"Why?" asked Zach.
"Because this isn't Big Brother," said a voice behind them. Cooper turned around to find Maeve had joined them. "The contestants aren't here to have their every waking moment filmed," she explained. "They've agreed to showing a large part of their lives on camera, but they have to have some privacy. They need to be able to get away from time to time, even if it's only for a few hours. They're free to go to the beach or walk around the island if they need to, and they have the right not to be filmed if they don't want to be. It's written into their contracts."
Cooper scratched his head, swivelling his line of sight between the staircase and the French doors. "So basically you're telling me the contestants could come and go as they please via this back door, and none of your cameras would record them?"
"As long as we weren't here with the handheld cameras, yes," said Steve.
Cooper examined the doors. They were lockable from the inside, and there was no evidence they'd been tampered with. "Do these get locked at night?" he asked.
Maeve's eyebrows raised, and Cooper's heart sank at the same time. "We told the contestants to lock the door at night when they first moved in," said the producer. "But this is an isolated house on a holiday island. It's possible they may have become complacent."
Cooper and Zach exchanged glances. The suspect pool had just gotten a whole lot bigger.
12
By lunch time there was no sign of Sergeant Adams, so Cooper took possession of the evidence bags and sent Zach and Nora to find the police station on foot. Maeve Singer had promised to have all the available recordings copied and sent to the police station, so it made sense for the technicians to get started on that rather than waste time hanging around the house.
Dave the dietician was back for lunch, and he brought a sandwich to Cooper in the small office.
"Thanks, appreciate it."
"No problem. You need anything else?"
Cooper checked his notes. "You told us you left here after dinner on Saturday night, right?"
"That's correct."
"And you just went back to your room at the resort?"
"Yes. Well, I had a couple of drinks at the bar with Rebecca and Steve, but I was in my room by about ten o'clock. I had a chat with my girlfriend back home over Skype, then went to bed. I went through all this with your partner just before I came here."
"Oh, right. Of course. Thanks, Dave."
Dave nodded and retreated, closing the door behind him. Cooper focused his attention on the contestants yet to be interviewed – Dax, Ivy, and Martha. Why would any of them want to kill Zara? He was having trouble coming up with a motive for anyone, if he was honest. Sure, Zara wasn't sounding like the nicest person on the planet, but this was a television show. There was supposed to be drama. Why would anyone want to commit murder?
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to find Ivy Lennox standing in the doorway.
"I heard you're ready for me?"
"Yes, please, come in. Close the door behind you."
Ivy did as instructed and took the seat facing Cooper. She sat up straight, hands in her lap, as if waiting for a class to start.
"I know it was a shock for you to find Zara like that," Cooper began. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine," she said. Her eyes were less puffy today, Cooper noticed.
"That's good to hear. I know we've already spoken about it, but can you take me through it again, please? In as much detail as you're able to remember."
Ivy took a deep breath, and explained again how she'd gone up to find out why Zara hadn't come down for breakfast Sunday morning. The door wasn't locked, she went in, and found Zara on top of the bed. Ivy gave Cooper as much detail as she could, and he pictured the scene unfolding in his head as she spoke. As helpful as that was, it didn't get him any closer to figuring out who killed Zara.
"Thank you for that," he said, when Ivy had finished. "I know it's hard to think about."
Ivy nodded. "What do you think will happen now?"
"Well, my partner and I will continue to investigate—"
"No, I mean with the show. Will it continue?"
"That's not up to us."
Ivy's gaze moved around the room. Cooper waited. Eventually she spoke.
"It should go on. That's what Zara would have wanted."
"How do you figure that?"
Ivy shrugged. "She was as much into the game as everyone else. We all had a part to play. Zara was enjoying it. She was a right bitch when she wanted to be, but it was all part of the game. She'd want it to go on. She'd want one of us to win. Otherwise, it's all been a waste, right?"
Cooper didn't follow that logic, but he didn't say so. "You think Zara would want the producers to keep the show going, to let the public decide on a winner for the prize money?"
"Yes, I do."
"What about you, Ivy? Do you want the show to continue? After what's happened?"
"Yes," she said, in a voice so quiet Cooper leaned forward involuntarily.
"Yes?" he questioned.
Ivy nodded. "Yes," she said, with more conviction this time. "It's a lot of money, to be blunt, Detective. A life-changing amount. It was promised to one of us, and I think one of us should still get it."
"Even if that person is a murderer?"
Ivy's eye's widened. A hand shot up to cover her mouth. "You don't really think one of us…" she didn't finish the sentence.
"I don't know what to think, Ivy," said Cooper. "But Zara died in the early hours of Sunday morning. The five of you were the only other people in the house at that time, as far as I know. And you all had some kind of issue with Zara over the course of these last nine weeks. So it's not that much of a stretch to think one of you may be the killer."
Cooper watched Ivy closely as he let this sink in. Her initial expression of shock had now disappeared, and made way for defiance.
