A Death in Smoking Paradise

***

"So, Ryan, what do we know about Chardonnay?" Davina asked with her arms folded across her chest as they sat and waited for Tanya and Alice to arrive back.

"She was a really lovely, beautiful girl, both inside and out sort of nice girl; and err, she was the islands hairdresser, I won't lie she wasn't particularly good at it, but then who is after a glass or two of wine, you definitely didn't want an afternoon appointment!" He giggled. "But she stopped us all looking like a 1980's throwbacks!" Ryan stated as he flipped open the pack of cigarettes again.

"Was she in a relationship with anyone?" Davina asked as Ryan placed the cigarette between his lips.

"Well...err...I...don't think so...because most on the island assumed she was with Katya or something...you know the beautician?" Ryan suggested as he grabbed the lighter.

"Well Ryan, was she, did you know different?" Davina enquired as Ryan sheltered the cigarette from the non-existent wind and got the lighter flame going on the edge of the cigarette.

Ryan paused to drag on his cigarette "Err, according to Katya no, she hadn't seen her." He said exhaling.

"No Ryan was she in a relationship?"

"Err, not as far as we are aware Ma'am." Ryan almost relented as he flicked his cigarette above his slowly filling up ashtray.

"So, as the only hairdresser on the island naturally she knew everything about everyone on the islands?" Mused Davina as she twisted a stray hair that had escaped from her ponytail around her middle finger. "Did you have much to do with her?"

Ryan swallowed loudly "Err, not really that well, okay, not for a...err...a long time... Alice went to her a lot as she thought she could get the local gossip from her." Ryan found more comfortable ground and inhaled on his cigarette.

"Did she?" Davina's smooth skin neck stretched forward as she enquired.

"I am not sure, I expect Alice gossiped more than she received Ma'am; all I knew was that Chardonnay certainly keeps sorry, kept Alice's red hair, red."

"I think we will have to interview Katya first, she is only up the road whilst we wait for Tanya and Alice to return. Ryan, I think you should also bring her in? After we have spoken to Tanya." Davina questioned out loud. "Chardonnay seemed such a nice girl, why would anyone hurt her?" she mused.

"Yes, she was Ma'am."

"One last question for your officer, and you might not be able to answer me."

"Yes Ma'am"

"Panties?"

"Pardon Ma'am I certainly don't wear them?" He chortled.

Marion shook her head in disbelief, and took a long deep breath of disappointment, "None of you are surprized she had no underwear on. Should we be looking or have found her knickers?" Davina asked. Ryan shrugged his shoulders at the question.

"I can only guess, that over time, she was like most islanders who actually get dressed are mostly commando underneath as far as I have seen...I mean know..., you know, but maybe we will find them in her cabin?" Ryan suggested.

***

Carrie-Ann leaned over and squishing her body on her thighs quickly dried her feet off as she stepped out of the shower. Her first instinct, as ever, was she grabbed her pack of cigarettes balanced on the toilet cistern and lit up and promptly sat on the edge of the bath and inhaled. The few minutes in the shower were just too long. With the smoke of her dangled cigarette and exhale mixing with the steam she then focused on continuing to gently dry herself down.

She mooched into the now empty bedroom, bar the bed, two ashtrays on the floor either side of the bed and one cupboard. With the cigarette dangled she tied her towel up to dry her hair and rummaged through a draw and picked up her cardigan and put that on to keep her still damp shoulders warm, then headed down the stairs and paused as she momentarily took in the mountain of boxed stacked in the living room.

***

Sitting in the box room that acted more often as the cupboard and less often as interview room with a small dusty wooden table with three mugs of coffee on it, in the corner of the room there was a tiny window providing some daylight.

"Thank you, Katya, for taking time out your presumably busy schedule to talk to us." Davina asked as Katya moved her pack around on the table in front of her.

"Ja, no problem." She smiled back at Davina tapping her fingers on the table.

Davina pointed to the pack, "Firstly before we start, go on, please light your cigarette, I assume on this island it's almost a requirement." She shook her head in slight disgust.

"Ja, thank you, we do like our cigarettes!" She smiled and quickly extracted her cigarette from her pack and Alice then leaned across with the lighter and then quickly lit her own cigarette between her intrinsic pattern painted nails and crossed her legs over and waiting for Davina to continue.

