The Isle of Devils (49 page)

I made my way along the twisting coconut-matted hall and down the creaking staircase one last time. At the bottom of the stairs, in the hotel’s entryway, I found Constable Dunkley awaiting me.

“Good morning, Doctor,
”
said he, warmly.

“And to you, Constable.”

“Please call me Harry, my friend. I am not on duty this morning.
I have been given a brief leave as a recompense for the successful conclusion of the Globe Hotel Case.
”

A half-smile touched my face. “
I congratulate you
, Harry.”

“I wanted to thank you personally for the invaluable assistance that you provided on the case of Mr. Dumas.” He cleared his throat self-consciously. “Although the explanation that you provided ultimately proved to be no more than a
fantastic
product of your imagination, I think that the other solution
we arrived at
is
more than
satisfactory. The brutes that shot Dumas must have fled Bermuda long ago in a private boat. The
villains got clean away and
will
likely
never be caught. I am afraid that we must consider the case closed.”

I nodded in acceptance of this explanation. “
Justice has been done here. I am as certain of that as I am of the rise of tomorrow’s sun.
There never was an Etienne Moreau.”

He shrugged and wryly grinned at me. “Not on this island. The dead man’s papers state his name quite clearly, and I’ve not heard any convincing proof to the contrary. By the way, Doctor, since the case is closed, all of the evidence pertaining to it must be destroyed. As you are about to depart from us, would you be so kind as to dispose of this in the deepest trenches of the Atlantic?” He reached into his ever-present
wide-awake
and pulled out the jack-knife
,
with i
t
s no longer mysterious initials ‘L.E.’ and the well-worn flaming ring symbol.

I took the knife from him and hef
ted it in my palm. “It’s a well-
made blade, Harry. It would be a shame to discard it simply because of the crimes of its previous owner.”

“It would be an equal shame if that knife remained upon the island and stirred up questions that are best left buried,” said
he,
with
raised eyebrows and
a
significant
look.

“I understand,” I smiled at him. “No one will ever know the origin or the fate of this blade.” I paused for a moment and slipped it into my valise.

“Thank you, Harry,” I said, holding out my hand.

He
shook it warml
y. “No, thank you, Doctor. Now, if you would be so kind as to depart through the side entrance, I believe that there are a few others that might like a word with you.” He directed me into the dining room.

There, to my vast surprise, I found the
guests
of the Globe Hotel
assembled
en bloc
,
awaiting me. The first was the long-widowed Mrs. Elizabeth Foster, with Graham Boyle standing loyally by her side.

“Safe travels, Doctor,” said
the proprietress
kindly. “May you next repose be more welcoming and restful than this one proved to be when you descended upon me unawares
six
days ago.”

I returned her smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Foster. I assure you that there are no hard feelings. I completely understand. And Mr. Boyle,” I said, turning to the sturdy man, “
are
congratulations
in order?” I looked back at Mrs. Foster significantly.

He glanced down at her and smiled. “I believe that they are,
Doctor. I assure you that when you receive your invitation, it will be written out by a better hand than mine.”

“I wish I could attend, sir,” I replied, with sincere disappointment in my
voice
.
“
But I
regretfully suspect
that it may be a few years before I make my way back to Bermuda.”

“If you do, sir, I guarantee that the Walker Room will always be ready for you.”

“Yes, I think that I would prefer that to the one next door.”

“It may be a while before we are able to let that one out again,” Mrs. Foster interjected. “Though there are always some with macabre tendencies who seek out such rooms, hoping to commune better with the departed.” She shook her head, as if she could not fathom such a thing.

I made my final leave-taking with the happy pair and moved to the next guest. The Marquesa Garcia-Ramirez sat majestically in her chair, still appearing to dominate the room from the force of her will alone
,
despite her
humble
position.

“
Buen
viaje
, Marquesa,” I said with a formal bow. “May the airs of Mexico agree with you.”

A sardonic grin cracked her pale face. “You know as well as I, Doctor, that I am not long for this world. We shall not meet again on this side of the veil. But I am content. My husband is avenged and I will be with him soon. My only regret is that he never got a chance to meet you, Doctor. He always appreciated an honorable man.”

