by Sonia Parin
“Elsie, what are you doing here?” Eve demanded.
“We got stranded in the rain.” Elsie nudged her head toward the other person.
Eve had a proper look at the woman.
Jill elbowed her and murmured, “That’s the town chronicler. I forget her name.”
“Eleanor Parkinson,” Eve said under her breath.
Jill chortled. “Looks like you have a rival troublemaker, Eve. Perhaps she’ll take the load off you.”
Eve sighed. “She can have my podium position, but she’ll have to fight William Hunter for it. He’s turned into quite a troublemaker. Hang on, is she a resident?”
“She’s staying with me as my guest,” Elsie McAllister said, her tone far too sweet considering the circumstances.
Jack cleared his throat. “Would either one of you like to explain what you’re doing here?”
Eleanor Parkinson shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything, Elsie. They haven’t read you the Miranda.”
Eve had caught a glimpse of Eleanor at the town meeting, but she hadn’t had a proper look at her. At the time, she’d been fixated with William Hunter.
Dressed in a tweed ensemble, and wearing sensible lace up walking shoes, she had a friendly face with an easy smile. She reminded Eve of her school librarian, who’d always been eager to recommend books.
Jill elbowed Eve again. “She’s really keen to give you a run for your money. I swear, if you’d been in her place you would have said exactly that.”
“Officer, if you are arresting us then I believe we retain the right to remain silent and anything we say can and will be...” Eleanor Parkinson appeared to run out of steam, either that or she’d just realized she’d worked herself into a corner.
She was close to Elsie’s age and the head of the Sisters in Crime Book Club didn’t look a day over eighty.
“I feel dreadful,” Eve said. “I could have hurt her.”
Jill held up her hand. “I’m the youngest and yet I’m the only one injured. I think this will leave a scar.”
Inspecting the bite mark, Eve had to agree...
“Elsie.” Jack used his no-nonsense tone. “What have you got to say for yourself?”
Eve leaned in and murmured, “That hard tone never works on me. I doubt Elsie will cave.”
Elsie appeared to rise in height. “As my friend said, either read us our rights or let us go free.”
Sighing, Jack said, “No one is holding you against your will, but you need to explain what you were doing here.”
Elsie’s lip twitched. “We got stranded in the rain and took cover.”
“Where?” Jack asked.
“You don’t have to answer,” Eleanor Parkinson said.
The town chronicler held on to her defiance. Eve couldn’t help admiring her and wishing she would become a new island resident. She could really do with someone taking the spotlight away from her.
“Oh, it’s all right, Eleanor. What is he going to do to us?” Elsie asked her co-conspirator, “We didn’t do anything wrong.”
Jack crossed his arms. “Unless you had permission to be here, you were trespassing, Elsie.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Jack. You’re supposed to be encouraging her to talk. Instead you’re trying to bully her into submission.” Eve knew Elsie didn’t have anything to do with Stew Peter’s death, but she was up to no good.
Jack winked at her.
“I think Jack is humoring Elsie,” Jill whispered.
Elsie lifted her chin. “I’ll only talk if you offer me safe passage out of here.”
Eve turned to Jill and asked, “Is Elsie trying to negotiate release terms with Jack?”
Jill nodded. “I’m waiting for her to ask for a helicopter out of the island.”
Jack pulled out a chair. “Elsie. As I said, no one is holding you against your will. Please take a seat. You too, Eleanor. Would you like a glass of water or something to eat?”
Jill nudged Eve and whispered, “Jack’s following the classic negotiation rules, steering the conversation to what he can provide and establishing goodwill.”
Eleanor and Elsie looked at each other. Finally, they both gave a small nod. “We wouldn’t mind something to eat. That’s the reason we came into the kitchen. We thought everyone had gone to bed.”
Jack looked over at Eve. She nodded and got busy preparing some sandwiches.
When she set down a couple of plates on the table, Elsie and Eleanor both inspected the contents.
