Murder on the Med (A Dodo Dorchester Mystery Book 7) by Ann Sutton

Author:Ann Sutton [Sutton, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

“W

hat is it?” asked Rupert, his hand in a drawer of socks.

Dodo walked over and showed him the photograph she had found.

“By golly!” he exclaimed. “I see what you mean. That is rather cozy.”

The picture was of Phinella Cartwright, and her brother Malcolm, engaged in a passionate kiss.

Dodo flopped onto one of the beds. “This means we need to disregard everything they have told us. Clean the slate.”

“Well, I think we can safely start with the fact that they are not brother and sister,” Rupert chuckled.

“Yes, and that being the case, their sharing of a room would cause a mild scandal. Reason enough to use aliases.”

“Two, young, single people on holiday together, sharing a room. That would definitely be frowned upon,” he agreed. “Especially in a classy place like this.”

“I doubt the hotel would have even let them stay if they knew. The Grand prides itself on being a respectable establishment.”

“What if Vera Fenchurch knew them from England, recognized them, and threatened to reveal their secret? It would likely get them kicked out and publicly humiliated,” said Rupert.

“It’s a sound theory but...” She sat on the nearest bed. “Though I am known for saying people commit murder for the flimsiest of motives, it just doesn’t seem enough, in this case,” she protested. “And this room is spotless. They were very careful, even though they left in a hurry. That being the case, how could they have forgotten to remove the murder weapon? The only reason they left this picture is because it had fallen back against the wall out of sight. They will curse when they discover they left it.”

“And you were right, she did fabricate the headache to give them time to get away,” Rupert said.

“Yes, it was when we mentioned that the police would need to question everyone that the mood changed. They knew they had to leave or be unmasked. I really think it is just a case of needing to keep their identity a secret.”

“So how do we explain the hatpin under the mattress?” Rupert asked.

“Let’s think this through,” she began. “If you had committed a murder with a hatpin, what would you do with it?”

He pulled his ear as he thought and shuddered. “I’d wipe it on the grass and put it back in the hat.”

“Exactly!” Dodo cried. “Every woman has hatpins. You would hide it in plain sight not under a mattress for the police to find.”

Rupert took the photograph. “So, you are saying it was planted.”

“I am. I don’t believe they even knew it was there or it was placed there after they left.” She got up and started to pace. “Either the murderer saw them leave in a hurry and slipped in here before the alarm went up or—”

“—or the murderer came in here while we were at lunch.”

“You’re catching on my darling.” She kissed him. “If it was the first instance, they took an enormous risk.”

“Whichever theory is correct, I am very confident that it was planted. They took all their important things.

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