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they recognised immediately that this Neal was gay, and that was how – we think – he got to know the victim.’
    â€˜And the other man who came to see him, Justin,’ said Fran. ‘And the second victim was close to the first victim. We don’t think she was gay, though. And by all accounts the regulars here don’t – or didn’t – like any of them.’
    â€˜Not a reason for murder though.’
    â€˜No,’ said Libby. ‘But the main thing we were concerned with was finding this mother he’d only just found out about. Except no one seems to know.’
    â€˜And of course, the idiots haven’t searched her place or his.’ Johnny frowned. ‘So we’ll have to do it.’
    â€˜ Us ?’ Two shocked voices rose as one.
    â€˜Oh, I expect we’ll have to have a frowning bobby looking on, but they don’t know how to search properly. I was hoping they’d let us have one of their Crime Scene Investigation teams – they’ve got ’em, you know – but we’re not important enough, it seems. So it’ll be us.’
    â€˜But we don’t know how to search, either,’ protested Libby.
    â€˜Now, don’t tell me you wouldn’t welcome the chance to get on the inside of the investigation?’ He grinned at them both and stood up. ‘Now I’ve got to go and present my credentials at the local cop shop. I’ll ring your hotel to tell you what I’ve set up, shall I? Got the number?’
    â€˜No, but there aren’t many here,’ said Libby. ‘It’s Jimmy’s. The Jandarma will know.’
    â€˜Right, ladies. I’ll see you later.’ He waved over his shoulder and set off down the steps.
    â€˜Well, he’s not my idea of a commander of the Metropolitan Police,’ said Libby.
    â€˜But he is one,’ said Fran, ‘and we’re very privileged. Came up through the ranks, do you suppose?’
    â€˜Do they still do that? Don’t they all have to have degrees and things these days?’
    â€˜Not when he joined the force, I should think. He must be sixty.’
    â€˜Then he’d have retired, surely.’
    Fran frowned. ‘I’m not sure. Ian could tell us.’
    â€˜But Ian’s not here, and I’m certainly not going to phone him.’
    DCI Ian Connell was the police officer in England who had facilitated the friends’ involvement in various murder cases, sometimes for the reason Fran had chosen not to reveal to Commander Smith – that she was a reluctant psychic.
    â€˜We can go now, can’t we?’ Fran stood up. ‘Sitting here knowing those people are talking about us isn’t pleasant.’
    â€˜Are they, though?’ said Libby.
    â€˜Of course they are. We said we thought they knew who we were, and now we’ve had a strange man come and join us, we’re the subject of all sorts of speculation. Lucky we can get down the steps here instead of having to go through them all.’
    Libby followed her down the stairs, resisting the urge to look back at the group at the other end of the terrace.
    â€˜Odd, though,’ she panted as she tried to catch up. ‘This isn’t a tourist hotspot by any means, but they do have summer visitors. Why did they assume we were who we are? If you know what I mean.’
    Fran looked back at her and grinned. ‘Well, once we’d mentioned “the locals” and Sally, it was a pretty foregone conclusion, wasn’t it?’
    Libby pulled a face. ‘You mean once I’d mentioned it.’
    â€˜He was suspicious as soon as we appeared. He said himself they don’t get many casual visitors, and if they all knew about Alec’s and Sally’s deaths and the British tourists who found Alec it would be a good guess. And we – or you, all right – confirmed it for him. There’s something they know that we don’t, but I don’t