Anya kissed him on the cheek. ‘You’ve had a rough few days.’

He squeezed her hand. ‘You and me both.’

Anya excused herself for a moment. Jasmine arrived, looking stunning in a turquoise, knee-length dress. Doctor Chan, Jasmine’s aunt and cousins had chosen to stay in their cabin. Ben ran and launched himself at Jasmine. She flicked her loose hair over one shoulder and bent down to return the hug.

‘How’s your mother doing?’

‘Better. We are getting on and she says I don’t have to go to the audition in Vienna if I’m not ready. There’s always next year, she said.’

Anya felt relieved. Jasmine deserved to experience life and make friends, like other teenagers. ‘She knows Wesley and I have been talking, and she doesn’t seem to mind. I just have to tell her where I am and when I’ll be back.’

The look between Wes and Jasmine said it all. Wesley’s crush was requited. They were quickly involved in an animated discussion about music.

Laura interrupted. ‘Wesley?’ Both males looked up. ‘I need to have a word to you about a virus we found on the computers. It was clever, and deletes itself. Only problem was, it slowed the system down. We had hundreds of complaints.’

The father turned to his son. ‘Do you know anything about that?’

‘Well . . .’

FitzHarris interjected. ‘I asked Wes to do me a favour.’ He winked at Anya. ‘It was a way of testing the security of our system. And I have to say, there are improvements that can be made. Wes just needs to write up the last of his suggestions before I hand over the final report.’ He looked across the table. ‘Mr Meeks, you have a fine son there. I’d be happy to give him a reference any time.’

Wes stared at Fitz with a look of disbelief. His father beamed.

Anya smiled at FitzHarris, who was parked at her side.

‘Without Wes,’ he spoke quietly to her, ‘we wouldn’t have Shelby’s statement or photos, or found out that Berry posted them online. I just got a message. The FBI are treating this as a paedophile ring. Seems the clowns who slept with Kandy and Lilly love to share dirty photos online. These ones are just the latest. Even if they get off on the drug and rape charges, they’ll all be branded sex offenders. Kandy decided to come forward and wants the men charged.’

It may not have been the perfect outcome, but the men were being punished for what they did to Lilly and Kandy. Anya hoped the Ratzenbergs would be supportive of their daughter. It had taken a lot of courage for her to come forward. She also hoped the outcome would at least help Jasmine and her mother get some kind of closure.

After a dinner filled with amusing anecdotes about ship life, Martin and Anya took Ben to bed.

Something inside the suite was beeping intermittently. Martin rummaged under the lounge cushions and located his phone. ‘It’s a text.’ He turned around to read it. Anya assumed it was from Nita, his now former girlfriend.

He sank into one of the chairs and ran a hand through his hair, not taking his eyes off the phone screen.

‘Is everything all right?’

‘No. I mean . . . I don’t know.’

Anya sat forward. ‘Has something happened?’

‘It’s Nita’s mother. She says I have to call her straightaway. The old bird can’t stand me so something must be wrong.’

Anya was unsure what to say. They were yet to discuss why they made love, or what it meant for their relationship.

‘I won’t be long, Annie. We really need to talk about us.’ He excused himself to return the call.

To give him privacy, Anya grabbed her pashmina and headed out for a walk.

She left the suite and walked along the corridor. Couples – young and old – wandered arm in arm, hand in hand. How naive had she been? It was just sex she and Martin had. The artificial closeness from the trip was the cause. It had been fun while it lasted, but the holiday was ending. Life had to get back to normal, whatever that meant.

Feeling a chill, she pulled the shawl tighter and decided to visit the library one more time. Inside were Jasmine and Wes, holding hands.

‘Anya,’ Wes said. ‘Can we ask your opinion?’

She ventured closer, feeling like an intruder.

‘Lilly signed this book and wanted it put in here, but Jasmine’s afraid to let it go. Just because someone isn’t physically with you, doesn’t mean you’re really apart.’

He gently moved a piece of hair from her face. ‘We may live in different places, but we’ll still be together, I mean, we can still be . . . well we can . . . you know . . .’

The boy who had a quip for any situation was suddenly tongue-tied. Jasmine just looked at him admiringly.

‘Anyway, what do you think? Should Jasmine keep it or leave it here for someone else to read?’

To Kill A Mockingbird
. ‘I think Jasmine can only do what’s in her heart. All I know is some people think they can hang on to someone they’ve lost by keeping things from their time together. I prefer to think that memories and ongoing love, not possessions, keep them alive. In us.’

Jasmine bowed her head. ‘Thank you.’

She stretched up and put the book back on the shelf, as Lilly had done.

‘If it’s ever meant to come back to us, it will,’ she said.

Anya left with a tear in her eye.

Back in the suite, Martin was upstairs packing his things.

Her heart skipped. She didn’t want him to go.

He stopped when he saw her.

‘Annie, I’m so sorry.’

‘What happened in the shower shouldn’t have,’ she said quickly. ‘It was crazy, and we just got carried away.’

He stepped toward her. ‘Is that what you really believe?’

Unsure, Anya pulled away. She was too afraid to admit how much Martin meant to her, but he had made his choice. He had chosen Nita over her.

‘Annie—’

‘You don’t have to worry about Ben.’ She picked up a shirt and began to fold it. ‘I’ll take good care of him. It’ll give us some special time together.’

‘Stop, please. You need to know why I have to go.’

He grabbed the shirt and sat on the edge of the bed.

He took a deep breath. ‘About five years ago, Nita had a melanoma cut off her back.’

Anya sat down beside him. ‘You never said.’

‘It was before we even met. They thought they got it all,’ he continued. ‘But she’s been feeling short of breath and went to a doctor. They did some tests and found a lesion on her lung.’

Anya could barely move. The prognosis for melanoma-spread was poor. Vaccinations and promising treatments were still being developed. ‘I’m sorry.’

Martin leant forward and put his head in his hands. ‘She was really upset, Annie.’

Anya thought of Nita – she had always liked her and she’d seemed like a strong woman. She didn’t deserve this.

‘She asked me to go back. She needs me to be there. I want to stay with you, Annie, but . . .’

Anya squeezed his hand. ‘It’s the right thing to do.’ And she wanted more than anything to believe that.

They sat together in silence until daylight broke. The foghorn blasted as the ship came in to dock at Bora-Bora.

About the Author

Kathryn Fox is a medical practitioner with a special interest in forensic medicine.
Cold Grave
is her sixth novel and her books have been translated into over a dozen languages.

Kathryn lives in Sydney and combines her passion for books and medicine by being the patron of a reading programme for remote and indigenous communities that promotes the links between literacy and health.