by Sonia Parin
Eve shrugged. “She’s content with her life. In fact, she’s the only one I’ve met who doesn’t seem to have a care in the world.”
“That should make her a prime suspect.”
* * *
Missing several ingredients for the dinner she’d promised Jill, Eve drove into town leaving Jill behind to finish up her work for the day.
In town, she bumped into Patrick McKenzie.
“I’ve been meaning to drop in on you but that nice police officer told me to stay put,” Patrick said. “I’ve only come out now because I’ve run out of food. How are you holding up?”
“Very well, thank you, Patrick. And I don’t think the police actually meant for you to stay locked up at home,” she said, her tone concerned for his well-being. Instantly, she felt contrite for thinking Patrick could harm Mira and then go on to kill someone else.
“It didn’t bother me. Who wants to be out and about when there’s a murderer on the loose?”
“Is that how you feel?”
“It’s how everyone on the island feels.”
Eve hadn’t stopped to think about that. It made sense. As far as she knew, this was a crime free island. Or, at least, it had been until she’d come along.
“Please tell me they’re not talking about me.”
“I can’t say that I’ve heard anything. Then again, as I said this is my first outing in days.” He waved her into the grocery store and followed behind her. “It must have been a shock to you.” He reached out and took her hand.
“Anything unexpected is a shock. I was out having dinner. When I returned home the place was swarming with police.” She looked at him in time to catch him flinching. “Then they started firing questions at me as if I’d had something to do with it all. I suppose they questioned you too.”
He nodded.
“Were you able to provide any information?” Other than echoing the remarks she’d made to him about Alex being a candidate for murder, she couldn’t help thinking.
“Their line of questioning was very effective. I had to justify my every move for that day. I told them I’d spent most of it reviewing the line of succession of British monarchs. It’s a little mental excise I do every now and then to keep my gray matter honed to perfection,” he said and gave his head a tap. “By five o’clock that afternoon I was up to the reign of King Henry the Eighth, that’s when I’d reached the edge of the path leading to your house and stopped for a break.”
“Where exactly?”
“Near the cliff.”
The cliff, where she’d had a rendezvous with Jill and where Jill had seen Richard fling his phone into the sea.
“And it was five o’clock.”
“Probably later than that,” he said, “I stood there a while pondering the last days of Henry’s reign, then I spent some time thinking about the brief reign of his son, Edward. In fact, I thought about him longer than I usually do before I moved on to Mary. She wasn’t very pleasant so I’m never in a hurry to get to her. I’d say it was closer to five thirty.”
“Did you see anything unusual?”
“The police asked me that.”
“And what did you tell them?”
“That I’d been wondering what Henry the Eighth would have thought of his daughter’s reign outshining his. Elizabeth, not Mary. And...” he looked up at a top shelf.
“And?”
“I took a step forward. You know, the way one does when one is thinking and I nearly lost my footing.”
Eve clasped her hand to her mouth.
“My heart pummeled all the way up to my throat. I stumbled back and my gaze dropped to the beach below. I couldn’t help thinking what a close call I’d had and that’s when—” He turned to her, his finger raised. “Now I remember.”
“What?”
“I saw a man.” His brows beetled down. “Do you know, I’d forgotten that.”
“Who did you see?”
He tilted his head as if in thought. “I remember wondering who it could be and thinking I’d have to get closer to the edge, but I was still shaken from my close call so I gave up and strode off. I always encounter someone on my walks, so I didn’t think much of it.”
A local? Walking on the beach...
Eve wondered if this was something Jack would need to know about. Patrick was right. People on the island were serious walkers. Jack would have to interrogate everyone. If he hadn’t done so already...
Chapter Twelve
“Eve, where are we going?” Jill asked.
“For a walk.” She’d spent the night and most of the next day thinking about Patrick’s sighting of someone on the beach. She tried to remember what time he’d mentioned being there...
Five thirty?
The tide would have been coming in by then.
She’d often walked along the beach, but only on Mira’s stretch. Patrick had seen someone out here that night. Had it been someone making his way to the beach house? Perhaps not for the first time?
“A walk. Yes, but where?”
“I want to know where this stretch of beach leads to.”
Jill stopped. “Mira’s house, of course.”
“I know that. But can we actually get all the way to the beach house?”
“Only if you’re game. We’d have to clamber over the rocks.”
“So from Mira’s end we have the breakwater...” Eve tapped her chin. “And over the other side...”
“Another clearing and then the rocks. See, there they are,” Jill pointed to a rocky outcrop that appeared to erupt from the sea. “The rocks are rough and hard edged and you don’t want to be anywhere near them at the end of the day. It’s hard to say how high the tide rises.”
