Thunder Point

Ferguson laughed. “Well said.”

“Anyway, Dillon, what do you know about it? Which was your war?” Carney asked.

Dillon said calmly, “I’ve been at war all my life.” He stood up, lit a cigarette and went up the ladder to the flying bridge.

Carney said, “Hey, wait a minute, Brigadier, that discussion we had about the Irish army last night at Jenny’s Place when I made a remark about the IRA? Is that what he is, one of those gunmen you read about?”

“That’s what he used to be, though they like to call themselves soldiers of the Irish Republican Army. His father was killed accidentally in crossfire by British soldiers in Belfast when he was quite young so he joined the glorious cause.”

“And now?”

“I get the impression that his sympathy for the glorious cause of the IRA has dwindled somewhat. Let’s be polite and say he’s become a kind of mercenary and leave it at that.”

“I’d say that’s a waste of a good man.”

“It’s his life,” Ferguson said.

“I suppose so.” Carney stood up. “Clearing now. We’d better go.”

He went up the ladder to the flying bridge. Dillon didn’t say a word, simply sat there in the swivel chair smoking, and Carney switched on the engines and took the Sea Raider in toward St. John.

It was perhaps ten minutes later that Carney realized that the motor yacht bearing down on them was the Maria Blanco. “Well, damn me,” he said. “Our dear old friend Santiago. They must be moving on to Samson Cay.”

Ferguson climbed the ladder to the flying bridge to join them and Carney took the Sea Raider in so close that they could see Santiago in the stern with Algaro.

Carney leaned over the rail and called, “Have a nice day,” and Ferguson lifted his Panama.

Santiago raised his glass to them and said to Algaro, “What did I tell you, you fool. The sharks probably came off worst.”

At that moment Serra came along from the radio room and handed him the portable phone. “A call from London, Senor, Sir Francis.”

“Francis,” Santiago said. “How are you?”

“I was wondering if you’d had any breakthrough yet?”

“No, but there’s no need to worry, everything is under control.”

“One thing has just occurred to me. Can’t imagine why I didn’t think of it before. The caretakers of the old hotel at Samson Cay during the war, they were a black couple from Tortola, May and Joseph Jackson. She died years ago, but he’s still around. About seventy-two, I think. Last time I saw him he was running a taxi on the Cay.”

“I see,” Santiago said.

“I mean, he was there when my mother arrived and then Bormann, you take my point. Sorry, I should have thought of it before.”

“You should, Francis, but never mind. I’ll attend to it.” Santiago put the phone down and turned to Algaro. “Another job for you, but there’s no rush. I’m going for a lie down. Call me when we get in.”

Later in the afternoon Dillon was lying on a sun lounger on the terrace when Ferguson appeared.

“I’ve just had a thought,” the Brigadier said. “This millionaire’s retreat at Samson Cay. Might be rather fun to have dinner there. Beard the lion in his den.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dillon said. “We could fly over if you like. There’s the airstrip. I passed over it on my way here and that Cessna of mine can put down on land as well as water.”

“Perhaps we can persuade Carney to join us? Ring the front desk on your cellular phone, get the number and ask for the general manager’s name.”

Which Dillon did, writing the details down quickly. “There you go, Carlos Prieto.”

Within two minutes Ferguson was speaking to the gentleman. “Mr. Prieto? Brigadier Charles Ferguson here, I’m staying at Caneel. One of my friends has a floatplane here and we thought it might be rather fun to fly over this evening and join you for dinner. It’s a dual-purpose plane. We could put down on your airstrip. There would be three of us.”

“I regret, Brigadier, but dining facilities are reserved for our residents.”

“What a shame, I’d so hate to disappoint Mr. Santiago.”

There was a slight pause. “Mr. Santiago was expecting you?”

“Check with him, do.”

“A moment, Brigadier.” Prieto phoned the Maria Blanco, for Santiago always preferred to stay on board when at Samson Cay. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Senor, but does the name Ferguson mean anything to you?”

“Brigadier Charles Ferguson?”

“He is on the telephone from Caneel. He wishes to fly over in a floatplane, three of them, for dinner.”

Santiago laughed out loud. “Excellent, Prieto, marvelous, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Prieto said, “We look forward to seeing you, Brigadier. At what time may we expect you?”

“Six-thirty or seven.”

“Excellent.”

Ferguson handed the cellular phone back to Dillon. “Get hold of Carney and tell him to meet us at Jenny’s Place at six in his best bib and tucker. We’ll have a cocktail and wing our way to Samson Cay. Should be a jolly evening,” he said and went out.

12

It was seven o’clock in the evening when Jenny Grant reached Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport. She returned the hired car, went to the British Airways reservation desk and booked on the next flight to London. It was too late to connect with any flight to Antigua that day, but there was space the following morning on the nine A.M. flight from Gatwick arriving in Antigua just after two in the afternoon, and they even booked her on an onward flight to St. Thomas on one of the Liat inter-island service planes. With luck she would be in St. John by early evening.

She waited for her tickets, went and booked in for the London flight so that she could get rid of her luggage. She went to one of the bars and ordered a glass of wine. Best to stay overnight at Gatwick at one of the airport hotels. She felt good for the first time since she’d heard the news of Henry’s death, excited as well, and couldn’t wait to get back to St. John to see if she was right. She went and bought a phone card at one of the kiosks, found a telephone and rang Jenny’s Place at Cruz Bay. It was Billy Jones who answered.

“Billy? It’s me – Jenny.”

“My goodness, Miss Jenny, where are you?”

“Paris. I’m at the airport. It’s nearly seven-thirty in the evening here. I’m coming back tomorrow, Billy, by way of Antigua, then Liat up to St. Thomas. I’ll see you around six.”

“That’s wonderful. Mary will be thrilled.”

“Billy, has a man called Sean Dillon been in to see you? I told him to look you up.”

“He sure has. He’s been sailing around with Bob Carney, he and a Brigadier Ferguson. In fact, I just heard from Bob. He tells me they’re meeting in here, the three of them, for a drink at six o’clock.”

“Good. Give Dillon a message for me. Tell him I’m coming back because I think I might know where it is.”

“Where what is?” Billy demanded.

“Never mind. Just you give him that message. It’s very important.”

She put the phone down, picked up her hand luggage and still full of excitement and elation, passed through security into the international lounge.

Ferguson and Dillon parked the jeep in the car park at Mongoose Junction and walked along to Jenny’s Place. In