Sebastian was nowhere to be found when they returned to the Deep Blue. Tusker walked past the workshop to the small swimming pool used for dive training, its surface matted with yellow leaves and dead bugs. At one end, a girl was splayed out on a towel in a bikini, her arm shielding her face from the sun. She was talking to an older man who squatted in the shade, smoking a cigarette. They both looked up at Tusker.

“Hello.” The girl sat up and squinted “You must be Julian.”

“Tusker,” he corrected her. “Have you seen Sebastian?”

She ignored his question. “I’m Anja.” She smiled a brilliant white smile and peered over the top of large dark glasses, assessing him. Her accent was musical, Scandinavian. The Swedish girl Sebastian had told them about, no doubt. She was deeply tanned and beautiful, with the lithe body of an athlete. Cross-country skier, Tusker let himself muse.

The man came out of the shadow of the tree. He was older, maybe 50, with leathery skin and pale blue eyes. He wore surf trunks and a stained t-shirt, faded from red to a sort of pink, with the logo of a Caribbean diving resort on it. He walked over to Tusker and held out his hand. “Roland Van der Schyff. I’m from the Netherlands.” His smile was yellow and his voice had the tortured hoarseness of a regular smoker.

“Nice to meet you both,” Tusker said, finding his manners despite his impatience. “I’m looking for Sebastian. Hoping to get out diving this afternoon.”

“Sebastian is out with the Russkies,” Roland replied. “Diving the Hermes.”

“Is there a second boat?” Tusker asked.

“I could take you out. I’m sort of an unofficial second mate around here. You know, fill tanks, fix boat motors, that sort of thing. Where do you want to dive?”

“Just outside the lagoon. The wreck of the Taprobane.”

“Is that a good idea, Cap’n? I mean, isn’t that a police matter?” Roland fidgeted with a damp cigarette.

“I just spoke with the police and they’re not equipped to investigate the sinking.” Tusker said, matter of factly. It’s not really a lie.

“Well, if you think so, Cap’n, I can run you out there. Drops off deep just there, I think. You’ll want double tanks. Could run into a little decompression time.”

“Great,” Tusker said, already turning to go, “I’ll meet you in the shop for some tanks.”

“See you later, Tusker,” Anja called to him. Tusker pivoted and gave a wave. Another time, he’d have gotten to know her. But he was preoccupied and in no mood for the coy parry and thrust of seduction.

Ian was in their room, making a heap of dive gear on the floor. “Any luck?” he said to Tusker.

“Yeah, the Dutch guy is going to take us out. We’ll dive doubles.”