“Would you like me to take a bite first?” Eve offered.
“That’s all right,” Elsie said, “I never took my eyes off you. Besides, I don’t think I’ve given you any reason to poison me.”
They dug in, eating the sandwiches with only the slightest hint of suspicion.
When they finished, Jack leaned forward. “Now, are you going to tell me what this is all about?”
Elsie sniffed. “I already told you. We took cover from the rain.”
“Where?”
“In the stables.” Elsie turned to Eve. “By the way, nice job converting the stables, Eve. I love the wallpaper.”
Eve smiled. “Thank you.” She knew she couldn’t please everyone all the time, but it helped to hear someone appreciated her efforts.
“Why didn’t you come in?” Jack asked. “Eve would have been only too happy to let you both take refuge in the house.”
Elsie sat up. Eve suspected she was about to clam up again. Instead, Elsie shrugged. “We were on a reconnaissance mission.”
Snooping around. She’d suspected as much earlier on when Elsie had appeared in the back veranda. Had Elsie acted of her own accord? “Who sent you?” Eve demanded.
Elsie shook her head. “We’re not at liberty to say.”
“I bet it was Roger McLain.”
Elsie squared her shoulders. “If you must know, he’s been beside himself with worry since hearing about William Hunter coming here for lunch. He wanted us to make sure nothing happened to him.”
Eve threw her hands up in the air. “What did he think I’d do to William?”
Elsie exchanged a look with Eleanor. “We don’t mean to cast aspersions on your character. However, you’ve been involved with a stabbing and a poisoning. Who knows what else you’re capable of?”
Eve’s eyes widened. “What? I was never charged or even held under suspicion.”
Elsie gave a small nod. “You say that now. Those were lucky escapes.”
“I had nothing to do with those deaths.” Eve looked to Jack for support but he was busy shaking his head and brushing his hands across his face.
“You have a perfect set-up here and a perfect alibi. You’ve used your narrow escapes to build credibility,” Elsie continued. “After all your close calls, the police won’t hold you under suspicion. You might think you could actually get away with murder.”
Eve could easily imagine Roger McLain asking Elsie to poke her nose around the inn, but why would he encourage Eleanor Parkinson to come too? He’d asked the entire town to be on their best behavior. Surely he wouldn’t want to convey the wrong impression.
“May I have some tea, please?” Elsie asked. She watched Eve preparing it; at one point even rising from her chair so she wouldn’t miss any of the steps. “Have you made tea for anyone else today using tea from that tea caddy?”
Eve frowned. Why would she want to know that?
“I’m only being cautious,” Elsie explained. “You might have a readymade mix of poisoned tea leaves.”
If anyone had asked Eve to describe Elsie McAllister, she would have compared Elsie to the TV character Ms. Marple and mentioned her interest in mystery books. Their conversations, to date, had been brief. And at no point had Eve imagined Elsie having trouble distinguishing fact from fiction. Now... she wasn’t so sure. “How about I drink some tea too?”
“I’m not silly enough to fall for that one. You probably have the antidote tucked away somewhere safe.”
Sighing, Jack surged
to his feet and strode out of the kitchen.
Eve guessed he needed to clear his head before Elsie forced him to renegotiate her terms of release. She considered going after him but then decided he probably needed some time to himself.
Jill laughed under her breath. “I think Elsie broke Jack.”
“Strange. I just entertained the same thought.” Eve rolled up her sleeves and gave Elsie a no-nonsense look. “Let’s circle back to the reasons you came here.”
Elsie looked over her shoulder. “Is Detective Jack Bradford coming back?”
“It’s just you and me, Elsie.”
Elsie looked at Jill. In response, Jill covered her eyes, her mouth and ears.
“All right,” Elsie said as she made a show of shrinking back into her chair. “No need to get rough with me. I’ll tell you everything. I wanted to give our town chronicler a scoop. I had the privilege of reading the first chapters and, let me tell you, it put me to sleep.” Elsie turned to Eleanor Parkinson. “Sorry. Your writing is smooth but the subject matter let you down.”