I
silently
nodded my gratitude at this undue praise and moved on to the next guest, Mr. Warburton. He held out his hand, which I took. “Thank you, Doctor. The Marquesa is correct. There are many clever physicians and there are many compassionate physicians. But it is a rarity to find one that is both. I would hope that someday you might find it acceptable to visit me at my father’s estate. There have been many
eminent Harley Street
specialists
, even heads of prestigious medical schools,
who have departed our house in a huff, unsuccessful at solving the colonel’s problem
. B
ut I think that you of all pe
ople might be the one to help.”

I nodded my head. “I will think on it, sir.” I moved on to the next guest, Doctor Nemcek.

He spoke first. “As one medical man to another, I know the agony of a long voyage without something to stimulate the mind. Do you have something to read on the boat, Doctor?”

I shook my head. “No, I have left the copy of Dickens with Mrs. Foster. I think I have had enough of mysteries and detectives for the time being.”

“Well then, let me give you a parting gift,”
said
he
,
h
olding
out a small package wrapped in a common brown paper and tied with a string.

My indignation reared up. “I cannot accept…”

“Hush, Doctor. This is no bribe. It is merely something by which to remember us.”

I took the package from him and unwrapped it. Inside I found a small book. It was a copy of Henri Murger’s
Vie de Boheme
.

I looked up in surprise, only to find him smiling at me. “I am confident that this may further your education on the different types of Bohemians.”

I nodded my acceptance. “Thank you, sir. I promise you that I will read it closely.”

Senhor Cordeiro smiled at me as I approached him. “Farewell, mate,” said
the
Portuguese
wine-merchant, stretching
out his hand.

I took it and
replied
, “I never imagined what troubles would follow when we picked you up at that dock in Hamilton, Senhor Cordeiro.”

He nodded with a mock contriteness. “You never know what fate has in store for you, Doctor. Sometimes you must trust yourself to its winds and hope that it lands you in a safe harbor. Often times, I find that things work out for the best. Do you not agree?”

I reflected upon this. “Yes, I suppose that I do. I have certainly learned a great deal upon these isles. Though I doubt that I will have much use for my new
-
found investigative skills
after
my return to England.”

“I certainly hope not, Doctor!” he laughed. “I will try to visit you some day, and I expect to find a man of your great talents securely ensconced in a lucrative medical practice in the finest district in London. If I do come, I assure you that I will bring with me my finest bottle of
vinho da roda
Madeira, since you never did get a chance to taste it.”

“I trust that this time, should I partake, I shall
actually
awaken the following morn?”

“You may count upon that, Doctor,” said
he,
with a final smile and nod.

I moved on to Mr. Delopolous. The short
but powerful
man gave me a quick bow.
“
Afaristo
, Doctor. You are a good man. I am sorry about lying to you
about my lumbago.”

“And a few other things, I think?” said
I
, raising
one
eyebrow.

“Perhaps, though I tried to stay as close to the truth as possible, for I have never enjoyed deceiving those that I respect. And you have that, Doctor.”

“Thank you, sir,” I replied
, as he wrung me by the hand,
touched by the man’s
simple
words.

The next guest in the line was Mr. Bey. The little engineer smiled at me. “My friend,” he said. “May I presume to give you a final memento of your time in the Globe Hotel?” He handed me a
square black morocco case
, which I reluctantly took. When I lifted off the lid, inside I found the missing Persian slipper. “It was once found amongst your items, was it not? So I thought that perhaps it should be yours again?” he concluded.

A half-smile curled up the right side of my mouth. “I’m not certain what use I will find for a single Persian slipper.”

He shook his head. “You never know, Doctor, you never know.”

I slipped this too into my valise. Turning, I found that the next guest was Signore Aicardi. He
pressed my hand in his strong, warm grasp
. “
Ciao, Dottore
. It has been a pleasure meeting you.”

“And you as well, sir,” I replied. “I hope to see your works exhibited in the galleries of London someday soon.”