Dead Man's Island——5、A Dead Man

I went into the room...and I was very surprised.
The room was full of strange things.Coloured shirts and suits.Three guitars.And there were posters and photographs on the walls.
I looked at the posters.
Jake Rosso's face looked down at me.
I looked at the dead Jake Rosso's pictures,and I remembered all the photographs on the walls of my room in Hong kong.I could never forget that face-the face of my favourite singers.
Then,while I looked at his face,something strange happened.I began to see another face in the posters.An older face,and with a moustache,but the same face.
I saw the face of Mr Ross.
'No!'I said.'It's not true!'
But it was,I knew it was.
'Mr Ross is...Jake Rosso!'
'No!'said a voice behind me.
I turned roudn and saw Mr Ross.He was standing in the doorway.He looked...afraid.
'I don't believe you!'I said.
'You have to believe me!'
I looked at the posters.'Who is that,if it's not you?'
'It's Jake Rosso.He was...my brother,'
'That's not true!I shouted.'I don't believe you.Listen,Jake Rosso was my favourite singer-I had hundreds of photos of him.I still have all his records.I loved him,do you understand?Thousands of people loved him.'
'He's dead,'Mr Ross said quietly.
'No!'I shouted.'You've Jake Rosso!You look different now,yes.You're got short hair,you've got a moustache now,and you wear glasses.But you're...Jake...Rosso.You were my favourite pop star,so I know.'
Mr Ross said nothing,and watched my face.
'He doesn't know what to do,'I thought.'He knows I don't believe him,and he's afraid.'
Then he said,'It's was you in the passage last night,wasn't it?'
'Yes,'I answered.
He looked angry.'I was wrong to give your mother a job,'he said.'I thought it was OK because you came from Hong Kong.And I needed help with my work.I needed a good secretary.'
'Does your other secretary know who you are?'I asked.'Do the other people on the island know?'
Mr Ross didn't answer,but walked across to the window.He was thinking.
'What's he going to do?'I thought.
Then he turned round.'Ok,you're right.I...I am Jake Rosso.'
'I knew it!'
He looked worried and unhappy.'Can you keep a secret?A very important secret?'
I thought for a minute,then I said,'Yes,I can keep a secret.'
Then he told me:
'The other people on this island are my family.'
'Your family?'I said.
'Yes.My real name is James Duncan,and Mr and Mrs Duncan are my father and mother.Tony is my younger brother,and his wife,Lisa,is my secretary.It's she who's in hospital.'
'And Stella and Dan Parks?'I asked.
'My mother's sister and her husband,'he said.
'But what are you doing here on this island?I don't understand.'
'I'll tell you,'he said.He sat down on a chair and took a guitar in his hands,but he didn't play it.'You were right.I was a famous pop star.I was very rich,and I had a beautiful wife.But things went wrong.'
'How?'
'I took drugs,'he said.'I drank a lot of alcohol.I got drunk and crashed cars.I did stupid,terrible things.I knew it was wrong but I couldn't stop doing it.I was...crazy,for a time.'
'I can understand that,'I told him.'I've taken drugs,too.'
He looked surprised.'You have?'
'Yes,'I did.'After my father died,I was very unhappy and things went wrong for me too.But go on with your story.'
He went on.'One night,I was driving my car.I was drunk and-and I hit somebody.A young girl.She...died.I killed her.'
'Oh,no!'
'Yes,'he said.'She was fifteen years old.I wanted to die,too.The money didn't matter any more.Nothing mattered any more.'
'What did you do after the accident?'I asked.
'I drove on in the car.I didn't stop,and I didn't tell the police.I had killed someone and I was afraid.'He looked afraid now.He put the guitar down and went on with his story.'So I made a plan.Jake Rosso had to die,too.It was the best thing to do.And so...I "killed" him.'
'But you're still alive.'
'My family know I'm alive,but no other people know.'He looked at me.'But now you know.'
'How did you do it?'I asked.
'I told my family about my plan and I told Greta,my wife.At first they didn't like it.But after a long time,they said ok.Then I faked the car crash.
'Faked it?'
'Yes,'he said.'I put some of my things in the car.A guitar,and some clothes.Then I pushed my car over a cliff and burned it.The police found the burned car and thougth I was dead.Everybody thougt I was killed in the car crash.'
'But you faked the crash,'I said.
'Yes.'
'What did you do then?'
'My family hid me away for months.I tried to change into a different person-with shorter hair,a moustache,quiet suits.All my money went to Greta and she changed her name to Ross.I told her to buy this island.Now I invest her money,the money that was mine.And now I'm "James Ross."
'What aboout "Jake Rosso"?'I asked.
'Jake Rosso took drugs,'he said. 'Jake Rosso got drunk and crashed cars.He killed a young girl,so he had to "die".I can never forget the girl.I think about her every day.'
'And that's why you always look so sad,'I thought.
I looked around the room.'Why do you keep a room like this?Why do you keep the guitars,the posters and photographs?'
James Ross did not speak for a minute.Then he said,'I need to remember my old life,and what Jake Rosso was like.I'm never going to sing again and I'm never going to take drugs.But I need this room,to remember.'
I looked at the posters and the photographs.And I looked at his sad face.'I'm not going to say anything.I won't tell my mother,I won't tell anybody.'
James Ross looked at me.'I think you understand,'he said.
'I do,'I said.'I've done bad things.I want to forget them,too.I needed to get away,to hide,too.That's why we came to England,to begin a new life.Yes,I understand.'
He took my hand,and we walked out of the room and closed the door.
I never went into the room again,and I didn't tell anybody.
My mother and I left the island at the end of the summer.Soon after,I went to college.
My lift is better now.I work on a farm in England and my mother works in an office.My mother doesn't worry about me,because I'm happier now.
I haven't been back to the island.
But I know there's a 'dead man'living there.