***
At first, Ephram couldn't see anyone, and as he walked to the counter he began to wonder if he'd misheard, or if a potential customer had merely looked through the door and believed the store to be closed. It wouldn't be a big loss, since Thaxos was a small island and there were no other stores with such a wide range of products, but Ephram still prided himself on his level of customer service, and a lost – or even just delayed – customer was unfortunate. Besides, a customer would be a welcome chance to break up the monotony.
“Hello?” he called out. “Is anyone in here?”
He paused for a moment, and suddenly he became aware of movement nearby. Turning, he saw a very still, immaculately-suited figure standing in the darker part of the store, hidden a little in the shadows. It took a moment before he finally realized who he was facing, and a moment longer before he was able to accept that his eyes were not deceiving him. It felt like a dream.
“You?” he said finally, genuinely shocked.
“Good morning,” Edgar replied calmly, removing his gloves and slipping them into his pocket. “It's...” He paused, clearly feeling uncomfortable. “It's a nice day, I believe.”
Ephram simply stared at him, blinking a couple of times as if he expected the man before him to be an illusion.
“It is a nice day, isn't it?” Edgar asked, with a hint of doubt in his voice as he stepped out of the shadows. “It's hot and the sun is bright, so I thought... Those are generally the conditions that are deemed to constitute a nice day, are they not? It can be so hard to keep up, though, so maybe I... I don't know, perhaps I've lost touch a little with the way the world works. Personally, I find the heat can be a little oppressive sometimes, but then I suppose I shall just have to get used to the local climate. It's... nice.” He spoke that last word as if it was completely alien to his tongue.
They stood in silence for a moment.
“I'm being polite and friendly,” Edgar pointed out eventually.
“What do you want?” Ephram asked.
“You sound suspicious.”
“What do you want?”
“Such a loaded question.”
“What,” Edgar shouted, unable to hide his anger any longer, “the hell do you want here?”
“I thought perhaps it was time for me to come and take some interest in the life of the town,” Edgar replied starchily, speaking as if he had rehearsed this moment over and over in his head during the walk down from his house. He glanced around for a moment, taking stock of the store's somewhat dark offerings, and a hint of disdain crossed his face. “After all, I have been on Thaxos for three months now, and I feel that perhaps in that time I have neglected to offer a hand of friendship to my fellow citizens. If I leave it any longer, I might be seen as a little standoffish.”
Picking up a tin of condensed soup, he stared at it for a moment as if he had never seen such a thing before.
“Maybe I should buy this,” he said after a moment. “What is it?”
Ephram stared at him, clearly lost for words.
“Is it nice?”
Still, Ephram was too stunned to reply.
“In my defense,” Edgar added, setting the tin back down, “I have been extremely busy working on my home and getting things in order, although that is not really an excuse. I feel that perhaps I should have handled the situation better, and for that I can only apologize. We are all of us flawed, is that not so? To be fair, I did come down once before, on my first night here, but you were already closed. That was when I met Ms. Langley out in the courtyard. A most productive encounter, but not one that really improved my standing on the island. I think...”
His voice trailed off for a moment.
“Well,” he continued with a smile, “I just feel that a divide was starting to form. Perhaps people saw me as being rather too remote, when in fact I would like to become more involved in the activities of the entire town. I realize, however, that this is not something that is going to happen overnight, and that it requires some effort on my part. A show of goodwill, perhaps. To that end, I was thinking that I might hold some kind of an event to foster a little community spirit. A garden party, maybe, at my home.”
“A... garden party?” Ephram asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“At your home?”
Edgar nodded.
“And you expect people to come up there and accept your hospitality?”
“I do.” Edgar paused, as if he didn't understand the problem. “Would that not be appropriate?”
Still staring at Edgar, Ephram found it hard to believe that this encounter was really happening, and the strangeness of the whole situation felt truly shocking. Slowly, however, he was starting to feel his anger starting to boil up once again, and he found himself increasingly annoyed by the fact that Edgar had dared to show his face in the town at all.
“A garden party,” he said after a moment, as if the words had a bitter taste. “You think you can fix everything that has happened with a garden party?”
“Everything that has happened? Such as what?”
“My God,” Ephram continued, “you don't have a clue, do you?”
“I'm sure you'll enlighten me.”
“How is Kate Langley?” Ephram asked. “Is she enjoying her new life up at your mansion?”
