mad. I wish I’d never taken on this job! Thank God we can go home tomorrow.”
We were quite happy to do as Sally asked. To escape from the crowds, Graham and I decided to go down to the little beach I’d seen from my window. After changing into our swimming things we trotted down the cliff path. Our cupid costumes had been horrifically hot, so it was a big relief to wade into the cool, clear sea. We had a bit of a swim and then took the pedalo so we could have a good long talk with no danger of anyone eavesdropping.
“What’s going on?” I exclaimed as we began to pedal around in a large, lazy circle.
“They were both unfortunate accidents,” Graham reminded me. “You heard the doctor.”
“You don’t believe it, though, do you?”
“Given all that we’ve seen and heard, the chances of both deaths being truly accidental are on the slim side,” Graham admitted.
“So what we have to figure out is who would want them both dead. And why? What about Tessa? She seems to have a bit of a thing for Bill.”
“Along with my mother and yours, and about ninety-nine per cent of the world’s female population,” Graham reminded me. “Surely that doesn’t give her a motive for murder?”
“I suppose not. She had the opportunity, though.”
Graham nodded. “But how about the means?”
I considered. “I don’t reckon Tessa had her hair done by Sizal – she’s not the hair-extensions type, is she? So she might not have known about his allergy. And she hasn’t worked for Bill for that long – she probably didn’t know about Ruby’s heart condition, either. Besides, even if she’s in love with Bill, why would she want to kill his mother? No, you’re right. I think we can cross Tessa off the list.”
We pedalled in silence for a few minutes while we considered the matter. “As far as I can see, the only thing that links Ruby and Sizal is Angelica,” I said finally. “She was the one to discover both bodies. And as you’re always saying, the person who ‘finds’ a body is often the murderer.”
“Very true,” Graham agreed.
“But
why
would she do it?” I was perplexed. “I mean, they seemed to feel quite sorry for her. She asked both of them to speak on her behalf.”
“Yet neither managed to stop the wedding.”
“OK… So maybe Angelica was really angry with them. Angry enough to arrange their ‘accidents’.” I tried to picture Angelica in a murderous state but couldn’t quite manage it. “She doesn’t seem the angry type, though, does she? She looks sad and mad, but not necessarily bad. If Josie was in her position it might be different – she seems sweet enough when Angelica’s not around, then she turns into a green-eyed monster.”
Graham scratched his nose. “Well, Josie heard Angelica pleading with Ruby when we first got here. And she came in to Sizal’s room soon after he’d finished setting Kelly’s hair. She may have overheard what he said about Angelica asking him to have a word with her. For all we know, she was mortally offended.”
“So she might have got rid of both of them. But it’s ruined her big day,” I objected. “Which she’s been fixated on since she was a kid.”
“It hasn’t been totally ruined,” Graham reasoned. “Think of the sensation that two deaths in a single day will have caused – it makes a much more interesting story than a feature about yet another celebrity wedding. If you’re right about her little-girl-lost persona being a false one, that might explain things.”
“Well, if she’s secretly after fame and fortune, she’s certainly found it,” I said. Something else occurred to me and I stopped pedalling for a moment. The vessel wobbled and Graham frowned but I ignored him. “Why did Josie come into Sizal’s room just now?”
“Angelica was screaming,” Graham pointed out. “I should imagine that half the island’s population heard it. Maybe Josie was curious.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she wanted to check Sizal was
We were quite happy to do as Sally asked. To escape from the crowds, Graham and I decided to go down to the little beach I’d seen from my window. After changing into our swimming things we trotted down the cliff path. Our cupid costumes had been horrifically hot, so it was a big relief to wade into the cool, clear sea. We had a bit of a swim and then took the pedalo so we could have a good long talk with no danger of anyone eavesdropping.
“What’s going on?” I exclaimed as we began to pedal around in a large, lazy circle.
“They were both unfortunate accidents,” Graham reminded me. “You heard the doctor.”
“You don’t believe it, though, do you?”
“Given all that we’ve seen and heard, the chances of both deaths being truly accidental are on the slim side,” Graham admitted.
“So what we have to figure out is who would want them both dead. And why? What about Tessa? She seems to have a bit of a thing for Bill.”
“Along with my mother and yours, and about ninety-nine per cent of the world’s female population,” Graham reminded me. “Surely that doesn’t give her a motive for murder?”
“I suppose not. She had the opportunity, though.”
Graham nodded. “But how about the means?”
I considered. “I don’t reckon Tessa had her hair done by Sizal – she’s not the hair-extensions type, is she? So she might not have known about his allergy. And she hasn’t worked for Bill for that long – she probably didn’t know about Ruby’s heart condition, either. Besides, even if she’s in love with Bill, why would she want to kill his mother? No, you’re right. I think we can cross Tessa off the list.”
We pedalled in silence for a few minutes while we considered the matter. “As far as I can see, the only thing that links Ruby and Sizal is Angelica,” I said finally. “She was the one to discover both bodies. And as you’re always saying, the person who ‘finds’ a body is often the murderer.”
“Very true,” Graham agreed.
“But
why
would she do it?” I was perplexed. “I mean, they seemed to feel quite sorry for her. She asked both of them to speak on her behalf.”
“Yet neither managed to stop the wedding.”
“OK… So maybe Angelica was really angry with them. Angry enough to arrange their ‘accidents’.” I tried to picture Angelica in a murderous state but couldn’t quite manage it. “She doesn’t seem the angry type, though, does she? She looks sad and mad, but not necessarily bad. If Josie was in her position it might be different – she seems sweet enough when Angelica’s not around, then she turns into a green-eyed monster.”
Graham scratched his nose. “Well, Josie heard Angelica pleading with Ruby when we first got here. And she came in to Sizal’s room soon after he’d finished setting Kelly’s hair. She may have overheard what he said about Angelica asking him to have a word with her. For all we know, she was mortally offended.”
“So she might have got rid of both of them. But it’s ruined her big day,” I objected. “Which she’s been fixated on since she was a kid.”
“It hasn’t been totally ruined,” Graham reasoned. “Think of the sensation that two deaths in a single day will have caused – it makes a much more interesting story than a feature about yet another celebrity wedding. If you’re right about her little-girl-lost persona being a false one, that might explain things.”
“Well, if she’s secretly after fame and fortune, she’s certainly found it,” I said. Something else occurred to me and I stopped pedalling for a moment. The vessel wobbled and Graham frowned but I ignored him. “Why did Josie come into Sizal’s room just now?”
“Angelica was screaming,” Graham pointed out. “I should imagine that half the island’s population heard it. Maybe Josie was curious.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she wanted to check Sizal was
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