Chapter 9

Jimmy and Sis, got chapter and verse concerning the day’s events, and I informed them exactly whom they’d booked in for a cruise that day when I got back to the bar that evening.

Not that I blamed them, they didn’t know my full story anyway and I’d never mentioned the Cartwright’s by name All they’d known was that some Yank had a complete cock-up that cost me my marriage, my job and led to being chased around the World, or harassed by the authorities anyway, everywhere new I ever went.

“Jesus man I’m surprised you didn’t throw the pair of them to the bleed’n sharks!” Jimmy exclaimed as he popped the lid on another beer for me.

“I can’t say that the thought didn’t cross my mind, Jim; I’m sure Donny would have been game. However I figured Jazmine wouldn’t stand for it and she’s got Phyllis at her back, remember! Besides, what would I have done with those bleeding kids.” I smiled back at him. “Besides it’s been over and done for bloody years now. I might dislike the bugger; even wish old sod would come to grief. But there ain’t no sense for doing time for something I’d all but forgotten about.”

Quite literally I’d only just uttered those words when I caught first sight of Bill Cartwright storming towards Jimmie’s bar.

“Looks like someone’s got other ideas, Tom.” Jimmy commented. I assume he’d followed my eye line.

Although the place was reasonably crowded I’d spotted Cartwright approaching from along the beach as he emerged from the darkness. After what I’d witnessed on the island that lunchtime -- when his wife had stopped him from coming back on board while I was alone on Cassandra -- I’d kind-a had it half-figured that he might turn up at Jimmie’s eventually, and would possibly be stealing for a fight. After all, he was an American and they have a reputation coming over all macho like, especially when you’ve hit them where it hurts them the most, in their bleeding pocket! Or their pride.

“Hey asshole step outside, we got some unfinished business?” Cartwright said, rather forcefully when he arrived at the bar.

I wasn’t really in the mood for an unnecessary punch-up; I was getting far too old for all that stupidity.

Besides, one thing I had learned was, that you have to get your priorities right and two tasty new tourist birds had recently arrived in the bar. While I’d been talking to Jimmy I’d been trying to figure-out which one to make a play for before “mine host” got in first. I also was aware that Jimmy or one of the local guys was sure to get-in-there, while I was pissing about outside on the beach with Bill bleeding Cartwright.

But then again, the bugger’s arrival on the scene back in the UK, had been the original catalyst for all the upheaval in my life, and - had the opportunity presented itself at the time – I’d have probably kicked his teeth in for him all those years ago. But unfortunately one doesn’t usually do that kind of thing, in civilised society. You’re forced to let the courts deal with those matters, unless you fancy spending some time in jail yourself.

However, our little island couldn’t really be described as civilised society, in the true sense of the word. Disputes amongst local residents were usually ignored, by what served as our local constabulary, providing no one actually died.

I didn’t answer Cartwright; I just slowly - and cautiously - rose from my seat. When it comes to a scrap there are no Marquis of Queensbury rules in my book, so I saw no reason for Bill Cartwright to behave any differently.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Jimmy reach bellow the bar, to where I knew he kept his leveller. A length of extraordinarily heavy wood, roughly the same size and shape as a rounder’s bat. Smaller than a baseball bat but just as effective.

However Jimmy relaxed again when I signalled him that his intervention wasn’t going to be necessary.

Bill Cartwright -- rather foolishly in my opinion -- turned his back on me, as he lead the way out onto the beach. Had this been the usual sort-of dispute I was involved in, over a woman, I probably would have put the bugger down there and then and brought a swift end to the matter.

But this was something out of the ordinary; something I wanted to savour every minute of. I wanted to be looking right into the bugger’s eyes when I gave him what he deserved.

Cartwright led the way until we were about forty feet or so, from the bar. There wasn’t much of a moon that night and going very much further would have left us in almost complete darkness. He had taken us as far from the bar as he could, but still be able to see to fight. Then he turned and faced me.

“Right asshole put it right there!” The idiot said, sticking his chin out and pointing to it with his right forefinger. “Come on, I owe you a free one for what I did. But you’d better make it a good, because then I’m going to kick the shit out of you for what you’ve done to Katie and little Kaye!”

Honestly, I was winding-up to land one on Cartwright, but then ... the words Cartwright had spoken suddenly sunk home and I stopped myself mid swing.

“What, I’ve done to who?” I asked, probably with a puzzled tone to my voice.

Bill Cartwright looked surprised. I do believe the guy had been intending to take no evasive action at all, had I continued with my punch.

