Chapter 20
‘There you are! We’ve all been worried sick!
’ Amy exclaims as I join the rest of the group for dinner that evening.
I’ve had a really lovely day with Gabriel; we’d kind of done most of his childhood haunts by lunchtime so, after stopping at another beach for our picnic, I let him take me to the YS Falls, another tiered waterfall where we swam in the crystal-clear pool before relaxing with a cold drink.
Despite being rather distracted by the sight of Gabriel in swimming trunks – he keeps himself in very good shape – the conversation continued to flow easily.
Having struggled to get him to talk about himself before, he surprised me with his continuing candour.
I learned that his mother is evidently a force of nature, not only as the matriarch of their family, but as a pillar of the community and church.
His older brother, Michael, is a family lawyer in California, and Uriel is a real estate agent here in Jamaica.
Gabriel didn’t say it in so many words, but I get the impression that Uriel’s a bit of a wheeler-dealer who’s prone to the odd barely legal side-hustle.
Our day finished, in traditional style, at Raphael’s bar and I’m feeling pleasantly light-headed and relaxed after a couple of rum punches.
I’m therefore caught off guard by Amy’s attitude.
‘Hello, Amy,’ I say cautiously. ‘What’s up?’
‘What’s up?’ she repeats, using the kind of furious tone that reminds me of the day my mother found my stash of vapes. ‘You could have been killed, that’s what’s up! What the hell were you thinking?’
‘Sorry, I’m not with you. Why could I have been killed?’
Amy sighs in exasperation. ‘I couldn’t help being curious about the tour company you said you’d booked with, so I watched you leave this morning.’
‘You followed me?’ I ask incredulously.
‘No. I happened to be near the lobby and saw you come through. Anyway, I was a bit surprised when the Jeep that collected you was covered in logos advertising some place called Raphael’s bar but nothing about tours, so I went online to check them out.
As far as I could see, this Raphael’s bar is nothing more than a run-down shack on a beach somewhere, and it has no links to any known tour companies.
Do you have any idea how lucky you are to be alive?
In future, I strongly suggest you leave the organisation to me.
You patently don’t have a clue how to keep yourself safe. ’
‘Amy does have a point,’ Lily adds gently. ‘I was sure you would have done your research but, when she told me what she’d seen, I was worried about you too.’
‘I see,’ I say coldly, angry that my little bubble of happiness has been popped once again.
‘Does anyone else have anything to say?’ Maybe I should be touched by their concern, but the truth is I feel insulted and immensely pissed off that Amy should think I’m some na?ve little girl who needs constant supervision.
‘Nothing from me,’ Dan says as Robert also shakes his head.
‘Stuart?’
‘Leave me out of it.’
‘OK,’ I say, fixing my eyes on Amy. She’s still trying to pull off the ‘you’ve all given us a terrible fright’ face, but I can spot the look of triumph in her eyes. She thinks she’s got one over on me. Sorry, honey, but I’m coming for you.
‘I’m very touched by your concern,’ I say to her sweetly, ‘and I’m genuinely sorry for spoiling your day, but I can assure you I had done my research and at no point was I in any danger.’
‘You can’t possibly know that!’ Amy retorts indignantly. ‘That man could have been a rapist, a murderer—’
‘I can know that,’ I interrupt her, ‘because the driver of the Jeep was my friend Gabriel. Raphael, who owns the run-down shack you mentioned, is his brother.’
‘Bullshit,’ Amy spits. ‘What kind of friend demands a huge payment? You’re just trying to cover your tracks, as usual.’
Shit, I’d forgotten the lie I’d told about paying a large deposit.
‘He didn’t charge me,’ I tell her after thinking for a moment.
‘I was just annoyed by the blasé way you assumed I’d just cancel a trip that I specifically wanted to do, but I couldn’t be bothered to argue with you about it, so I told you I’d paid a non-refundable deposit instead. ’
‘So you admit that you’re a liar?’
‘No. I admit that I made up a story to get you off my back because you were being incredibly bossy. Again.’
‘Amy,’ Lily says with a note of warning in her voice, but Amy is too fired up to hear.
‘I’m not bossy!’ she practically shrieks. ‘If you had even the first idea how much effort I’ve put into organising all the activities, you’d be a bit more fucking appreciative. Fliss—’
‘Fliss would have jumped at every opportunity. I know,’ I interrupt her again. ‘But here’s the thing, Amy. I didn’t ask you to organise my holiday, did I? I’m actually completely capable of organising my own holiday.’
‘Based on your actions today, I seriously doubt that. How do you know this… what’s his name?’
‘Gabriel.’ It’s a struggle, but I’m determined to keep my voice calm. ‘I met him the day we arrived. He was playing the piano in the bar.’
Amy’s face changes from an expression of righteous indignation to faux pity so quickly that I have to take my hat off to her acting ability.
‘He works here,’ she says contemptuously.
‘Tori, you really are na?ve if you think the resort staff are your friends. He’s probably only being nice to you in the hope of getting a big tip, or as part of a romance scam.
You need to wake up and get a bit more worldly wise, otherwise you’re going to land yourself in seriously hot water. ’
She’s incredible. ‘A romance scam?’ I ask her.
‘Yes. My mum gets Take a Break, and barely a week goes by without there being a sob story from some ignorant woman who went on holiday and got chatted up by an oily creep at the resort. They believe all the bullshit, not realising that their lover is only interested in a free ticket to the UK and, before they know it, said lover has disappeared off into the sunset with their life savings.’
‘So you’re saying that Gabriel is only being friendly towards me because he wants to move to the UK and run off with my savings?’
‘The articles are mainly about Turkey, but I don’t see why Jamaica would be any different.