"Excellent, right, as I am new here on this island, so I should just properly introduce myself as DI Walliams I was meant to come over to meet my colleagues on the island for the first time." She smiled wryly, "Anyway, thank you for kindly coming down to talk to us this morning "I am asking what could be silly questions, but I am trying to learn about you all so I can help Alice and Ryan determine what actually happened to Chardonnay. I will tell you know; we think she may have been murdered."

"Scheisse, fiken," Katya nervously dragged hard on her cigarette. "I thought it was suicide?" She asked looking longingly at Ryan for help who shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we have evidence that it may not have been, as we believe you know her best, do you know if Chardonnay had any enemies?"

"Nein, no," she shook her head and then dragged hard again.

"Was she in a relationship?"

"Err," she twisted her face "I don't know."

"You two lived together until recently?"

"Ja, but living so close and working together all day, is all very difficult for me, Ja?" She dragged on her cigarette.

"So, you needed more space?"

"Ja," she nodded, "when we both started the committee thought us both working in beauty would get on." She laughed deeply and coughed to clear her throat and then dragged on her cigarette. "We didn't!" She said with her exhale shrugging her shoulders at the indifferences.

"When did you last see her?"

"Friday afternoon, at work, she said she was going out for drink together and did I want to join her. I refused; I was tired and had a headache."

"So, you didn't bump into each other on Saturday or Sunday?"

"Nein, I still had a headache, and stayed at home the whole weekend, didn't see anyone, I didn't even exercise or go to the bar to get drunk!" she grinned proudly and then dragged on her cigarette.

"So, you didn't visit Trudy?" Davina pressed.

Katya paused and contemplated the response as she dragged again on her cigarette before exhaling and shaking her head "Nein, no, I had no reason to, I had my grosser headache." She rubbed her forehead for effect.

"What was the last thing she told you recently?" Davina asked.

"Oh, that she was going to quit and move back to the mainland." Katya confidently responded.

Davina nodded and thought for second, "Okay, okay, do you know the reason why?"

It was Katya's turn to nod. "Ja, she said she had enough, and she was missing her mom!" She grinned flicked her cigarette and dragged again.

"Okay, do you know who her last male acquaintance on this island was?" Davina probed further changing tack.

"Err, she...didn't really talk about anyone...ja, Ryan you might know?" Katya asked looking accusingly back across the table.

Ryan went bright red putting his hands up in the air beside his head "Err...it wasn't me.... I didn't think I was that recent?" He stuttered.

***

Tanya sat with her sunglasses over her nose covering her bloodshot eyes, her legs crossed over each other, evidently still braless in her kami vest as her nipples stood proud through the thin fabric. She was still wearing her almost-there white shorts sitting opposite of Davina and Alice. The large white ceiling fan was slowly swooping around pushing the warm air and smoke around the small room.

"Thanks Tanya, I know we had a brief chat yesterday, I just want a further quick discussion regarding the scene and what you saw and what you know of Chardonnay."

Tanya stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes again, "No problem." She stated as her fingers gently and rhythmically tapped on her Marlboro red pack in front of her. "I brought our latest guests out to Trudy the island, as I do maybe once a month, or whenever we have new guests visiting." Tanya said as her tapping got quicker and louder on top of the pack.

"So, you didn't see anything suspicious on the island during your tour?" Davina asked as Tanya pulled the pack closer to the edge of the table and started tapping again.

"Err, no, there was nothing unusual at all. It was very much normal." She yawned again. "Moored the boat up, and didn't lose it, and then walked my usual route around the island." She spoke with indifference, boredom. Her head was thumping with an almighty hangover.

"Didn't lose the boat?" Davina enquired as she took notes.

"Oh, a while back it got stuck under the quay." Tanya said shrugging her shoulders whilst uncomfortably trying work out where the questioning was going as she flicked the lid open and shut a few times of her Marlboro Reds pack.

Davina paused and scribbled a note and passed it to Ryan, who read it and nodded.

"So, there was no evidence of anyone being out on the island as you walked around?"

"No, it had its usual empty feeling, there wasn't anyone around." Tanya stated as she pulled and then pushed a cigarette back in to the pack.

