The Corpse with the Crystal Skull by Cathy Ace

Author:Cathy Ace [Ace, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Women sleuths, cozy mystery, traditional mystery, Caribbean mystery, armchair travel mystery
Publisher: Four Tails Publishing Ltd.
Published: 2020-06-11T07:00:00+00:00

Entertaining an Elephant

Sheila was happy to order food from the same place as a couple of nights earlier. We were all pleased, and I knew it was for the best. Luckily, Bud and I had enjoyed three weeks of swanning around Jamaica hitting all the good food spots, so I didn’t mind not having gourmet cuisine every night.

“John phoned,” said Sheila after we’d agreed our dinner plans. “He and Lottie should be back here by about seven thirty, traffic allowing. I’ve ordered food for about that time, so we should be good. And it means we’ve got time for you guys to bring me up to date, and for us to consider what we know, in detail, before we’re under constraint again – not able to talk freely in front of Lottie.”

I’d done some intense work at the tower, and felt I needed just a little time to decompress.

“I tell you what,” I said, “why don’t you look at the video Jack took while I go and have a very, very quick dip in the pool. I’m hot and sweaty, and just floating for a few minutes would do me the world of good.” I hoped I wasn’t making Sheila jealous of my comparative mobility. “I’m sure you could float about a bit if you wanted to, even with that ankle,” I added.

“Don’t worry about me – I’m just fine. Go on, have a dip. Think about what you saw while I see it for myself. I dare say Jack and Bud have stuff they need to do, too. Right?”

The men nodded. “Some calls,” mumbled Bud. “Want to see if I can get the police report on Freddie so I can understand what they’ll be considering at the scene – read it in conjunction with the autopsy. And there are a few things Jack can be getting on with, too. Okay if we leave you girls to it?”

“Divide and conquer,” said Sheila, and we all did as we’d said we would.

It turned out that getting into the pool didn’t soothe me as much as I’d hoped it would; I don’t hate the water, it’s just that I can’t swim. But I can float on my back, just about, when I know I can put my feet on the bottom of the pool, so I usually find that bobbing about in the shallow end is good for my soul. But, on this occasion, it just made me feel insecure; I kept worrying that I’d float out of my depth, and that Bud wouldn’t be there to steer me back to safety.

As I tried to concentrate on relaxing my body, I had to acknowledge that I was feeling a bit out of my depth in terms of what we were facing, too; I hate not knowing everything, I hate not being in control, I hate not being able to fix things, and I hate not being the best and most useful team member. After about ten minutes I gave up, went back to the bungalow and dressed in comfy clothes for dinner.

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