The Sea Sisters (31 page)

K
atie gazed from the taxi window as they sped inland. Lush rice terraces staggered down the hillsides and were dissected by strings of irrigation streams glittering silver in the sunlight. Tropical flowers flanked the verges and she imagined that if she wound down the window, the air would smell perfumed.

‘I could only get us fifteen minutes at the British Consulate,’ Finn said, turning to her. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and his forearms looked lightly tanned. He’d been in Bali for a week now and his company had been like a beacon shining through the gloom.

‘That’s all we’ll need,’ she said.

The taxi pulled up outside a whitewashed building that dripped with bougainvillea. She stepped out into the thick heat and smoothed her skirt against her thighs.

They were greeted by a Balinese woman in a long crimson dress that matched the shade of the hibiscus she wore behind her ear. ‘Welcome. Mr Hastings suggested the gardens for your meeting. Please, come this way.’ They were led through sun-drenched gardens filled with colourful plants. Butterflies dipped and fluttered near their heads. They were seated at a table positioned in the shade of a gnarled banyan tree and were brought glasses of iced water that sweated on a bamboo tray.

A few minutes later a slight man arrived, dressed elegantly in a light beige suit and polished tan shoes. ‘Good afternoon. I’m Richard Hastings.’ He placed a notebook and green file on the table, then shook Katie’s hand, saying, ‘I would like to offer my sincerest condolences for the circumstances that bring you to Bali.’

‘Thank you.’

He shook Finn’s hand, then hitched up his suit trousers before lowering himself into a seat. ‘I know you’ve spoken to my colleague, Mr Spire, from the Foreign Office in London. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you also.’ He touched the thin gold frame of his glasses and she saw warmth in his eyes that his formal manner belied. ‘Now, I believe you came with some questions?’

‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I’m not sure whether you’ll be able to help me with the first one. When I arrived in Bali three weeks ago I had my belongings stolen from a hostel I was staying in. The Nyang Palace.’

‘I am so sorry,’ he said, shaking his head slowly as if he were personally responsible.

‘I reported it to the police, but they haven’t told me anything. I wondered whether you may be able to find out if there’s been any progress.’

‘I would be pleased to make some inquiries on your behalf.’ He took a fountain pen from his breast pocket and wrote something inside his notebook. Beneath it he drew the pen along the page, underlining it twice. ‘We are aware of a gang of Malaysians operating over here, posing as tourists. They have been targeting hostels because the footfall is high and the security weak. The police are alert to their organization and, rest assured, if there is progress, I will personally let you know.’

She wondered how much the contents of her backpack would fetch. The only things of monetary value were her engagement ring and phone. Would they be sold on the black market here or shipped somewhere else? The image of Mia’s unread entries snagged at her thoughts again.

She sat forward with a sudden idea. ‘My sister’s travel journal – I was told the police looked through it as part of their investigation.’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘Did they make a copy of it?’

‘I am afraid not. I believe it was felt that it did not contain anything that could be used as evidence, which is why they were able to return it to you.’

Hope was extinguished as quickly as a burning match. She tucked her hands in her lap.

‘Are there any other questions I may help you with?’

When Katie didn’t answer, Finn took the lead. ‘We’d like to find out exactly where Mia died.’

‘Of course.’ Mr Hastings drew the green file towards him and opened it, flipping through a series of papers. Locating a map, he placed it on the table between Katie and Finn. ‘This shows a series of sea cliffs in the Umanuk region. This is the route that the police believe Mia took to reach the cliff top,’ he said, trailing his finger along a hyphenated line. ‘The beginning part of the track is well marked and leads to a lookout point, here. This is where Mia passed the witnesses. The cliff top is another two hundred feet up. The path to it has been disused for years and runs through dense foliage. And this,’ he said, tapping the map where a circle had been drawn in pencil, ‘is the spot from which Mia is believed to have jumped.’

Katie bit down on her lip.

‘I am afraid to say that she was not the first to be found at that location. There have been six suicides recorded there in the last eight years.’

‘Why?’ Finn asked.

‘We imagine people go there because it is … certain.’

Her stomach tightened: Mia hadn’t wanted to survive.

‘If it would be of help, I can arrange transport to have you taken to Umanuk.’

‘No!’ she said, abruptly.

‘Thank you for the offer,’ Finn added, ‘but we probably won’t visit immediately.’

‘Of course. Please, keep this map in that case.’

She asked, ‘Has anything else about Mia’s case come to light? Anything at all?’

‘I believe that you’ve already received the details from the witnesses’ statements and autopsy?’

Her fingers were tapping against her thighs. ‘Yes, but I’m just struggling to believe it still. Suicide?’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Are the police absolutely certain?’

‘I have paid particularly close attention to this case because the death of a young person is incredibly troubling. But yes, the police are confident it was suicide.’

‘But she didn’t leave a note!’

He nodded. ‘I understand how extremely difficult it is to live with someone’s death when they’ve left no explanation for it, but it is not uncommon.’ He placed his hands on the table, leaning in, as if what he was about to say broke some form of protocol. ‘Perhaps it will help you to know that in suicide cases, only one in six people leave a note.’

‘Why?’

‘Often the decision is made on impulse; suicide has perhaps been something the individual has been considering, but when they decide to act upon it, it is with a sense of immediacy. Explanations are forgotten, which, of course, is terribly upsetting for those left behind.’

Something in the earnestness of his expression made her wonder if his experience of this was personal.

‘All I can say to you is that while Mia did not leave a note, we do have several important pieces of information. Firstly, we have an account from two witnesses who saw her minutes before her death. We also have the reassurance of the autopsy, which made it clear there was no sign of anything more sinister at hand. You will also recall, Katie, that Mia had alcohol in her system?’

