Part 4 (1/2)
”Remain right where you are until I come back,” Frost said. ”I need to talk with Miss Ellis in private. Then we'll all drive down to the station together. Any questions?”
The guests shook their heads.
Detective Frost led Julie to the front sitting area. He sat awkwardly on the small sofa and motioned for her to join him.
Julie perched on the edge of the couch, unwilling to get too comfortable or to let her guard down where Everett Frost was concerned.
”Tell me what you know about each of your guests,” he started without preamble.
”Not a lot. We don't require them to fill out background checks before they stay here.” Though Julie thought it might not be a bad idea going forward.
”Surely you learned something about them in the time that they've been here.”
”Well, Sadie and Joyce are best friends. Sadie is a retired librarian, and Joyce is a widowed housewife. They've been saving for this trip for years.”
”Did either one of them act as if they knew our victim?”
Julie thought for a moment. ”No.”
”What about the married couple?”
”I think I overheard him say that he's a podiatrist.”
Frost nodded grimly. ”No wonder this seemed like a good time to him.”
”You noticed that too?”
”It's my job to pay attention to details, Miss Ellis.”
”Right. Well, they have grown children in college. This is the first vacation they've taken in years. To be honest, when they first arrived, Kenneth seemed like he'd rather poke himself in the eye with a fork than be here.”
”What about the professor, Liam Preston?”
”Dr. Preston didn't say very much during tea.”
”I see. And where does he teach?”
”One of the state universities ... I think. I can look at his registration if you'd like.”
Frost waved away her offer and continued. ”What about Gregory?”
”All I remember him saying was that one day he was going to move down to Belize and live like a king.”
”Did any of the other guests seem to know the victim?”
Julie thought back. ”Alice sat at the table with Carrie Windsor-”
”The little one?”
”Yes. But they didn't talk much. Carrie's quiet and Alice ...,” she faltered, ”Alice seemed bitter.”
”Did you overhear anyone say anything about her?”
”Not much. Just that her kids bought her this weekend to cheer her up after her divorce.”
”Was it a bad marriage?”
”I don't know.” Julie frowned. ”Good ones don't end in divorce though, do they?”
Frost quirked a brow.
”Alice acted like she didn't want to be here. I thought that was strange. A weekend here isn't exactly cheap, and then with the murder mystery on top of that ...”
”Did she have a job that you know of?”
”I'm not sure.”
”And Carrie,” Frost said, ”what about her?”
”She arrived last. That's all I know. She's very quiet. I think she's a student.”
”She told you this?” he asked.
”No.”
”You heard her tell someone else?”
”No, but-”
”So, you don't really know if she's a student or not?”
Julie shook her head, wondering when this had turned into an interrogation. ”Should I call my attorney?” She should have said an attorney. It wasn't like she had a lawyer on retainer ready to bail her out of such situations.
”It might not be a bad idea, given the complicated situation, murder on your premises and all that. I'm sure Millie has someone she uses for other things.”
”Is that all?” Julie asked hopefully.
Detective Frost flipped his little notebook closed. ”For now,” he said. ”You will all be transported to the station for prints and brought back in as timely a manner as possible. We'll finish up here as quickly as we can, but no one will be allowed in the dining room until we're done in there.”
Great. Power failure, murder, and no one could eat in the dining room. It was going to be a red-letter weekend for sure.
As promised, the guests were taken by van to the police station and fingerprinted individually. Then they all returned to the van and were driven back to the inn.
They received several strange looks while at the station. It was one thing to be dressed in costumes in the privacy of the inn, but to have to go out into public-even worse, to the police station-well, that was more than any of them were prepared for.
The atmosphere on both trips was strained. Julie could almost feel the accusations running through everyone's minds.