“You know, I never asked Jack if they’d determined a time of death.” But she could somehow figure it out. “Helena phoned before five that afternoon. I can’t say exactly when and by the way, she’s not a suspect because she was with me all the time. Anyway... let’s see, I’m going to work backwards.” She scooped in a big breath. “I arrived at her agency at five o’clock. I remember seeing one of her staff leaving for the day. Soon after, Helena said she was closing up. It only takes ten minutes to drive into town. After Helena’s phone call, I only took a couple of minutes to grab my jacket and car keys, so I must have left the beach house at four forty five. Or thereabouts. Let’s say four forty.” She frowned. “No, I’m sticking with four forty five.”
“Why not four thirty?”
“No, it only takes ten minutes and I drove with purpose. Remember, I was concerned about Mira. All that time I’d assumed she’d gone on a trip and there was her travel agent telling me she knew nothing about it. So I left the house at four forty... five and returned at...” As she tried to remember, a graphic picture of Alex’s body sprung in her mind, so she switched it all off for a moment.
They continued on in silence. Seagulls hovered around them. The sea was calm and there was barely a whisper of a breeze stirring the air.
“There,” Jill pointed up. “Up there is the clearing where I met you and presumably where Patrick had his close call.”
Eve checked her watch. “I wonder how long it takes to reach the house from here.”
“Do you think the man Patrick saw down on the beach was the murderer?”
Eve nodded. “It has to be. If the murderer had come in from the mainland, I would have encountered him as I made my way to town.” Eve stopped and looked back. “This beach can be accessed from all the properties lined along the way.”
“Including my parents’. Does that put me back on the suspect list?”
“Thanks for reminding me. What time did you get to Mira’s house?”
“I guess that’s a yes?”
“Time, Jill. Time.”
“Well, I don’t have a watch. Let me see, I’d taken the dogs out for their walk at five thirty. That usually takes half an hour. Back home at six. After I had something to eat, I felt restless. I couldn’t find anything to watch on TV and I�
��d just finished a book and couldn’t decide which one to read next so I thought I’d go over to your place for a get to know you better chat.”
“You wanted to spend time with me?” Eve smiled. Jill was about ten years younger than her, but she was easy going and Eve had so far enjoyed her company.
“I get the feeling you have issues,” Jill said.
“A full load of them on my shoulders,” Eve agreed.
“Anyway, I hung around the house for a bit trying to decide if I felt like trekking out to your place. By the time I made up my mind, I could see the sun already setting. I probably spent another five minutes trying to convince myself it wouldn’t be worth my while when I finally set off.”
“It’s a good fifteen to twenty minute walk from your place to Mira’s, so you would have arrived at about—”
“I couldn’t find the flash light to take with me along the path so I walked along the main road. I’m thinking maybe seven thirty. That’s my guess.”
“Okay. Now for Alex. At some point, he drove into the island and so that had to have been after five. Let’s see, you arrived at seven thirty. So that gives the killer a two and a half hour window of opportunity to do his business. Let’s say two hours because I’m sure that if he’d seen you coming, you wouldn’t be here talking to me.”
“Way to go, Eve. You’re definitely staying with me tonight.”
They continued walking, their feet leaving deep prints along the way. Eve couldn’t help thinking about Alex being here on the island. If she’d seen him driving by, she might have been able to change the outcome. He might never have gone all the way to the beach house.
But he had.
Eve frowned. What if Alex had merely walked in on the killer rummaging through Mira’s house? That theory would sever all conspiracy connections between Alex and his assailant. It would also clear Alex...
She wanted that for him. Whatever he’d done to her, she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life thinking he’d been capable of doing something far worse like getting mixed up with the wrong type.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” she said.
“For?” Jill asked.
“Anything. Something. Hey, maybe that phone you saw Richard Parkmore throw over the edge.”
“A phone would sink, not wash up on the shore.”
“We can’t be certain of that.” When they reached the outcrop of rocks, Eve stopped and followed a trail of seaweed that looked as if it had been collecting over time. “The water line only reaches half way up the beach so even with the tide up, you could still climb over the rocks. The killer could have made his way undetected.”
“Don’t forget Patrick. He saw him.”
Yes, and he’d said it had been about five thirty. “But he couldn’t be sure and he couldn’t identify him. I doubt he’d be able to pick him out of a lineup.”
“What now?” Jill asked stopping at the edge of the rocks.
“We climb over.”
“I’m wearing my best jeans,” Jill complained.
“They’re paint splattered.”
“And your point is?” Jill asked.
“If anything happens to them, I’ll buy you a new pair.”
“And you’ll put them through the wash a hundred times and smudge paint on them in-between washes?”
“If that’s what it takes, yes.”
“Did you know the Queen of England has her new towels put through the wash about fifty times to soften them before she gets to use them?” Jill asked.
“Don’t tell me you’re a trivia buff.”
“My mother is and the fact I know this means she can never complain about me not listening to her.”
“Watch your footing,” Eve warned, “We’ll go slow.”
“Why? You don’t care that you’re putting my life in danger.”
“I’m more concerned about you walking behind me. I should have frisked you for weapons.”
“And I’m thinking we should have brought Misfit and Mr. Magoo along with us.”
“Your dogs?”