“Katie and Kaye!” He replied, as if he expected me to know where or why-for the little girl would be involved.

“What does the little girl have to do with anything?” I found myself asking.

I have no idea what expression I had on my face, or even if Bill Cartwright could actually see it clearly in what little moonlight there was that night. But I could see his face well enough with the extra illumination from the bars outside lights.

I was somewhat surprised to see first, a look of confusion come over his face, that very quickly turned to surprise or even shock; then he suddenly looked confused again.

Bill Cartwright had lost all sign of animosity in his voice when he asked.

“You didn’t know about Kaye? Surely you knew! You have to have known!” He studied me face for a few seconds. “My god, didn’t Dee tell you, either?”

He must have read in my expression that I had not the faintest idea what he was talking about.

Then he shouted “Shit!” and began pacing backwards and forwards across a small area of beach repeating the word “Shit!” over and over again, at the same time as he mumbled something else in between that, I couldn’t quite make out.

“What the fuck’s your problem, mate; are we going to do this or not?” I demanded, after getting tired of watching the man’s antics for a couple of minutes or so.

Bill stopped pacing and turned to look at me. “No, I don’t think we are, I’ve think maybe I’ve made a big mistake!”

“Yeah well, you’re pretty good at doing that, mate!” I replied.

“You can say that again. But I just can’t figure-out why she didn’t tell you.”

“Why didn’t who, tell me what?”

“Never mind, Owen. Look, may I buy you a beer ... or maybe something stronger? I think you might need to be sitting down when I try to explain all this.” Cartwright said stepping closer to me, but there was no longer any animosity in his voice.

I wasn’t too sure what to make of it. But Bill Cartwright’s whole demeanour had changed. His tone of voice had suddenly turned conciliatory and it kind-a put me on the back foot. Not really being a violent person by nature, I kind-a figured that it was his ballgame; we’d play by his rules for a little while and see what the bugger was up to now.

“I’ve never been known to refuse a free beer, mate. Even if I do owe the bugger who’s buying it for me, a good hiding.” I replied as we turned to walk the few paces back to the bar together.

Look, I might have owed Bill Cartwright a punch on the nose, but as I said earlier, I really was getting a little old for all that macho stupidity. Besides, a decent fight might well have messed up my looks a little, and for a few days at least. More than likely it would have buggered up my chances in the nooky stakes. Us locals main pastime – other than drinking - in the evenings. Whether you like it or not, one has to have a pragmatic attitude towards these things.

Somewhat surprisingly I thought -- until I noticed that Sis was standing on the bars veranda -- all the outside tables on our side of the building had suddenly become vacant. I had expected to find that a make-shift audience had developed.

Sis was standing by one of the tables holding three beers by their necks. I led the way over to her and took a seat at the table, Bill Cartwright sat opposite me and then even more surprisingly for me -- and I do believe taking Bill by surprise as well -- Sis placed a beer before each of us and then sat herself on one of the other chairs.

“You know, don’t you?” Bill Cartwright directed at Sis.

“Jasmine thought she had worked it out, this afternoon. Was I pleased when you turned up this evening, I certainly wasn’t looking forward to telling the bugger and neither was Jimmie.” Sis replied to Bill.

“Tell me what?” I demanded, as Jimmy arrived at the table and placed a shot glass and a bottle of his special - and very potent – rum before me. Then plonked his own arse, on the only remaining seat around the table.

No one had replied to my demand so I asked. “Will some bugger please tell what the sodding’-’ell is going on here? Or I’m going to get really pissed! What’s the rum in aid of Jimmie?”

Jimmie’s special rum only sees the light of day on ... well, very special occasions!

“Forget the beer man, take a swig of the good stuff, then shut up and listen to what the man has to say to you. And Tommy, if you get all-uppity with anyone, I got my leveller right here with me.” Jimmy lectured me and then turning to look at Bill Cartwright, “Right man, I suppose it’s your first ball of the match? Don’t worry about Tommy, he won’t get violent no more tonight.” Jimmy added.

Bill Cartwright looked at Jimmie, then over at Sis, eventually bringing his eyes to meet mine.

“Owen, Kaye is your daughter; Katie gave birth to her shortly after you vanished!”

I didn’t reply; I just sat there staring at Bill Cartwright in disbelief. There was no way that I could see, that Katie could have been pregnant when I last saw her. Christ, our last official contact though Jenny Rose had been over two months after that infamous Saturday evening; surly if she’d been pregnant, someone would have told me.

