Death on Dangar Island

Words on the Wind

They ran up the stairs to find the Statuss on a collision course with an oncoming boat and being forced towards a huge concrete pylon at the base of the big freeway bridge. ‘Don’t panic,’ chided David as he leaned in front of Gary and took the wheel for a moment, calmly pointing the bow of the Statuss to the right and pushing the twin stalks of the throttle control forwards, coaxing a roar from the powerful motors and shooting the boat rapidly out of trouble. Emergency over, he graciously handed the wheel back to Gary, giving him a mock salute. ‘There you go, big guy. Just try and miss the other boats will you?’

David added the last remark flippantly over his shoulder as he strode across the cabin towards the modular lounge set into the stern. He sighed as he perched his toned buttocks on the luxurious material. Israel followed him over and took a seat opposite his host.

‘So you visit Jon simply to keep him company then? How dreadful for him to be living in such isolation. Despite your differences you obviously care about him deeply.’

‘He’s the only close relative I have left, Professor. I have to at least try to look after him. He’s been acting strangely for a while now, but it’s become even worse lately.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, he’s been having another midlife crisis I think. He seems to have them on a regular basis, mind you.’

Up at the helm, Gary glanced at his wristwatch pointedly. ‘Look, sorry to interrupt, but I think we should probably turn around if we want to make it back to Brooklyn by nine.’

‘Bring her around there, sailor,’ David called over the noise of the wind and the engines. ‘Bring her around and chart a course for the wharf at Brooklyn.’

Gary slowed the boat and managed to accomplish the turn. He then pushed the throttles forward and picked up speed, this time steering the boat between the pylons of the giant bridge without incident.

Israel moved to the back of the boat to watch as the huge slabs of concrete receded. He scanned the horizon for any sight of his avian friends but to no avail. The wind rushing past and the pulse of the engines made it difficult to engage all his senses. He took a moment to appreciate the sun glinting off their wake.

There was movement immediately behind him. David had a thoughtful look on his face. ‘About this murder idea, Professor. You don’t think Jon could have had anything to do with it, do you? It’s like you said, I am worried about him. He won’t let me in. Won’t let me find out what’s going on in his life. While I can imagine him having an affair with a young girl, or least trying to, I’ve known him all my life and I’ve never really known him to be a violent person.’

‘I am not a police officer, David, but I think you should accept that if this turns out to be something other than an accident, Jon will be subjected to some form of investigation. This may prove unpleasant for him, even if he has done nothing to harm the girl, or indeed never met her.’ He turned swiftly and caught David’s eye again. ‘You say Jon was never really a violent person. I’m assuming there may be an exception or two?’

‘Well, talking to Dana, his ex-wife, for a start. She told me they’d had a few violent encounters before she pulled the pin on their marriage. I’d never heard that before and, I have to tell you, it disturbed me. Then, recently, he had some sort of fight with that man who runs the shop on the island. Came to blows, apparently. I asked him about it, but he doesn’t want to talk to me about that either.’ Israel felt the wind strong on his face. He shot a glance over at Gary and then twisted in his seat towards his companion. ‘You’re not quite what you appear to be, are you, David?’

David stared back at him wide eyed, and then glanced over at the figure of Gary behind the wheel. The rumble of the engines was loud in their ears and he shifted a little closer to the professor.

‘I’m not sure what you mean when you say that, Professor?’

‘I’m saying that you spend time cultivating an image of yourself as homosexual when, in fact, you are not.’

‘What makes you think I was trying to convince you I was gay?’ David’s tone was carefully neutral.

Israel didn’t dignify that question with a response. ‘After we talked yesterday, I decided to ring one of your salons and book in for a manicure. I spoke to a young lady named Carly.’

David groaned, and his shoulders slumped a fraction.

‘Yes, she was a very chatty young lady. I enjoyed my conversation with her. You know, by the end of our little talk I got the distinct impression she disliked you. It was the kind of spiteful recrimination that reminded me of a spurned lover. I didn’t dig too deeply, but when I reflected on what you call your OTT act, in that light, it rang hollow.’ Israel’s eyes narrowed as he gazed silently back at David.

His host threw his hands up in surrender. ‘You’ve got me cold, Professor. Very insightful of you.’

‘But why?’

‘You’re a perceptive man, Israel. You were right about cultivating an image. The whole thing’s about image you see. The boat, the salons, the bachelor pad in Darlinghurst. It all comes together to create an image.’ He cosied up a little more. ‘You must understand what a sense of the theatrical I have. It just fits in so well with everything.’ He held his hands up again, pleading helplessness.

Israel turned away and looked over the stern for a moment before turning back to face David, his eyes somehow both dreamily distant and hard as granite. ‘Yes, I understand how it fits in. I take it you wish me to keep your little secret to myself.’

‘I would appreciate that, Professor. Customers can be fickle beasts and I’m not sure how it would affect my business if rumours started emerging about me being … well – straight.’

Israel gave him a slow grin. ‘Very well, David. It seems the world has changed a lot since I was a young man, but I will hold my tongue for the moment.’

Gary slowed the engines as they moved past the Brooklyn railway bridge again. They were only minutes from their destination and he voiced his need for assistance. Before turning to go and help Gary, David grinned at Israel.

‘Thanks for coming out on the boat, Professor. I love to show it off. And thanks for listening. It’s helped me to air out my feelings about Jon.’

His smile was not returned.

A few moments later, David piloted the big cruiser smoothly into the pier at Brooklyn Wharf. Gary eagerly hopped off with a mooring line and started to secure the boat.

‘Don’t worry about doing that, Gary,’ David called from the cabin. ‘I’m about to head out again.’

Gary steadied the vessel so his friend could hop off and then threw the line back and gave David the thumbs up. ‘I thought that was going to be fun,’ he remarked as the sleek pink boat slowly made its way out of the dock area. ‘And I was right. Can’t say I fancy the colour too much, but Jeez it goes like stink.’

Israel clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Come. We have an appointment to get to in town.’ He turned to regard his friend, his eyebrows low, his mouth downturned at the edges. ‘I hope this morning’s experience won’t encourage you to drive your car like a maniac.’

As Gary’s rusty old Commodore bounced out of the car park potholes, Israel caught a glimpse of pink moving back down the river towards Broken Bay and the open sea.