Bahama Crisis

‘All right,’ he said heavily.

Half an hour after that telephone call Debbie came into my study. ‘There are two men to see you. Policemen.’

I jerked around. ‘With news?’ She shook her head sadly and I sighed. ‘All right; show them in.’

Debbie led them into the study and then left. I stood up and looked at Perigord in some perplexity. Deputy-Commissioner Perigord, a black Bahamian, was the top-ranking police officer on Grand Bahama and I knew him slightly, having met him at social functions. His companion was also black but unknown to me. Both were in uniform.

Perigord said, ‘I’m sorry to have to intrude at this time, Mr Mangan; I assure you I wish it were otherwise. I put it off for as long as possible but …’ He shrugged.

‘I know,’ I said. ‘Won’t you sit down?’

He took off his uniform cap and laid it on my desk together with his swagger stick. ‘This is Inspector Hepburn.’

I nodded in acknowledgement and sat down. Perigord said, ‘I knew Mrs Mangan slightly; we met at PTA meetings – our daughters attend the same school. If there is anything my wife and I can do to help then please call on us. However, I am here on a different errand. You must know that in circumstances like this there are questions to be asked.’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Just get on with it.’

He took out a notebook. ‘The name of your boat is Lucayan Girl?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where did she sail from?’

‘Here.’ I pointed through the window towards the atrium. ‘Her mooring is just through that archway.’

‘Would you mind if Inspector Hepburn looks at the mooring?’

‘No – but what does he expect to find?’

‘I don’t know. Police work consists of looking at a lot of things, most of which turn out to be useless in the end. But sometimes we get lucky.’ He nodded to Hepburn who got up and left the room.

‘I don’t see how the police come into it.’ I saw Hepburn walk by the pool and disappear through the arch.

‘There is more to police work than crime; we fulfil many social functions. Were you present when Lucayan Girl sailed?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who was on board?’

‘Julie, my wife; my daughter, Susan; Pete Albury, the skipper; and a crewman.’

‘What is the crewman’s name?’

‘I don’t know.’

Perigord frowned. ‘You don’t know!’ he said with a tinge of perplexity in his voice.

‘Pete Albury hired him. I didn’t want my wife and daughter to sail with only Pete aboard so I asked Pete to hire a hand just for this trip.’

‘I see. But if you hired him you were obviously going to pay him. Was it to be by cash or cheque?’

‘I don’t know,’ I said to Perigord’s obvious bafflement. As he made a disapproving clicking sound with his tongue I said, ‘That was Pete’s business. He ran Lucayan Girl; he had a bank account from which to draw funds, and I checked the account monthly. He’d have paid, but whether in cash or by cheque I wouldn’t know.’

‘You must have trusted Mr Albury,’ said Perigord.

‘I did,’ I said evenly.

‘Now, then; what did this man – this crewman – look like?’

‘I don’t know; I didn’t see him.’

Perigord definitely lost his composure. ‘You mean you hired a man you didn’t even see!’

‘I didn’t hire him,’ I said. ‘Pete did. I had every confidence in Pete to pick a good man. Look, I run a business. I don’t hire personally everyone who works for me, neither do I necessarily know them by name or sight. That’s known as delegation of authority.’

‘And so you bring your business practices into your household.’

‘I trusted Pete,’ I said stubbornly.

‘How do you know that this … this stranger was on board when the boat sailed?’

‘Pete told me. I asked him and he said the crewman was below greasing the shafts.’

‘But you don’t know it of your own knowledge.’

‘I can’t say that I do.’

Perigord pondered for a moment, then asked, ‘Is there anyone else to whom I can refer who would know it from his own knowledge?’

I thought about that, casting my mind back to the scene by the lagoon. Billy, Debbie and I had walked through the archway together and if I had not seen the crewman then neither could they. I shook my head. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

Inspector Hepburn came back and Perigord glanced at him. ‘So what it comes to is this – we have a man, probably dead, whose name we don’t know and whom we can’t describe. We don’t even know his colour. In fact, Mr Mangan, we might even be wrong about the sex – this crew member could be a woman for all we know.’

‘No,’ I said definitely. ‘I asked Pete about him, and Pete said, “He’ll do.”’

‘Well, that’s something,’ said Perigord. ‘Where does Mr Albury live?’

‘Here,’ I said. ‘There are some work rooms and store rooms for ship’s chandlery with an apartment over. Pete moved in here when his wife died last year.’

‘There may be something in the apartment to give us a lead. Do you mind if Inspector Hepburn looks?’

‘Of course not.’ I opened the wall safe and took out the key to Pete’s rooms and gave it to Hepburn, then rang for Luke who appeared with suspicious alacrity. ‘Show the Inspector where Pete’s rooms are.’

They left and I turned to Perigord. ‘There’s something here which may possibly be useful.’ I took a small book from the safe. ‘I record the serial numbers of any important equipment I own, and there’s a section for Lucayan Girl in here – her engine numbers, radar, radio and so on. Even the binoculars and the cameras we routinely carry aboard.’

‘Ah, that’s better!’ Perigord took the book and flicked through it. ‘And the numbers carried on certain documents, I see. Is the boat insured?’

‘Of course.’