A few seconds later Justin was back. He helped William along the harbour to the boat. William felt the screeching rockets and fizzing fireworks reverberating in his head, smashing through his thoughts: Pathetic! Pitiful! A buffoon!
At noon the next day, William woke up with the worst hangover he had ever experienced. He had breakfast alone. Just after two, when paracetamol had eased the throbbing between his ears and ice packs had soothed his swollen eyes, he went to Justin’s bungalow on the lower path beneath the main house. There was no sign of him and, worse, William was shocked to see a line of packed suitcases on the bed and wardrobes and drawers emptied. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he went to find him. He discovered Justin down by the jetty.
‘Afternoon,’ Justin said brightly. ‘I’d given up on seeing you today, but I’m glad I have as I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.’
‘You’re going?’ William said.
‘Yes. I need to get back to France. I’m on my way to Paris.’
William pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure how to say it, or even what he wanted to say. He just knew that he didn’t want Justin to go.
‘You feeling all right?’ Justin asked.
‘No, I’m not. Come up to the house, have a drink with me.’
Justin glanced at his wristwatch. ‘I really wanted to get the late tide.’
‘I would like to talk to you,’ William said.
Justin had expected this to happen.
William was sitting at his desk when Justin came in. ‘What about my makeover?’ he said petulantly.
‘Well, I’ve left you a list of designers; suggested who you should contact. You can hire people to do this kind of thing, you know.’
‘I want you,’ William said.
Justin sighed. ‘Well, that’s all very well, but I have a living to make and I have things to do. Especially high on the agenda is seeing my sister.’
‘If it’s money you want you can have it.’
‘Look, if someone fucks me over I fuck them back. You can’t let people get away with humiliating you. I’ve prepared everything here for you to pay the bastards back. But I’m tired of your indecision. Either you want revenge or you don’t.’
Justin left the room and went to the control room. The time was perfect now, he was sure of it.
William walked in as he was putting a tape into the VCR.
‘William, take a look at this. You never even knew it was happening, but think what I could do with it.’ William stood, aghast, watching the video of himself with Dahlia and Ruby, tied to the bed, being oiled and massaged, moaning with pleasure.
‘Shocked?’ Justin asked, smiling. ‘You ever been taken that far before?’ He was enjoying himself.
‘No,’ William said hoarsely. ‘Did you drug me?’
‘You did that all under your own steam! Impressive, wouldn’t you say?’
‘It’s disgusting.’
Justin laughed gleefully. ‘Rubbish, it was done in the privacy of your own bedroom.’ He stopped the tape. ‘Stop whipping yourself with guilt, Willy-boy. Like I said, get even. You’ve got all the trappings right here on Island Exotics. All you need is your guest-list — then we can line ’em up and shoot ’em down. One by one.’
Justin waited. Had he overplayed his hand?
‘No more prevarication, Justin, I’ll do it. But I need you to tell me what to do.’
Which, of course, was exactly what Justin had planned. ‘Fine, and since you seem so concerned that your “guests” won’t show if they know you’re their host, I think there’s no need to make your ownership of the island public. You could be some mysterious tycoon.’
‘“Some mysterious tycoon.” You love to play games, don’t you, Justin?’
William remained silent for a long time.
‘Tell me, what makes you so eager to play out this charade?’ William asked eventually, his eyes sharp as flints. ‘What’s in this for you?’
Justin licked his lips, averting his eyes. His mind raced. He played his hand to perfection.
‘Andrew Maynard. I lost a friend and it hurt to see him vilified and abused. That’s why I care about you. I knew what you meant to him.’
‘I think I meant to him the same thing I mean to you. A meal ticket,’ William said.
‘Wrong on two counts. I’ve already earned enough from you, and you’ll no doubt reward me for assisting you in getting some satisfaction. Also, Andrew only spoke of you with admiration and respect.’
‘Mmm,’ William said.
‘Make them eat shit like you were forced to. Don’t back down or you’ll regret it till the day you die. And then, when it’s over, you can settle down to enjoy your life on the most exclusive private island known to man, once again renowned as the charming, debonair tycoon, Sir William Benedict.’
William contemplated the idea for a moment, then stretched out his hand. ‘Very well, we’ll have a go at it. I must be mad, but yes, why not? You’re on. Let’s get the bastards. Just so long as you know I’m the ring-master.’
‘Absolutely. It’s your trap, William, not mine. I’ll just do whatever you say... I have a few conditions, though,’ he said softly.
William gestured for him to continue.
‘I think we should get Laura here.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, you may need her. She’s very beautiful. I guarantee no man could refuse Laura.’
‘Would she agree?’ William asked.
‘She might. It’s up to you. I think you need a hostess — you know, to welcome everyone...’
William nodded.
‘No point in her coming here directly — the season’s almost over and we don’t want to rush into anything. We must have a perfect time of year: Christmas is the best time in the Caribbean.’
‘God, that’s a while away,’ William said, sighing.
‘Well, we’re not quite ready yet. We’ve a few finishing touches to make — decoration, press releases... and Laura will need to be primed.’
‘I’ll come to Paris with you,’ William said.
‘That’s a good idea. While we’re there I’ll start the press frenzy,’ said Justin, ‘while you think hard about who you want on that list. That should be fun.’ He paused. ‘Talking of press, I’ve been looking at your little problem. I think I have identified your main agent provocateur. One group of publications seems to have led the way in attacking you: News Syndicate International. It so happens that those papers and magazines are all owned by Humphrey Matlock. He’s still on the list, isn’t he?’
William nodded, his lips tight. ‘Yes, well, he was. I got invited to his place for some charity fête, but I never bothered to go.’ He sighed. ‘Truth was, the Sylvina thing blew it all up in my face again and I couldn’t face anyone.’
‘So he should be a priority.’ Justin stared at William, who was now deep in thought. He could be so irritating. ‘Hear what I said?’
William nodded. He was listening, but his thoughts were miles away as he calculated how much money Matlock must have made out of his misery. ‘Yes, he’s top of my list,’ he said softly.
Chapter ten
William and Justin installed themselves in adjoining suites at the Ritz in Paris. From there, the two made sojourns to boutiques and back-street stores, William following his style instructor like a lamb.
His diet and fitness regime began next day with an early-morning swim, then running up and down the shallow end until his legs felt like jelly. Next they went into the gym. They did weights one day, stretching and abdominal exercises the next. For the first six days William ate a soup concocted by the hotel chef to Justin’s specific instructions. It had been originally conceived for heart patients awaiting surgery, to enable them to lose weight quickly but safely.