Xion Island Zero Chapter 24

When they went into the lounge, Danny stopped by the front door and left his boots there.

‘It’s okay,’ Kel said. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Nash glared at him.

‘He’s only grumpy because he didn’t solve three murders before lunch,’ Kelvin said, filling up Nash’s wine. ‘Try being mortal, love.’

Danny sank onto the edge of the sofa and stared at his big toe peeping through a hole in his sock. He looked more comfortable scaling scaffolding than being sandwiched between a DCI and his boyfriend, but he smiled when Kelvin passed him a Coke.

‘A bottle of wine will morph into three, and, if our Molly’s here, you might as well deal with it turning into a mid-week party,’ Kelvin said.

‘Thank God I’m driving. I’m up a five-storey scaffold in the morning.’

‘Swap you? I’m looking for The Miasma Carrier,’ Nash laughed.

‘Yeah, I’ve been following it in the paper. Weird name. How’s the investigation going?’

 The circular lounge had panoramic windows that gave the illusion of curving over the water, and Nash stared out, deciding how much he was allowed to tell them.

They ate lasagne and salad in the dining room and then returned to the lounge with a new bottle. The conversation was light and rambled all over the place. Molly told a story about Danny wrestling with a deck chair in Salou, and Kelvin was ribbing Nash about not being able to open jam jars when the doorbell rang again.

‘Woo-hoo, more impromptu party guests,’ Molly laughed.

‘Imani?’ Nash said as he left the guests to open the door. Three glasses in, he wondered if he should offer some leftover lasagne. Probably best not to.

Kelvin’s daughter was on the threshold with her hands buried in the pockets of a long navy coat. She had a wary look on her face as though Nash might sprout cloven feet and horns.

‘I was nearby,’ she said. ‘Zola said I should check in with Dad.’

Nash beamed, ‘Come in. You’re always welcome. I should warn you, though, we do have a bit of a houseful.’ Nash had stepped behind her so that she couldn’t run.

She took in the upstairs room. ‘I didn’t mean to interrupt.’

‘Darling, how wonderful. Come in. And of course you didn’t interrupt,’ Kelvin said gently. ‘It’s good to see you.’

Nash noticed that the wine had hit Kelvin, and he had a wonderful glow to his skin. They’d all suffer at work tomorrow. He saw Imani’s look of disgust. She stared at Molly, who had her legs slung over Danny’s knees, and Nash followed her gaze to Danny’s toe. He almost laughed when he considered introducing it as Tony.

Molly got up to make room for her. ‘Hi. Wow, you look stunning,’ she said.

Imani replied with a tentative smile and shook Molly’s hand. ‘Good to see you again,’ she said.

‘We’ve been talking about you,’ Molly said. ‘All good. Except the bits that weren’t. Want a glass?’

Nash cringed.

Imani shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I don’t drink.’

‘Oh, you should. I highly recommend it. Might loosen you up a bit. We’ll be dancing soon.’

There was a moment of careful consideration from everybody but Molly, and Nash felt Kelvin willing her to be quiet.

Imani looked at the view. ‘It’s so beautiful here. You live well.’ However frosty, at least she was making an effort.

‘Bonus. Just think, it’ll all be yours one day,’ Molly said. She was trying to help in her inimitable, clumsy way, and Nash resisted the urge to laugh. With help like that, he’d rather hire a gravedigger—at least they’d bury him quietly.

Imani ignored the remark and spoke to her dad. ‘You seem happy.’

‘We are,’ Kelvin said.

She nodded again. ‘That’s good.’

For a second, Nash thought she might say something kind. An opening. But she turned from the window, pointedly cutting everybody but her father out of her gaze. ‘I’ve come here for a reason, and with God behind me, I have no qualms about saying this in front of your friends.’

Nash glanced at Molly. Please don’t say anything, he thought. She did look past Imani to see if anybody else had come in, and Nash had the feeling it was an innocent reflex.  

‘I’m here to appeal to you not to go through with this farce of a marriage. Please, Dad. I’m accepting—this.’ She spread her arms, indicating the situation more than the room. ‘Live together, if you must, but please, please, see that marriage is sacred, and this is an abomination against God.’

It didn’t matter how many bodies Nash had hauled from rivers or how many monsters he’d put away, this rejection cut deeper than any blade.

‘Imani,’ Kelvin started to speak to his daughter, but didn’t get very far.

Molly, well-meaning and half-cut, jumped in and said, ‘Listen, love, if you hate gays that much, just smile. And if a lesbian ever proposes to you, say no. Sorted. What I’m saying is—do you, babe. And let your dad be him.’

The silence could’ve cracked glass.

Imani stared at her. ‘Is that meant to be funny?’

Molly’s grin faltered. ‘Only if you’ve got a sense of humour.’

Imani blocked her and looked at Kelvin. ‘Dad. I wouldn’t be like this if you’d fallen for a woman. I’d still be angry after Mum, but I’d understand. This feels like a betrayal of my mother.’

Kelvin guided Imani to a seat in the corner, but they could still hear. Nash wanted to tell them to go into the kitchen, but wisely kept his counsel.

‘Darling. Your mum knew everything about me. We had no secrets. We loved each other with all of our hearts, and we were happy. We had a good marriage, but as a black man coming to this country, it was hard being gay.’

Imani stood. She was furious with him. ‘You loved her with all your heart, but not with your body.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Molly said. And Danny told her to keep out of it and be quiet.

‘I swear to you, I was faithful throughout our marriage. While your Mum was alive, I was with her heart and soul. I never strayed.’

She turned on Nash. ‘You’ve done this. You’ve turned my dad away from God.’

Molly refilled their glasses and poured like a woman who believed no crime could be committed over a full glass. ‘Sure you don’t want one?’ she asked Imani.

Nash swirled the wine, waiting while he gathered his patience. ‘Things are different now. It used to be illegal to be like us. I spent decades hiding. But these days, most people don’t care. Your religion is important to you. It is to your dad, too. But, it’s a kinder society today, and we can go weeks without anybody saying something hateful. Isn’t that a better place to live?’

Kelvin laughed. ‘Try being gay—and black. We’ve a bit to catch up, yet.’

That earned a small smile from Imani. But only a small one.

‘You said yourself that he’s happy. Try to understand, Imani. For him,’ Nash said.

Imani shook her head. ‘I should go. I have to be up early in the morning.’ She looked from the three bottles of wine on the coffee table to Kelvin. ‘I should get some sleep, if I were you. Take care, Dad.’

She didn’t hug anyone.

‘Well, that went well,’ Molly said as the door closed.

After Molly and Danny left and the washing up was done, Nash and Kelvin sat in the lamplight, with their legs tangled on the sofa and a cup of coffee each, though after Imani killed the vibe, they had sobered considerably.

‘I thought we’d turned a corner,’ Nash said.

‘She’s still grieving. And she’s angry. She’s allowed to be.’

‘Even if it hurts you?’

‘Especially then.’

Nash leaned in and kissed him. ‘I don’t want to be the reason you lose her.’

‘You won’t. We’ll win her back. She came here tonight, that was a start—not that Hurricane Molly helped much.’

‘It’s okay. We just have to learn to say no to gay proposals,’ Nash said, and they laughed.

 

Xion Island Zero is book 6 in the DCI Nash series. They're all on KU. Hush Hush Honeysuckle is Book One, and this is the Amazon link.

 

https://books2read.com/u/4EB0zg