The Case of the Black Pearl

The Case of the Black Pearl by Lin Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: The Case of the Black Pearl by Lin Anderson Read Free Book Online
Authors: Lin Anderson
henchman had been concerned about something, but what?
    Stephen dropped anchor as close to the rock face at Fort Royal as the depth allowed, then all three men got kitted up. Patrick had no idea what they were looking for, but if the
Heavenly Princess
had anchored here the night Angele had disappeared, then the area was worth checking out.
    In his past life, Patrick had rarely dived for pleasure. Like a champion swimmer who entered the water only to train or perform, diving for Patrick had been part of the job. He occasionally came out with Stephen, but more often absented himself from Cannes to travel to more challenging diving locations around the world, to hone his skills, in case he might have to rely on them again in the future.
    Today wouldn’t prove to be a difficult dive; merely a reconnaissance mission in fairly shallow water. Nothing to get excited about.
    Despite telling himself this, his entry into the water still brought a rush of adrenaline. Much like he experienced at the gaming tables of the casino, or when he’d spied Camille Ager walking towards him along the
quai.
    As he looked round the calm, quiet and weightless universe, a
castagnola
emerged from the rocks below. A vivid blue, the tiny fish approached Patrick’s mask inquisitively, seeing its reflection there. Soon it was joined by others, darting around him.
    Patrick noted the location of the anchor rope to orientate himself, before kicking off through the shimmering blue cloud. Below him, white sand drifted between great swathes of sea grass, punctured by the occasional stony limestone outcrop.
    Had Angele chosen to leave the ship here, she could have gone ashore in a dinghy. Or perhaps swum as far as the tiny harbour west of Fort Royal, used predominantly by the ferries that ploughed daily between the old port and island of Sainte Marguerite. At night the ferries were docked at the Vieux Port, just west of the gunboat, and the only craft left here were small family boats tied up to the left of the pier, or anchored offshore in shallow water. Perhaps one of them had picked up Angele, and taken her somewhere along the coast? Alternatively, she could have come ashore at La Guerite, a small and exclusive restaurant to the east of the fort, reached only by motor taxi in the evening.
    According to Stephen, Chapayev had a diver – or divers – in his entourage. If the Russian had suspected that his leading lady had fallen overboard, surely he would have sent a diver to search for her? If so, Patrick doubted whether such a search would have escaped the eagle eyes of the local fishermen. Yet there had been no talk of it, leading him to conclude that Chapayev believed his star hadn’t departed the yacht by accident.
    The water was glassily clear as he approached Fort Royal. This time Patrick shared the underwater kingdom with a shoal of larger, yellow-striped girelle. Occasionally, he saw flotsam from an anchorage, but when he checked it was nothing of significance. He criss-crossed the area, looking for a larger object secured to the bottom, or caught among the limestone outcrops on the sea bed.
    Eventually he headed for the surface, noting the distant bubbles that indicated where Colm and Stephen currently were. Between the two of them, they had covered a fair area of seabed and, Patrick suspected, had likewise found nothing of significance.
    Patrick was the last to pull himself aboard. Stephen and Colm had already taken off their gear and were sitting down to a breakfast of coffee, French bread and cheese. They indicated by their demeanour that they’d found nothing.
    ‘So the fat little Russian didn’t throw her overboard. Not here, at least,’ Stephen said. ‘If it were me, I would have kept her until I was well out to sea. Weighted down, the chances are she would never be found. That size of yacht will have a big freezer compartment, and an adequate hold. Lots of places to keep a body.’
    Which is what Patrick had been thinking. ‘I need to

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