Yes, she did. But Im interested in hearing the whole story.
Carrie couldnt tell if he was pleased or annoyed by her request. Theres not much I can add. The entire family vanished one night while the servants were on the mainland celebrating a holiday. When Alma and Carlos returned home just after midnight, they discovered the family missing and traces of blood in the boathouse. The authorities suspected foul play, but the case was never solved.
And thirty years later, the mystery of the missing family still had the power to fascinate.
Perhaps even to possess, Carrie thought uneasily as she remembered the strange undercurrent in Tias last letter.
Maybe Andres was afraid the authorities were on to him so he loaded his family into one of his boats and fled in the middle of the night, she suggested. The blood in the boathouse could have been a ruse to throw the police off track.
Cochburns eyes met hers. Thats an interesting theory.
She smiled at his tone. But youre not buying it?
I barely remember Andres Santiago, but my father was the attorney who arranged the trust that allows Alma Garcia to remain in the house. The two of them were very good friends even though they were as different as night and daythe dashing smuggler and the straitlaced attorney. He paused, and his expression turned pensive. I never learned how or why they became friends, but I do know that my father remained loyal to Andres to the end.
So what did he think happened to them? If he was that close to Andres, he must have had his own theory.
He believed that someone Andres had crossed in the past came looking for revenge or else the insurgents who killed Medinas family wanted to make sure she could never return to her homeland. In either case, my father was convinced the family met with a tragic end because if Andres was alive, he would somehow have managed to get word back to him.
Carrie mulled over the possibilities for a moment. What about the nannyAlma Garcia? Was she never considered a suspect? It seems shes the one who benefited most from the familys disappearance.
Cochburn grimaced. If you call living alone on an island all these years a benefit. Alma didnt inherit the property outright, and the only monetary compensation she receives is a small monthly allowance that barely takes care of her basic needs, much less the upkeep of the house and grounds. Thats why some of the property has been converted into apartments and rented out. Her inheritance was hardly the kind of fortune that would motivate one to mass murder. Besides, my father said that she was devoted to those children. She loved them as if they were her own. She would never have done anything to harm them.
Stranger things have happened. Why do you think shes stayed on the island all these years? Carrie asked.
One can only speculate, but I think at first she was waiting for the children to return. Then later, once loneliness and dementia set in, she forgot why she was there. Whatever her reason, shes remained in that house all these years, living in her own little world.
Carrie tried to imagine what the womans life must have been like for the past thirty years, but it was hard to put herself in Alma Garcias place. Carrie had been born and raised in Miami, and she loved the daily hustle and bustle of big-city living. As a graphic designer for a local magazine, she was used to a hectic pace. Shed go crazy living so far from civilization. You say shes one of only two permanent residents on the island?
Yes, and as you can see, the area is quite isolated. If your friend came out here looking for solitude, she certainly found it.
Carrie didnt bother telling him that Tia had come to Cape Diablo for more than just solitude. Shed been running away, not only from a future with a man she no longer wanteda man she might even have come to fearbut from a past that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Carrie knew what that was like because she shared Tias past. The two of them had been running from the same nightmare since they were twelve years old.
Are there any other tenants?
A man named Ethan Stone moved into one of the apartments a few days ago. I dont know much about him. His secretary made all the arrangements, but I gather hes a Wall Streettype suffering from a bad case of burnout.
He has my sympathies, Carrie murmured.
And, of course, theres Nick Draco, the carpenter I hired to do some repairs. Hes staying in the old servants quarters.
So at the moment there are only five people living on the island, she said.
Thats right. Like I said, if your friend wanted solitude, she came to the right place.
They both fell silent after that, and Carrie turned her attention to the scenery as she tried to imagine Tias frame of mind when shed traveled across these same waters three weeks earlier. She must have felt desperate when shed fled Miami, but why Cape Diablo? Carrie had never even heard of the island. How had Tia found out about it?
Perhaps a friend or colleague had told her about it, Carrie decided. It was the kind of place that would only be advertised by word of mouth. Not at all like the five-star resorts Trey was undoubtedly used to, which was probably why Tia had chosen it.
For all Carrie knew, Tia had been contemplating the trip for weeks as her wedding day approached and her jitters had turned into panic. Maybe she hadnt been able to work up the courage to call off the ceremony until faced with the inevitable.
