Murdered by Nature by Roderic Jeffries

wasn’t no pansy gardener, but the stuff he wanted looking after, I’d known since I was a kid.’
    â€˜It’s an unusual garden.’
    â€˜It’s what he liked. Growing island history, he called it. Waste of money, a mate of mine says. If some plants are dying out, let ’em, there’s plenty more. The señor wanted to conserve. See that tree?’
    Alvarez looked at a very ordinary, spindly tree with dull green leaves.
    â€˜He said there wasn’t more than a dozen of them left and they only grow on the island.’
    â€˜Don’t recognize it. What’s it called?’
    â€˜Can’t remember. Some Latin name which sounds like you’re gargling.’
    â€˜Can’t be much you haven’t got?’
    â€˜There’s palms, olives, oaks, carobs, almonds, lentiscs, mastics, pistachios, strawberry trees, heathers, buckthorns, myrtles, what he called the sacred tree of Venus, whoever she is, and a lot more.’
    â€˜How did the señor regard your gardening skills?’
    â€˜He told me more than once that it was just how he wanted things. And the señorita said as how, shortly before he died, she had to wheel him over to a window so as he could look out at everything.’
    â€˜It was kind of her to tell you that.’
    â€˜Came natural to her. Like when Juana was really ill.’
    â€˜Your wife?’
    â€˜Daughter. Doctor didn’t know what was wrong. The señora said Juana was to go into a
clinica
, and they saved her. Ain’t many, however rich, what would have paid the bills they did for an employee’s child.’
    â€˜You sound as if you have a great respect for her.’
    â€˜Surprises you?’
    â€˜D’you think she’ll inherit the estate?’
    â€˜Why shouldn’t she?’
    â€˜Rich men can act strangely. A billionaire in America died not long back and left his children nothing because he reckoned they should make their own way through life, same as he had to.’
    â€˜Silly bugger.’
    â€˜Did he get on well with the señora?’
    â€˜Married to her, wasn’t he?’
    â€˜Doesn’t mean everything was sweet.’
    â€˜You’ve a miserable mind.’
    â€˜Comes from the job.’
    â€˜Find another one.’
    â€˜Perhaps I should try gardening.’
    â€˜When you look like you haven’t the strength to pull out a bramble?’
    â€˜Someone said the señor was keen on sailing.’
    â€˜Often went out in his yacht.’
    â€˜With the señora?’
    â€˜If he wasn’t going far. She told me she enjoyed it for a while, but not when it went on day after day and all you saw was the sea.’
    â€˜Did he sail far?’
    â€˜Menorca, Ibiza, France, Italy, Turkey, Morocco.’
    â€˜Did you ever go on the boat with him?’
    â€˜When he was having trouble with the motor.’
    â€˜Thought it was a sailing yacht.’
    â€˜Never heard of being trapped on a lee shore?’
    â€˜Have you?’
    â€˜He told me about it.’
    â€˜Now tell me.’
    â€˜A tide or a wind takes you in towards the shore and you can’t put up enough sail to escape. Without an engine, you smash on to the rocks and likely drown.’
    â€˜I’ll stick to land. When the engine seemed to be uneasy, you were out with him if it needed to be put right?’
    â€˜Weren’t to haul the ropes.’
    â€˜You’re an engineer as well as a gardener and builder?’
    â€˜I know enough about engines to get it going again.’
    â€˜Did you ever go to Morocco with him?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜How often did he sail there?’
    â€˜As often as he wanted.’
    â€˜Did the señora go with him?’
    â€˜Ain’t I said, she didn’t like long trips?’
    â€˜Did he bring stuff back from there?’
    â€˜You want to charge him duty?’
    â€˜Not my problem. What kind of things did he