For a second the air was filled with awkwardness, and then Karin gave a small smile. She had not seen Helen for many months. There was little love lost between them. Helen had been the ringleader of the argument over the burial and Karin also felt sure that Helen felt bitter about not receiving a penny from Sebastian’s estate. It was hardly Karin’s fault that there was nothing left to give after Seb’s debts; she had been lucky that the house was in her name.
‘Karin. It’s been a long time,’ said Helen quietly, holding her handbag in front of her like a shield.
‘I’m surprised to see you here,’ replied Karin, taking a seat on the bench. ‘After all, you did disagree with the idea of this.’
‘Well. There’s not much else to remember him by now, is there?’
Karin shrugged. ‘We can still remember though.’
Helen sat down next to Karin, perching on the edge of the wood as if she feared her coat becoming dirty from it.
‘Yes, we can.’ Her words were clipped, her expression sour.
‘Is there a problem, Helen?’ asked Karin.
Helen looked at Karin and paused before replying. ‘Matthew and I are divorcing.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ replied Karin.
Helen gave a small snort. ‘Are you, Karin? He told me what happened in Turkey the night Sebastian died.’
Helen’s remarks were like a bomb blast from nowhere. Karin had a flashback to a memory she had long tried to forget. For a second she thought about denying everything, but from the cold look on Helen’s face, it was clear that she knew the truth.
‘Helen, I don’t know what Matthew’s told you—’
‘He told me that after Seb took the tender back to the yacht, you tried to seduce my husband.’ Her tone was flat and without accusation.
‘Matthew seduced me,’ Karin replied softly, ‘but I don’t suppose it really matters, does it?’
‘No, it doesn’t. He doesn’t matter. You don’t matter. But what does matter is what happened to my brother that night,’ said Helen, looking far off into the distance.
Karin knew what she was implying; exactly the same thing all those society gossips had said.
‘Helen, it was an awful accident,’ said Karin. ‘No one knows how or why, but we just have to accept that.’
Helen glared at her, her eyes full of accusation. ‘You and Matthew slipped back to the boat. Why didn’t you tell the police?’
Karin sighed. ‘Because I was with your husband. There was enough hurt without bringing all that up.’
‘Matthew gave you your alibi, didn’t he?’ continued Helen. ‘He said he saw you dancing on the dance floor all evening,’ she snorted. ‘Bloody liar. Truth was you were both having sex together back in the cabin.’
‘Helen, please.’
Helen swivelled round, her lips in a tight line, her eyes pooled with anger. ‘Matthew
came back to the club before we had noticed he was missing. You, on the other hand, remained on the yacht. What happened, Karin? What happened to Sebastian?’
Karin could feel frustration and anger rising. ‘Okay, look. It’s true,’ she said, her voice rising. ‘But when I got back to our cabin it was empty!’ She took a breath to compose herself. ‘I didn’t know where he was.’
A small white dog had trotted up to them and was sniffing around their feet. A warm breeze had picked up and rustled through the trees.
‘Things have turned right around for you this year, haven’t they, Karin?’ said Helen coolly.
Karin looked at her hands. ‘In the last six months, yes, I suppose they have.’
‘Your new boyfriend is very rich. I suspect he has a yacht of his own.’ Karin sat up.
‘What are you suggesting, Helen?’