Tia had left a note for Carrie in the brides room, begging her to break the news gently to the distraught groom. Trey Hollinger had put up a poised front for the hundreds of guests assembled in the chapel, but once he and Carrie were alone, hed unleashed his fury on her. Shed tried to convince herself his misplaced anger was classic kill-the-messenger syndrome, but Treys wrath cut more deeply than that. He blamed Carrie for what happened. Everything had been fine, hed raged, until shed started planting ideas in Tias head.
I know what you did to her back then. She told me all about ithow you ran off and just left her there. And now here you are back in her life and look whats happened. You just couldnt let her be happy, could you?
Was he right? Had her rekindled friendship with Tia somehow set her friend back on the path of self-destruction?
Retrieving Tias letter from her bag, Carrie quickly scanned the contents for the umpteenth time, hoping for something that would reassure her. But far from putting her mind at rest, a fresh reading only deepened her foreboding.
After the first paragraph, Tia never mentioned Treys name. It was as if shed put him completely out of her mind. Instead, shed written about the island and the missing family. By the time shed scribbled the last page, shed begununwittingly, Carrie hopedreferring to the Santiagos by their given names, as if shed known each of them personally.
Ive seen photographs of the children. What beautiful little girls! I dont know why, but I feel strangely drawn to them. Sometimes I go down to the beach and try to imagine the two of them collecting shells, building sand castles, playing chase with the surf. Reyna, so quiet and shy, and Pilar, too adventurous for her own good. They remind me of the way you and I once were.
Carries grip tightened on the paper.
Maybe its because of our own tragic past that I feel so compelled to find out what happened to those little girls. Did they sail off with their father and stepmother that night or did something dark and sinister befall them? Are they out there somewhere leading normal, happy lives, or do their spirits still wander restlessly through the halls of this crumbling mansion?
Carries grip tightened on the paper.
Maybe its because of our own tragic past that I feel so compelled to find out what happened to those little girls. Did they sail off with their father and stepmother that night or did something dark and sinister befall them? Are they out there somewhere leading normal, happy lives, or do their spirits still wander restlessly through the halls of this crumbling mansion?
I know how strange all this must sound to you, Carrie. Its hard to explain, but I dont think I can leave here until I find out what happened to them. Sometimes I think I was drawn to Cape Diablo for a reason. Its as if the island itself is trying to tell me somethingand it wont let me rest until I uncover its secrets.
CAPE DIABLO, DEAD AHEAD, Pete Trawick shouted over the engine noise.
His gruff voice drew Carries attention from Tias letter, and as she glanced up, she found Robert Cochburn watching her intently. The moment their gazes met, however, he smiled and jerked a thumb toward the front of the boat. Heads up. You dont want to miss the scenery. The island is beautiful this time of day.
Carrie folded Tias letter and returned it to her bag, then stood to get a better look at the view. Backlit by a glorious sunset, Cape Diablo shimmered on the horizon, a lush emerald green gilded by the dying light. For a moment, as the sun hung suspended in a painted sky, the island seemed bathed in gold. A glowing sanctuary that beckoned to the weary traveler.
Grabbing her camera, Carrie snapped a few shots, but as they approached the island, the sky deepened and the water turned dark, as if a giant shadow had crept over the whole area. It was a strange phenomenon, a trick of the light that seemed too much like an omen. Carrie couldnt seem to shake off a gnawing fear. The place seemed so wild and primitive. Anything could have happened to Tia out here.
As they approached the island, Carrie could just make out the red roofline of the house through the trees and to the right, an old, wooden boathouse nestled in a tiny cove.
Trawick turned the bow neatly toward the inlet and after a few moments, cut the engine. As they drifted silently toward the pier, Carrie became aware of a dozen sounds. Water lapping at the hullthe startled flight of an egretan insect buzzing near her ear.
And, in the distance, a scream.
Her glance shot to Cochburn. What was that? she asked in alarm.
A falcon, most likely. He put up a hand to shade his eyes as he searched the sky. There it is. See it? Circling just above the treetops.
A falcon? Carrie asked doubtfully. Way out here?