"I don't believe it. We've become family, living together here for two months. Of course we've all had our differences, you would too if you were sent to live with eleven strangers with not much to do all day except focus on each other's weaknesses. That's what we're here for. To transform, to make ourselves better people. I don't believe any of my housemates are killers, Detective."
"Okay." Cooper took a moment to write some notes, and let Ivy compose herself. He asked her to account for her movements on Saturday night, and, like the others before her, she indicated she was in bed sound asleep when Zara was killed. She saw nothing, and heard nothing.
"But…" Ivy said, eyes roaming the room.
"But what?"
She finally made eye contact. "I think Zara might have been sneaking out of the house at night sometimes."
"What makes you think that?"
Ivy shrugged. "Just a feeling. My room is close to the back door, and I've heard whispering. I heard Zara's voice a couple of times."
"Did you see her leave the house?"
"No. I didn't go out of my room. None of my business what she got up to at night, or who with."
This was interesting, but Cooper kept in mind Martha's claim that Ivy was a compulsive liar. Something about this revelation didn't ring true. Cooper made a note, then asked Ivy if there was anything else she wanted to tell him.
"Does it have anything to do with you?" she asked. "Whether the show continues or not, I mean?"
"No. Like I said, it's not up to us."
Ivy nodded. "Then no, I've nothing else to say." She stood to leave. "Who do you want next?"
"Could you send Dax in please."
When Dax entered the room he slunk to the chair and didn't make eye contact with Cooper. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Cooper tried to put him at ease.
"Hi Dax," he began. "Thanks for coming in. I know this is hard. Were you close to Zara?"
Dax shook his head.
"What does that mean, exactly?"
A shrug. "Didn't like her very much. We didn't have anything in common. I mostly ju
st stayed out of her way."
"Okay." Cooper took a few notes. He got the feeling he should take this interview slow and steady. "Can you take me through your movements on Saturday night and Sunday morning?"
"I went to bed around nine-thirty, I think. Same time as Ivy."
"Did you go to sleep straight away?"
"More or less. Ivy and I had been for a long walk during the day, so I was pretty tired."
"Did you wake at all through the night? Hear anything unusual?"
"No, sorry. Are we going to be able to go home soon?"
Cooper wondered how much he should say. The contestants had originally been scheduled to fly home tomorrow, but with an ongoing murder investigation he'd requested they all stay on for the time being. He couldn't make them, of course. No-one was under arrest. But the producers of the show had agreed to stall the contestants' departure for a couple of days. As long as they could keep filming, of course.
"That's up to the producers of the show," he finally answered. Dax didn't look happy.
"We were supposed to go home tomorrow. They can't keep us here against our will."
"You'll have to take it up with them, I'm afraid," said Cooper. "You signed a contract. Maybe you could check whether it has anything about the show extending your stay."
"I doubt it says what's supposed to happen if one of us gets murdered," said Dax. He picked at a loose thread on his shorts.
"No, I doubt it does. Is everything okay with you, Dax? I mean, is there anything I can do for you?"
He shook his head. "I just want to go home. I should never have come on this stupid show. Don't know what I was thinking."
"Why did you come on the show?"
"My sister thought it would be good for me." He pulled a long piece of thread away from the fabric and started twisting it around his finger.
"And has it been good for you?" Cooper asked.
"Yes and no. I've been able to do more things. Like that walk with Ivy on Saturday. I would never have been able to go outside for so long before. It's really beautiful here."
"You get on well with Ivy?"
Dax nodded. "She's been great. I wouldn't have made it through these past two months without her."
"Yes, she seems like a nice person."
There was a knock on the door, and when it opened Quinn's head appeared around the side. "Sorry to disturb, boss. You got a minute?"
Cooper looked at Dax. The tip of his finger was now purple where the thread had cut off circulation. "Yes, I think we're done here."
Dax needed no further invitation, and couldn't get out of there quick enough. Quinn took his seat.
"Aren't you supposed to be interviewing the rest of the staff back at the resort?" asked Cooper.
"We've finished the ones that are there. Just got to do the two cameramen, who I believe are here with you."
"Right, of course. But that's not why you interrupted me."
"No. When we got back to the station there was a message from Garrett. He had the toxicology results."
Cooper's eyebrows raised. "They find something?"
"Yeah." Quinn pulled out his notebook and flipped to a page. "Scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine," he read.
"What are they when they're at home?" asked Cooper.
"According to Garrett they're called belladonna alkaloids. More commonly known as deadly nightshades."
"Deadly nightshade? Isn't that poison?"
Quinn nodded. "Yeah, but Garrett says they're also found in some commercial drugs. He's ordered further tests to see if any of the other chemicals found in the commercial drugs were in her system, so we can narrow it down."
Cooper leaned back in his chair as he took this all in. They knew Zara had been suffocated. Up until now he'd been thinking that could have been an impulse decision by the killer, a crime of opportunity. But deadly nightshade in her system? If Zara had been poisoned before she was suffocated, what type of person were they dealing with here?
13
"What commercial drugs contain deadly nightshade poison?" Cooper asked, after closing the door to the small office. He didn't want this conversation overheard. "I presume we're talking prescription drugs?"