Minding that Jimmy had asked me to remain calm I began to reply.

“I somehow doubt...”

Was as much as I got out before Sis interrupted me.

“You need to take a very close look at your daughter before you say anything else, Tom. I knew she reminded me of someone when they were here yesterday morning. Jasmine spotted the likeness today as well, but how she could with all that fuzz all over your face I don’t know. I didn’t think Jasmine had ever seen you without your beard.”

“She’s seen those pictures in Tommy’s house enough times, and there’s some if him on Cassandra!” Jimmy pointed out. Proved to me that Jimmy was a lot more observant than I’d ever realised he was.

“So, you are telling me that both you and Jasmine believe that young girl is my daughter?” I asked Sis.

“And me!” Jimmy added.

“Yes Tommy, I didn’t see it at first, but Jasmine had all day to study the pair of you. She’s convinced and that’s good enough for me!”

“Well it ain’t for me!” I blustered “Surely I would have known if my wife was pregnant. I’m quite willing to believe that that the young girl is Katie’s daughter. And your mate told us she’d had a kid a couple of years back, but it was more likely by one of her one-night stands.”

“That was damned sight more than a couple of years back my friend. More like six or seven years ago and he never was specific about the child’s age. You just wanted to know if your ex was still living in the house.” Jimmy pointed out.

“There were no one-night stands Owen. And the whole show that Katie put on that evening was an elaborate hoax. Katie was under the influence of that scheming bitch of a sister of hers. Christ man, you were told that years ago!” Bill Cartwright said.

“But I don’t believe that story, Bill! I never have and I never will, it was all just too...”

“Just what ... out of character for Katie? Because it was completely out of character for her, you have to admit that Owen?”

“How would you know Bill; you didn’t know us back then, you have no idea what Katie was capable of?”

“No I’ll give you that; but Jean did! Through Katie, Dee and I have got to know Jean and Greg very well, and, they never did buy into any of it. About you and Delia ... in the first place, or Katie having a one-night stand in revenge. You’re one stubborn pigheaded son of a bitch, Owen! Why that woman hasn’t given-up on the idea that you’d come back one day, I don’t know?”

Bill took a breath and a swig at his bottle of beer. Then he went on,

“She can still turn the guys heads you know, and there’s more than one been interested over the years. But do you think she’ll even contemplate letting one of them even buy her dinner.”

Bill Cartwright was getting into his stride and ranted on.

“Do you know, when my brother was over in the UK last year, he’d met Kat some time back when he was over there with Dee and me. Well out of politeness he invited Katie and Kay out for a meal. Katie wouldn’t go unless Jean came along with her children. Look Owen, my brother’s a nice guy, a damned sight more better looking than I’ve ever been, and he’s well set-up financially as you might guess; a fine catch for a deserted mother with a child.”

“A divorced mother with a child you mean!” I corrected him.

“No deserted! You and Katie aren’t divorced. She decided to fight it and your divorce suit was refused when it came before the court, mainly because Katie was pregnant with your child, I believe. Jenny couldn’t find you ... Christ man, no one could find you, to ask you what you wanted to do about it. So Jenny withdrew it and put things on hold, pending you deciding to get in touch.” Bill informed me. “Do you know, when I paid all that cash to Jenny, you took her completely by surprise when you didn’t get back to her. She told us that she paid the cash into your new account one day, and it was gone again the next. Who taught you how to move cash around like that? We lost track of it, the same day!”

“Just one of those things, I’ve picked-up a trick or two over they years. I’d had enough of it all by then, what with getting banged-up all over the world. I was getting all kind of crap off of everyone about Katie and I just wanted to disappear; get away from it all and everyone I knew. That’s why I eventually bought Cassandra once you’d, so kindly, supplied me with the money.”

“You had me by the balls, Owen. When Jenny Rose had that suit issued against me in the US, my legal people over there, almost had a communal heart attack. I sure made a big mistake in going to see your wife when I did, and writing to your boss! But at the time I thought I had you, by the balls? Actually it was the other way around, Kate reacted much in the way I imagined she might as far as immediately applying for a divorce, like she did. But I didn’t expect that you’d turn it all around on me so quickly. You know Jenny Rose went over the top a little. Lawsuits for slander and deformation of character in the UK, reckless behaviour leading to alienation of affection in the US courts. My attorney didn’t quite know what to make of that one, but he figured that if a jury came down on your side, I’d get crucified. You know that the jury can decide the financial compensation back home.”