by Mona Marple
Priscilla shrugged. “Let’s say I did want her dead. Why would I do something here, where I’m the most obvious suspect? Surely I’d have done it back home, made it look like a break-in gone wrong or something?”
“That’s a good point. But people snap under pressure, and maybe being on holiday together was the pressure that made you snap.”
“Maybe.” Priscilla said.
“So, about Devon?”
“Devon’s just very detached from the group. She doesn’t seem to care about what Marlene thinks, or thought. She leaves Jeff to do what he wants with the family, and she usually has work things that she does instead of joining in.”
“Was there animosity between Devon and Marlene?”
“Oh no.” Priscilla said. “Marlene was hurt by her sometimes, when she turned down invitations. Like she didn’t want to come here. She’d give in occasionally, like she has now, to keep the peace a bit. But they didn’t argue or anything.”
“Someone told me they overheard Marlene and Devon arguing, that Devon told Marlene she wasn’t her family.”
Priscilla let out a gasp. “You’re kidding? For real? Wow.”
“That surprises you?”
“Not that she thinks it, I mean, that’s obvious. It surprises me that she’d say it because Devon’s a very mild person. I’ve never seen her temper. I think it’s the scientist in her, you know? She’s quite practical and logical. There isn’t much emotion there. Maybe she’s the one who snapped, hey?”
“Maybe.” Sandy said, mirroring Priscilla’s earlier answer. She took the lid off her pen and jotted Devon’s name down.
“Anything else that I should know about the family dynamics?”
“You tell me.” Priscilla said. “It’s just a crazy group of people. And then you’ve got the ghost of Meghan in the shadows all the time, reminding me what might happen if I don’t behave.”
“You think Marlene would try to get rid of you?”
Priscilla shrugged her shoulders. “She’s done it to one of us, I know she’d do it to me if I gave her cause. So I haven’t given her cause. What that family did to Meghan is awful. She gave everything to this family, and she made one drunken mistake and lost everything. She’s living in a tiny house now, has a job she hates because she left her job as soon as the kiss with her boss happened. Her whole life has been turned upside down. She worked so hard to get to where she was.”
“I understand you don’t work?”
Priscilla’s cheeks flushed. “No, I don’t.”
“You manage to survive financially?”
“Yes.” Priscilla said, her answer short and direct.
“Can I ask how? I know that Teddy has some, erm, expenses…” Sandy said.
“The gambling.” Priscilla said with a sigh. “He was getting better for a while. Not that there was much incentive for him to stop when his mother appeared with whatever money he needed.”
“She was bailing him out?” Sandy asked.
“Not exactly. He’d just ask her assistant for however much he needed, and it’d be in the account the same day. Marlene didn’t ask what it was for.”
“Can I ask how much roughly?”
“Well, there’s $10,000 a month which is for our living expenses. I usually manage to stick within that budget unless it’s like, ya know, birthdays or anything. I don’t know what else Teddy asks for to go in his other accounts.”
“Is it fair to say you don’t know how much trouble he’s in with debt?” Sandy asked.
Priscilla nodded. “And it’s only going to get worse now.”
“Worse? How?” Sandy asked.
Priscilla gave a smirk. “It’s common knowledge so I think I can tell you. None of the family get a penny in her Will.”
11
“It’s not Teddy.” Sandy said as she regrouped with Tom after Priscilla’s interview.
“Because his wife says so?” Tom asked with a smile.
Snady let out a small laugh. “No, because the family get nothing under her Will. That’s his motive gone. He clearly adores her, his only motive could have been money. And, he was better off while she was alive.”
“Back to the drawing board, then?”
“Not quite. Priscilla couldn’t stand Marlene. She actually sat in interview and told me she hated her and dreamed about her dying. She dodged the question of whether she did it, too.”
“You asked the most likely murderer if she’d done it?” Tom asked, his face ashen. “Geeze, Sandy, you have to be careful. Why don’t I come in the interviews with you and Graeme keep watch in here?”
“We can’t do that, Graeme’s a suspect too.”
“What? He didn’t even know Marlene.” Tom said.
“I know. It makes no sense, and I don’t think it’s him. But I have to speak to him. In fact, I’ll do that next.”
Graeme O’Connell sat alone, separate from the family, his legs crossed and his arms folded. Stay away, his body language seemed to imply.
“Graeme? Can I have a word?” Sandy asked. He jumped up, relieved to have something to do, and followed her into the office, where he took the seat she pointed to.
“Do you know who did it?” He asked.
Sandy shook her head. “Not yet. I’m still speaking to people.”
“How can I help?”
“I need to ask you some questions, to exclude you from the investigation.” She said.
“Oh, no.” Graeme said. He stood up and backed into the wall. “You’re not speaking to me as a suspect. No, absolutely not.”
“Graeme, I have to speak to everyone.”
“You don’t have to do anything. You’re not a police officer. You say you’re some kind of detective but I’ve not seen any proof. I don’t have to say a word to you.”