"Yes. Garrett mentioned one called Donnatal," answered Quinn, after consulting his notes again. "It's used to treat digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome, and other types of intestinal inflammation. It contains phenobarbital as well as the belladonna alkaloids. Garrett's having them test Zara's blood for phenobarbital now, but we may not get the results until tomorrow."
"Right. So in the meantime we need to hit the chemist and find out who's taking Donnatal on Lord Howe Island. I guess that's one benefit of a murder on a small island like this. Only one chemist."
Quinn smiled. "Meg Baxter is organising a warrant for me. Should have it in the next couple of hours."
"Good. We'll get the rest of these interviews done in the meantime. You go hunt down Johnny and Steve, and I'll finish up with Martha."
Cooper found Martha knitting out on the balcony. The rest of the contestants had gone for a walk for the afternoon, so he decided to talk to her out there and let Quinn have the office to interview the cameramen.
"Didn't feel like going out with the others?" Cooper asked once they were settled at one end of the big table.
"I've seen enough of this island, Detective." She finished a line of her knitting and turned to look at him. "Dax says we won't be going home tomorrow?"
"Sorry, no. We need a few more days to complete our investigation, and it will go a lot quicker if you all stay here. The production company has agreed to you staying on for another couple of days."
"They can do that?"
"I'm guessing they can. It'll be in your contract. But apart from that, this is a difficult time. It will help us out a lot if you don't mind sticking around a few extra days."
Martha put the knitting aside and crossed her arms over her waist, which Cooper understood was a few sizes smaller than when she'd first arrived.
"Are you happy with your transformation?" he asked, genuinely interested.
"Yes, of course. I'm worried about whether I'll keep the weight off, though. All the temptations of home might be hard to resist. But I'm confident I'll be able to give it a red hot go. I'll say one thing for this show, the people looking after us do seem to have had our best interests at heart. They've been wonderful, all of them."
"You mean the producers?"
"No, not them. I mean the trainers, and the therapists. And Dave, of course. He's taught me so much about nutrition. I reckon with that knowledge I should be able to lose the rest of the weight and keep it off."
Cooper talked with Martha about her family, and how happy they'd be to see her once she finally did get home. He asked about Zara, but didn't learn anything new. Martha had told them just about everything she knew last night over hot chocolates. He found himself warming to her all over again. She definitely reminded him of a younger version of his mother-in-law, Ann, who he loved to bits.
Cooper left Martha to her knitting and went back down to the main living area. Steve was sitting on the couch fiddling with some camera equipment, and Quinn was just finishing up with Johnny. The office door opened and the cameraman joined his partner. After a minute they said goodbye and headed outside, presumably to see if they could catch up with the walking group.
Cooper watched them leave then stood in the doorway to the office, where Quinn was finishing up his notes. "Did you bring the Land Rover?" Cooper asked, spying the evidence bags still sitting in the corner of the room.
"Yep. We done here?"
"For now. Let's grab those and head back to the police station, see how Zach and Nora are getting on."
They piled the bags into the back of the vehicle, and Quinn drove them back to the station. On the way they discussed the results of their respective interviews. Quinn hadn't had much more luck than Cooper, with everyone saying they were sound asleep at the time of the murder. It was odd for a
Saturday night. Cooper was beginning to wonder whether this island paradise had any nightlife at all.
"Johnny and Steve might be worth a closer look," said Quinn, pulling into the parking lot of the police station. It wasn't a very long drive.
"Yeah? Why's that?" Cooper exited the vehicle and grabbed one of the evidence bags, leaving the others for his partner to handle.
"They're sharing a room at the resort. Both said they went to bed around ten, after a drink at the bar. I got that story from most of the crew, actually. But these two, I don't know. Their stories were very similar. Almost rehearsed. They're each other's alibi. What if they did it together?"
Cooper stopped before the back entrance to the police station and looked at his partner. "What gives you that idea?"
"I dunno. They seem pretty close for two guys who've spent nine weeks sharing a room. I'd be ready to tear the other guy's head off if I had to live and work with the same person for that long. But they get on great. Makes me wonder what their secret is."
"So you think they spent all this time together filming the contestants, then at night they plotted to kill one of them? Together?"
"Stranger things have happened, boss." It was becoming one of Quinn's favourite sayings.
"There was no evidence of sexual assault, though. What would be their motive?"
Quinn shrugged. "Control. Power. Who knows? But not everything is sexual."
"All right, we'll keep them on the radar." Cooper pulled open the back door and entered the island's tiny police station. Apart from the main desk at the front, there were two other desks back here and a small kitchenette and bathroom. That was it. Quinn settled himself at one of the back desks, while Cooper stowed the evidence bags under a bench and joined Sergeant Garry Adams at the front.
"Where are the techs?" Cooper asked.
Adams cast a glance around the station, as if looking for Zach and Nora. "Wasn't enough room for them to work here. Brandon, the editing assistant left on the island, suggested they view the recordings over at the resort. They've got a full editing suite set up there. It made more sense."
C&Q04,5 - Dark Paradise Page 6