around him. Bill responded instantly: one touch from Josie and he forgot everything else. He was utterly besotted, everyone could see that. Everyone but Angelica.
“No.” Angelica stood to face Josie. Her voice was suddenly clear and steady. Determined. “I can’t. I won’t. Bill loves
me
.”
The chorus of “ Ain’t No Escaping My Love” came thumping through the speakers outside.
“Hear that?” said Josie. “That’s our song. He wrote it for me.”
“Bill loves me!”
“Get real,” Josie sneered dismissively. Then she turned on those killer heels and wobbled out, Bill powerless to do anything but go along with her.
Angelica sank onto the chaise longue next to Sizal. Her strength seemed to ebb away. She took his dead hand in hers and said confidentially, “She can’t see it, Sizal. She doesn’t know. But I do. If she doesn’t do what I tell her to, she’ll be next!”
beach party
When Doctor Psychondakis arrived, he confirmed Angelica’s assessment: Sizal had died of natural causes. The fact that both he and Ruby had mislaid their life-saving medication was an unfortunate coincidence, something the mainland police would have to be informed of, but nothing more. At a wedding, when everyone has their mind on other things, he said, shrugging … well, it’s not so surprising.
I watched Angelica while the doctor was talking to Tessa and was intrigued by her reaction. Bill’s ex-wife didn’t look like someone who might have just got away with two murders. She looked exhausted. Beaten. When Doctor Psychondakis suggested escorting her back to her room to give her another sedative, she went with him willingly. But before she left, she spoke softly to Tessa.
“You think I don’t know,” she said, putting her hand gently on the PA’s arm and patting it sympathetically. “I can see how you feel. But
I’m
Bill’s wife. He’s never loved anyone but me.”
Tessa went beetroot red and a few incoherently mumbled words fell out of her mouth, but Angelica didn’t stay to listen.
When she had gone, Tessa turned on us. “The woman’s mad,” she snapped. “She’s talking utter nonsense. Don’t you dare go repeating any of it.”
“We don’t make a habit of repeating lies and gossip, Ms Whittam,” Graham said indignantly.
Tessa grunted but seemed satisfied. When her back was turned, Graham and I exchanged a swift, confused glance. We didn’t say anything.
The two fresh corpses had given Tessa a whole load of extra work to do. She had to arrange for them to be removed and put into cold storage before they were eventually flown home and given decent burials, plus there would be a mountain of paperwork to get through. However, she seemed remarkably untroubled by it.
While Tessa got on with it all we went off to check on Graham’s mum: we knew that if Sally heard that we’d discovered another body, she’d be beside herself with worry.
You might have thought that two people dropping dead would dampen the party spirit, but it seemed to have the reverse effect. As word of Sizal’s demise got around, everyone suddenly seemed desperate to live life to the full. On our way to the kitchen, Graham and I saw some guests throwing themselves into the pool, fully clothed, while others were dancing furiously to Bill’s music. They all seemed to be concentrating as hard as they possibly could on Having a Good Time. Josie had persuaded Bill to sit with her by the pool and she was feeding him grapes while Kelly watched enviously from the shadows. He still looked a bit pale but was obviously trying his best not to spoil Josie’s day. He had a villa full of guests, and being the lovely man he was, he clearly felt obliged to look after them.
When we finally found Graham’s mum she was up to her eyeballs in preparations for the evening party, but news of Sizal’s death had still managed to reach her. “Just stay away from Josie and Angelica,” she begged us. “Tessa too. They all seem to be barking
“No.” Angelica stood to face Josie. Her voice was suddenly clear and steady. Determined. “I can’t. I won’t. Bill loves
me
.”
The chorus of “ Ain’t No Escaping My Love” came thumping through the speakers outside.
“Hear that?” said Josie. “That’s our song. He wrote it for me.”
“Bill loves me!”
“Get real,” Josie sneered dismissively. Then she turned on those killer heels and wobbled out, Bill powerless to do anything but go along with her.
Angelica sank onto the chaise longue next to Sizal. Her strength seemed to ebb away. She took his dead hand in hers and said confidentially, “She can’t see it, Sizal. She doesn’t know. But I do. If she doesn’t do what I tell her to, she’ll be next!”
beach party
When Doctor Psychondakis arrived, he confirmed Angelica’s assessment: Sizal had died of natural causes. The fact that both he and Ruby had mislaid their life-saving medication was an unfortunate coincidence, something the mainland police would have to be informed of, but nothing more. At a wedding, when everyone has their mind on other things, he said, shrugging … well, it’s not so surprising.
I watched Angelica while the doctor was talking to Tessa and was intrigued by her reaction. Bill’s ex-wife didn’t look like someone who might have just got away with two murders. She looked exhausted. Beaten. When Doctor Psychondakis suggested escorting her back to her room to give her another sedative, she went with him willingly. But before she left, she spoke softly to Tessa.
“You think I don’t know,” she said, putting her hand gently on the PA’s arm and patting it sympathetically. “I can see how you feel. But
I’m
Bill’s wife. He’s never loved anyone but me.”
Tessa went beetroot red and a few incoherently mumbled words fell out of her mouth, but Angelica didn’t stay to listen.
When she had gone, Tessa turned on us. “The woman’s mad,” she snapped. “She’s talking utter nonsense. Don’t you dare go repeating any of it.”
“We don’t make a habit of repeating lies and gossip, Ms Whittam,” Graham said indignantly.
Tessa grunted but seemed satisfied. When her back was turned, Graham and I exchanged a swift, confused glance. We didn’t say anything.
The two fresh corpses had given Tessa a whole load of extra work to do. She had to arrange for them to be removed and put into cold storage before they were eventually flown home and given decent burials, plus there would be a mountain of paperwork to get through. However, she seemed remarkably untroubled by it.
While Tessa got on with it all we went off to check on Graham’s mum: we knew that if Sally heard that we’d discovered another body, she’d be beside herself with worry.
You might have thought that two people dropping dead would dampen the party spirit, but it seemed to have the reverse effect. As word of Sizal’s demise got around, everyone suddenly seemed desperate to live life to the full. On our way to the kitchen, Graham and I saw some guests throwing themselves into the pool, fully clothed, while others were dancing furiously to Bill’s music. They all seemed to be concentrating as hard as they possibly could on Having a Good Time. Josie had persuaded Bill to sit with her by the pool and she was feeding him grapes while Kelly watched enviously from the shadows. He still looked a bit pale but was obviously trying his best not to spoil Josie’s day. He had a villa full of guests, and being the lovely man he was, he clearly felt obliged to look after them.
When we finally found Graham’s mum she was up to her eyeballs in preparations for the evening party, but news of Sizal’s death had still managed to reach her. “Just stay away from Josie and Angelica,” she begged us. “Tessa too. They all seem to be barking
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