Donna sat in a small hotel in Hikkadoa sipping a glass of iced tea. She watched the holidaymakers relaxing in the brilliant sunshine, and was once more amazed at what this idyllic spot was hiding. She corrected herself. It wasn’t in fact hiding anything. It was all done blatantly, under cover of the warm tropical nights, though most of the people near her now knew nothing of what was happening under their noses. An elderly couple sat at the table beside her and Donna smiled a greeting to them.

She watched the lane leading up to the Bay View. So far, four cars had come out of the lane, only one had gone inside, and she’d been sitting watching since ten in the morning. Picking up her sun hat, she left a few rupees on the table and began the long walk towards the hotel. Her heart was beating a tattoo in her chest, her legs felt shaky with fear, but she forced herself to carry on walking.

The trees were alive with birds. As she walked, a monkey hugging her baby to her chest crossed the lane, taking no notice of her, and disappeared into the dense undergrowth. Donna wiped her face and neck with a large white handkerchief, the sweat both nervous and from the dense heat. As she turned the corner that brought the hotel into view she stopped and watched for a moment.

The place looked deserted, but Donna saw a movement from inside the front entrance. A heavy-set white woman with thick blonde hair was standing in the doorway, a child of about seven by her side. Donna knew the woman could see her and, plucking up her courage, she walked towards her. Donna’s mouth was dry with nerves and dust. The wide-brimmed hat she wore gave her eyes protection from the burning glare of the sun.

The woman walked to the top of the verandah steps and looked down at her. ‘Who are you and what do you want?’

Donna stood at the bottom of the steps. The woman’s thick cockney accent was a culture shock in these luscious tropical surroundings. On closer inspection, Donna realised that the blonde was a lot older than she had first thought. Her skin was tanned to a deep mahogany and had a leathery appearance, especially around the eyes. Deep wrinkles were etched there, and at either side of her nose. It was the thick blonde hair that gave her the appearance of youthfulness from a distance.

Before Donna could answer the child opened the verandah door and said in broken English, ‘Miss Candy, I go to wash now.’

The woman waved an arm in agreement, her eyes staying firmly fixed on Donna.

Pulling herself up to her full height, Donna took a deep breath and walked up the steps. She sailed past Candy and pushed through the verandah doors as if she was meant to be there.