‘Yes.’

‘It is possible that your sister was not, therefore, fully aware of the consequences of her decision on the cliff. Alcohol is known to inhibit feelings of danger.’

‘Yes,’ she said again, not trusting herself with any more words.

‘What I would finally draw your attention to is that Mia was carrying nothing on her person except one thing: her passport.’ He paused, encouraging them to finish his thought.

‘As identification,’ Finn said.

‘Precisely.’

‘That is the information that led the local police to their conclusions. I am afraid it is up to you to draw your own.’

Katie swallowed, knowing how difficult that would be.

*

The bar of the Khama Heights Hotel was an elegant space, uplit by discreet amber lights. Beyond the tall stone pillars, floodlit gardens stretched down to the sea.

Finn slapped his cards onto the table, then leant back with arms folded, grinning. ‘I’m available for lessons.’

‘That’s useful to know,’ Katie said, spreading her cards neatly beside his.

He snapped forward in his seat. ‘A flush? You have a flush?’

‘Oh. Do I?’ she said with a smile.

He stared at her, open mouthed. ‘You hustled me?’

She slid the large pile of money across the table and into her wallet. ‘Yes, I believe I did.’

He laughed, a loud, throaty sound that pleased her. ‘Where the hell did you learn to play poker like that?’

‘On my travels.’

‘I can’t believe it. You’ve been letting me win for –’ he glanced at his watch – ‘an hour and a half, and then you pull out the big guns in the final play. Katie Greene, you’ve changed.’

She smiled.

‘Now I’ve only got four nights to reclaim my dignity.’

She wished he wouldn’t remind her of how little time he had left. She gathered up their cards.

‘I suppose the loser should get the next round.’ He gestured to her empty glass. ‘Vodka orange?’

‘Please.’

She watched his easy strides, his shorts hanging low over his hips like a schoolboy’s. The other guests wore shirts and light trousers, but she liked his casualness; anything else on Finn would be wrong. He said something to the barman, who laughed and clapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder. She remembered how he used to arrive at the house she shared in London with Jess and two other girls and, before he’d even got as far as her room, she’d hear her housemates laughing at some quip he’d made. His ability to make people laugh, to make
her
laugh, was one of many things she’d loved about him.

When he returned with their drinks, he set them down and said, ‘Right. I’ve been very courteous and avoided bringing this up since visiting Richard Hastings, but that was a week ago now. So, I’d really like to know: when are you planning on going to the Umanuk cliffs?’

She took a long swig of her drink. ‘Soon.’

‘Not good enough. I’m looking for a date. A time. A mode of transport.’

‘I’m not ready. Honestly. I can’t go there yet.’

‘It’s a huge thing,’ he said more gently, ‘I realize that. But you need to do this, Katie.’

She placed her drink down and pressed her lips together. They felt cool from the ice. ‘Once I go there, this whole thing … following Mia’s journal … it ends. I always imagined I’d go to the cliff with answers. But I don’t have any.’

‘Maybe there will never be answers.’

‘There have to be. Because what am I supposed to do afterwards? Just fly home? Get on with my life?’

‘Does that scare you?’

The couple at the next table stood and carried their drinks through to the restaurant to be seated for dinner. ‘There’s nothing in London for me any more. No family. No fiancé. No job.’

‘It’s going to be hard but you
will
manage. You’re strong, Katie. Resilient. You’ve got your friends. You’ve got me.’

Was he setting himself apart from the category of a friend? She glanced at his face but his expression seemed impassive, difficult to read.

‘Why don’t we go back together?’ he said. ‘If you’re not ready for London, you can crash at Mum and Dad’s for a while. Teach me your poker moves.’

She smiled.

‘You’ve got to go back at some point. I’d rather it were with me.’

‘What will you do when you’re home?’ she said, shifting the focus. ‘Are you staying in Cornwall?’

‘Depends on work – whether I get back into radio.’

‘Will the station take you back?’

‘I doubt it. They weren’t hugely impressed when I quit.’

‘You worked so hard to get that job. I thought you loved it there?’

‘I did.’

‘Why did you leave?’

He lifted his shoulders. ‘I was never able to say no to her.’

The thought of what happened between Finn and Mia reared up in her mind. It was one of the few things they’d not talked about and it hung between them now. She fixed her gaze on him. ‘Were you in love with Mia?’

He drew in a breath. ‘Yes.’

She felt the stab in her gut, a sharp pain that spread outwards and made her want to hug her arms to her middle. Instead, she picked up her drink to give her hands something to do. ‘Since when?’

Finn scratched a knuckle back and forth beneath his chin. ‘When we were 16 we were at a gig and she kissed me. Just a peck on the lips, that was all. She didn’t mean anything by it. But for me it was the first time I’d thought of her as more than a friend.’

Her eyes widened. ‘All this time you’ve…’

‘No. No, I don’t think so. It’s hard to untangle because Mia always meant so much to me.’

‘But when you travelled together…’

‘I realized that I was in love with her.’

Her throat felt tight. She took another drink and finished it. ‘It must have been hard seeing her with Noah.’

‘It was hell.’

‘What was he like?’

‘He was an incredible surfer. Completely focused on it. I think Mia was drawn to that intensity in him.’

Katie nodded.

‘But he was also distant, a bit of a loner, really. He hung back from the crowd. He always struck me as troubled. I’m not claiming that’s an objective opinion. It’s just mine.’

‘Mia wrote the same thing. She said there was a sadness about him that reminded her of herself.’

Finn swallowed. ‘You know, if I’d thought he’d loved her, then maybe my opinion of him would have been different.’

‘Why?’

‘It would’ve been easier to let her go.’