Palmer-Jones 03 - Murder in Paradise by Ann Cleeves Page B

finished early so that the children could go to welcome Jim and Sarah, and she came in immediately afterwards. Jonathan was still in the classroom. She had admired it several times and she wanted something pretty to wear to impress her new sister-in-law. It wasn’t expensive—not real silk—so I gave it to her. Is it important?”
    “I think so. I think that her death may not have been an accident.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I think that she may have been pushed.” He realized that he had avoided the word “ murdered.”
    “Oh George, are you sure? It doesn’t seem very likely. The people here are far too boring to do anything like that.”
    She could not take him seriously. She was laughing at him, accusing him of senility, of an obsession with crime. He did not answer her. Jonathan looked up, at last, from his book.
    “ Are you sure, George?” he asked.
    “No. But I’m not satisfied that it was an accident.”
    He explained why he could not accept the theory that Mary had slipped over the cliff.
    “Yes,” Jonathan said. “I see. It does seem strange.”
    He continued to give George his full attention. His eyes did not stray back to the book on his knee. George went on:
    “Mary was going to tell me a secret. I was wondering what it could be. You know all the Kinness scandal, Sylvia. Has anyone got any deadly secrets?”
    “We all have secrets,” she said brightly, “ but I don’t think any of them are deadly. Really, George, aren’t you imagining it all?”
    She put aside her book and stood up. “Now,” she said. “I’ll make some tea.” They heard her in the kitchen, and she came in again soon after with a tray. She put it on a small table but did not sit down. She stood where she was in front of the fire. In the firelight she seemed flushed.
    “I thought that I might go out on the boat tomorrow,” she said, “and stay on Baltasay for a few days. I could come back on Friday. I need some time away from Kinness. Perhaps I could treat myself, stay in the hotel, do some shopping. I’ve been feeling rather trapped lately.”
    She knew that she was saying too much and was abruptly silent. The men watched her. The speech had come as a shock.
    “Of course you must go if you feel like that,” Jonathan said gently. “We’ll manage here.”
    He turned back to his book. She sat down and began to pour out the tea. The trip to Baltasay was not mentioned again all evening.

Chapter Six
    The Ruth Isabella always left Kinness early in the morning. In the summer there were so many hours of daylight that if the boat left at three in the morning, it would have been possible to see. In December she was halfway to Baltasay before it was dawn. It made no difference. The boat always left between seven and seven-thirty. The crew were usually at the harbour by six.
    Jim had decided to go out with them. He could say goodbye to Will, and he would be an extra crew member on the way home. Sarah woke when he did and heard him moving carefully about the house.
    She got up and dressed. In the kitchen he was making sandwiches by candlelight. He was concentrating hard on what he was doing. He was obviously trying not to make any noise which might wake her. She kissed him, touched by his care.
    “I would have done that last night,” she said. “I should have realized that you would need something to take with you.”
    “It’s no problem.”
    “I thought that I’d come down to the harbour with you and see you off. I’d like to see Will again. You don’t mind?”
    “Of course not. I won’t go if you don’t want me to. You won’t be lonely?”
    “No. I’ll be glad of a day to get sorted out. I can finish unpacking, start thinking about what needs to be done to the house.”
    It was true. If he was there she would feel that she should tell him about her conversation with George Palmer-Jones, about her jealousy of Elspeth. A married couple should share things like that. As it was she did not know how to begin to