“Well, I…” Susan hated to refuse, but she really had other things to do. “I need to meet Jed,” she lied. “I’ll just go back to my cottage and shower.”
“If you’re sure…” Apparently satisfied, Lila directed her attention elsewhere. “James, you’ll be in my office as soon as the kayaks are secured.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Before he turned back to his task, Susan was surprised to see the expression on his face. He looked afraid.
THIRTY-ONE
Jed was nowhere to be found, and Susan decided that the shower she had used as an excuse to get away by herself was an excellent idea after all. She had learned a lot this morning, but nothing intrigued her as much as Lila’s reaction to the kayaking accident. The woman had been what Susan’s children would have called “off the wall.” Why would a simple accident upset Lila more than a murder or Jerry’s arrest or Kathleen’s assault? Susan was pouring cream rinse into her palm when the answer struck her. It hadn’t been an accident. Someone had tried to kill her. Lila wasn’t seeing what happened as an individual accident, but as the latest event in a line of horrible events. Events that could damage the reputation of Compass Bay.
Her kayak must have been sabotaged! But by whom? Susan scrubbed the salt from her skin and thought. The person who did it must have known that Susan was going to end up with that kayak. And who would have known that? James… No, in fact, James had been up at the kiosk when Ro, Randy, and Veronica picked out their boats. It had to be one of those three people. Or all three? Susan played around with that thought before discarding it. Regarding them as a foursome was fine, but they were four individuals. And she needed to consider each individually. And she shouldn’t, she realized, exclude Burt. Burt may not have gone on the trip, but he certainly was around when the other three were selecting their vessels. He could have made a hole in the remaining kayak while the others were busy putting on their vests and dousing themselves, yet again, with another layer of sunscreen.
But how could she find out? Those who were willing to answer her questions when she asked about Kathleen wouldn’t necessarily answer questions about their friends. On the other hand, anyone overlooking the beach could have seen what was happening. Susan tried to remember if she had noticed anyone nearby.
It was hopeless, she finally decided, flipping off the shower and grabbing a thick towel to wrap around her hair. She was tying her robe’s sash when she heard someone at the door. “Jed? Is that you?”
“No, Mrs. Henshaw. It’s me. Lourdes.”
Susan hurried across the room and opened the door. “Hi.”
“Miss Lila send me here. She think maybe you need massage after your ordeal this morning.”
“How nice, but I told her that I was fine.”
But Lourdes was already inside the cottage. “If you not mind, Mrs. Henshaw, I would like to talk to you. If you do not mind.”
“Of course not. Is something wrong?”
“Yes. Something is very, very wrong. We are all very, very upset.”
“What is it?”
“We worry about James. We all worry about James.”
“Why? He’s just fine. You should have seen the way he paddled his kayak back to land-”
“James is very strong. But that will not keep Lila from firing him.”
“Why would she do that? He seems to be the person who keeps this place running smoothly.”
“Yes. That’s right. James is very, very important at Compass Bay. But Lila is very, very angry at him. Things like today not supposed to happen. Guests are not supposed to be in accidents.”
Susan didn’t know how to respond to that. Apparently it was okay if guests were murdered, assaulted, or kidnapped, but a hole in a kayak was unacceptable. Susan knew she had never been in any danger. The water was warm; she wasn’t terribly far from shore; help was nearby. What was Lila so upset about?
“James is a wonderful man. Many, many people who work here owe much to him. And he has large family that he supports. It is very important that he stay at Compass Bay.”
“Is Lila going to fire him?” Susan asked, appalled.
“Ms. Lila is very, very mad,” Lourdes said again.
“What does he want me to do?”
“Oh, no! You not understand. I ask you for help. Many of us on staff, we ask you for help. James not ask. James not know I am here.”
“You and… the other members of the staff-what do you think I can do to help?”
“If you could, please, go talk to Lila. Tell her that James saved your life. That he did nothing wrong today. That you feel terrible if he be blamed for your unfortunate accident.”
“Look, all of that is true. Well, he probably didn’t save my life. I wasn’t in any real danger,” Susan said. “But why do you think anything I can say will help?”
“Lila care most about opinions of guests. That is what Lila care about.”
Susan sighed. She might as well try to help James. She certainly wasn’t helping anyone else. “I’ll go talk to her immediately.”
“But not tell her that I come see you,” Lourdes urged.
“Of course not.” Susan was fairly sure Lila’s image of her was so low that nothing could damage it-although she was also fairly sure Lila wouldn’t appreciate her butting into Compass Bay’s business.
“You go now. Before something stupid happen to James.”
“Yes. But will you do me a favor? Would you find out if anyone has seen my husband recently?”
“Yes. You do James favor. I do you favor.” Smiling broadly, Lourdes left the cottage.
“Well, no time like the present,” Susan informed her reflection in the wall mirror.
Lila was at the front desk flipping through some reservation forms. She looked up with a smile, which disappeared when she recognized Susan, only to be replaced immediately.
“Mrs. Henshaw. What can I do for you? I hope you’ve recovered from your ordeal. Perhaps you’ve reconsidered my offer and would like a massage?”
“I’m absolutely fine,” Susan said. “I wanted to tell you how wonderful James was when I discovered my kayak sinking. He didn’t waste a minute getting to me and bringing me back to land. He wanted me to get up in his kayak, but I thought it would be better if he just towed me behind. He was wonderful,” she repeated.
“Ah, well, many of our guests grow quite fond of James during their stay.”
“He must be quite a valuable employee,” Susan said.
“All our employees are valuable to us,” Lila said. Obviously she was losing interest in their conversation; she picked up the papers she had been sorting through when Susan entered the room. “Oh, Mrs. Henshaw, I almost forgot. There’s a message here for you. The call must have come in while you were out this morning.”
It was from Jed. “Still with Jerry. Everything okay. He says we don’t have to worry about Kathleen anymore. Repeat. Anymore.”
Susan frowned. “Thanks.”
“Everything okay?” Lila asked.
Susan suspected that the other woman had read the note before passing it on, so she merely nodded. She turned and then remembered the reason she was here. “You will give James my thanks for everything he did today, won’t you?”
“Of course. But you can tell him yourself, you know. Or leave him a note at the employees’ lounge.”
“Where is the employees’ lounge?”
“Right across the street. The little stucco building beside the parking lot.”
“Maybe I’ll do that,” Susan said, folding the piece of paper and sticking it in her pocket.
“Watch the traffic. There aren’t a lot of cars on the island, but there are even fewer safe, competent drivers.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Susan turned and left the office, walking across the large patio, under the bougainvillea-covered arch that formed the entry to Compass Bay. Taxis had picked her up and dropped her off here, but she hadn’t paid any real attention to the unpainted stucco building sitting in the middle of a dirt field on the other side of the street. Cautiously looking both ways down the deserted street, she headed toward the run-down building. A few of Compass Bay’s brightly colored chairs, broken-down and in disarray, sat around the building. French doors were open and Susan could see even more utilitarian furniture inside. She walked in.