Read Online Murder on the Lake by Bruce Beckham - Free Book Online Page A

Machiavellian glint in his eye. 
Nonetheless, he opts not to become sidetracked.
    ‘And
if it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t be here now.  I was fishing close in
to the island and I spotted one of the writers – the young girl, Lucy.’ 
He glances up at DS Jones, who averts her gaze and studies the list of names in
the notebook that lies open before her.  ‘It was just getting dark and she
was calling for help.  They’d discovered Buckley dead about an hour
earlier, and they had no communications.  I came ashore at the jetty, got
the lie of the land, went back down to the boat about an hour later and it was
gone.  By then it was pitch dark.  Considered various impractical options
– ended up staying the night.  Planned to signal for help this
morning – if you didn’t find us first.’
    ‘Which
we did, Guv.’
    Skelgill
shoots DS Leyton an irritated glance for stating the obvious.  Perhaps
there is an element of frustration that he has been thwarted in completing his
‘rescue’ of the writers’ party.
    DS
Leyton tries again, along less contentious lines.
    ‘I
take it no one half-inched your boat, Guv?’
    ‘I
wouldn’t say that, exactly.’
    ‘Meaning
what, Guv?’
    ‘Meaning
it didn’t blow away.’
    Skelgill
stares hard at his sergeant, biting his lower lip.  But he opts not to
elaborate.
    ‘Let’s
park that for now – tell me what you know that I don’t.’  He reaches
again for the teapot.
    DS
Leyton nods to DS Jones, who, by dint of her vastly superior admin skills, when
present is relied upon as chief note-taker.  She flips back a couple of
pages, but after a cursory glance she recites from memory.
    ‘We
landed at about seven-fifteen, Guv.  The front door was unlocked and I
recognised your boots in the hall.’  (Skelgill raises an eyebrow but does
not comment.)  ‘No one was up, so we started going round the
bedrooms.  DS Leyton found you.  I discovered the dead woman. 
Some doors were locked.  That’s why we didn’t know about Buckley until you
told us.’
    ‘We
just thought he’d had even more sauce than you, Guv.’
    DS
Leyton intends his quip to be light hearted, but he receives a withering look
from Skelgill for his trouble.  DS Jones quickly continues.
    ‘Dr
Herdwick was working an early shift and when he heard you were missing he
volunteered to come out with us.’
    Skelgill
folds his arms and shakes his head, as insult is heaped upon the injury.
    ‘And
what’s the old vulture saying?’
    ‘He’s
referring the deaths to the Coroner, Guv.’
    ‘On
what grounds?’  There is an antagonistic note in Skelgill’s question.  ‘I
thought we were looking at a heart attack and an accidental overdose of
sleeping pills?’
    Now DS
Jones refers to her notes.
    ‘Several
technicalities, Guv – cause of deaths unknown, or at least, uncertain
– deaths sudden and unexplained – no known visits by a medical
practitioner –’
    ‘Apart
from the quack.’
    Skelgill’s
rather scathing interjection refers to the Yorkshireman and former GP, Dr Gerald
Bond, of whom he has plainly not become enamoured.
    ‘Added
together, Guv – plus the fact of two deaths in two days among a small
group of people – Dr Herdwick says he can’t just sign them off.’
    ‘He was
joking about quarantining the lot of you on the island, Guv – spin it out
longer, or something like that.’
    DS
Jones laughs involuntarily at DS Leyton’s remark, although it is not quite
clear to her colleagues why this might be.  Under critical scrutiny she
resumes her more serious demeanour.
    ‘So is
he talking autopsies?’
    ‘Some
preliminary tests, at least, Guv.’  DS Jones glances at her notes. 
‘Obviously it looks fairly certain the Mandrake woman ingested medicines plus
alcohol, but we’ve also found various prescription drugs among Buckley’s
possessions.’
    There
is another round of silence as each person perhaps attempts to piece together a
coherent picture of events.  Although the