Page 73 of 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas

‘It must have been around six or seven p.m.,’ I said, struggling to piece together the timeline. ‘Miles came to meet me at the café and we went home together… I don’t know the exact time, I’m sorry.’

‘Can anyone confirm that?’

‘The lady who owns the café.’So far so good, I reassured myself.

He nodded, jotting something down. ‘And when was the last time you saw Miriam Weiss?’

‘The last time I saw her was the morning she left to catch her train, so Monday morning. But we didn’t speak, she just told the girls she was going to pack and head to catch her train at noon. The last time I spoke to her was at the pool party the day before. She told me she needed to go away for work and asked me whether I would look after the girls.’

‘Her daughters? Beebee and Ceecee?’

‘Yes, that’s correct.’

He frowned at his piece of paper. ‘Aren’t they are a little old to be looked after?’

‘Well, that’s what I thought. I did think it was strange.’

‘Why did you think it was strange, Mrs Weiss?’

‘Well.’ I huffed a laugh. ‘Like you just said yourself, they are basically adults themselves. I’m sure they don’t want or need me to look after them.’

‘So, do you have any indication as to why she asked you that?’

‘Personally… it seemed like she was going away indefinitely. And with everything that was going on…’ I trailed off.

‘Going on?’

‘The deaths… I don’t for one second think that she thought either of them would come to any harm, though, or she wouldn’t have left them.’

‘Wouldn’t she?’ he asked, his brown eyes fixed on mine.

‘I don’t believe that Mimi would ever want anything to happen to the girls.’

‘Yet she left them here… despite the spate of unexplained deaths.’

‘Yes…’

‘Why do you think she did that? Surely her work in insurance isn’t so pressing that she can’t do it remotely? Or at least, not be away for more than a few days over Christmas?’

‘There was a rumour—’ I stopped short.

‘Please, Mrs Weiss, if you’re not transparent with us, you could make things verydifficult for yourself in the long run. I need you to tell me everything that you have seen and heard to help me build a picture of what is going on here.’

‘Okay,’ I said taking a deep breath, ‘there was a rumour that Mimi was having an affair. That she was going to see whoever she was supposed to be seeing. I believe that is why she said she would be gone indefinitely; she was going to spend Christmas with this person.’

‘When did you hear of this rumour?’

‘The first time I heard it from?—’

He waited for my answer.

‘F-from Aunt Clem.’

‘Aunt Clem?’ He turned to Birch. ‘Have we spoken to her yet, DS Birch?’

Birch flicked through her notes before shaking her head.

Oh crap. I pursed my lips. Both of the officers watched me, watched every little twitch and tell on my face.I am not cut out for this, I thought bitterly.