Mystral Murder (Julie O'Hara Mystery Series) by Lee Hanson Page A

the security gate pulled down. I’m inclined to believe that you did go back to your cabin from there.”
    Julie was relieved. She said, “What about the video from Deck 12?  Anything new show up there?”
    “No. As I said, the bridge- mounted cameras pan the port and starboard flanks. We’ve studied the railings on all the video and, other than you walking along, there’s simply no one there after one in the morning. She had to have jumped around two-fifteen, immediately after she left you, Joe, and just after the camera passed, otherwise we would have caught her somewhere along the walkway by the railing.
    “The ceiling mounted cameras on the outside lower decks didn’t pick up much of anything that morning; it was too dark and foggy. The video shows the walkway and five or six feet past the railings…period.  If anyone fell beyond that perimeter, the cameras couldn’t pick it up because the visibility was near zero. We spotted a few passengers along the lower railings between twelve and one, and then no one after that. Not surprising, what with the fog and ninety percent cloud cover.”
    Julie was stunned. It sounded to her as if the investigation was over .
    “Then you’re assuming that she was alone and that she jumped?”
    “It looks that way, Ms. O’Hara.”
    “Call me Julie.  I find that hard to believe, Clyde. Adrienne Paradis was self-assured and forward thinking when I first met her. And later, when she was intoxicated, I’d have to describe her as happy-go-lucky.  What I’m saying is, drunk or sober, I don’t see Adrienne Paradis jumping to her death off this ship!”
    “She could have fallen overboard accidentally,” Joe said, trying to stem the tide of anger he saw rising in his partner.  But Julie would not be sidetracked. 
    “I don’t think an ‘accident’ makes sense, Joe.”
    She turned back to Williams. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but someone accidentally falling would be close to the ship, wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t some part of that person’s body pass through the lower decks’ cameras in that ‘five or six foot perimeter’ as they fell?”
    “Maybe, maybe not. In this case, apparently not,” he said, his eyes downcast and his face turned slightly away from them.  
    It was obvious to Julie that Williams was shutting them out. Was Jon Reece right? Had word come down from HCL headquarters to let it go, to ‘sweep it under the rug’?
    Before she could say anything else, Joe stood up, placing his hand under her arm. “C’mon, Julie. I’ve got to go. Thanks for seeing us, Clyde. Good luck with your investigation.” Julie smiled and mumbled a hurried “thanks,” as Joe steered her out of Williams’ office.
    As they climbed the stairs to the next deck, Julie said, “ Good luck with your investigation ? What investigation? Jon Reece was right, Joe. They’re dropping it!”
    “Maybe we should, too, Merlin.”
    “Over my dead body…”
    * * * * *
     
     
    CHAPTER 26
    T he Art Auction in the Odyssey Lounge wasn’t scheduled until late in the afternoon of Day Six, but the artwork was on display all day for potential buyers. Always an art lover, Julie decided to calm down and pass some of the morning there while Joe was at his AA meeting. She’d taken a quick tour through and was sitting at the bar sipping an iced tea.
    Julie’s best friend, the late Marcus Solomon, had been an accomplished artist and a good teacher. Under Marc’s tutelage, Julie had learned what to look for, and she had acquired a small collection of fine art, some of which had appreciated nicely. 
    That was never going to happen with any of the overpriced artwork in the Odyssey Lounge, which was definitely not investment quality, as the brochure implied by referring to its “inheritance” value. As a collector, she had heard that such was the case in these “at-sea” auctions.  Unfortunately, Julie could tell that most of the passengers admiring the art didn’t know much about it.