Bright Air - Barry Maitland [53]
‘Not really, but I didn’t see her after the party at the Kelsos’ house.’
‘Right. I just feel so guilty, not having been there. It helps talking to someone who was.’
‘Oh.’ She smiled sympathetically. ‘I can imagine. She did seem a bit run-down physically, you know, like tired? She had a tummy bug, and saw the doctor a couple of times.’
Sophie had striking, attenuated features, and I guessed that Damien must have made a play at her. ‘I suppose you got to know them all pretty well? Damien?’
She smiled. ‘Oh, Damien was fun. Of course he only came for the last couple of weeks, but he livened things up.’
‘I wondered if he might have been, well, comforting Lucy, after our break-up?’
‘No, actually,’ she grinned, ‘he and I got together for a while. Then …’ She ducked her head.
‘What?’
‘Oh, when the racing yachts came in, there was this really dishy guy on one of them, and when they had the party I went off with him. Damien got pretty annoyed.’
‘Luce was at that party, wasn’t she?’
She thought. ‘Ye-es, she must have been. Yes, I remember her talking to one of the yachties, an American I think.’
‘Do you remember anything else about that evening?’
Another big smile, half-embarrassed. ‘I was pretty preoccupied—but I remember Lucy was very quiet, not drinking. I think she got upset with something the yachties said. But I pretty much had my hands full with … Do you know, I can’t even remember his name now.’
‘They were due to fly out on the Saturday. Didn’t she say goodbye to you?’
‘Not that I can remember. Anyway, they stayed on, didn’t they? The weather turned foul.’
‘So, did you see them again after that?’
‘Ye-es. At least, I saw Damien. It was the night before the accident. He was pretty annoyed with me, but it wasn’t just that. Something was wrong, something to do with their work. They were all pissed off.’
‘And Lucy?’
‘No, I’m sure I didn’t see her. I think she was feeling ill again.’
‘What, they told you that?’
‘I suppose so.’
‘And the next day, the day of the accident?’
‘No, I didn’t see her, but she must have felt better.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, she went climbing with them, didn’t she? I thought I might have seen her when I went to the house that day—that was my regular cleaning day—but she wasn’t there, because she’d gone with them. It’s terrible to think, isn’t it—if she’d been a bit sicker she wouldn’t have had that accident.’
‘Yes, true enough. How about the Kelsos, were they nice people?’
She screwed up her nose. ‘I was glad to leave, frankly. Muriel—Mrs Kelso—seemed all right at first, but she was a hard bitch if you were working for her. I didn’t have much to do with Stanley, but he’s an important man on the island and you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him.’
‘How about the sons?’
‘Not my type. Bob was okay, I suppose; didn’t say much, spent all his time with his boat. I did think he might have had a bit of a crush on Luce, the way he looked at her sometimes. Harry … he tried it on with me a few times, until I finally got it into his head that I wasn’t interested.’
‘Bit pushy, was he?’
‘Yeah, seemed to think I’d make myself available as part of my contract.’
‘Was there some rumour that they were into something dodgy, smuggling or something?’
‘Drugs? I never heard that.’
‘Not drugs necessarily.’
But she didn’t like this line of questions. She looked pointedly up at the clock and said she’d have to go.
‘Sure. We really appreciate you talking to us, Sophie.’
‘You’re welcome. Who else have you spoken to?’
‘Oh, you’re the first we’ve tracked down, really. Who do you suggest?’
‘Well, she was friends with Carmel Bisset, the National Parks ranger; they used to meet every day on account of their research project. And she knew Dick Passlow—that’s the doctor—and his wife Pru. She was the island nurse.’
‘Right.’ I was making notes, playing the part of a grieving boyfriend. ‘But they’d still be on Lord Howe, I suppose.’
‘Not necessarily. I know