He was where I first spotted him, leaning against the railing outside the restaurant. I filled him in on the details, telling him it had at least been quick.
“What’s going on, Billy?” He seemed at a loss, his eyes searching for an answer. It was an unusual look for Jack. “Why Deanna?”
“I don’t know the big picture yet,” I said, leaning my elbows on the paint-chipped rail. “I think Daniel Tamana saw or heard something between Henderson Field and arriving on Tulagi. He spoke to Deanna and went in search of Sam Chang. Whoever killed the three of them knew what Daniel was up to.”
“But why wouldn’t Daniel speak up right away?” Jack said. “Why endanger Deanna?”
“The odd thing is, she didn’t seem in danger right away. Remember, Daniel was killed his first day on Tulagi. But both Sam Chang and Deanna were killed some time after that.”
“So he was an immediate threat,” Jack said. “The other two a potential threat. What changed to make the killer silence them both?”
“Chang would have been released from the hospital at some point, so if he knew something-”
“No, Billy,” Jack said. “If he knew something, he knew it, hospital or not. That doesn’t add up. What would he do once he got out, that’s the question.”
“Come here, to stay with one of his sisters, I’d guess.”
“Which is where Deanna was headed as well,” Jack said.
“To see one of the Chang sisters,” I said. “And you.”
“Look, Billy, let’s get this out in the open. Do you think I killed her?”
“I don’t have evidence to say you did. But you were there, and you’re connected to her.” I wasn’t sure Jack was the type to drive a blade into a woman’s heart. Break it, certainly. I noted there was no trace of blood on his right shirtsleeve. The knife thrust up into the heart wouldn’t have sent blood spraying everywhere, but some trace would likely be on the murderer’s hand and clothing.
“What about Tamana?” he asked.
“I could see you in a fight with Tamana,” I answered truthfully. “Especially if he made some crack about getting run over by a Jap destroyer. I get the sense it would be easy to get under your skin about that. You didn’t like losing your boat, and two men dead to boot. You don’t want to be sent home, a failure, to face your old man while Joe Junior, the golden boy, gets his share of the glory in Europe.”
“Don’t call me a failure, goddamn it, and leave Joe out of this!” Jack turned to me and grabbed my arm. “And my father, too, if you know what’s good for you.”
“Like I said, Jack, I could see you getting into a fight no problem.” I shook his hand off of my arm. “You’ve got a short fuse.”
“Okay,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “Point taken. What do we do now?”
“The bartender told me Deanna had asked him where Rui Chang lived. He didn’t tell her, but we should check and see if Deanna found her. Or I should. You need to get back and talk with Cluster, right?”
“I have a little time,” he said. “Want me to take you to Rui?”
“Nah, you go ahead and get back. No reason for you to get any more involved than you already are. One question, Jack. Do you own a knife?”
“Yes, I do,” Jack said, his mouth set in a grim line. “I still have the sheath knife I wore that night in Blackett Strait. Right now it’s in my footlocker back at the hospital. I thought I wasn’t a suspect, Billy.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t have to ask questions, Jack. You’re still someone with a connection to three murder victims. Don’t get all huffy about it. And don’t touch the knife.”
“Billy, if I were going to kill anyone with a knife, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to use my own. In case you hadn’t noticed, there are weapons everywhere around here.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, my hands up in mock surrender. “You’re right, but I have to have an answer in case anyone asks. Otherwise they’ll accuse me of playing favorites, and you’ll come under suspicion all over again. I’m only doing my job here, Jack.”
“I guess I can’t blame you for that,” Jack said, sounding like he’d still like to. He removed his service cap and ran his fingers through the bushy hair hanging over his forehead. “First Kirksey and Marney, then Deanna. I got them killed on the 109, and if I hadn’t asked Deanna out today, she’d still be alive. Someone has to answer for this, Billy.”
“They will. That’s why I’m here, Jack.”
“You make sure you find out who killed Deanna and the other two, Billy,” Jack said, tapping his finger on my chest. “And don’t get in my way while you do it. I’m getting another boat and the Japs are going to pay for what they did. Bet on it.”
With that, he was gone, leaving me on the wharf to wonder if Jack Kennedy had to put half a world between himself and his family to start acting like a man. Back home, he’d been shielded from any need to be responsible for others. Out here, it was different. No lawyers or police commissioners to call on when the going got tough. Jack knew how to take care of himself well enough. He’d been in and out of hospitals for his bad back and stomach problems plenty of times, and had done it alone, God help him. But I doubt he’d ever done much for anyone outside his family. People did things for the Kennedys, not the other way around.
This wasn’t a mess he was walking away from, and I felt a bit of Boston Irish pride in his newfound grit.
Chapter Eighteen
The first thing I needed to do was tell Hugh Sexton. He deserved to hear the news firsthand. Then Captain Ritchie.
Driving to Sexton’s place, I began to notice all the communications wire. It was strung up along the road, on palm trees and hastily erected poles, occasionally branching off to a nearby building. Every military facility on Tulagi was connected via the headquarters switchboard. The wire was so much a part of the background I hadn’t really noticed it.
Did Deanna make a call and unwittingly ask the killer to meet her in Chinatown? Or had someone overheard her plans with Gordie and Archer and arranged a rendezvous? However the killer found out about her visit there, it was seeking out the Chang sisters that triggered the killing, I was sure of it. There was no other reason for the killer to have waited so long to go after Deanna. He’d thought he was safe until she made that move. Jack didn’t need to feel guilty about meeting her in Chinatown; he’d been secondary to her real reason for going.
I climbed the hill to Sexton’s headquarters and was glad to find him alone. I had no desire to handle any more shock, grief, and anger than I had to. He smiled when I entered the room, but the grin didn’t last as he took in the look on my face. I gave him the basic facts, quickly. Always best to get everything out right away, my dad always said. It’s hard getting the news of a friend’s or loved one’s death, and sometimes people want to deny it, say it must be a mistake. But the more details you give them, without being unnecessarily gruesome, the quicker they accept the truth of what you’ve come to tell them. I found he was right about that, and that it was easier on me, too, whenever I handled things this way. Which may have been his point.
“Bloody hell,” Sexton said, slumping in his chair next to the map table. “When is this going to end? It’s awful enough losing people to the Japs, but to be murdered on a Chinatown street in Tulagi, that’s appalling.”
“Listen, Hugh,” I said, wishing I had a precise answer. “I saw John Kari driving through Chinatown just before we found Deanna. He was in a hell of a rush.”
“Do you think he-?”
“I don’t know, but I have to talk to him. He may have seen something important and not even be aware of it,” I said. Or, he may have killed her. I almost hoped so, since that would mean I had a real suspect.
“Quite right,” Sexton said. “I think under the circumstances I should delay their departure for twenty-four hours. Do you still wish to go with them to Rendova?”