“I will tell the police if you won’t co-operate with me, and it won’t look good on you. A murder has been committed on your watch, that already looks bad for you. There’s going to be all kinds of investigations. You don’t want it on record that you refused to co-operate to get justice for that poor woman.”
Graeme sighed and returned to his seat. “Fine. I’ll speak to you. But this is ridiculous. You can’t possibly consider me to be a suspect.”
Sandy remained quiet. She hadn’t considered Graeme to be a suspect, but his unwillingness to speak made him seem suspicious. Maybe he did have something to hide.
“What can you tell me about how this booking was made?” Sandy asked.
Graeme stared at her. “Nothing at all.”
“You don’t remember a group of Americans booking a tour in advance?”
“I don’t have anything to do with the bookings.” He explained. “I shouldn’t even be here.”
“Where should you be?”
“Lord knows, but anywhere but here. I came out as a favour to my uncle, do a few shifts, that was all it was meant to be.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Four years!” Graeme exclaimed. “Four years of my life wasted up here in the middle of nowhere.”
“What happened to your uncle?”
“What do you mean, what happened to my uncle?”
“You were coming to cover a few of his shifts?”
“No!” Graeme said with a laugh. “Not his shifts, heck no. He doesn’t work here, he owns the place.”
“I see.” Sandy said. “So, what exactly do you do here?”
“I’m a tour guide.” Graeme said. “I thought I’d made that clear.”
“You don’t do anything behind the scenes?”
“I am a complete and utter dogsbody, I do whatever’s needed.”
“Is it just you here? No other staff? Where does your uncle live?”
“He lives on the mainland, he never comes here. Well, if there’s a newspaper article or something, he’ll come and pose for a photo. But yes, it’s just me. I’ve been threatening to leave ever since I came, but nobody wants to replace me.”
“You’re not happy here?”
“Were you in trouble?”
“I got myself into a spot of bother, yeah. Started out as a poker night with mates, just once a week or so. Then I thought I’d practice online. Lost my mum’s life savings on there. That’s when my uncle said he could offer me some work here, give me a chance to repay my debts.”
“Wow.” Sandy said. “Are you still gambling?”
Graeme shook his head. “Never again. I had to sit my mum down and tell her it had all gone. Worst feeling in the world. I think I got a bit addicted to it all, her face stopped all of that straight away.”
“How much was it?”
"£500.” Graeme said, with a sad smile. “I paid her back but it’s not the same. She’d scrimped and saved all her life to get that £500. I could give her ten times that if I had it and it wouldn’t matter, it wouldn’t be her five hundred back.”
“So you had no idea a wealthy American was coming on today’s tour?”
“I get to work and check the list. They’re just names to me. Are you suggesting I killed her because she had money? That would make no sense.”
“I’m just exploring options.” Sandy said.
“I’ve got access to money.” Graeme said.
“Your uncle?”
He nodded.
“Forgive me, but if your uncle has money, why were your mum’s savings so small?”
Graeme scratched his nose before he answered. “The money’s on my dad’s side. He screwed her over pretty well when he left. They were never married.”
“I see.” Sandy said. “So, what do you make to all of their reactions out there? Anything strike you as being curious?”
“Nah.” He said. “They’re all probably in shock right now, aren’t they? Apart from the killer. So, my bet’s on whoever’s acting most normal.”
“And who do you think that is?”
“The New Yorker. She’s more bothered about her flight tonight.”
“She’s certainly pretty detached from it all.” Sandy said.
“She’s not detached, she’s exactly as she was before it happened.” Graeme explained. “Before you two arrived, she was off to the edge of the group, on her phone all the time, making it clear she couldn’t be late for her plane. It’s not as if her response to the murder is to go within herself, she just hasn’t shown a reaction at all.”
“That’s interesting.” Sandy said. “Anything else?”
Graeme shrugged. “There is one thing actually. One of the family didn’t turn up for the tour today.”
“What?” Sandy asked. Graeme put a hand in his trouser pocket and pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper, which he passed across the desk to her.
“Here, take a look.”
Sandy read the sheet, which was the guest list for today’s tour. All of the family names were listed together with phone numbers, and underneath Eli, was Meghan.
“You know who she is?” Graeme asked.
“I do.” Sandy said. “Thanks for this, can I keep it?”
Graeme shrugged. “I usually mark each person off as they leave at the end but I can’t imagine I’ll need to do that today. Sure, keep it.”
“Thank you.” Sandy said. She studied the sheet of paper, focused on the one person who she hadn’t met. Meghan McVeigh. Could she be a suspect? “Let me walk you back.”
Sandy left Graeme in the drawing room and walked through the grand space and out the nearest door. She stood in the castle grounds, where she was reminded how bitterly cold the day was. Sheets of wind smacked her body, forcing her to take shelter underneath an archway that cut through the castle.
She took her phone out of her pocket and dialled the number, taking care to remember the correct code to allow her to make an international call. The dial tone told her she had done it right. It was only just lunch time in Scotland, which meant it would still be early morning in South Carolina.
Finally, after several rings, the line was answered.
“Hello?” Came a lilting Southern accent.
“Is that Meghan McVeigh?”
