Smile and be a Villain by Jeanne M. Dams Page A

looked up then.
    â€˜You look exactly like the cat that swallowed the canary!’
    â€˜Yes, dear. Do you want me to come with you?’
    â€˜No, I need a little time to get over being transparent.’
    He chuckled and returned to the book.

TEN
    I love my husband dearly. I do. There are times, though, when I wish he understood me a little less obviously. A woman likes to think she has a
little
aura of mystery, even when she’s nearing the end of her seventh decade.
    It didn’t take me long to find a notebook. There was a kind of general store just a few steps from our B & B. It sold almost everything, from shampoo to dog food to greeting cards to – aha! – notebooks. I had to buy a packet of ten of them, but no matter. I’d ship them back home along with our books, and I’d certainly use them. I didn’t need pens. I had at least three in my purse; I carry several because I’m forever losing them.
    I had stopped being irritated by the time I got back to the little garden. It was too beautiful a day to cherish a snit. ‘All right, love, I’m properly equipped now. All ready to make lists. Where shall we start?’
    Alan had evidently been giving the matter some thought. ‘Suppose we list everyone we’ve talked to about Abercrombie, and what they think of him.’
    â€˜Or what they told us they think of him,’ I amended.
    â€˜Indeed. There might be a difference. Very well. I think the first name ought to be Constable Partridge.’
    â€˜But he’s a Methodist. He didn’t really know the man. At least, he didn’t tell us anything about him except the basic facts.’
    â€˜Didn’t he?’
    â€˜Oh. You mean his unspoken belief that there was more to Mr A.’s death than met the eye. You don’t think we’re wrong about that, do you? I mean, wrong about what the good constable believes.’
    â€˜He’s a good policeman, Dorothy. He doesn’t know us, doesn’t know anything about us except what we told him. By now I’m sure he’s done his homework and knows my credentials check out. He also knows the difference between evidence and speculation.
And
he has a very small force here. He can’t afford to go chasing after faint possibilities.’
    â€˜Okay, but that doesn’t really answer my question.’
    â€˜I think he has recognized in us a couple of unofficial deputies. He has let us see what he thinks without ever speaking a word that could be held against him. So yes, I think he believes there’s reason for doubt about the way Abercrombie died.’
    I wrote that down:
Partridge, has doubts.
‘And there’s something else, too. I’ll bet he knows more about the man than he let on, even if he doesn’t attend St Anne’s. How could he help it? It’s a small island, and the guy was making himself conspicuous. A finger in every pie at the church, spending money like mad, talking about buying a house – of course he’d be well known.’
    â€˜I’d wondered about that myself. But it never hurts to pretend ignorance.’
    I grinned. ‘Playing your cards close to your chest, we’d say in America. In some circles.’
    â€˜But not the ones you moved in, I’m sure. Who’s next? Robin?’
    â€˜No, I’d say definitely Alice. We know the most about her.’
    Alan nodded, sighing. ‘I’d far sooner not have heard any of that story. Not only is it horrific, but it leads one to suspicions of Alice I don’t want to entertain.’
    â€˜Neither do I, but we can’t just ignore the story, can we?’ I made a note. ‘Then there’s Robin. He’s sort of like the good constable, in a way. He’s told us quite a lot, but not in words.’
    â€˜He’s a reserved sort of chap. I don’t think he likes speaking ill of anyone. And then, as he’s not a native islander, he might feel a bit –