“I believe so,” Edgar replied. “I haven't seen her this morning, but I know that she made some good progress in the archive yesterday. Actually, we're going to widen her remit a little. She was originally engaged to explore the history of my family, but we're going to broaden the project and try to develop a comprehensive history of the entire island. She had already made some fascinating discoveries after just one day's work, so the next step -”
“Do you really want the history of your family opened up for all to see?” Ephram asked, interrupting him. “Are you that blind? Do you even know the misery that your grandfather caused?”
“Of course, but -”
“And that you are now causing?”
Edgar paused.
“The rats,” Ephram continued, unable to hide his anger any longer, “are everywhere! Perhaps you don't realize, perched up there high above the rest of us, but your boat has brought rats to Thaxos and we're drowning down here! They're breeding faster than we can kill them, and they've even begun to attack people! It's a wonder that no-one has fallen sick yet!”
“I had no idea,” Edgar replied. “Something should be done.”
“Meanwhile,” Ephram continued, getting into the swing of his anger, “your men drive around in that goddamn motor vehicle at whatever speed they feel like, almost knocking people over in the street! There are not even supposed to be motor vehicles on Thaxos!”
“Are they breaking a law?”
“It's tradition!”
“Then I shall speak to them,” Edgar replied. “I had no idea that they were causing problems or -”
“A girl was bitten here in my store barely twenty-four hours ago,” Ephram continued. “My god-daughter. A rat took a chunk out of her flesh, cutting her to the bone, and she had to go to the doctor. She was in pain and she lost blood, and she won't be the last! This island now has more rats than humans, and yet you think you can make everyone like you if you hold some kind of garden party? Are you completely insane?”
“It was merely intended as a gesture...”
“Nobody wants you here!” Ephram shouted, getting up and hurrying across the store, until finally he held the door open. “Not on this island, and not in my shop! You have already done more than enough damage, and the only way you can put all of this right is to take every last stinking rat, put them all on your boat, and then sail off with them forever!”
“If -”
“The Le Comptes are not welcome on Thaxos!”
Edgar paused, clearly taken aback by the violence of Ephram's outburst.
“Get out!” Ephram shouted. “Out of my shop! Now! Out!”
“I'm sorry that things seem to hav
e become so bad,” Edgar replied, making his way to the door. “I shall have to see what can be done about the rats, though. It cannot be beyond the abilities of modern man to eradicate such a pest from the island, and I can assure you that no expense shall be spared. You have my word, Mr. Kazakos, that every last rat will be removed from Thaxos in the near future, and I -”
“We have long memories around here,” Ephram said darkly, interrupting him. “There are people who remember the actions of your grandfather, you know. His cruelty, the way he acted as if he was above the law... We might not have much of our history written down, but it has been passed on from generation to generation and the truth about the Le Compte family is known by every single person on this island. Stories of your grandfather are used to frighten the children!”
“Is that so?” Edgar asked, with a faint smile.
“I don't know if you thought that enough time had passed,” Ephram continued, “and that no-one would remember the Impaler and his murders, but if that's the case then you have greatly underestimated us. And now that you're here... Well, you know the old saying... An apple never falls far from the tree!”
Edgar smiled uncomfortably.
“Now leave,” Ephram added firmly.
“There was one other reason for my visit today,” Edgar replied. “It's a more personal matter. I was hoping that you might grant me a brief audience with your grandmother.”
“What the hell do you want with her?” Ephram snapped back at him.
“I merely wish to speak to her and see if she has recovered from her ordeal in the storm a few months ago. I was thinking that perhaps -”
“She is fine,” Ephram replied, “but there is no chance that you will ever see her. For one thing, she knows enough of our island's history that even the sight of a Le Compte fills her blood with terror. For another, you look just like your grandfather, and I will not allow her bad memories to be stirred up. Like everyone else on Thaxos, she is better off without seeing you!”
There was a brief pause, as the expression in Edgar's eyes hardened and his mask of civility seemed to slip a little further. There was malice in his eyes now, and he seemed to no longer care that his disgust was showing.
“You're right,” he said eventually, with a faint smile, “I do look like my grandfather, don't I? What was it they called him, again? The Impaler?”
“You might as well be the same man!”
“An interesting observation,” Edgar continued, slipping his hands back into his black gloves. Although he had initially seemed shocked by Ephram's reaction to his visit, his usual sense of calm amusement had now been restored. “You are very observant, Mr. Kazakos, perhaps more so than you realize. Still, it is clear that my attempts to establish good relations here are going to fall on deaf ears, so I won't waste any more of my time or yours. Please, do be sure to at least pass on my respect to your grandmother, and tell her that perhaps I will find some other opportunity to speak to her in person.”
