No Motive for Murder by Virginia Winters

Author:Virginia Winters [Winters, Virginia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780995920835
Publisher: From The River Publishing
Published: 2017-04-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Earlier that day, Liz parked her car and boarded the sleek white and blue ferry waited at the dock in Hamilton, followed on by a man who left a scooter under a palm tree in one corner of the parking lot. His red and black helmet attached by a cable to his machine.

Liz wore a hat that afternoon, a white straw with a jaunty crimson rose pinned its crown, a green shirt and navy slacks. She carried a red and navy bag containing her purse, a sketchy lunch and a book with as much information as she would need about the nature reserves and their small ponds. She sat in a window, reading about the Gilbert Nature Reserve, her goal that day. She volunteered for the Bermuda National Trust, and was intent on becoming familiar with every nature preserve.

The Reserve comprised five acres, she read, and contained within it an old mansion that was Sandys Parish Community Centre. She wanted to follow the trails and see a stand of Bermuda cedar trees, once the main building material on the islands. Entrance was free, and the Reserve was quiet in the off-season, although she knew there would be a throng of schoolchildren on a field trip somewhere on the property.

She noticed that another visitor entered the park after she did, following along behind her on the meandering path. Ahead of her, she saw the entrance to a section of the Railway trail, through a tunnel of overhanging branches. A class of high school students filled the narrow walkway. Not for her. She turned aside and took a path that led directly to the stand of cedar trees, took out her camera and took several pictures. Bermuda cedar, otherwise Juniperus Bermudiana, once covered Bermuda and was thriving until the arrival of insect pests from the USA that killed ninety-nine percent of the trees. The resistant one percent were hoarded and encouraged until now stands of young trees were visible in every parish.

“Good morning, Doctor McPhail.”

The man who had followed her along the path spoke from close behind.

“Good morning. I’m afraid you have me confused with my sister,” said Liz, sweeping off her hat. The man in front of her, medium height, wore a ball cap and dark glasses. His skin was pale; his voice a pleasant baritone, accented, but Liz wasn’t sure whether it was with German or some middle European language.

“I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean you don’t think so? Who are you and what do you want with my sister?” Liz pulled off her sunglasses. She and Anne looked alike, but not enough that anyone who met one would mistake her for the other after a moment or two.

“So you are the sister. You must know where she is living.”

Liz started to tremble. This was the man Anne was afraid of, the one she was sure murdered Nathan.

“I don’t. She wanted to be alone for a while and left. That’s what she’s like,” Liz lied. “She goes off with no explanation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.