Sun, Sea, & Murder: A Locked Room Mystery by J.S. SAVAGE

Author:J.S. SAVAGE [SAVAGE, J.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

38

Marley

Today has been a frenzy; first Terry confessed to killing Russell, although was soon exonerated, and then Dylan was murdered. The manner of Dylan’s death was so horrific I can barely remember anything that preceded it. He took a bite of chicken, and the next thing we knew, he was lying on the sand shaking like he was being electrocuted, until finally he stopped: dead. The rest of us stood there, frozen with shock, unable to think of anything which might save the man, or at least alleviate his suffering. It’s the eyes which will haunt me. Dylan looked at each of us…it’s hard to convey how. If I said a pair of eyes could accuse you of impending murder, yet also be blinded by fear and panic, all the while leaving you in no doubt of the agony being felt, how could I communicate that in a few words. Some emotions are so intense they are nearly indescribable, usually those of grief and pain.

When we were left in no doubt that we were standing around a corpse, it was Penny who took control of the situation. She whispered to Marjorie to take Elle away from the body. The poor girl was sobbing, still staring at her lifeless boyfriend. She allowed Marjorie to twist her away, and together they stumbled along the sand towards some large rocks that would shield us from them.

“Paulo, do you have a sheet or a tarpaulin in the boat which we could use to cover the body?” asked Penny. He nodded, and Luke and Sanjay went to fetch it while Penny walked closer to Dylan. She crouched on her haunches and sniffed at the dead man’s open mouth, a hideous and ridiculous sight. Then she patted his pockets.

“What are you doing?” I asked. Penny ignored my question and asked one of her own.

“Tell me, Marley, how did he die?”

“He had an allergic reaction to the food. The chicken must have had some shellfish on it.”

“I’m afraid not, my dear.”

“How then?” demanded Mum, who still sat in her wheelchair, absorbed in everything.

“I’m not sure. An allergic reaction would cause his throat to close up, which is what happened to begin with. But…” Penny picked up the gin glass Dylan had been holding. The curvature of the glass still held a tiny amount of liquid, and Penny held it to her nose. “Hmm.” She stood the glass upright and buried the base in the sand to prevent it toppling over. Then, from her handbag, she took a piece of paper and scooped up the EpiPen as you would a dead wasp.

“You think he was poisoned with the pen, that’s why you don’t want to get your fingerprints on it?” I ventured to say.

Luke and Sanjay came back with a folded sheet of tarpaulin. They stood, awaiting further instructions from Penny. With a nod of the head, she indicated that they could cover the body, then they went to find stones to place on the edges of the sheet to ensure the slight breeze did not unveil the indignity of Dylan’s death.

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