“A scoop?”
Elsie grinned. “Everyone knew you were going to slip up. Roger McLain should have known better than to issue a warning. Even without it, you’re a marked woman and a magnet for trouble, Eve Lloyd. Ever since you returned from your cruise, we’ve been expecting something to happen, and you didn’t disappoint us.”
A magnet for trouble? Eve wanted to deny it. She should deny it. In fact, if she didn’t, she’d only be encouraging people like Elsie McAllister to expect the worst from Eve. She’d never have any peace. Everyone coming to stay at her inn would become targets too.
“I knew if we hovered around long enough we’d witness something.”
“And did you?” Eve asked. Elsie would have seen all the guests arriving and, if she’d taken her snooping seriously, she might have been peering inside windows and seen someone doing something incriminating.
Instead of answering, Elsie asked, “Does the police have any leads? Did one of the guests kill that man?”
“You have a vivid imagination, Elsie. No one killed anyone.” Eve collected the plates and cups. As she cleared the table, she remembered Elsie and Eleanor had come snooping around at midday and it had started raining late in the afternoon. “Have you been hiding in the stables all this time?”
“Hiding? Us? Oh, no. I told you, we took refuge from the rain. We were... we were out walking. I wanted to show Eleanor around...”
“A moment ago you said you wanted to give her a scoop.” Eve looked at the kitchen clock. At this rate, they’d never get to sleep. “You used the stables as your vantage point, admit it.”
Elsie lifted her chin in a show of defiance. “I’ll admit to no such thing. That would implicate me in nefarious activities. Eleanor and I were innocent bystanders caught up in your web of disasters.”
Eve’s mouth gaped open. One moment Elsie appeared to be encouraging Eve to provide the island with entertainment and the next, she was ready to join the mob to run her off the island.
“We didn’t notice any of the guest leaving. Does that mean they’re all under house arrest?” Elsie asked.
Both Jill and Eve rolled their eyes.
“This is your chance to give us your version of events, Eve. After tonight, we’ll do as we see fit with the story,” Elsie warned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll be reporting the truth as we saw it.”
“Exactly what did you see?” Eve demanded.
Elsie gave her a rundown of all the comings and goings they’d witnessed. It all seemed to match everything Eve knew.
Elsie pinned her down with her gaze. “Did you manage to put yourself in the clear again, Eve? You seem to have a knack for it.”
“Only because I have no reason to be a suspect,” Eve felt compelled to say. She knew Elsie wanted to bait her until she revealed something she could pass along to others or worse, until Eve incriminated herself. Anything she said, could and would be used against her.
“Everyone on the island knows you didn’t like William Hunter because he’s that type of man. After the town meeting, you returned home and plotted his downfall. Did you rope Mira into doing your bidding? I overheard her at the Chin Wag Café suggesting your inn would be a splendid place to host a luncheon. As far as anyone else knew, you had nothing to do with it. William Hunter came to you. You even went to the trouble of avoiding coming into town. So what went wrong?” Elsie leaned forward. “Did the wrong person drink from the poisoned glass?”
Eve hoped Jack had taken the whiskey glasses away for testing. What if Stew Peters had drunk poisoned whiskey? The moment Jack had mentioned the cigars Eve had run with the idea. Had that been Jack’s way of diverting her attention?
Next time Mira complained about suffering from writer’s block, Eve would suggest she talk with Elsie. She’d sort her out in no time.
Eve took the blankets and pillows to the sunroom but, seeing Mischief and Mr. Magoo stretched out on the couch and fast asleep, decided she and Jill would have to take turns in the easy chair.
“I suppose you came here on foot. I can’t send you home now, so you’ll have to make the best of it in the stables. You’ll find blankets in the cupboard.”
“You expect us to make our own beds?” Elsie asked. “For all we know, it could be our last night on this earth. We’re taking quite a risk being anywhere near you. What sort of inn are you running here?”