“They’re good at sniffing things.”
“There wouldn’t be any lingering scents for them to follow. It’s been days.” They made slow progress. Eve couldn’t imagine anyone braving this in the fading light. One false misstep, and... well, she nearly twisted her foot. A bad twist would put anyone out of action.
With the tide coming in and the light fading, one would have to be extra cautious. And, Eve decided, quite desperate to get across.
“Eve, wait for me.”
“You’re supposed to be young and agile. What’s wrong with today’s youth?” She looked up and let off a whoop. “There it is.”
“What?”
“Mira’s house.” Ahead of them, the beach stretched all the way to the breakwater and that would be easy to clamber over. The murderer could have come this way to avoid being seen from the road or any one of the paths crisscrossing the area.
“Question,” Jill said.
“Yes?”
“Assuming the murderer came this way, he would have had to know you’d be out for the night.”
“He could have kept vigil from here. Seen me leave the house.” Although, they’d already decided he had to have come this way after five thirty, the time Patrick had spotted someone on the beach.
“And?”
Eve gazed out to sea. “Maybe... maybe he’d been doing it for a while... keeping an eye on the place.”
“Casing the joint?” Jill asked.
“And... and when he saw Alex arrive he realized he had his chance to frame me.”
“Whoa. This is a new theory.”
“Not really. All along I’ve felt as if someone tried to pin this on me. Except they didn’t count on me having an alibi for the night.”
“Just because you were with Helena doesn’t mean you couldn’t have killed Alex before you left. Forensics might provide a time of death, but I’m betting it’ll be something like between four and seven o’clock.”
“It’s amazing how much you seem to know, Jill.” Eve swung toward her. “Tell me again why you came to see me that night?” She watched Jill’s lips press together. “Sorry, I’m doing it again. We’re supposed to work together, not turn on each other.”
Jill’s face tensed and she lunged for her, clamping her hands on Eve’s shoulders, her fingers digging into her.
“What—”
For someone with a small frame Jill had quite a lot of speed and power. In one quick motion, she turned Eve around. Eve imagined she’d try to twist her arm around her throat. Losing her balance the way she had, Jill would have no trouble putting enough pressure to snap her neck. Instead, she pressed her hand hard over her mouth.
“Look.” Jill’s voice was a hard whisper against Eve’s ear.
Eve’s eyes were wide open, another second and her eyeballs would have popped out in shock. She looked and she tried to see. She couldn’t speak because Jill’s hand was still clamped over her mouth so she shook her head.
“Over there. The back door,” Jill whispered, her hand easing off the pressure.
And then Eve saw the shape of a tall man racing along the side of the house. She gave a sharp nod.
Gradually, Jill released her hold.
Moments later Eve crouched down. She leaned against a rock and rubbed her neck. “Ouch.”
“Are you all right?”
“Still in shock.”
“Sorry. It was a kneejerk reaction. I caught sight of the movement and I wanted you to look and shut up at the same time.”
“A simple, hey Eve, look over there, would have sufficed.”
“Don’t you realize sound travels over water?”
“Still water. This is the sea. And... where did you learn those moves?” Eve asked.
“Self defense classes. My parents insisted.” Jill gave a lift of her shoulders. “Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”
Eve groaned. “I think I might have to wear a neck brace.”
“So who do you think that was?”
“I only saw the shape of a man. I think he was wearing a cap, but I can’t be sure. He was tall... as tall as...” She didn’t want to say it. So far, she had thought of everyone as a suspect.
“Richard Parkmore?”
“Maybe.”
“Now what? Do we keep going this way up to the house or call the police?”
“We’ll check the house first.” Although she was in no hurry to do that. If nothing had been taken then that meant her visitor had come for her. “Come on, there are only a few more rocks to climb over.”
“Hey, wait,” Jill called out.
“Quit grumbling and keep up.” Eve turned and saw Jill bend down, her hand reaching for something behind a rock.
“Eve.”
“You don’t have to shout. I’m right here. What did you find?”
Jill held up what looked to be a phone. “Do you think this is it?”
“The case is cracked.”
“That doesn’t matter. The card should still be fine.” Jill waved the phone. “Do you realize what this means?”
“I think you might have just blown the case wide open. Whatever information we can retrieve from it will lead us straight to...”
“Richard Parkmore,” Jill said. “It has to belong to him.”
“Yes, probably. But we can’t be sure. The man had no more use for his phone and threw it away. Okay, that was bad. He should have waited until he found a trashcan. He should be fined for littering. But can we really start thinking of him as a killer?”
“Better him than me,” Jill said in a huff.
Chapter Thirteen
“I don’t like this at all,” Jill complained.
“Where’s your youthful spirit of adventure?”
“I left it back at your place. More specifically, back at the beach where we saw that man coming out of your place. It’s all been used up now.”
“You still don’t want to be seen with me? Too bad,” Eve said.
“Too bad? As in, if you go down, you’ll take me down with you?”
“You’re being overly dramatic.”
