***
A few minutes later, having tried to deliver the glass of water to Didi but having found no sign of her, Kate made her way back through to the entrance hallway and then up the main stairs. It was still strange to have so many people around, but at the top of the stairs there was a sign marking off one of the corridors as private, so Kate made her way in that direction, figuring that perhaps Didi was right when she said that Edgar would be trying to find a little peace and quiet. By the time she reached the end of the corridor, the sound of the party had almost faded completely into the distance, and she could now just about make out voices coming from one of the rooms up ahead.
As she made her way along the corridor, Kate worried that perhaps she was intruding, but she figured that she, like Edgar, could use a moment away from the crush of the party. Ahead, the voices were becoming clearer, until finally she could hear what they were saying.
“How much longer will it take?” Edgar asked.
Kate stepped closer to the door and reached out to knock, but at the last moment she held back.
“A few hours,” said a male voice that Kate didn't recognize. “We can't rush it any more than we are already. Don't worry, though. The centerpiece of your big party will still be delivered with all the necessary bells and whistles.”
“It has to be done properly,” Edgar continued, sounding agitated. “Even the slightest error could cause panic, maybe even anger. I've come so far with these people today and I can't afford to have it all come to nothing.”
“Relax -”
“Don't tell me to relax! You have no idea what's at stake here!”
“Look at her,” the other voice said. “Compared to what you brought to me last night, I think I've done a wonderful job. She already seems so much better. I mean, hell, she's presentable now, but I absolutely insist that you wait a little while longer.”
“Better isn't enough,” Edgar told him. “She has to be perfect.”
Kate paused, aware that she shouldn't be eavesdropping but also unable to tear herself away. She felt as if she was getting a glimpse into another side of Edgar's life, a side that he seemingly wanted to hide away from the world.
“Have you thought about how you're going to do it?” the other voice continued. “Something like this... It requires some showmanship on your part.”
“I think I should be able to summon something up,” Edgar told him. “Besides, I think the shock will do most of the job for me. Can you imagine how people are going to react?”
“You're a cruel man, Edgar.”
“I'm nothing of the sort,” he replied. “You've seen how successful the party has been so far. The people of Thaxos have come up here in great numbers, like moths to a flame.”
“And what happens to moths when they get too close to that flame?”
“Now you're just being cynical,” Edgar continued. “For now, I think we should get back down to the party. Let's leave the project for a few more hours, until everything is perfect.”
Seconds later, Kate heard footsteps coming closer to the door. She ducked around the corner just in time, as Edgar emerged from the room. Behind him was the smart-looking man Kate had spotted earlier, and it was immediately clear that the pair of them were up to something.
“Doctor Young,” Edgar continued as they made their way along the corridor, “I'm going to be forever in your debt. I could have achieved the same result myself, of course, but it would have taken much longer, given the unfortunate gap that was allowed to occur. I usually do this sort of thing as soon as the moment has arrived, but in this case it was simply not possible. In addition, my attention has been elsewhere in recent days, following an unexpected incident that has required constant care.”
“That's why I'm here,” the other man replied, “and it's why you're paying me so handsomely.”
Kate waited until their voices got further and further away, and finally she realized that she was alone. She stepped out from the corner, but just as she was about to go back to the party she turned and looked at the door from which Edgar and this Doctor Young character had emerged a moment ago. She knew full well that she had no right to snoop around, but at the same time she was curious to learn what, exactly, Edgar was planning.
Against her better judgment, she reached down and tried the door handle. It turned, and the door clicked open.
Taking a deep breath, Kate pushed the door slightly ajar and listened for a moment. There was a sound coming from inside the room, like a kind of harsh, rhythmic rustling noise. Her heart racing, Kate told herself that she should just pull the door shut and go back downstairs, but her natural curiosity was getting the better of her. Besides, she was planning to leave Thaxos the following day, so she figured this might be her last chance to get a fuller understanding of the kind of thing Edgar Le Compte got up to in private. The man clearly had secrets, and she wanted to know at least a few of them.
Slowly, she pushed the door open.
The first thing she saw was that the room was dark, with the only light coming from a crack between the curtains. As she took a step forward, Kate listened to the slow rustling sound,which seemed to be coming from the far side of the room, where some kind of small box had been left on top of a chest of drawers. Pushing the door shut behind her, Kate made her way carefully over to the box, which seemed to contain something that was alive. She stood and listened for a moment as the rustling continued, but although she reached out and considered trying to open the box, some deeper instinct told her that perhaps she had already gone a little too far.
Suddenly she heard a creaking sound and looked back across the room.
For a moment, she saw nothing of interest, but finally she noticed a bed. The sheets had been pulled back, and as she made her way over to take a look, Kate was relieved to find that the bed was empty. She walked around and took a look at the bedside table, upon which there was a bowl of pills plus a small hand-held mirror. Reaching down, she placed a hand on the bedsheets and realized that they were warm, as if someone had been resting there recently. Just as she was about to turn and head back to the door, however, she heard another creaking sound from nearby, and that's when she realized that it was coming from the floorboards.
She paused, telling herself that she was imagining everything, but seconds later she heard another creak.
There was someone in the room with her.
Although there still wasn't enough light to see properly, she turned and saw a dark figure standing a few feet away, staring in her direction. From the silhouette alone, she could tell that it wasn't Edgar or Doctor Young; it seemed smaller, possibly female.
“I'm sorry,” Kate said, trying not to panic. “I just thought I heard a noise and...”