These islands are on the migration route. Maybe this one got lost from its cast as they flew north. When I was a kid, you could come out here in the spring and fall and spot dozens flying over Cape Diablo. My father said Andres found a wounded one once and nursed it back to health. He kept it in captivity for a number of years, but I suppose it was released after his disappearance. Who knows? He gave Carrie an enigmatic smile. Maybe the one you just heard is a descendant.
A wounded falcon seeking refuge on Cape Diablo.
Cochburn didnt seem to realize the irony, but to Carrie, it was yet one more clue as to why Tia had chosen such a remote location. If shed known Cape Diablo was on the migratory route of the falcon, she might have taken it as a sign. She seemed somystical these days.
As the boat thudded softly against the rubber tires hanging from the pier, Cochburn climbed out and offered a hand down to Carrie. Gathering up her bag and cap, she grabbed his hand and let him pull her up.
They left Trawick unloading the supplies as they made their way along a trail that wound through a jungle of mangroves. In spite of the insect repellant shed sprayed on before leaving the marina, Carrie had to constantly swat mosquitoes from her face as they emerged into what had once been a landscaped yard but was now overgrown with palmettos, bromeliads and swamp grass.
The house itself was still magnificent, a Spanish-style villa that appeared untouched by time as the late-afternoon sun glinted off arched windows and turned the white facade into gleaming amber. Carrie caught her breath. Shed never seen such a beautiful place.
But almost immediately she realized the soft light had created an illusion. A closer examination revealed the overall state of disrepair. Some of the roof tiles were missing and the salt air had rusted the ornate wrought iron trim around the windows and balconies. In dreary corners, lichen and moss inched like a shadow over crumbling stucco walls.
A subtle movement drew Carries gaze to one of the balconies, and as she lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the glare, she saw the outline of a woman standing at the railing looking down at them. Carrie couldnt make out her features clearly, but she had the impression of age and frailty.
And then a strange dread gripped her. As their gazes clung for the longest moment, Carrie suddenly had an overpowering sensation that she was in the presence of evil.
Whether it was coming from the woman on the balcony or someone else on the island, she had no idea.
Chapter Two
Carrie must have made some inadvertent sound because Cochburn stopped on the path and glanced around. Whats wrong?
Imnot sure. Her gaze was still on the balcony, but the woman had stepped back into the shadows so that Carrie could no longer see her. I thought I saw someone up there.
Cochburn glanced warily at the house. It was probably Alma Garcia. Her quarters are on the third floor. She must have heard the boat.
It was so strange, Carrie murmured. For a moment, I thought
What? he asked sharply.
She shook her head. Nothing. I got the impression she wasnt too happy to see us, thats all.
He shrugged, but not before Carrie had seen something dark in his eyes. Shes not exactly thrilled with having tenants on the property, but shes harmless. Crazy as a bat, but harmless. You dont need to concern yourself with her. I doubt youll even see her again. She keeps to herself most of the time. He turned back to the path. Come along. Tias apartment is this way.
Crazy as a bat, but harmless.
Hardly a ringing endorsement, Carrie thought uneasily. Just what had she gotten herself into?
Not that she was in any position to judge. Shed spent more than a few hours on a therapists couch herself.
And Tia
Poor Tia had her problems, as well. A precarious mental state was nothing new for her, unfortunately, which was why Carrie was so worried about her.
Tia had been emotionally fragile for years, but Carrie had hoped that shed grown stronger since they last met. Evidently not, or she would have stayed and faced Trey herself on their wedding day.
Unless she had good reason not to.
Cochburn led Carrie around to the back of the house and through an old gate that opened into a large, central courtyard enclosed on one side by a long L-shaped wing of the main house and on the other by a freestanding, two-story pool house. At the far end was a cracked adobe wall topped with faded red tiles that matched the roof. Terra-cotta pots dotted the stone floor, but the flowers had mostly withered in the heat and the water in the pool was blackish green and opaque.
In spite of the obvious neglect, however, touches of a once-gorgeous oasis remained in the cascade of scarlet bougainvillea over the walls and in the tinkle of a nearby fountain. A lazy breeze drifted through the palm fronds, carrying the scent of jasmine and the barest hint of rain. And through an arched opening in the back wall, Carrie caught tantalizing glimpses of water undulating in the sunset like yards and yards of russet satin.