“Not a chance!” Ephram replied firmly.
Stepping outside, Edgar turned and looked up at the open window above the shop's main door. For a moment, a hint of compassion, maybe even love, crossed his face.
“Do not come back here,” Ephram continued. “You are not welcome in my store, and I can assure you that you are not welcome anywhere else in this town either. If you really must be on Thaxos, have the decency to stay up there and rot in your own home, and leave the rest of us alone. The last thing this island needs is to live once more under the rule of the Le Compte family, so we would rather just try to forget that you even exist.”
“Fine,” Edgar replied, unable to stifle a faint smile, “but at least I tried. I'm afraid that I am on Thaxos, old man, and nothing you can do will drive me away. This place is my home, just as much as it is yours, and I'm not going anywhere. The Le Compte family has been away for long enough, and I will not allow the stupidity of a minority to damage my heritage. Rest assured that I shall send note of my garden party in the next few days, and although I do not expect to see you there, I'm quite certain that there will be others who see things differently. And with that, I bid you good day. I have other business to attend to this morning.”
“You are banned from my store!” Ephram shouted as Edgar walked away. “You are not to set foot on my property again, or so help me God I will have you arrested for trespassing! Do you hear me?”
He waited for a reply, but Edgar merely slipped out through the courtyard's wooden door, and although he wasn't certain, Ephram thought for a moment that he could hear a hint of laughter.
Filled with anger, Ephram slammed the door shut before making his way across the store. When he reached the counter, unable to find any other outlet for his rage, he grabbed a nearby jar and smashed it against the floor, before finally realizing that he needed to be a little calmer. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the door, and he felt as if he could still feel Edgar Le Compte's presence in the room.
Hearing a banging sound from upstairs, he realized that his grandmother was trying to get his attention. After taking a moment to let the last of his anger fade, he made his way up, only to find that the old woman had managed to climb out of bed and was now crawling through her open doorway, as if she was determined to get downstairs at any cost.
“What are you doing?” Ephram asked, crouching next to her and taking her hand. “You must go back to bed immediately!”
Ignoring him, she continued to crawl toward the top of the stairs, but finally she stopped and slumped down against the floorboards, as if her aged body had broken down. She muttered something inaudible, her voice filled with desperation and fear.
“I'm sorry if you heard that conversation just now,” Ephram muttered as he began the long, difficult job of hauling his grandmother back to her bed. “Trust me, though, it was the last time. That man will never again trouble us! I made sure that he realized just how the people of Thaxos feel about him. With any luck, he'll go straight back up to his mansion and spend the rest of his life rotting alone!”
As he struggled to get the old woman back into her room, he had no time to notice the tears running down her face, or to hear that she was quietly sobbing.
III
“Hey!” Didi shouted as she walked into the huge archive room. “Anyone in here? Hello?”
Stopping in the middle of the room, she looked around at the scores of crates and packing cases, some of which had already begun to spill their contents out across the floor. Sniffing at the dust that drifted through the air, she waited for some sign of life, but finally she realized that there was no-one else in the room. Frowning, she turned and looked over at the desk in the far corner, and then at a pile of papers arranged nearby.
“Kate?”
Silence.
“Academic bitch?” she added.
No reply.
“Huh,” she muttered, surprised to find that Edgar's new archivist seemed to be slacking off on only her second day. Checking her watch and seeing that it was almost 11am, she wandered over to the nearest crate and picked up the first documents she happened to find, which turned out to be something to do with the purchase of some pigs back in the 1950s. She flicked through them for a moment, but as hard as she tried, she didn't find them even remotely interesting, and she felt nothing but pity for Kate.
Once she'd put the papers down, she found that a layer of thick, greasy dust was smeared on her fingertips.
“Gross,” she muttered, wiping as much of the dust as possible onto the edge of a crate.
Making her way across the room, she found it hard to believe that anyone could handle the idea of spending time in such a place. To Didi, the archive was just a big pile of junk, and she figured the best approach would just be to haul everything out and burn it on the lawn. After all, she couldn't understand why anyone would care a jot about some pigs that were bought by some long-since dead guy more than half a century ago, and she felt that Edgar's money could be better spent on other projects, l
ike building a bar in the swimming pool or adding a little extra cash to the wedding fund. She also felt that Kate was something of a threat, although that impression was diminishing now that she realized that the other woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Nice,” she muttered, standing in the middle of the room. “Lazy-assed slacker bitch.”