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

‘That sounds more like food poisoning than seasickness.’ Fen wrinkled her nose at the thought of being quite so ill all the time. ‘Still, it’s good to get another name checked off the list, and it gives the good doctor an alibi, too. Now we know he was only liaising with Genie to discuss her pregnancy, we can cross him off the list of those with motives to kill her as well.’

‘Motive to kill Genie,’ James shook his head. ‘Apart from jealousy on Spencer’s part, I really can’t see that anyone would have one.’

‘A misplaced jealousy, I’m sure.’ Fen thought for a second, and then only said the next few words because she and James were quite alone: ‘Of course, there is always Eloise. I mean, she is convinced that Genie stole more than just those earrings. And was quick to brush the whole affair under the carpet this afternoon during the shuffleboard game.’

James shook his head. ‘That doesn’t make sense though, Fen. Why would Eloise kill Genie and not take her earrings back? And why kill her? Why not simply get the captain involved? Mrs A was sufficiently convinced of Genie’s light-fingeredness to have her cabin searched straight off, so I don’t know how they avoided that particular pleasure.’

‘Only because we stepped in and stopped them, I suppose.’

‘Lord-a-mercy, that’ll be me accused of stealing them again then to shore up my crumbling estate.’ James rolled his eyes, then continued, ‘Anyway, Eloise slipping in and strangling Genie—’

‘With the stockings we bought in Southampton!’ Fen interrupted, but James kept talking.

‘—doesn’t explain why Spencer then confessed.’

Fen sat back in her chair. ‘It really is all pointing towards him, but you know that makes me feel even more wretched about it.’ Fen clenched her hands. ‘It’s not that I don’t think he could do it – he certainly seemed to have the passion or temper to – but there was something about him as he sat there in that cell. Never denying it, but never… Oh I don’t know, never connecting with it either. You know how I feel about crossword clues. You’ve got to check and double-check before you assume you have the right answer. And the answer might really feel like it’s Spencer, but I’m not sure I’ve checked all the clues thoroughly yet. Like that epaulette.’

‘Part of a costume, Dodman said,’ James reminded her.

‘Yes, and Spencer seemed keen to point out that Genie was a bit of a magpie – you know, eyes on stalks for shiny things – so she may well have stolen it from the costume box. Though he might have said that to make it sound like he had less of a motive. You know, if it was the epaulette of someone she was in a clinch with, then he may well have killed her out of jealousy. But, then again, if she was pinching parts of costumes from the auditorium… gosh, perhaps she was responsible for the jewels too?’

‘I think you’re getting yourself tied up in knots, or crossed over a grid, or however you might explain it.’ James gently patted Fen on the knee. ‘Let’s go back to Albert. We’ve been ticking names off the passenger list and I think we’re down to the last two he could have been travelling under.’

‘Ah yes,’ Fen chipped in. ‘Spanner in the works there. Dodman said that cabin thirteen was usually left empty, due to the superstitions around that number.’

‘Pah,’ James snorted.

‘Be that as it may,’ Fen carried on, ‘it means that he wasn’t travelling under an assumed name. He was a blank in a blank cabin.’

‘But you said you counted all the cabins and there was a name for each berth?’ James reminded her. ‘So there must be one extra name on our souvenir passenger lists. One name that means something to someone, perhaps even meant something to Albert.’

This thought occupied them both until the dinner gong was sounded.

‘Reminds me of college dining halls,’ Fen mumbled as she and James stood up and followed the other diners into the beautifully lit dining room.

The easel that held the lists of who was sitting where showed them that they were coupled up with the Etherington brothers. The four of them would be sitting with the Smith family, while the captain…

‘Aha,’ Fen said and pointed to a name on the table plan, showing James what she’d spotted.

‘Mr Killinghurst dining with the captain,’ James said. ‘Well, that’s another one for you to cross off the list. If he’s alive and kicking, then we know Killinghurst wasn’t Albert.’

‘Which leaves us with Wracker-Nayman,’ Fen wondered out loud and got a small electric shock as someone touched her on the elbow. ‘Oh, Captain Lagrande, I didn’t see you there. Good evening.’

‘Bonsoir, Miss Churche. Dodman tells me you found some of the missing jewels today, well done.’ Lagrande moved on before Fen could answer him, circulating among the passengers and greeting the guests at his table, including the man who must have been Mr Killinghurst.

‘You know whose name I keep hearing in relation to every crime on board?’ James was next to her again and Fen asked who as they walked towards their table. ‘Everyone’s favourite steward. The kindly Dodman.’

‘No…’ Fen shook her head, but listened as James carried on.

‘Who was it that predicted the death of Albert?’

‘Albert the albatross… so named because Dodman said it was unlucky to have a dead one on board,’ Fen recalled.

‘Exactly,’ James said, pulling out a chair for Fen to sit at. They greeted the Etherington brothers and nodded to the Smiths before James carried on: ‘And Dodman told you about the costumes in the auditorium, and Genie went there with him.’

‘If he killed Genie, he may well have planted those earrings in her bedside cabinet.’ Fen followed on the logic. ‘Or was in on the jewellery heist and killed her when things went wrong.’ Fen stopped and shook her head; she couldn’t believe it of the