“It is. Who’s calling please?” Meghan asked.
“My name is Sandy Shaw. I’m calling from Scotland. I’m here with your son and your husband.”
“Are they okay? What’s happened?” Meghan asked.
Sandy didn’t have questions prepared for Meghan. The fact that she had answered a call on her landline proved her innocence. She didn’t want to share the news of Marlene’s murder, but had little choice. “They’re both fine, but something awful has happened and I was hoping I could ask you some questions.”
“Sure.” Meghan said. Her voice was so friendly, so pretty and All-American. Sandy could imagine her being the perfect daughter-in-law.
“I want to ask about your relationship with Marlene McVeigh.”
“What’s she done?”
“She hasn’t done anything. She’s dead, Meghan. She’s been killed.”
The line was quiet for several seconds, then a sob broke the silence. “Oh Lord, please no.”
“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this.”
“Are you with the police?”
“I’m investigating until the police arrive.” Sandy explained.
Meghan took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”
“Why aren’t you here, Meghan? Your place was booked.” Sandy asked.
“That was cruel.” Meghan said. “I tried to rise above it, but it was a cruel trick. Not just for me, but it was cruel for Eli and it was cruel for Hamm.”
“Are you saying Marlene booked you the ticket with no intention of you coming?”
“I can’t prove that, but Marlene isn’t a lady who makes mistakes. She’s very meticulous. She knows how to book a holiday. I was very upset by that.”
“Would you have come?”
“If I was wanted, of course.” She admitted. “I love my husband.”
“I know you made a mistake… an affair?”
“Affair?!” Meghan exclaimed. “Is that what they’re saying?”
“Tell me what happened.”
“It was a kiss. I know that’s bad, I’m not making any excuses, but I’d been drinking and so had he. He was my boss. I’m not going to say I didn’t have a choice, but I don’t stand up to authority very well, and I was so surprised. When he kissed me, I panicked and I kissed him back. That was it.”
“And you and Eli couldn’t work it out?”
“I guess not.” Meghan said.
“I’m pretty sure he still loves you.” Sandy said.
“Oh, I know.” Meghan said. “And I love the bones of him, I really do. But Marlene wouldn’t let him take a chance on me after that. You know her husband cheated on her? She took him back the first time, and then the second time he fell for the girl and ran off with her.”
“Marlene didn’t want Eli going through the same thing.”
“Exactly.” Meghan said. “And I have to respect that. I mean, I’m a mom too. I wouldn’t want to see Hamm get hurt like that. Sandy, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What happened? I mean, do you know who did it? Is everyone else safe?”
“Nobody else is in danger.” Sandy said. She hoped it was the truth. “I can’t say much more at the moment. Don’t try to contact anyone, we’re going through speaking to people now so nobody can make or take a call.”
“Thank you for letting me know.” Meghan said. “Please look after my boys. I love them so much.”
And with that, Meghan ended the call, leaving Sandy alone in the fierce wind.
12
“All okay?” Tom asked when Sandy returned to the drawing room. Her fingers were red raw from the cold. She squeezed them into fists but the movement was painful.
“Yep.” She said. “I just spoke to Meghan, Eli’s wife.”
“And
?”
“She answered the phone at home in South Carolina, so she’s not a suspect.”
“You’re thorough! That hadn’t even occurred to me!”
“I didn’t think it was likely, but at least we know.”
“What’s she like?”
“She sounded really nice. Really normal.”
“Still think it’s Priscilla?”
“I don’t know.” Sandy admitted. “Surely if she did it, she’d try to hide how much she hated Marlene?”
“Maybe.” Tom said with a shrug. “But sometimes hiding in plain sight is the best protection. I mean, you’re doubting her guilt now precisely because of how strong her motive was.”
“That’s a really good point.” Sandy said. She looked across at Priscilla, who was asleep again. “And everyone else had already told me about her problems with Marlene, which she would guess they’d have done. She had to either admit it, or lie.”
“And those little lies cause big problems.” Tom said.
Sandy turned to him with a grin. “Listen to you, Detective Nelson! You’re getting into it!”
“It’s hard not to. I want to know who did it and why. I just want you to be safe.”
“I know.” She said. She stroked the side of his face, her fingers brushing through his stubble. “Thank you.”
“I guess you want to speak to me?” A voice came from behind Sandy and she dropped her hand quickly. She turned to see Devon standing a few feet away, her arms folded across her chest.
“Yes, I do. Follow me.” Sandy said. She flashed Devon a smile and tried not to feel intimidated.
“My daughter can come in with me.” Devon said. Her tone told Sandy it wasn’t a question.
“Of course.” Sandy said. Trixie hadn’t left her mother’s side since Marlene’s body had been discovered in the darkness of the banquet hall, and to Sandy’s surprise, when Devon took a seat, Trixie sat on her knee.
“Okay, let’s get this over with.” Devon said.
“Devon, the scientist.” Sandy began. “Everyone’s told me how much you love your work. Was it hard for you to take this time out?”
“I’m back home tonight.” Devon said. “I need to get cell service so I can add on a seat for Trixie.”