Page 17 of A Very Bookish Murder (Ally McKinley Mystery #3)

Her four remaining guests showed no inclination to go out. Ally had hoped they would as she fancied having a look in their bedrooms for any likely clues. Then she wondered if she was getting carried away with Rigby’s praise for her detective abilities and she should leave it to the experts.

Ross and Ebony had gone home to welcome some guests who were due to arrive in his holiday cottages, Morag had done the bedrooms with a lot of muttering about guests being under her feet, and Ally had vacuumed downstairs and cleared the kitchen.

She fancied calling in on her friend, Linda, to see how she was getting on with Callum and to pick up any news.

She also needed some salt so decided to combine a visit to Linda with a visit to the village shop.

Ally had dreaded visiting the shop when she first arrived in Locharran, mainly due to Queenie’s insatiable appetite for gossip, and Ally herself was at that time providing a fair bit of the gossip. Over the past year though, Queenie had almost begun to treat her as a local, which was praise indeed.

‘Och!’ said Queenie sadly. ‘Ye’re havin’ a right old time of it up at the malthouse, Mrs McKinley.’

Ally nodded. ‘I’m afraid you’re right. Incidentally, why don’t you call me Ally now that we know each other quite well?’

‘That’s an odd kinda name for a woman,’ Queenie remarked, brushing some crumbs off the countertop.

‘Well, it’s short for Alison, but I’ve always been called Ally.’

Queenie nodded. ‘What are ye wantin’ then?’

‘Just some salt, Queenie. Sea salt, please.’

‘Over on the stand by the window,’ said Queenie. She narrowed her eyes. ‘So, who wiz murdered this time?’

Ally located the salt and placed it on the counter. ‘The lady died of a diabetic coma, I believe, and we don’t know anything more at this stage.’

‘Our brother wiz diabetic,’ Queenie said. Then she shouted, ‘Our Charlie wiz diabetic, wizn’t he, Bessie?’

There was no sign of Bessie and no reply. ‘Well, he wiz. But he wiz fine until the bus hit him.’

‘The bus hit him?’ Ally repeated.

‘Aye, the bus from Clachar. That wiz in the days when they ran a decent local bus service. That bus called at all the wee villages…’

‘Your brother was hit by a bus ?’ Ally asked again.

‘Ah told ye! The bus from Clachar! The driver, Ecky, wiz awful upset.’

‘Well, he would be,’ Ally said, ‘but what about your brother?’

‘Och, he was flattened . Flat as a flounder. Ye can see his grave if ye look in the churchyard, right near the gate.’

‘So it killed him?’ Ally asked, horrified.

‘Of course it killed him – it wiz a big bus,’ said Queenie, taking the money for the salt and depositing it in the till. ‘But Charlie wid’ve been three sheets to the wind, so he probably widnae have felt much.’ She sniffed. ‘He liked a wee drink,’ she added by way of explanation.

‘How awful!’ Ally said.

‘Aye, but it wiz a grand funeral. Folks came from miles around. Now, would ye be needin’ anythin’ else, Mrs Mc— Ally?’

‘Not just at the moment, thank you,’ Ally replied, taking her leave.

‘You must have a slice of my rum, coconut and pineapple cake,’ Linda said as she placed a cup of tea in front of Ally.

‘Rum, coconut and pineapple?’

‘It’s a kind of a pina colada cake, you see. I’m trying to bring a touch of the exotic into the lives of Locharran residents!’ Linda grinned.

‘Well, you’ve certainly succeeded,’ Ally replied as she took an experimental bite. ‘This is something else – wow!’

‘Oh good,’ said Linda. ‘I’m glad you like it. It’s going down a storm at the Craigmonie.’

‘I’m not at all surprised!’ Ally said, taking a larger bite.

‘Never mind the cake,’ said Linda. ‘What’s all this about someone being taken away from the malthouse in an ambulance last night?’

Ally sighed. ‘I’m afraid it’s true. She was a nice lady called Joyce – Joyce Williams. But she was diabetic and fell into a coma.’ She hesitated, then decided to tell Linda just what had happened. ‘She died in hospital later.’

‘Oh no!’ Linda looked horrified.

‘They suspect foul play because it was due to an overdose of insulin,’ Ally explained. ‘But what really worries me is that Joyce was about to tell me something. I think she was convinced she knew who the killer was.’

‘So you’re suggesting that she may have been silenced by someone?’

‘I rather fear she may have been.’ Ally sighed, then ate some more cake. ‘God, Linda, this thing is delicious!’

‘So where did this happen? In her bedroom?’

Ally explained about the picnic and them all lazing in the garden afterwards. ‘It’s the same old story – it could have been any one of them. Apparently, Joyce fell asleep.’

‘But surely someone would be seen if they injected her or something?’

‘Joyce kept her insulin in my fridge in the kitchen, so any one of them could have sneaked in there at some time, I suppose. It’s all very scary. How’s Callum coping with the three women staying there?’

Linda shook her head. ‘He’s going nuts. The police keep appearing, much to the consternation of the other guests.

And he keeps wittering on about the hotel’s wonderful reputation, and how there’s never been any scandal until now.

’ She refilled the teacups. ‘But at least one of the women looks like being cleared and allowed to go home.’

‘ What ?’ Ally nearly dropped her cup. ‘Which one?’

Linda shrugged. ‘Can’t honestly remember what he said.’

‘I must go in to see him straight away,’ Ally said, draining her cup.

‘I wouldn’t bother if I were you because he’s had to go to Inverness today. But, listen, why don’t we all go out somewhere as a foursome and you can ask him then?’

‘Dinner at Seascape perhaps?’ Ally suggested.

‘Brilliant idea!’ exclaimed Linda. ‘What are you doing tonight?’

‘Nothing that I know of,’ Ally admitted. ‘I’m sure Ross would be more than happy to go there.’

‘OK, I’ll call them now and book a table for four,’ Linda said. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem on a Monday evening.’

As she made her way home, Ally tried to work out which of the Craigmonie suspects could possibly have been cleared.

Della – unlikely, as she was the most likely suspect surely.

Laura – who could tell with Laura? Strange lady.

That left Morwenna, of course. She had seemed the least likely to Ally, but she had to admit that she really hadn’t a clue.

What sort of sleuth was she , who couldn’t even choose between three women, never mind six?