Chapter Forty-One

The Abduction

 

 

BEN LARVIN HAD been moved to the rehabilitation clinic, but was still in a hospital bed. The ends of his lower limbs were now capped in what appeared to be perforated blue shower caps. He still had the nub of a saline drip protruding from his plastered left wrist. The nurse warned her that the patient was still undergoing the after-effects of pain relief and might not respond to her, but Ben raised his hand in a weak greeting as Lea entered the room.

She seated herself beside him. She hardly knew where to start. ‘Ben, I know what you’ve been going through. I don’t mean since the accident—before that.’

He turned his head slowly and studied her.

‘When you first found out about the Ka’al.’

No response.

‘After they made you a director, you realised what was happening. That’s why you sent pretty little Abbi away. You feared they might take her.’

‘Abbi is safe.’ His voice was slurred and low, like a recording that had been slowed down.

‘Yes, she’s safe. I know the truth now. How did you find out?’

He licked his lips. Lea poured some water into a plastic jug and put the straw in his mouth.

‘Sewage outlet,’ he said finally. ‘Went there after Roy and Harji, to look at damage. Found shorts.’

‘Whose shorts?’

‘Tom Chalmer’s daughter. Was wearing them when she went missing.’

The air-conditioned room felt colder still. ‘Did you tell anyone?’

‘No. But I listened.’ He tried to raise his head but fell back against the pillows. ‘So tired.’

‘Ben, why didn’t they just deport Mandhatri Sahonta when he made a fuss about losing his daughter? Why did they stage the accident?’

‘Avoid investigation.’

Of course, she thought. Once they’d found out how easy it was to get rid of anyone who pointed the finger of blame, they used the same method again and again.

‘Ben, is there anyone I can talk to, anyone who knows?’

His eyes had closed. Moments later he was asleep.

‘Ben? Who else knows the truth? Who can I trust?’

He spoke without opening his eyes. ‘Betty Graham.’

‘Betty Graham?’

‘She was there.’

He started to snore.

 

 

HER NEIGHBOUR WAS coming out of the corner shop in the compound and actually started when she spotted Lea. For once, Betty Graham had removed her apron. She was struggling to carry a large carton filled with jars. Knowing Betty, it didn’t seem likely that she would still be upset.

‘Let me give you a hand with that,’ said Lea, taking one end of the carton and looking inside it. ‘What are these for?’

‘Oh, Mrs Garfield has enlisted me in jam-making,’ she explained. ‘She’s got us all under the cosh. A real martinet.’

They reached Betty’s front door and carried the box to the chaotic kitchen. ‘I’m glad I saw you,’ said Lea. ‘There’s something I wanted to ask you about.’

A look of discomfort immediately came into Betty’s eyes. ‘I don’t suppose I’ll be able to answer, I never know what’s going on.’

‘This is rather serious, so I was hoping you’d be able to confirm something… you see, I talked to Ben at the hospital.’

‘Oh God.’ She turned away, busying herself with unpacking the empty jam-jars.

‘Remember when I Skyped you in the night? I asked about Tom Chalmers’ daughter and you changed the subject. Ben tells me you were there. When it happened.’

For a moment Lea thought she wasn’t going to answer. Clink went the jam-jars on top of each other. Betty raised her head and looked out of the window. ‘It was cloudy and close,’ she said. ‘Not a good day for the beach. We were down by the lake, where it was cooler. I can’t remember why I’d agreed to take Joia down there. Funny, you’d think it would be the part I’d remember most clearly. We sat on the grass and she read for a while, but she was smart and I think she’d grown too old for the book—it was The Wizard Of Oz.’ There was an odd distance in her voice. ‘It got even muggier and she grew bored, so I said we should go to the pool. She had her swimsuit with her, and went off to the changing rooms. I was putting away our things when I looked up and saw two men in those grey hooded sweaters, and I thought they must be workers. It was so hot, only the workers wear clothes like that. While I was watching, they changed direction and headed toward the changing rooms, and something made me get to my feet and go after them.

‘When I reached the cubicles the men had gone, and so had Joia. Her T-shirt and swimsuit were still on the bench, which meant she was just wearing her red shorts. She was at the age when she was becoming self-conscious of her body, so I knew she’d not let anyone see her half-dressed. Mrs Chalmers—well, I think she blamed me even though she knew it wasn’t my fault. She didn’t speak to any of us much after that.’

‘And the police did nothing.’

Betty came back a little. ‘Oh, they looked. They said they looked. They made enquiries and two workers were deported. It all happened so fast.’

‘What did you do with Joia’s book?’ Lea asked.

‘Mrs Chalmers didn’t want it back so I gave it to Rachel. She said it was proof.’

‘What do you mean, proof?’

‘Joia had taken it with her to the changing room. Some of the pages were torn, as if they’d tried to pull it away from her. Rachel said there would be fingerprints.’

‘But you didn’t hand it in to the authorities?’

‘No,’ she said in a small voice. ‘I was frightened.’

‘Did you tell Rachel what you saw that day?’

‘I did, but I shouldn’t have done.’

‘Why not?’

Betty looked forlorn. ‘Because they’ll come for me one day, just as they did for the others.’

‘Who is going to come for you?’

Her neighbour’s cheeks were wet. She wiped them with the back of her hand. ‘The men who were always here,’ she said. ‘The Sand Men.’

‘But a modern company like DWG.’ The idea defied rationality. ‘How is such a thing possible?’

‘Modern?’ Betty spoke as if dealing with a particularly stupid child. ‘Men don’t change. They’ll live with any cruelty and still believe in their innocence, if it gives them power.’