Medusa

Hammond Innes Medusa

Part I THUNDERFLASH

CHAPTER ONE

I was at the office window, looking out over the still waters of the harbour and watching a small boat break the reflection of Bloody Island's hospital ruins, when he drove up. It was our first real spring morning, the air fresh and clear, red roofs shining in the sun of the promontory opposite and the sounds of the port coming with great clarity across the water. He was driving one of those small Italian cars hired out to tourists and I watched idly as he backed it into the raw parking lot we had recently bulldozed out where the roadway stopped abruptly at the water's edge.

The local people had thought us mad to set up shop in this cul-de-sac on the east side of the Gala Figuera. It was so far from the main waterfront highway and almost overhung by the cliffs on which the small town of Villa Carlos was built. But we were close to the Atlante, one of the best restaurants in Mahon, and we had found that people liked an excuse to come to this rather wild little spot that gave them a totally different view of the harbour.

I glanced at my watch, looking down at him, still idly, as he got out of the car and stood there in the sunshine, gazing out to the small motor boat now clear of Bloody Island and cutting a broad arrow as it headed towards Cala Rata on the far side of the harbour. It was not yet eight, early for anybody to visit us on business, and at that hour you don't expect the arrival of somebody destined to shatter your whole life. Nevertheless, there was something about him, his hesitation perhaps, or the way he held himself — I couldn't take my eyes off the man.

He seemed to brace himself, closing the car door and turning abruptly. But instead of crossing the roadway, he stood there, still hesitant, his hair gleaming black in the sun. He had the sturdy compactness of a climber, or a man who played games, and he was good-looking; neatly dressed too, in blue trousers, white short-sleeved shirt open at the neck, and his bare arms had the paleness of somebody who had spent the winter in the north. He glanced up at the open window where I was standing. It was a big bay window we had built out over the roadway to give us more room in the tiny office. He could not help seeing me and he began to cross the road.

But then he checked, stood staring for a moment at the chandlery, then turned quickly and strode back to the car.

The door below me slammed shut and Carp came out, walking across the road to his motor bike, which was parked as usual against one of the old bollards. He was dressed in overalls with a thick cardigan over the top, the bald patch at the back of his head catching the sun.

Carp was the only Englishman we employed. He was an East Coast man, and that cardigan, or some form of woollen pullover, was never discarded until it was hot enough to melt the tar on the Martires Atlante opposite. He looked after our boats. His full name, of course, was Carpenter and he always left for the naval quay about this time of the morning. But instead of starting off immediately, he paused after jerking the bike off its stand, turning to look back at the driver of the Fiat.

For a moment the two of them were quite still, facing each other. Then the visitor reached out and opened the door of his car, ducking his head inside, searching for something, while Carp began to prop the bike up on its stand again. I thought he was going to speak to the man, but he seemed to think better of it. He shook his head slightly, half-shrugging as he kick-started the engine.

As soon as he was gone the visitor came out from the car's interior and shut the door again, standing quite still, watching until the motor bike disappeared round the bend by the restaurant. He was frowning, his rather square, clean-cut features suddenly creased with lines. He turned slowly, facing towards me, but not looking up, and he just stood there, still frowning, as though unable to make up his mind. Finally, almost reluctantly it seemed, he started across the road.

Our premises were the only buildings there, so I called down to him and asked if he wanted something from the chandlery.

He checked abruptly, head back, looking straight up at me. 'Am I too early?' He said it as though he would have been glad of an excuse to postpone his visit.

'The door's not locked,' I said.

He nodded, still standing there. Only a few years separate us in age, but at that first meeting he seemed very young.

'What is it you want?'

'Just a chart.' He said it quickly. 'Of Mahon and Fornells. And one of the island as a whole if you have it. Admiralty Charts 1466 and 1703.' He rattled the numbers off, then added, all in a rush, 'Are you Michael Steele?'

I nodded, looking beyond him to the sharp-cut shadows of the old hospital, the peace of the harbour, resenting his intrusion. It was such a lovely morning and I wanted to get out on the water.

'I think you know a Mr Philip Turner.' He said it hesitantly.

'Phil Turner?'

'Yes, owns a yacht called Fizzabout.If I could have a word with you..' His voice trailed away.

'All right, I'll come down.' Two years back I had skippered Fizzaboutin the Middle Sea Race and Phil had laid up with us the following winter.

It was dark on the stairs after the sunlight. The bell over the door rang as he entered the chandlery and Soo called out to me from the kitchen to check that I was answering it. Ramon usually looked after this side of the business, but I had sent him over to Binicalaf Nou with the materials for a villa we were repainting. 'So you're a friend of Phil's,' I said as I reached the trestle table that did service as a counter.

There was a long pause, then he muttered, 'No, not exactly.' He was standing just inside the door, his back to the light and his face in shadow. 'It was Graham Wade suggested I contact you. He and Turner, they both belong to the Cruising Association. Have you met Wade?'

'I don't think so.'

Another long pause. 'No, I thought not.' And he just stood there as though he didn't know how to proceed.

'You wanted some charts,' I reminded him, 'The large-scale chart of Port Mahon and Fornells also gives details of the passage between Ibiza and Formentera.' I knew the details of it because there was a regular demand for that particular sheet. I produced it for him, also Chart 1703 which covers the whole of the Balearics. 'Where's your boat?' I asked him. 'At the Club Maritime?'

He shook his head, and when I asked him where he was berthed, he said, '1 haven't got a boat.'

'You on a package tour then?'

'Not exactly.' He produced a wad of peseta notes and paid for the charts, but he didn't leave. 'Wade said you'd been living here quite a few years. He thought you'd be the best person to contact — to find out about the island.'

'What do you want to know?' I was curious then, wondering why he wanted charts when he hadn't got a boat.

He didn't give me a direct answer. 'Your wife, she's half Maltese, isn't she?' He said it awkwardly, and without waiting for a reply stumbled quickly on — 'I mean, you must know Malta pretty well.'

'I was born there,' I told him.

He nodded and I had the feeling he already knew that part of my background.

'Why? Do you know it?' I enquired.

'I've just come from there.' He glanced out of the window, his face catching the light and reminding me suddenly of Michelangelo's David in Florence, the same straight brows, broad forehead and the wavy, slightly curling hair. It was an attractive face, the classic mould only broken by the lines developing at the corners of mouth and eyes. 'Grand Harbour,' he said. 'It's not so big as Mahon.' His voice, still hesitant, had an undercurrent of accent I couldn't place.

'No. This is one of the biggest harbours in the Mediterranean. That's why Nelson was here.' I still thought he was connected with sailing in some way. 'It's not as big as Pylos on the west coast of the Peloponnese, of course, but more sheltered. The best of the lot I'd say.'