Robert Ashford’s study was in a far wing of the house overlooking a sweep of ocean. Daylight had come quickly. Robert was already dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark blue tie when Alex, Miles and Sasha walked in. Grace was sitting sombre-faced in a leather chair facing his desk and Robert motioned to the seats beside her.
‘I prefer to stand,’ said Miles.
His father shook his head slightly and pulled a sour face. ‘As you wish.’
He folded his hands in front of him as if he were about to chair a board meeting.
‘Let’s get right to it, shall we? Would someone like to explain why Alex and Grace told Nelson there was a body on West Point Beach this morning?’
There was a moment’s silence and then they all started speaking at once.
‘There was a body!’ said Grace over the top of the hubbub. ‘We thought he was dead!’
Robert made ‘quieten down’ motions with his hands. ‘And who exactly is supposed to be dead?’ he asked.
‘Bradley someone. He was a boat boy hired to help out with your visitors,’ said Grace. ‘We were all walking back from Catseye Cove and we found him on the west beach.’
Robert steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. ‘Was he breathing? Was there a pulse?’
Everyone looked at Miles.
Alex stared at his friend anxiously.
‘I was going to test for a pulse but we decided not to touch the body as the police would want to see it first.’
‘He was pretty still,’ added Sasha.
‘Still?’ said Grace. ‘He was dead! There was blood all down his face.’
‘Were you taking drugs? All of you?’ asked Robert finally.
Grace was now visibly upset. ‘I know what I saw, Dad. And yes, we’d all been drinking, but we weren’t hallucinating.’
Robert sat back in his chair with an air of annoyance. ‘Well, what I can tell you is that one of the boat boys does appear to have vanished. His bed was slept in, but there’s no sign of him on the island.’
‘Maybe he was washed out to sea . . .’
Her father held up a hand. ‘I haven’t finished, Grace,’ he said. ‘What I was going to say was that Nelson has been down to the boat shed and one of the Boston Whalers is missing.’
‘So you think the little shit has done a bunk?’ said Miles.
‘I wouldn’t have put it quite like that,’ said Robert. ‘But yes, I do.’
‘Are you going to call the police?’ asked Grace.
‘Of course.’
‘Today?’
‘Immedi
ately.’
Grace looked relieved. ‘Are you going to ask them to find out what happened on the beach?’
Her father frowned and shook his head. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said. ‘I’m going to ask them to get my boat back. There are half a dozen islands within a one-mile radius of Angel Cay and I’m going to have each one searched until we find him. Then I’m going to have the little thief clapped in irons.’
‘But . . .’