Behind her Philips, the engineer, was climbing aboard Negrini’s boat.

She said casually, ‘Hi, Mr Kemp.’

Philips went into the cabin and there came a crunching sound. ‘What the hell!’ said Negrini, and stepped forward.

‘Take it easy, buster,’ warned Mrs Haslam, but Negrini ignored her. He made as if to lunge past her, to get to his boat, and she lifted the pistol and shot him twice.

The first bullet stopped him in his tracks. The second flung him backwards and sideways into some low bushes. Although he thrashed around a bit while he was down, he was dead before he hit the ground and the convulsive movements were merely automatic nervous reactions. When he finally lay still, I saw two red blotches on his white shirt, about two inches apart and directly over his heart.

TEN

I

The gun was pointing at me and it was rock steady. My mouth was as dry as a bone and I stayed very still. More destructive noises came from the boat and then Philips came up into the cockpit. ‘They won’t be sending any messages from here.’

Bette Haslam never took her eyes off me. ‘Round up the two women and that old servant,’ she said. ‘I want them all in the same place.’

From behind me, Jill Salton called, ‘What’s going on out there?’ She didn’t seem too alarmed.

Philips came up the quay and walked past me. He didn’t look at me and I might not have been there. He said in a genial voice, ‘Nothing to worry about, Mrs Salton. I’d like you to gather everybody together in the same place.’

‘Why?’ There was a pause. ‘What’s that in your hand?’

‘It’s only a gun, Mrs Salton. Nothing to worry about if you behave nicely.’

Bette Haslam said, ‘Okay, Mr Kemp, turn around and follow my friend there.’

I turned around obediently and walked back towards the house. Jill was looking in glazed astonishment at Philips, who said, ‘Just step backwards into that room, Mrs Salton.’ Jill’s eyes flickered towards me and beyond to Mrs Haslam.

I nodded, and said harshly, ‘Do it, Jill. They’ve killed Gerry.’

She caught her breath and stepped away and I walked towards her slowly, very conscious of the gun at my back. Bette Haslam said, ‘Get the other two, and make it fast. This room will do. I can see the other side of the lagoon from here.’

Philips vanished from the periphery of my vision and I walked slowly until the Haslam woman said, ‘Stop! Sit there, both of you.’ I turned my head cautiously and saw her indicating a settee positioned against the wall. I went and sat down. My legs felt like rubber.

Jill sat next to me. ‘What’s going on?’