Free My Island Homicide by Catherine Titasey Page B

school was an old traditional building made of mangrove wood, with walls of plaited coconut fronds.
    After several laps of the main street and waterfront without sign of Franz, we headed to the Josef family home at the back of the island. Jenny pulled up at a Federation-style house and I marvelled at the downward curled roof edges, the wrought-iron verandah and the heavy vertical wood panelling.
    â€˜They don’t build houses like this anymore,’ I said, but something wasn’t right about it.
    â€˜On TI, they just pull them down and build 47 units to ease the housing crisis, even though people end up living on top of each other.’
    â€˜Does something look strange to you?’
    â€˜Keep looking. You’ll work it out.’
    I tilted my head to the left and right several times. Each side of the house sloped downwards from the middle and it was slowly subsiding into an A-frame design. We entered the yard and a large Rottweiler-cross bitch leapt out from beneath the house, barking. Puppies fell off her pendulous teats. I froze, my eyes fixed on the dog’s bared teeth.
    A double-chinned woman appeared at the top of the staircase and roused at the dog. It tucked its tail between its legs and retreated under the house.
    â€˜Come,’ said the woman as she waved with the broom and made for the doorway.
    I let Jenny tackle the pitted steps and shaky railing first, not sure if it could hold both our weights. Up close, paint flaked off the tongue-and-groove walls and the decking timber had rotted through in places. The front entrance, minus a door, opened into a large living area and by the time we entered, the woman was sweeping. Jenny introduced me to Izzy.
    â€˜ Yu blong the Dari pamle lor Warral , I bet . ’ She made the same lifted-chin gesture Mrs Bintu had made.
    â€˜Yes, my mother is Masalgi Dari.’ Best I stick to English till I found someone to teach me Broken English.
    She grunted, which I took to be a non-threatening response, and continued sweeping, her island dress billowing with each thrust of the broom. ‘Your great-grandfather and my great-grandfather were cousins. Been dive pearl shell together.’
    I wasn’t sure how to respond to the news that we were related. A welcome hug was clearly out of the question.
    â€˜We’re looking for Franz,’ said Jenny.
    â€˜You’ll have to go to the hospital. Cut his face with Cedric’s filleting knife. He’s spewing.’
    â€˜Franz is spewing?’ I asked, thinking he must have a stomach bug.
    Izzy paused and gave me a death stare. ‘Cedric is spewing. Franz used his best filleting knife.’ Then she went back to sweeping.
    Jenny put a finger to her mouth and I knew to shut up. ‘What happened, Izzy?’
    Even in the dull interior I could see the sheen of perspiration on Izzy’s skin.
    â€˜Never know with that kid. I been wake up early morning. There he was covered in blood. Woulda drilled him, ’cept for the blood.Cedric been take him go hospital . ’
    â€˜Has he hurt himself before?’ asked Jenny.
    â€˜Yeah, just scratching himself when em get wild.’
    â€˜Was he upset about something?’
    â€˜Who knows. Em got small boy sense . You sabe em been brain damage, wat . Mama said he got a blood clot when he was born. Something like that, anyway.’
    Jenny followed her into a hallway, asking questions. I followed Jenny. ‘Was he behaving unusually Wednesday night, when he left?’
    â€˜ Em always behave unusual.’
    â€˜Do you know where he went Wednesday night?’
    â€˜I never know. Em stap haus to sleep and eat.’
    â€˜Do you know who he was with Wednesday night?’
    â€˜Other wasters.’
    The charade was killing me but I could see an end, a wall.
    â€˜Izzy, a woman, Melissa Ramu, has been missing for almost two days and we want to talk to people who saw her before she disappeared.’
    Izzy stopped at the end of the