Page 58

“No, but let’s consider,” Mrs. Ferris insisted. “It explains why the woman seems to have no history. It explains why someone like her would come to our remote island in the first place.”

“We’re notthatremote,” Hermione objected.

Mrs. Ferris was undeterred. “This wasn’t her sort of place. She wasn’t our sort of person. She didn’t fit in at all. She wasn’t happy here and she made no bones about showing it.And,mostly importantly, being a witness for the government explains why, despite the fact that there’s no motive for and no suspect in her death, she was murdered.”

As none of the others seemed to know how to answer that, Ellery said, “Well, unfortunately, there is a suspect. What if we tried to build the case against Dylan as if we were the police? Once we understand why they think he’s the only one who could have done this, we can figure out how to knock their case to pieces.”

“We’ll play devil’s advocate,” Nora said. “Yes! That’s very good.”

“It’s easy enough to understand why the police have settled on Mr. Carter,” Mrs. Ferris said. “The police believe it’s a lust murder.”

“Whaaa?” objected Stanley. “What now?”

“A. LUST. MURDER,” Mrs. Ferris enunciated clearly.

Ellery, who’d paused to take a sip of bottled water, choked and began to cough.

“I’m not hard of hearing, woman. I heard you the first time. I just want to know what the heck you’re smoking.”

Nora, who had hopped up to deliver a couple of hard, swift blows to Ellery’s back, said with just a hint of impatience, “I don’t believe that’s the angle the police are working, dear.”

Mrs. Ferris said defensively, “It’s the only thing that makes sense tome.”

Ellery stopped coughing and croaked, “Nobodythinks Dylan is a lust murderer!”

“I’m not saying heis.I’m saying that’s the direction the police investigation will surely take.”

Kingston said, “It’s certainly a theory. However, perhaps we should start with the possible motives for removing Ms. St. Simmons.”

“In a lust murder—”

“Yes, yes,” Kingston said hastily. “However, let’s considerotherpossible motives. Did Ms. St. Simmons possess knowledge that was dangerous to someone else?”

“There’s plenty of that on this island,” Ellery said darkly, taking his chair within the circle. Watson came to him, placing his fat puppy paws on Ellery’s knees, and Ellery lifted him up. “Right?” he asked Watson.

Watson wagged his tail.

“What did you do to your face, Ellery?” Hermione asked suddenly. “You’re getting quite a bruise on your jaw.”

Seven pairs of eyes—eight, counting Watson—were suddenly trained on him like laser sights. “Oh, I…”

“Someone punched him,” Stanley remarked. “Noticed it the minute I walked in. It’s a dangerous business asking questions. A lot of people don’t like it.”

Ellery sighed. “Could wepleasejust concentrate…”

“Yes,” Nora said briskly. “Now. It’s possible Ms. St. Simmons arrived in Pirate’s Cove already in possession of knowledge dangerous to someone on the island. However, I think it’s unlikely she gained any such knowledge here. For one thing, she doesn’t seem to have had any close friends or confidantes.”

“She had Mr. Carter,” Mrs. Ferris said.

“Yes, but Mr. Carter has had many,manyromantic liaisons over the years,” Nora pointed out. “It’s difficult to believe he confided something worth committing murder over, to Ms. St. Simmons but not to anyone else.”

“If he was going to confide in any woman it would be Janet Maples,” Stanley opined.

Nora concurred.

Edna’s tone was reflective. “She was awfully chummy with Jane for a while. The St. Simmons woman, I mean.”

“That’s true,” Hermione said. “I was surprised, to be honest. They didn’t seem to have much in common.”