Murder is an Artform (Patricia Fisher Mystery Adventures Book 9) by Steve Higgs

Author:Steve Higgs [higgs, steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-04T16:00:00+00:00

Accusations

Lieutenant Baker looked alarmed when I started to hammer on the door to the Prestwick Suite. I thought he was going to try to stop me, but his half-raised arms dropped back to his sides when he saw my expression.

I’d sent Barbie back to our suite and told her to get some sleep. We would all benefit from more sleep, so though it wasn’t an option for me to get any, I saw no reason to keep her up.

‘If you’re sure, Patty,’ she’d replied around a yawn, wanting to go, but not wanting to leave my side.

‘It will be dawn in another hour or so at which point there will be breakfast hopefully. I’ll see you then.’ My reply hosted no discussion on the subject.

I hammered again and honestly thought about kicking the door. August was guilty of three murders; of that I was certain. I just had to prove it and I was going to start by making him feel uncomfortable.

Just as I was going to shout through the door, the sound of it being unlocked gave me reason to pause. The suite’s butler, a Frenchman named Gerard stood inside. He bore a haughty expression despite wearing night clothes, his usually waxed moustache not quite straight where he’d been sleeping on it.

‘Yes?’ he replied, blocking our entrance with his body. ‘Can I ‘elp you?’

I didn’t get to snap the snarky remark forming on my lips because Lieutenant Baker pushed by him, forcing the Frenchman to step aside as he barrelled in.

‘Ship’s business,’ was all Baker said. Once we were inside and the butler had the door closed again, he issued an order. ‘Wake Mr and Mrs Skies. Tell them security are waiting for them.’

Gerard looked as if he might argue for a moment but settled for glaring at both of us for a second before crossing the suite to knock politely on the door to the master bedroom.

Once he was out of sight, Baker turned to me. ‘Mrs Fisher I must insist that you allow me to report the deaths before you say anything. I know you believe Mr Skies is guilty, but until we have something to tie him to the crime, we have to assume they are not aware, and announce the deaths in a dignified way.’

Any argument I might have wanted to present went out of the window when August burst from his bedroom.

‘What is the meaning of this!’ he bellowed, anger making his head the shade of a raspberry. ‘Constant disturbances yesterday, and now you wake me in the middle of the night!’

‘It’s six in the morning,’ I pointed out.

Lieutenant Baker shot me a pleading look, stopping me before I could say anything else. August was winding up to deliver a fresh tirade of unpleasantness, when the man in uniform interrupted him.

‘Mr Skies, I am afraid I am here to deliver terrible news.’ The simple opening statement stopped August in his tracks just as his wife, Niamh, emerged from the bedroom behind him looking exhausted and rather haggard from her overindulgence the previous evening.

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