Deadly Diplomacy by Jean Harrod

the rage that might come flying her way like spewing lava from a volcano. Relatives reacted differently to tragic news about their loved ones. Some collapsed with grief, while others vented their fury on someone else. And who better than a Government official? “The Queensland Police are leading the investigation,” Jess said, calmly. “We’re on Australian territory, so the investigation is their responsibility.”
    “Why are you here, then?”
    “To liaise with the police, and check that everything is being done in accordance with Australian law and practice.” Jess could hear herself trotting out the official line. “And I wanted to see you, Susan.”
    Susan glanced over at the door. “You must get Scotland Yard over.”
    The fear in Susan’s eyes when she turned back threw Jess for a moment. What was the girl so afraid of? “They could help, but only if the Australian police ask them to,” Jess replied, “for example, if part of their investigation took them to the UK, or involved somebody living in the UK. But, as I explained, it’s the responsibility of the Australian police to…”
    “ No! They got her killed.”
    “The police?”
    “Listen… please .” Susan leant towards her. “I saw Ellen at the Convention Centre yesterday. I thought I’d surprise her, I hadn’t seen her for ages. But when I got there she was really upset. She said she was in trouble.”
    Jess’s mind flashed to the corruption allegations. “What kind of trouble?” she asked, warily.
    “I don’t know .” Susan wrung her hands. “Ellen started to tell me. She said something about having some evidence . But then she just clammed up. Said she didn’t want to put me in danger by telling me.” Susan got more agitated. “I said I’d help her; I’d go with her to the police. But that’s when she got really upset and blurted out we couldn’t trust them.”
    “The police?”
    “ Yes. Ellen said over and over it wasn’t safe to go to the police. She begged me not to either.”
    “And you’ve no idea why?” Again, Jess thought of those corruption allegations. Susan clearly didn’t know her sister had been under police surveillance when she was murdered. But had Ellen found out? Is that the reason she was afraid of the police?
    Susan’s eyes flashed. “Oh, I know what you’re thinking. But Ellen wasn’t crazy or paranoid. She was a professional woman in a high-powered job. If she said it wasn’t safe to go to the police, then she believed it.”
    Jess couldn’t argue with that logic.
    “The money is the trail.” Susan’s top lip quivered. “That’s the last thing Ellen said to me. If anything happens to me, Susan, the money is the trail .” Susan caught her breath. “But I’ve no idea what she was talking about.” She held her hands together on the table to stop them shaking. “I should have stayed with her… insisted she tell me… done something.”
    Seeing the despair on that young face, Jess laid her hand over Susan’s to comfort her. But Susan jerked it away. Then her shoulders slumped and her eyes brimmed with tears.
    The money is the trail? Jess’s mind flashed to that old Washington chestnut – illegal intelligence activities by the Nixon administration. What had Ellen been trying to tell her sister? That there was some kind of cover up going on? How mad was that? Jess glanced at Susan. She only looked about 20; and far too young to remember the Watergate scandal. And Jess wasn’t going to plant any wild thoughts into her head. Anyway, her priority now was to get more information about the deceased. “Susan, can you tell me more about your sister?” she asked, gently.
    Susan bit her lip to stop it quivering. “She’s all the family I have… had. Mum and Dad are dead.” A single tear squeezed out of her eye, and she brushed it away angrily.
    “Why was Ellen staying in this hotel and not with you?” Jess asked.
    “She said it was easier to stay here for business, but…” Susan