The quarter-million I saved I put into a geographical and economic survey of the Bahamas, hiring an American outfit to do it. I did not expect them to come up with anything that would surprise me, but what they found would buttress my ideas with the Cunninghams.

I flew to Abaco at least once a week to see Karen, even if only to stay an hour. She seemed to have settled down completely and seemed none the worse for her bereavement. I wished I had her resilience; I stopped myself from brooding only by hard work and keeping occupied.

But there were times in the small hours..

I discussed the question of taking Karen home but Peggy counselled against it.

"Tom, you're working all the hours God sends. How do you expect to look after a little girl? Let her stay here until things ease off for you. She's no trouble."

Peggy and Bob were over the moon because I was funding them to a golf course to compete with the one at Treasure Cay. I also told them I was having joint meetings with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Tourism and the Department of Public Works to see if anything could be done about the God-awful road between Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay. I told them I had produced the Pilot's Bahamas Aviation Guide the bit where it says that if anyone wants to get from Treasure Cay to Marsh Harbour they'd better fly.

"I asked them, " What sort of tourist advertising is that? " I think we'll get our improved road."

"It would help our lunch trade a lot," said Bob.

"People coming on day tours from Treasure Cay."

"The hell with lunch. You'll be running a car hire service." So I was keeping busy and the time passed a little less painfully.

I made a point of dropping in to see Perigord from time to time. The computer-enhanced pictures ofKayles came back from NASA and I gave them to him. He took one look at them and blinked.

"How did you do this?" he demanded.

"Ask no questions," I said.

"Remember discretion." There was no sign ofKayles.

"If he's still alive he could be anywhere," said Perigord.

"Yachtsmen are mobile and there's no control over them at all. For all I know he's in Cape Town right now."

"And he'll have changed the name of his boat again."

"And perhaps his own," said Perigord.

"He'd surely have passport difficulties there."

Perigord looked at me a little sorrowfully.

"It may come as a surprise to you to know that the skipper of a boat, no matter how small the boat, doesn't need a passport; all he needs are ship's papers and those are easily forged. In any case, getting a passport is easy enough if you know where to look." Perigord was stymied.

Three months passed and Debbie came back bringing with 74 her two black American girls of about her own age. She blew into my office like a refreshing breeze and introduced them.

"This is Cora Brown and Addy Williams; they're both teachers, and Addy has nursing qualifications. We're an advance scouting party."

"Then I'd better fix you up with rooms." I stretched for the telephone.

"No need," she said airily.

"I made reservations."

I made a mental note to tell Jack Fletcher to inform me any time Debbie Cunningham made a reservation.

"So you're going ahead."

They told me about it, extensively and in detail. They were going to bring twenty children each month for a two-week stay.

"I had a bit of trouble with the school boards about that," said Debbie.

"But I pointed out that both Cora and Addy are teachers and the whole thing is one big geography lesson, anyway with sport thrown in. They went for it."

Cora and Addy were to give the kids lessons in basic arithmetic and English, and they were to learn the history of the Bahamas in relationship to the United States. That took care of the education bit. Debbie said tentatively, "You said something about the Family Islands. I thought a week here and a week on one of those…"

"Sure," I said.

"That's easy. While they're here those kids who can swim can go along to the Underwater Exploration Society and learn scuba-diving. They'll give you a low rate. Those who can't swim can have lessons here in the hotel pool. We have an instructor."

"That's great," said Cora.

"I can't swim maybe I'll take lessons, too."

And so it went with much enthusiasm. I took time off to introduce them to people I thought they ought to know and then let them loose in Freeport. Before they went back to the States I took Debbie to dinner at the Xanadu Princess. I had engineered that tete-a-tete by sending Cora and Addy to Abaco with an introduction to Peggy.

As we got out of the car Debbie looked up at the hotel.

"Does this belong to the Theta Corporation?"

I laughed.

"No, I just like to keep tabs on what the opposition is up to."

Over cocktails I said, "I like Cora and Addy. Where did you find them?"* "Oh, I just asked around and came up with the jackpot." She smiled.

"Neither of them is married. From what I've observed in the last few days they could very well marry Bahamian boys. Your menfolk sure move in fast." The smile left her face and she said soberly, "How are you doing, Tom?"

"All right. The Theta Corporation is keeping me busy. So much so that I'm thinking of selling the house. I don't spend much time there now; usually I sleep at the hotel. "

"Oh, you mustn't sell that beautiful house," she said impulsively.

"I rattle around in it. And there are too many memories."

She put her hand on mine.

"I hope it's not too bad." We were quiet for a while, then she said, "Billy talked to me. He said you'd told him about Kayles. Any more news?"

"Nothing. Kayles seems to have vanished completely. If it weren't for all the inconsistencies I'd be inclined to believe he went down with Lucayan Girl that it was a genuine accident."

I changed the subject deliberately and we talked of other and lighter matters, and it was pretty late when I took her back to the Royal Palm. As we walked towards the parking lot, something flashed out of the darkness and Debbie ducked, and gasped, "What was that!"

"Don't worry, it's harmless it won't hurt you. It was just a bat. We call them money bats."

Debbie looked up doubtfully and I could see she did not altgether believe my claim that the bats were harmless.

"That's an odd name?

Why money bats? "

I chuckled.

"Because the only time you see them is when they're flying away from you."

That night, lying sleepless in bed, I had a curious thought. Could the mind play tricks on one? Had I given Debbie Cunningham the idea of bringing American kids to the Bahamas just so I could see more of her? It had not been a conscious decision, of that I was sure. With Julie and Sue just dead a week I would not, could not, have made such a decision. But the mind is strange and complex, and perhaps it had put those words in my mouth, the idea into Debbie's mind, for reasons of its own.

All the same I felt happier than I had felt for a long time, knowing that I would be seeing Debbie Cunningham monthly for the foreseeable future.

The months went by. Seven months after I became President of the Theta Corporation we had the Grand Opening of the Rainbow Bay Hotel on Eleuthera. I invited a crowd of notables: Government ministers, a couple of film stars, a golf champion and so on. I also invited Deputy-Commissioner Howard Perigord and his wife, Amy. And the Cunninghams came; Billy and his father, Billy One; Jack Cunningham, who looked upon me with some mistrust, and, of course, daughter Debbie.

To make sure that everything went like clockwork I pulled the best of the staff from the other three hotels. The service in those hotels might have suffered a little at that time, but not much because, in general, the quality of our staff was high. In the event all went well.