The Moonlit Murders: A historical mystery page-turner (A Fen Churche Mystery Book 3) by Fliss Chester (best ereader for pc .txt) 📗

‘It strikes me as odd. I can’t think it’s a coincidence, that’s all.’

‘Already on your grid?’ James asked. ‘I’ve forgotten what you jotted down.’

‘Yes. Though perhaps that goes to show subconsciously I always thought the word meant more than just a location for the murder. Oh, I don’t know. Let’s have a nightcap with the others and I’ll see if something troubles the brain cells.’

Genie waved at them from a table the other side of the saloon bar and Fen and James made their way over. Spencer and Frank were already deep in conversation, but the latter looked up and smiled as they approached.

Eloise appeared at Fen’s side and slipped her arm through hers. ‘More drinks! What a gas! I told you we’d have fun if you stayed on board.’ She’s squeezed Fen’s arm as she spoke.

‘Is your aunt joining us?’ asked James warily.

‘No,’ Eloise laughed at him. ‘Aunt M’s gone back to her cabin. She mentioned something about the locks on the doors hardly being worthy of Fort Knox, so she’s guarding the rest of her possessions herself.’

‘That’s a relief.’ James blew some air out of his pursed lips.

‘She’d scare Hades himself away from the Underworld,’ Eloise retorted. ‘Can you imagine what it’s been like for me staying with her for the whole war? Churchill should have sent her into Berlin and cut the whole thing short years ago.’

The three of them had joined the others by now and Eloise’s comments were treated as the jests they were.

‘We shouldn’t laugh, though,’ Fen said, once the ribbing of old Mrs A was over. ‘I mean, as ghastly as she’s being to us all, she has lost her most precious possessions.’

‘You’re not wrong there,’ Eloise sighed. ‘If by precious you mean worth more to her than any human life, mine included.’

‘Oh Eloise! You can’t mean that. Your aunt must love you, and all her family, more than some diamonds, however expensive they are?’

‘Fen dear, you obviously come from a much more loving home.’ Eloise winked at her, and Fen could see she was still in a mirthful mood. ‘And it’s not like she hasn’t got a trunkload more back in Manhattan.’ Eloise shook her head. ‘Well, maybe not another tiara like the Princeton, but she is by no means destitute without them. Plus the insurers will pay out, she checked that before we boarded.’

‘Oh really?’ Fen’s interest was piqued. If Mrs Archer was well insured, then the ‘theft’ could be something very different after all.

Eloise seemed to read her mind. ‘It’s not what you’re thinking. Don’t get me wrong, they’re insured and Aunt Mariella will be compensated handsomely, but she’d not pull a heist like that. Think of the scandal!’

‘Why did she check the insurance then?’ Fen asked, hoping it wasn’t too impertinent.

‘We had a bracelet stolen in Rouen.’ Eloise sighed. ‘It was what started off this whole “we’re cursed” notion of hers. So she wired through to Lee & Watts, her insurers, to check everything else was covered.’

Fen wondered when this conversation might have taken place and if Mrs Archer had been heard discussing the value of her possessions within earshot of anyone now on board. Her thoughts were disrupted by a waiter coming over to offer the convivial party drinks and then again once the drinks themselves arrived. They all clinked glasses, prompting Frank to laugh about his overdoing it the night before.

‘Thanks to you, Jim-boy, for getting me back to my cabin safely,’ he raised a glass to James, who bowed his head, accepting the thanks, and raised his glass of Scotch to Frank in return. ‘I think I’d better take it easier tonight.’

‘The talk at our table was all about this morning’s horrid discovery,’ Genie changed the subject, addressing the table and fluffing her feather boa as it hung loosely around her shoulders. ‘I’m doing fine, by the way, thanks for asking, all.’

‘Now don’t get huffish, sugar,’ Spencer said, clumsily patting her hand but missing and mostly hitting her leg.

‘Huffish? Spencer, I saw a dead man.’ Genie shivered dramatically for the table.

‘Genie, I am sorry that you had to see that… him, this morning.’ Fen shook her head. ‘Really neither of us should have had to, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t get the image out of my mind.’

‘Oh, I’m the same.’ Genie reached a hand across, and Fen took it, although she wasn’t sure if she was comforting Genie or merely feeding some sort of need for attention. ‘His ghoulish face! It was bad enough that he was dead, but he was German too, one of those…’ She shuddered dramatically again. ‘…Nazis.’

The conversation among the group of young people never strayed far from the gruesome murder of the German, however much they tried to keep it on more frivolous topics like music or film stars.

‘Well, at least talking about just the one murder stops us from dwelling on hundreds of thousands of others,’ Frank said, cradling his crystal glass tumbler in his hands.

‘It’s odd though, isn’t it,’ Eloise followed on, ‘that one death should interest us all so. I suppose it’s the immediacy of it. He was only a few cabins down from you, wasn’t he, Fen?’

‘Yes, and I must admit, I did see him once, outside the cabin, right before we left France. He mentioned something about dying too…’ Fen trailed off, not sure if she was in the right company to discuss this yet.

‘How terrible!’ Eloise clutched her throat. ‘He predicted his own death?’

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Fen countered, trying to keep the conversation, and her thoughts, away from the hysterical. ‘But I suspect he was on this boat for a reason… I don’t know.’

‘Shouldn’t we all go through our alibis?’ Genie piped up. ‘Isn’t that what should happen in this sort of case? I’m surprised the captain isn’t hauling us all in to be interviewed, though I imagine he simply doesn’t have the time, what with being in charge of the ship and all that. Why don’t you ask us