Her voice trailed off as she realized that the figure seemed strangely unresponsive.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Silence.
“What are you... Are you sick?”
Again, there was no answer. Kate paused for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to understand why Edgar seemingly had someone holed up in a room.
“My name is Kate Langley,” she explained, forcing herself to stay calm. “I've been living here and working for Edgar. I've been going through the archive room downstairs.” She waited once again for some kind of response. “Have you been downstairs?” she asked. “Have you even left this room?”
After a moment, she heard the faintest of sounds from the figure, like a subdued guttural moan.
“Are you okay? I swear, I didn't know anyone was in here, I just thought -”
Before she could finish, the figure took a step forward, and finally the light from the window fell across what seemed to be a face covered by a sheet of white cloth, with two round eye-holes cut in the fabric. The figure was dressed in some kind of light nightgown, almost like something from the Victorian era, but as Kate stared in shock, she realized she could just about make out two eyes through the holes in the fabric, staring unblin
kingly back at her.
“Are you okay?” she asked again.
In the room's low light, the eyes were just about visible.
“Okay...” Kate muttered, forcing herself to stay calm. “Listen, I really didn't mean to disturb you, okay?”
She backed away, but at the last moment she tripped over the edge of the bed and landed hard against the floor. As she got up, she turned to see that the figure was stepping slowly toward her, as if it was having trouble moving properly.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked again. “Look, I really don't want to disturb you, so if you're okay I'll just -”
She stepped back as the figure reached out a hand toward her.
“I don't know what you want,” she continued. “Are you hurt? Do you need me to fetch someone?”
Again, there was a faint groan from the figure. It was still holding a hand out toward Kate, with the fingers grasping at her. Although Kate wanted to help, she was starting to fill with panic, as if somehow her senses were trying to warn her of something that couldn't get past the periphery of her mind.
“I'm really sorry,” she continued, hurrying across the room and pulling the door open. She turned back to see that the figure had stopped again and was merely staring at her from beneath its cloth mask. “I swear I didn't mean to come in here. Please, don't tell anyone, okay?”
Realizing that she wasn't going to get a reply, she stepped out into the corridor and pulled the door shut, before stopping and trying to catch her breath. Part of her felt bad for not staying in the room to help the figure, but she'd experienced a kind of primitive, gut-level sense of fear; besides, she told herself that Edgar and Doctor Young had been in there just a few minutes earlier, so they would have acted if anything was truly wrong.
She waited for a moment, trying to work out what she'd just seen, but a few seconds later she heard another creaking sound from the other side of the door, as if the figure was coming closer. Not wanting to stick around, Kate hurried along the corridor until finally she reached the top of the stairs, where a crowd of party-goers had gathered to admire the oil painting of Edgar Le Compte's grandfather. As she turned to look back the way she'd just come, Kate couldn't help but realize that just as the people of Thaxos were becoming more trusting of Edgar, she was starting to develop serious doubts about his intentions.
III
“Furthermore,” Cavaleri continued, without even stopping to draw breath, “the vessel is also in violation of points nine and ten of the international shipping code. My office has received no notification of that boat's destination or departure point, no cargo list, no import or export documentation, no information about its seaworthiness or its crew, not even any indication of its adherence to European safety standards. For all I know, it could be coming from some ebola-infested hellhole!”
Edgar raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“The rats were just the start,” Cavaleri added. “I've been very tolerant so far, Mr. Le Compte, but as of this moment I am officially serving you with papers barring the docking of that vessel anywhere on Thaxos, until such time as the matter has been resolved. Do you understand?”
“Of course,” Edgar replied, taking the documents. “I shall have my lawyer get in touch with you at the earliest opportunity. Rest assured -”
“That boat will be impounded if it breaches the ban,” Cavaleri pointed out, interrupting him. “Also, I must impress upon you the fact that the ban covers any and all landings on the island, so don't think for one moment that you can get around this by docking on the north side of the island!”
“I wouldn't dream of such a thing.”
“I'm onto you,” she added. “If you think you can get one past me, you're in for a surprise.”
“I can only apologize for this unfortunate misunderstanding,” Edgar continued. “I had hoped that my men would deal with the paperwork, but evidently they have neglected to do so. The boat is currently docked, but it is going to leave very soon and I shall ensure that it does not return until you are happy. I want to assure you that I completely understand the need to comply with the rules. In fact, I'm a great supporter of the police and their work.”
“I hope so,” Cavaleri replied, aware that a small crowd had now gathered to eavesdrop on the conversation. “Well, that's all I came up here for, Mr. Le Compte, so I think I'll be bidding you good afternoon.”
“Can I not tempt you to stay for some refreshments?”
“Absolutely not.”
“But if -”
“No,” Cavaleri continued. “Really, Mr. Le Compte, just... No. I'm at work, so I don't have time to socialize. Besides, I'm afraid I have a keener understanding of human nature than most of the people on this island.”
“I can only imagine what that might mean,” Edgar replied with the faintest of smiles.
As Cavaleri turned and walked away, she noticed that some of the locals were eying her with suspicion. It was almost as if, now that she had gone up against Edgar, she was somehow seen as the enemy. By the time she reached the front door, she was starting to feel as if the whole of Thaxos had fallen under Edgar Le Compte's spell, but she was determined to make sure that nothing prevented her from dealing with what she felt was a serious threat to the community. She figured they could have their dumb garden party, but that normal order would very soon be restored.
“You're a disgrace,” she said, knocking Doctor Burns' hat off his head as she walked past him.