Like I said before, it may look like paradise, but you should still be careful.
If the state of that bar is anything to go by, they’re not good people.
’ She gives another one of her theatrical shudders, and I can feel myself itching to take her down.
‘Let me put your mind at rest, Amy,’ I say, still just about managing to keep my voice level. ‘I don’t think Gabriel needs my help to move to the UK, because he already lives there. And I suspect he’s probably richer than me, so my measly savings aren’t going to be of much interest to him either.’
‘Oh, come on,’ Amy scoffs. ‘He’s a hotel pianist, and I don’t remember seeing that on the list of best-paid jobs anywhere.
He’ll be on whatever the minimum wage here is, and relying on tips to supplement it.
Whatever he’s told you is a lie, Tori. Can’t you see that?
That’s what scammers do, they lie. How on earth did you get this far in life being so gullible? ’
‘She has got a point,’ Stuart chips in.
‘Shut up, Stuart,’ I snap at him before turning back to Amy.
I’ve had enough of this, but I’m going to spring a little trap to hopefully teach her a lesson.
‘Actually, he told me that he doesn’t get paid for working here at all.
’ I try to arrange my face into an expression of pity, but I’m not sure it’s coming off.
‘Which just reinforces my point,’ Amy says triumphantly. ‘He’s already spinning you the sob story to soften you up. Can’t you see what’s going on here?’
‘I haven’t finished,’ I tell her blandly. ‘Tell me something. When you were doing your Miss Marple act this morning, did you happen to take any photos?’ This has just occurred to me, and it would really sweeten the reveal if she had.
‘As a matter of fact, I did,’ she says. ‘It was for your own protection. If you hadn’t come back, I wanted a picture of the man who’d abducted you to show the police.’
‘That was very public-spirited of you. Thank you. Would you be able to bring up one of your pictures, so we can all see this guy who is so determined to scam me?’
‘Absolutely.’ She can barely get her phone out quickly enough and nearly drops it but, after a moment or two, she brings up a picture of Gabriel sitting behind the wheel of the Jeep.
To give credit where it’s due, it’s a good clear picture of his face, taken when he’d turned to greet me.
If he had been going to abduct me, it would have been a useful picture.
‘OK.’ I pull out my phone and repeat my earlier Google search. I scroll through the images of Gabriel at various pianos until I find one that shows his face as clearly as Amy’s photo. ‘Is this the same person, do you think?’ I place my phone next to Amy’s, so the two photos are side by side.
‘It does look like it,’ Lily observes.
‘Yup, same guy for sure,’ Robert agrees.
‘There is a resemblance, yes,’ is all Amy will give me.
‘So this guy here is called Gabriel Campbell. Have any of you heard of him? No? I admit I hadn’t either, but he’s an internationally renowned concert pianist who’s opened the Last Night of the Proms. Twice.’
‘That doesn’t make sense,’ Amy blusters, but I can tell she’s starting to feel uncertain now. ‘What would someone like that be doing playing in a bar here?’
‘That’s a good question, Amy,’ I tell her.
‘He plays here because this hotel is owned by his sister, Grace, and the piano here is a lot better than the one in his mum’s house.
And, in case you’re interested, I’ve been to Raphael’s bar and, far from being the dilapidated shack you described, it’s a vibrant and rather lovely place.
So, thank you for your concern, but I assure you that I am, despite your assertions to the contrary, quite capable of looking after myself, and was not in danger at any point today. ’
‘But… but…’ Her mouth is working furiously as she frantically searches for a comeback, but it quickly becomes clear that there isn’t one, and she resorts to glaring at me.
‘On the plus side,’ I continue, ‘we mostly visited places that wouldn’t be on the tourist trail, so I won’t be bored if I decide to come on the tour you booked. But that will be my decision, Amy, OK?’
Her expression is mutinous, but I’m not moved. I’ve asked several times for her to stop trying to micromanage me and maybe, just maybe, I’ve got through to her this time.
‘That was brutal,’ Robert observes later as we’re getting ready for bed.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I know she’s a good friend of yours, but she just winds me up and brings out the worst in me.’
‘She was more Fliss’s friend than mine. If I’m totally honest, I’ve always found her kind of annoying, but I put up with her for Stuart’s sake. I don’t think she’s going to cross swords with you again though.’
I sigh. ‘I really hope not. All I’m trying to do is have a nice holiday on my terms. That’s not too much to ask, is it?’
He grins. ‘You should have heard her at lunch. She was in her element, telling us all in hushed whispers that we’d probably never see you again. I think she was almost disappointed when you turned up unharmed. Can I ask you a question?’
‘Of course.’
‘This Raphael’s place. Is it actually good, or were you just saying that to get a shot in?’
‘It’s actually good. Why?’
‘Can Dan, Stuart and I come? The Blue Dolphin is a bit of a shithole and I can’t help feeling they’re ripping us off.’
I’m torn. On the one hand, I kind of see Raphael’s bar as one of my refuges away from the group. But, much as I dislike Stuart, I am starting to like Robert, and Dan has always been nothing but lovely.
‘Would you mind if I imposed one condition?’ I ask eventually.
‘What is it?’
‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m really enjoying spending time there with Gabriel. Do you think you’d be able to come and kind of leave us alone?’
He smiles. ‘Are we falling for the handsome pianist?’
I can feel the blush spreading across my cheeks. ‘Oh my God, we are!’ Robert exclaims. ‘Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. We just need to come up with a story we can sell.’
I look at him. I want to trust that he’s telling me the truth. Please let him be telling the truth. If Amy finds out how I really feel about Gabriel, I’ll never hear the end of it.