Davina smiled and shook her head, "Tanya, please you can smoke your cigarette if you need too."

"Oh, you life saver, really thank you, I was desperately trying to be polite." She smiled and quickly placed the filtered end of the cigarette between her lips and Ryan then extracted his lighter from his shirt pocket leaned over and offered a light." With two deep drags she relaxed and settled back into her chair and re-crossed over her legs as she exhaled directly out in front of her lips before instantly taking another hit on the cigarette.

"Did you notice anything unusual other than the body?" Davina asked leaning forward placing her elbows in the middle of the table.

Tanya defensively again dragged on her cigarette before exhaling slowly and shaking her head in the middle of her own cloud "No, there was nothing different about the cemetery, other than poor Chardonnay spread eagled against the grave."

"Tanya, I believe you are on the management committee for this island, as your parents I believe own it?"

"Err, yes?" Tanya stated inquisitively.

"So, drugs I assume are totally illegal on the island?"

"Err, well, of course yes, but err, no." Tanya replied not totally confidently and flicked her cigarette to de-ash it whilst she thought. "We certainly don't recommend them, but as everyone is an adult on the island, and we class it as ultimately it's a safe space as such." She paused and took another quick drag. "We ask everyone to look out for each other as a community and as such help so, no, we don't ban them as such."

Davina hmmm "Interesting...So do you know of anyone else who has been on the island this weekend?"

Tanya cocked her head back and her cheeks collapsed as she drew yet again on her cigarette as she thought again for the right answer. She paused and held the smoke for beat. "My Dad, Martin he was out there at the weekend?" She said with the start of exhale before and flicking her cigarette again in her empty coffee mug.

Davina looked at Ryan and then back at Tanya and with a stone face she firmly replied, "Many thanks for talking to us this morning; we will let you get on with your day." As she pushed her chair back and Ryan copied.

"Ryan you can drop Tanya back to the house and see if you can find and bring in..." she looked at her notes for inspiration "...Martin in?"

"Yes Ma'am"

Tanya paused for a second thinking. "Shit, fucking hell, yes its Wednesday I need to be fairly quick; I need to get the Outhwaites to the beach bar!" Tanya panicked. "Thank you." She smiled and then coughed hard, shook her head, and dragged on her cigarette, exhaled, and smiled at Ryan and Davina as if nothing was wrong and then stubbed it out before leaving.

***

"Ma'am initial post-mortem results are in." Alice said solemnly as they sat back in the office as Ryan and Tanya headed out the door.

"That was quick, what's the headline?"

"Very low levels of temazepam, which is a sleeping tablet, recent sexual activity, a large bruising to the back of the head." She hmm'd as she read on, "no alcohol, but oh hell, Ma'am she was 2 months pregnant." Alice loudly gulped.

"So...that explains why she had to go back to the mainland and was missing her mom! We will now need to determine the father? She will have been sleeping with someone on the island or has someone has drugged her, or she was using them to sleep, went for a walk and in the process, she has fallen over against the gravestone?" Davina mused.

"Or did she have sex with someone before going over to the island, and then depressed still killed herself?" Alice countered as she the focused as she picked up a fresh cigarette and placed it between her lips, she then looked under the papers and shuffled them around before frowning again leaning over and snatching Ryan's SPIL lighter, before she cocked her head slightly to the side as she lit it and dragged slowly on it, she lifted her head slightly as she exhaled.

"What was the cause of death?"

"They think a blunt instrument to the back of the head...Oh we didn't find anything like a bat or bar in the graveyard?" Alice answered her own previous question.

"That is interesting officer, it could well have been something to hand, it could have been a branch or a stick or even the gravestone itself, which wouldn't have stood out when you thought she had been drugged, I think in the coming days we will need to revisit the island." She stated before thinking, "it's interesting that someone left the tablets and vodka bottle was a prop to confuse you. To make you think it was just suicide." Davina mused with authority. "But she its evident that she has clearly got a man on the island."

"It does look that way Ma'am." Alice agreed and flicked her cigarette that she had ignored between her fingers during the conversation and then took a drag on it, whilst again looking under her papers on her desk.

"Did they give a time of death?"

"Oh, yes ma'am within the last 48-24 hours."

"So, we have Ryan and Martin on the island this weekend, I wonder if there was anyone else?"