Take it or leave it, Eve wanted to say but years of experience catering to customers won out.
As she strode out of the house, Elsie called out, “Don’t forget the mint chocolate on the pillow.”
Chapter Ten
Eve returned from the stables and flopped down on the couch.
“Sorry I didn’t go with you,” Jill said, “I know I broke with protocol, but someone had to stay behind in the kitchen.”
“That’s fine, Jill. You had the officer standing outside the door and I had... Elsie. I doubt there is a killer within a thousand mile radius who would have risked coming anywhere near us. She is a force to be reckoned with. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her. She looks so frail and delicate.”
“My granny always says it’s what lies beneath that counts.”
Mischief and Mr. Magoo stirred.
“Sorry guys. I woke you up.”
They looked at Eve with sleepy eyes, yawned and curled up again. A moment later, Mischief jumped off the couch.
“I knew that would happen,” Jill said. “He needs a toilet break. If he doesn’t wake up, he’ll hold it right through the night. Mr. Magoo is going to think about it for a bit,” Jill clicked her fingers. “Come on. You know you want to go sniff around outside.”
Mr. Magoo slanted his gaze toward Eve.
She grinned. “Yep, as soon as you jump off the couch, I’m claiming it for myself.”
Jill rolled her eyes. “Why did you have to go say that for? You know he understands.” Jill strode over and encouraged him. “Come on, you great big lump of fur. I’ll turn the tap on and let it drip. You’ll definitely want to go out then.”
Jill’s tough love worked a treat.
They both stood by the back door keeping an eye on the Labradors while they sniffed around and finally did their business.
Looking over her shoulder, Eve said, “Our guests have been very quiet.”
Jill shook her head. “They haven’t gone to bed yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find them in the morning slumped on every available surface. Safety in numbers. It makes sense.”
“Only if you have reason to worry,” Eve mused. “Do you think they’re onto the fact we’re suspicious of them?”
“For all we know, they could be wondering if you had a hand in Stew Peters’ death.”
Eve bit the edge of her lip. She’d certainly given William Hunter reason to fear her. The way she’d poked him in the chest must have put him on notice.
Mischief ambled back inside the house whi
le Mr. Magoo shot between Jill’s legs and made a beeline for the couch.
“See, I told you he understands. He’s calling dibs on the couch. I think we’ll both have to rough it on the floor. I don’t suppose you have some sleeping bags stored somewhere?”
“Nope. Since I’m not the camping type, I’ve never had any need for them.” Eve sighed. “I suppose I should put that on my shopping list. As much as I’d like to adhere to the belief this won’t happen again, chances are... it will.”
Using some of the chair cushions, she managed to fashion a mattress of sorts. “I’m setting my mental alarm clock to wake me up in a couple of hours.”
Jill made herself comfortable at the table. “And I’m going to trawl around the Internet. Somewhere, there must be some information we can use to flush out the killer. I am determined to have a motive before Jack does.”
“Usually, you have to find the culprit first.” Eve didn’t even bother plumping up the pillow. It felt heavenly. She pulled a blanket around her shoulders and, sighing with contentment, she closed her eyes and managed to fall asleep.
* * *
The sound of a hard demand woke her up. “Martha Payne’s gun.” Eve sprung upright. “Who said that?”
Jill laughed. “You did.”
Eve rubbed her eyes. “How long did I sleep?”
“Two hours. Your mental clock beats anything made in Switzerland.”
Eve scrambled out of the makeshift bed and straightened. “I have so many kinks to rub, I doubt I’ll ever stand upright again.” She shuffled over to the dining room door and pressed her ear against it.
“You don’t need to worry about them,” Jill said, “They’ve all finally staggered to bed. One of the officers came in to let me know.”
Eve edged the door open and glanced around the dark dining room. There were bound to be empty glasses to clear out, but she’d deal with them in the morning. However, she wouldn’t mind having a look around. “Did I talk in my sleep?”