Under the Carib Sun: An Adel Destin Crime Novel

PART 1: Chapters 36 - 43

● 36 ●

Daphnée heard Eric’s voice calling her name and quickly wiped the tears off her face.

“Back here!” she shouted.

She listened to the creak of the screen-door, followed by footsteps through the grass, then the sound of her bedroom door opening.

“Other room.”

The door to what had been Lili’s bedroom when Daphnée moved in opened and Eric came in, stopping to look at her through the cigarette haze, Daphnée straightening her back against the wall.

“Hey,” she said.

He came to sit next to her on the bare mattress.

“What happened?”

She lifted the bottle of Stoli and took another drink. “You took your sweet time.”

“I came as soon as I got your message. I’ve been in the water since this morning.”

He picked up the vodka from between her legs, set it down on the floor. Did the same with the nearly full ashtray resting on her thigh. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her body closer to his.

“What’s going on, baby?”

Daphnée shook her head, then made as if she wanted to get up. “I gotta get ready for work now.”

“Girl,” he held her down, just like she knew he would, “you go to work like this and they’ll fire your drunk ass.” He patted her hair, looking her in the eyes. “I’ll call l’Oubli. Tell them you’re sick. But first you’re gonna tell me what’s wrong.”

She took a deep breath, exhaled, then reached inside her shorts pocket for the miniature cassette. She held it in front of his face.

“The hell is that?”

“Goes in the old answering-machine that’s on the top shelf in the kitchen cabinet. I want you to have it.”

Eric took the tape and stared at it, looking puzzled.

“In case something happens to me,” said Daphnée. “I don’t want these bastards to get away with it.”

“Okay. Stop. What are you talking about?”

Daphnée leaned forward and picked up the Stoli, but Eric snatched it from her hand.

“I think you had enough of this for today.” He put the bottle back down, looked at her sternly. “What do you mean, in case something happens to you?”

Daphnée ran both hands through her hair and exhaled again. She bit her bottom lip.

“Remember right after Lili died? How I told you it wasn’t an accident?”

Eric sighed.

“Yes, I remember. Honey, you were a mess. Doing all that blow, drinking all day long. It made you completely paranoid.”

“I wasn’t paranoid, Eric. Lili was murdered. And this guy, Stéphane Leclerc, he was directly involved. Other people, too.”

“Wait. Stéphane Leclerc... Creepy blond queen with the orange tan?”

“You know him?”

“Just who he is. He doesn’t live on the island anymore, though. Hasn’t—”

“He came back. And I killed him.”

Eric’s eyes went wide, his mouth opening. “What?”