I was starving, and the aroma of fresh seafood wafting my way from the direction of the outdoor grill was making me swoon. But I knew I’d not enjoy a single bite if some questions weren’t answered to my satisfaction. ‘Is your father here, Gabriele?’
‘He is. He came in late last night. I absolutely hate it when he flies in after dark. One day he’s going to kill himself, and then where will we be?’
Answer to question number one. Onward and upward. ‘Is he here now? I’d like to talk to him.’
‘Sorry, no. He took the launch to Marsh Harbour on business. Is there something I can help you with?’
‘Do you expect him soon?’
‘Later this afternoon, perhaps. It’s always hard to say with Papa.’
‘Perhaps you can help me, then, Gabriele. I hate to interrupt you while you’re working, but is there someplace private we can talk?’
‘Oh, that’s not a problem! I just play at being hostess from time to time, remind everyone who’s boss.’ She waved her arm to attract the attention of a lovely young Bahamian dressed in the ladies’ version of the TTR uniform: a polo shirt identical to the men, but with a khaki skirt instead of pants.
‘Thanks, Lucy.’ Gabriele handed the girl the stack of menus she was carrying, then motioned for me to follow her.
‘We can use my father’s office. I’m sure he won’t mind.’
Gabriele led me down a long hallway, open to the outside world at both ends. Grass cloth covered the walls above a dark wooden chair rail, and small parsons tables had been placed here and there along the way. On each table, an oriental vase held arrangements of tropical flowers. I touched one of the hibiscus as I went by. It was real.
Rudy Mueller’s desk was huge, a block of walnut the size of a Volkswagen, with carvings of pineapples and palm leaves snaking along its sides. Gabriele showed me to one of two chintz-covered armchairs that flanked a gas fireplace, then sat down in the one opposite.
‘Can I get you anything, Mrs Ives. Coffee, tea? It’s no trouble, really.’
‘No thank you. I’m here to lodge a serious complaint, actually, one that you’ll probably hear about in due course as I had no alternative but to report the incident to the police.’
Cool as a cucumber, Gabriele sat at attention, hands folded, eyes locked on mine as if every word that fell from my mouth was a tiny, polished diamond. When she didn’t respond, I went on. ‘This morning, my neighbor and I, an elderly woman who lives on Bonefish Cay, Molly Weston, perhaps you know her?’
Gabriele shook her head.
‘Molly and I had heard that Poinciana Point was a fabulous place for collecting sand dollars,’ I continued, ‘so we came over in Molly’s Zodiac and…’
Gabriele’s hand shot out across the fireplace screen and grabbed mine. ‘You were on that Zodiac? Oh, Mrs Ives, I’m so incredibly sorry. I had no idea. When Kyle reported what had happened, I sent someone after you. When we found the boat… well, we knew you’d made it safely to shore. Since then, I’ve been trying to find the Zodiac’s owner. That’s one of the things Papa’s looking into right now.
‘I don’t know what got into Kyle!’ she babbled on. ‘He’s only worked for us a couple of months, but we’d never had any reason to question his reliability.’ Gabriele blinked, massaged her temples with her fingers. ‘The man was drunk, I’m afraid. I could smell the booze on him. A gun!’ She pressed a perfectly manicured hand to her chest. ‘We don’t permit our people to carry weapons. How he even got it into the country, what with Nine-Eleven and all the airline restrictions, I’ll never know.’
‘He tried to kill us, Gabriele.’
‘Kyle claims he was simply trying to scare you off. Papa’s instructions were to keep people off that beach. Kyle was a bit over-zealous, I’m afraid.’ She crossed one beautifully tanned leg over the other and rested a wrist on her knee. ‘But he won’t trouble you any more. The man’s been sacked. Papa took care of that.
‘And please,’ she rushed on, ‘tell Mrs Weston we will replace her Zodiac with a brand-new boat of exactly the same model. It will take a few days to get here – Papa will have to order it from Florida. In the meantime, we’ll arrange a rental from Water Ways in Man-O-War, so hopefully Mrs Weston won’t be inconvenienced any further.’
I didn’t know what to say.
We’d been shot at, but nobody died.
Molly’s dinghy was totaled, but it was being replaced.
The man responsible had been fired.
Gabriele Mueller had clearly aced her course in Hospitality Management 101.
I’d filed a complaint with the Bahamian authorities, so I’d just have to let them worry about nailing Kyle’s ass to the wall for possession and use of a handgun. I personally wanted to tie him to a plank and set him adrift off Antarctica, but he could get ten years in a Bahamian prison. From what I’d read about Fox Hill, he’d probably prefer the Antarctic.
‘Thank you, that’s very generous,’ I said. ‘I’ll tell Molly to get in touch with you, then?’
‘Now that we know the boat’s owner, and where she lives, I’m sure my father will be calling on her personally.’
Gabriele rose from her chair. Crisis averted. Things to do. People to see. ‘Now, may I treat you to lunch?’
‘That’s very kind.’
Side by side, we walked down the hall. At the entrance to the dining room, I paused. ‘I have a question, Gabriele. While Molly and I were hunting for sand dollars, we noticed this big blue object tied up at the end of the pier. What on earth is it?’
‘That? It’s a little submarine. Another one of Papa’s projects. He bought it from a salvage dealer in Florida. Thought he’d install a glass window in the side so the children could ride around and look at fish. Can you imagine? My stepmother put a stop to that, I can tell you.’
Gabriele giggled, making it seem sultry rather than feather-brained. She picked up a menu from the podium and escorted me to a table. ‘Here by the window is nice, don’t you agree?’
I did. ‘It’s like dining in a rain forest.’
She pulled out my chair.
‘The grilled grouper is especially good today,’ she recommended as I sat down. ‘And Benicio is a magician with crème brulée.’ She raised her arm and snapped her fingers to attract the attention of one of the young servers. ‘Ice water please for Mrs Ives!’ Still holding the menu, she bent at the waist and whispered, as if she were divulging a secret recipe, ‘Today’s special is crème brulée à l’orange. He uses heavy cream and Grand Marnier.’
I moaned. She’d used the C.B. word. My diet was doomed.
I accepted the menu from Gabriele and opened it to the first page. While pretending to read the specials of the day I asked, ‘Is your brother here today, Gabriele?’
‘Jaime’s on the island somewhere, Hannah, but I really don’t have the time to keep up with him. He has his own projects. I’m too busy to get involved.’
I’ll bet. Gabriele was a smart cookie. If Jaime was up to what I think he was up to, she’d keep as much distance between herself and her brother as possible.
‘How about Alice?’ I glanced up from the menu to judge Gabriele’s reaction. ‘We had a chance to chat at the art show. She’s lovely.’
A cloud passed over her face. Was that a smirk? ‘Alice and Jaime share one of the cottages on Poinciana Point. She’s been a bit under the weather lately, sticking close to home. If I see her, I’ll tell her you asked.’
‘Please do.’
The Mueller family. All present and accounted for.
I closed the menu and handed it back to her with a smile that didn’t go beyond my face. ‘The grilled grouper will be fine.’
While I waited for my entrée I played with my banana bread, tearing off bite-size pieces with my fingers, putting them in my mouth and chewing thoughtfully. Gabriele had given me plausible answers to all my questions, except one.