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revolted!'

'Did you tell him AnneMarie had been cannibalized?'

'No! Only Dennis and I knew. And now you.'

'But once again, Ben had access to the information. And Dennis knows AnneMarie's murder file is here. So even if Ben does develop an alibi for the first murder, Dennis may suspect he read up on the case and pulled a copycat. To disguise murdering Betty.'

'He's not a premeditated killer! This whole line of reasoning is spurious!'

'No one else knew about AnneMarie's wounds.'

'The killer knew- a killer who isn't Ben.'

'What about the fishermen who found AnneMarie's body?'

'Alonzo Rubino and Saul Saentz,' he said. 'They're even older than I. Saul's downright frail. And they didn't know the details.'

'Leaving only Ben, who might have.'

'You were at dinner tonight, son. Was that the demeanor of a cannibal butcher? Do you mean to tell me he drove Claire home, tucked her in bed, and left to commit murder?'

'He was in the park. What's his explanation for that?'

'Dennis hasn't interrogated him. Refuses to until there's an attorney present.'

'Ben's still free to offer an explanation. Has he?'

He paused. 'After Dennis and I had words, he was less than forthcoming.'

'When will Ben have an attorney?'

'Dennis has wired to Saipan for a court-appointed lawyer.'

'There are no lawyers on the island?'

'No. Until now that's been a plus.'

'How long will it take for the appointee to get over?'

'The next boat's due in five days. If the base allows a plane to land, it could be sooner.'

'Why would the base cooperate all of a sudden?'

'Because this is just what they want. Another nail in Aruk's coffin.' He made a fist and regarded it as if it belonged on someone else's arm. The fingers opened slowly. The bandage on his hand was soiled.

'Why is the Navy waging war on the island, Bill?'

'The Navy's a branch of the government, and the government wants to rid itself of responsibility. Ben's arrest is yet another reason to abandon ship: murderous savages. Cannibals, no less. And if the fiend who murdered AnneMarie was a Navy man, he's now off the hook, so Ewing's got a vested interest in having Ben prosecuted.'

'I thought you believed the killer had moved on.'

'Perhaps he left and returned. Corpsmen fly in and out all the time. A look at Navy flight records would be instructive, but try obtaining them. There's more than one kind of barricade, Alex.'

'You said Dennis never discovered any similar murders during the interim.'

'That's true. As far as it goes. But some of the places in the region- I've heard there's a restaurant in Bangkok that serves human flesh. Perhaps apocryphal, perhaps not. But there's no doubt things go on we never hear about.'

He rubbed his head. 'Aruk has been abandoned, but I won't abandon Ben.'

'Does Senator Hoffman also have a vested interest in Aruk's decline?' I said.

'Most probably, strip away the veneer of political correctness and you've got a strip-mall builder.'

'In cahoots with someone like Creedman's employer- Stasher-Layman?'

'The thought has occurred to me.'

'Creedman's an advance man?'

'I've thought about that, too.'

'At dinner, Creedman and Hoffman acted as if they didn't know each other. But during the discussion of colonialism, Creedman rushed to defend Hoffman's point of view.'

'The fool.' He looked ready to spit. 'That book of his. No one's ever seen it and he won't be pinned down on details. Why else would Hoffman invite him to that abysmal dinner? Nicholas does nothing without a reason.'

'Have you found any connection between Hoffman and Stasher-Layman?'

'Not yet, but we mustn't get distracted. We must focus on Ben.'

'When Ben caught Creedman snooping, what was Creedman after?'

'I have no idea. There's nothing to hide.'

'What about the AnneMarie Valdos file? And not necessarily for nefarious reasons. Creedman's the one who told me about the murder. Said you did the autopsy, had the details. He sounded regretful. Maybe he smelled a good story.'

'No. As much as I'd like to attribute something malicious to him, he was snooping before AnneMarie's murder. Now let's-'

'One more thing: after you came back from speaking to Hoffman alone, you looked dejected. Why?'

'He refused to help Aruk.'

'Is that the only reason?'

'That's not enough?'

'I just wondered if there was some personal issue between the two of you.'

He sat straighter. Stood and smiled. 'Oh, there is. We dislike each other immensely. But that's ancient history, and I simply can't allow myself to be drawn into nostalgia. I acted stupidly with Dennis and now I'm persona non grata. But he may allow you to speak to Ben. Please call the police station tomorrow and ask his permission. If he grants it, use your professional skills to offer Ben psychological support. He's living a nightmare.'

He came around and rested a hand on my shoulder.

'Please, Alex.'

We hadn't gotten into his lie about being part of the Marshall Islands compensation, the nighttime boat rides. And he'd avoided explaining his reaction to Pam and Dennis's friendship. But the look in his eyes told me I'd taken things as far as I could tonight. Maybe there'd be another opportunity. Or maybe I'd be off Aruk before it mattered.

'All right,' I said. 'But let's get something straight: I'll give Ben the benefit of the doubt till the forensics come in. Unless I get into that cell and he tells me he murdered Betty- or AnneMarie. That happens, I'll march straight into Dennis's office and swear out a statement.'

He walked away from me and faced the wall. One of the watercolors was at eye level. Palms over the beach. Not unlike the one where Barbara Moreland had drowned.

Delicate strokes, washed-out hues. No people. A loneliness so intense…

'I accept your conditions,' he said. 'I'm glad to have you on my side.'

25

As we left for the house, he noticed a fat-petaled white flower and started to describe its pollination. 'Oh, shut up,' he told himself abruptly, and we continued in silence.

Inside, he gripped my hand. 'Thank you for your help.'

I watched him walk away quickly. Energized?

A man who studied predation.

Where had he come from the night I'd seen him with his doctor's bag? What had he been doing in the dark lab?

I'd phone the police station in the morning, but my first two calls would be to the airport at Saipan and the company that chartered the supply boats.

Upstairs, Spike's bark greeted me as I entered our suite. Robin wasn't back yet from talking with Pam. Four- fifty A.M. Someone else I might be able to reach.