"Err, looks like that was just it, Ma'am, I trust Ryan, so it has to be Martin?" Alice smiled kindly at Ryan who blankly looked back and tried to raise a smile.

"Do we have a real motive for either of them?" Davina mused out loud.

"Err, well as we have just discovered Chardonnay was pregnant?" Alice suggested trying to be helpful.

"But officers, is that a reason to kill, she might not have even known?"

Alice looked intently Ryan who quietly looked to the floor shrugged his shoulders.

***

Davina introduced herself again and explained the original purpose to being on the island.

Martin with his broad shoulders in a red checked shirt stood tall above the table looking down at the detective and smiled widely his polished white teeth set in the tanned mahogany coloured skin and dark 5 o'clock stubble. He ran is hands through his overly black hair, more than a hint of Just for Men being used. "I am again sorry that you arrived in such circumstances, our island community are normally such peaceful and loving people." He then pulled the chair out and sat down.

"I am going to cut to the chase sir." Davina said sternly unfolding her arms and placing them on the table "On Sunday just gone where you on the island of Trudy?" She enquired.

"Yes officer." Martin replied quickly and firmly as he pulled his pack of SPIL golds out of his checked shirt pocket and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Can you explain what you were doing over there?" Davina asked as Martin pulled the cigarette out of the pack and placed it between his lips.

"Yes officer," Martin said as the cigarette bounced between his lips. Davina nodded and Martin took that permission to light the cigarette. Once he exhaled, he carried on "Every year the insurance policy dictates that our islands are fully risk assessed, as lots of Trudy is rather old and decrepit, much like our residents," he chuckled to himself, "I then have to notify the committee and then we determine if we need to solve any problems, and provide such information to the insurance company." He stated confidently sitting bolt upright and occasionally flicking his ash into the ashtray.

"How often do you go across to the island?" Her mahogany brown eyes almost beaming across the table at Martin.

Martin snorted gently, "Maybe two or three times a year, once for the survey and then if I remember I go across to pay my respects to the founding members. I might pop across for some relaxation, and get time on my own away from work, wife, and child, but that wasn't the reason this weekend." He replied as his cigarette was burning between his thick tanned fingers.

"So, you visit the grave site that Chardonnay was found at?"

Martin nodded as he moved his cigarette to his mouth and dragged on it.

"For the tape record Martin has nodded, did you visit the grave site on Sunday?"

Martin casually exhaled a cone out the corner, "Yes I did, but I can promise that there was no one else on the island, well not that I saw, I walked the whole island from tip to toe,"

"Have you got any evidence of where you walked?"

Martin smiled assertively "I was photographing the whole island as I went. So, I could write a report for the committee."

"Can we see the photos?" Davina asked cocking her head inquisitively to the side.

Martin nodded, "Of course, but I have transferred them to the computer, but I can email them down to you?"

"Thank you for the offer, but Alice here will pick the computer up when she drops you off."

Martin swallowed audibly and dragged on his cigarette. "Are you sure?" He winced as he asked before exhaling.

"Don't worry, we won't care about your porn," she laughed to herself "you are man after all; we are just interested in the pictures of the island and anything else we might find regarding Chardonnay." Davina raised her eyebrow as she enquired as Martin dragged on his cigarette.

"Oh, err, I guess that's okay." Martin said without any confidence.

"Martin, how did you get to the island?"

"I used my boat." Martin replied on more confident ground and as such drew on his cigarette.

"Is that the same one as Tanya, your daughter, uses for the tours? As such did you see any other boats?"

"Absolutely there are only a few boats on the island, we try and limit the ability to get around, as we don't want to have to get the authorities out to rescue people, and no I didn't see any other boats! Can you tell me where this is going officer?" Martin leaned forward placing his elbows on the table.

Davina instantly leaned back and smiled trying to defuse the building tension.

"Martin, we have got a half-naked, pregnant young woman on her own on a deserted island that was found very much dead, and we only have a couple of people have visited. We need to determine why everyone visited this island and find out who killed her!" Davina stated.

"Pregnant?" Martin asked his lip quivering as he tried to keep his cool and stubbed his half-smoked cigarette out and then sipped the cup of water beside him.

"Yes"

"Do we know who, you know?"