An Unwanted Guest(42)

‘That sounds pretty far-fetched,’ Ian says.

‘Murder is far-fetched,’ Henry says. ‘We’re not dealing with normal here. Somebody around here is a killer. Somebody had good enough reasons to kill Dana and Candice. I’m just trying to figure out what they are.’

Lauren turns to Matthew and says haltingly, ‘Candice was staring at you and Dana at dinner last night.’

Matthew looks back at her, frowning. He shifts uneasily in his seat. ‘Was she? I’m well known in the business world. Our engagement was announced in all the society pages. So yes, it’s possible she recognized me and knew who I was.’

Lauren says, ‘She knew who you were – she told us all at breakfast this morning.’

‘But I didn’t know her,’ Matthew snaps, ‘and Dana didn’t either. If she was writing a book about us, we didn’t know about it. And neither of us have anything to hide, so we wouldn’t give a shit.’

Then Riley says, ‘But maybe Dana did have something to hide, something you didn’t know about. Maybe Candice knew about it, and was writing about it, and she and Dana fought on the stairs and Candice pushed her down.’

‘But if I didn’t know about it, why would I conclude that Candice pushed her down the stairs and then kill Candice?’ Matthew says sarcastically.

‘Maybe you did know about it,’ Henry says. ‘We only have your word for it.’

Matthew leans forward and says, deliberately, ‘I didn’t kill anybody.’

Riley says, her voice intense, ‘You brought a gun. Maybe you knew Candice was going to be here. Maybe you planned to kill her all along but the thing with Dana happened first.’

‘I don’t have to listen to this,’ Matthew says.

Beverly breaks in. ‘Hold on. Maybe the fact that Candice is dead too means that Matthew didn’t kill Dana, and that he has nothing to do with this – did you ever think of that?’ She turns to Henry and says, ‘Doesn’t it make him less likely to be guilty?’

‘Possibly,’ Henry says.

‘That’s kind of what I was thinking,’ Gwen admits. ‘If it was just Dana, then yes, I’m sorry, Matthew, but you would seem like the obvious suspect. Especially since Beverly heard you arguing late last night.’ She turns to the others. ‘But once there’s another death, doesn’t that make it seem less likely that Matthew did it?’

‘She kind of has a point,’ Ian says.

Henry watches everyone carefully. He doesn’t know anything for certain, but he’s going to keep his eyes open.

‘If we could all just stop pointing the finger at me for a minute, there’s something I’d like to bring up,’ Matthew says. He knows he sounds a bit aggressive; he doesn’t care. They’ve practically accused him of murder, for God’s sake.

‘What’s that?’ David says.

‘I think James and Bradley are hiding something.’

James looks completely taken aback. Bradley flushes to the roots of his hair. ‘What do you mean?’ James stammers.

Matthew leans towards James and Bradley, who are seated together. ‘This is your hotel. Maybe you know something the rest of us don’t.’

‘Like what?’ James says, on the defensive.

‘I don’t know. But I’ve seen you two whispering together. What have you been whispering about?’

‘We haven’t been whispering,’ James says, colouring.

‘Yes, you have, I’ve seen you.’

‘Oh, for Christ’s sake,’ Ian interjects, ‘they’ve got a hotel to run.’

David turns to James, his face serious. ‘Is it at all possible that there is someone who might wish you – or your hotel – harm?’

Matthew watches James closely. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Bradley shaking his head.

James shakes his head stiffly. ‘No. If I thought that was possible I would have said so.’

Matthew sinks back in his chair, dissatisfied, unconvinced. ‘I don’t believe you.’ He looks from James to Bradley and back again. ‘I still think there’s something you’re not telling us.’

David watches as Gwen rises restlessly from her chair and wanders over to the windows. It’s darker by the windows but he can see her in the gloom. She looks out, pointlessly. No one is coming. David leaves his seat and goes to her. He can feel the others watching, but he doesn’t care.

She turns towards him as he approaches. Her eyes are troubled.

‘There’s something I have to ask you,’ she says without preamble, her voice a whisper.

Here it comes, David thinks. She’s going to ask him about his wife. She’s been listening to Riley, he’s sure of it. He should have told Gwen about his past first. He should have told her last night. But it wasn’t the right time. You don’t tell a woman you’re terribly attracted to that you were once arrested for murder.

‘Anything,’ he says, his voice low, his expression open. He will tell her the truth. It’s up to her whether to believe him or not. He can’t hide it; it’s all over the internet.

Gwen glances back at the others around the fire. ‘Not now,’ she whispers. ‘But we need to talk, privately, at some point.’

He nods. It will give him time to prepare what he’s going to say to her. How to put it. He doesn’t want to frighten her away.