Donovans 03 - Pearl Cove

over without his permission,” Flynn said bluntly. “Nobody but Chinese have been hired here for the past three years. Except for Coco and Nakamori, the whole sodding crew is Chinese.”
    Archer spoke without looking away from Flynn. “Hannah?”
    “It’s true. Len said he didn’t trust the Japanese divers any longer, and the Aussies he knew would rather go on the dole than work hard.”
    “So your employer decided if they couldn’t have Pearl Cove for themselves, they would ruin it,” Archer said to Flynn.
    “Yes.” Moving only his eyes, Flynn looked at Hannah. “I’ll give you a better price than anyone else. All you have to do is tell us how Len produced the pearls that look like Lightning Ridge opals.”
    “I don’t know,” she said flatly. “I’ve never known.”
    “It wouldn’t matter if she did,” Archer said to Flynn. “Didn’t you get the word? She doesn’t own Pearl Cove anymore. She’s off the table.”
    The tone of Archer’s voice made Flynn swallow reflexively. “I heard. No harm in trying, mate. Sometimes you hear things wrong.”
    “Not this time.”
    “Right. Anything else?”
    “Who killed Len McGarry?”
    “If I knew, I’d give the bloke a medal. He kept Pearl Cove from going to the Chinese.”
    Archer’s hand moved too quickly to follow. Flynn’s left arm went numb from shoulder to fingernails. Before he could react, Archer was on his feet and out of reach.
    “By the time your arm thaws out, you and Nakamori should be halfway to Broome,” Archer said. “While you drive, cool off and think. I could have broken both arms more easily than numbing one. If I see you again, I won’t pull any punches.”
    Flynn came to his feet with a speed that told Hannah nothing had been dented but his pride. The icy coils that gripped her stomach let go so quickly she felt almost dizzy. She didn’t understand her relief. She simply knew it was as real as Archer’s restraint. He could have maimed Flynn. Len certainly would have.
    The Aussie gave Archer a long, narrow look. Then Flynn laughed. “Bugger me, but I think I like you.”
    Archer smiled faintly. “You won’t mind if we don’t shake on it.”
    “Right. Let’s go, Tom. Or do you want to hang around and see if Coco’s willing to play?”
    Nakamori turned and started for the car. Whistling musically, Flynn followed. Archer watched them until their car was no more than a dark spot against the brick-red road.
    The wind lifted, bringing with it the smell of rain, the kind of monsoon downpour that would turn the land into an impassable mudhole.
    “Are you going after Yin?” Hannah asked.
    He didn’t answer.
    “When do we leave?” she asked simply. “And where do we go?”
    “If you’re serious about working as a pearl matcher, pick a city. Any city. Donovan Gems and Minerals will put you to work there. If you don’t like that idea, the Linskys would jump at the chance to hire you.”
    “I’ll worry about the future after this is settled.”
    “As far as you’re concerned, it’s settled.”
    “No,” she said instantly. When it was all settled, Archer would leave. She wasn’t ready for that yet. What terrified her was that she didn’t know if she would ever be. “There’s still one person to question.”
    “For now, Yin is out of reach.”
    “Coco isn’t.”
    Archer hesitated, then shrugged. “I’d just as soon you were on a plane when I talked to Coco.”
    “Why?”
    “You won’t like my methods.”
    Hannah’s smile was as thin as a knife blade. “I can’t see you taking her down the way you did Flynn.”
    “Fear and pain work, but with Coco I’ll try money first.”
    When they stepped onto the verandah, Coco was sitting in the hammock chair. The tension around her mouth said that she knew she was next on Archer’s list.
    “You are ver’ quick for a big man,” she said to him. “Like Len. Ssssss. Snake.” She made a striking motion with her hand.
    Deliberately Hannah stepped in front of Archer. “Christian and Tom were too busy cutting apart rafts to kill Len,” she said coolly to Coco. “You were the last one to see him alive. He closed the shed door in your face, I believe.”
    “Oui. But he searched me first, most carefully.” The words were in French. The smile needed no translation.
    Archer said something in swift, precise French that wiped the smile right off her face. Then in English he added, “English only, unless you can’t answer in that language. Then I’ll