To Perish in Penzance by Jeanne M. Dams

Author:Jeanne M. Dams [Jeanne M. Dams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2013-06-09T16:00:00+00:00

16

WELL, I was impressed enough with that to forgive Alan for his roundabout way of getting to the heart of the matter. His new information put my piddling little scraps of fact and gossip in the shade, all right. I made a quick trip up to Eleanor’s room to give her our new information about the club, the girl Pamela, and the old man. Though tired and spent, Eleanor cheered up considerably at the idea that we were making progress. I promised to keep her informed and then left so she could get some rest and Alan and I could get some dinner.

I regaled Alan with my meager information over chicken tikka masala at the tandoori place Alan had mentioned.

“So Lexa was interested in shipwrecks,” Alan commented at the end of my recitation.

“Well, maybe. Eleanor wasn’t really paying attention to what Lexa said, remember. She may have been talking about something quite different and just happened to mention the wreck in passing.”

“Possibly. Would you like a bit more raita, or some of the lime pickle?”

“Both, please. I need the raita to cool down the other.” I spooned some of the yogurt and cucumber mixture over my curry, added a judicious modicum of the fiery-hot, but delicious, lime pickle, and took a large bite of the combination. Washed down with nice cold beer, good Indian food is one of my favorites.

When our food was all gone and we were soothing our overstimulated palates with another pair of beers, I pursued an idea. “I did just think at first that Lexa might have been talking about the wreck of the Cita. I don’t remember reading about that when it first happened, but I suppose you, being Cornish by birth, read all about it.”

“Of course! It was the best thing to happen to Scilly in many a long year. Tires, clothing, trainers, computer parts—”

“And don’t forget the toilet seats.”

“How could one?” Alan finished his beer and chuckled. “What made you think Lexa might be interested in the Cita?”

“I suppose because I just found out about it myself, and found it fascinating. But now I think I was wrong. I think she was interested in something quite different.” I drained my own glass, set it down, and looked around. We had dined at the unfashionably early hour of seven, and the restaurant had been almost empty when we entered. Now it was filling up nicely, and there was plenty of loud, cheerful conversation to mask our voices.

Still, I lowered mine before I went on. “Alan, what if Lexa went to the library to learn something about smuggling? Not in Cornwall’s past, I don’t mean, but now? She was interested in drugs because of her mother’s history. We think she was trying to find her father, the man who probably killed her mother. What if she found out something that made her believe smuggling was still going on here, not brandy and tobacco and lace, but drugs?”

Alan looked at me sharply, and then held up his hand.

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