Over My Dead Body (Detective William Warwick #4)(18)

Miles studied the three young women Blanche had selected.

‘What else will she be expected to do,’ she asked, ‘besides seduce him?’

‘The mark has the energy of ten men, but it’s not his sexual prowess I’m interested in.’

‘Any one of them should be able to handle that. After all, they’re professionals. But what other skills are required?’

‘She needs to be bright as well as irresistible. A combination of Mata Hari and Becky Sharp. It’s the pillow talk that’s going to matter.’

‘Then I’d go with Josephine rather than Avril or Michelle,’ she said, pointing to one of the photographs. ‘Why don’t you come back around midnight, captain, then you can judge for yourself which one of them fits the bill?’

‘Quite a large bill, I suspect,’ said Miles, ‘as I may be needing her services for some time.’

? ? ?

‘What do you think?’ asked Beth.

‘Quite magnificent. It would look even better if it were hanging around your neck,’ said William, as he admired the exquisite necklace displayed in the window of the ship’s jewellery shop. ‘Dare I ask how much?’

‘Way out of your price range, caveman. I should have married a banker.’

William took a second look at the necklace and felt guilty. This was meant to be a break from work, but he’d hardly seen Beth from the moment they’d stepped on board. Yoga, followed by the morning lecture, and a film in the afternoon with her new best friend, Catherine Whittaker, had almost got him off the hook, but not entirely.

Beth straightened his bow tie. ‘You need to look your best tonight,’ she said, brushing a hair from the shoulder of his dinner jacket. ‘Catherine is such fun, and I can’t wait to meet her husband.’

‘The last time I saw Mr Justice Whittaker,’ mused William, ‘I was in the witness box when he told me he wasn’t interested in my opinions, and to stick to the evidence.’

Beth laughed as he took her hand and they made their way to the dining room on the deck below. William smiled to himself when they passed a window full of toys and spotted an empty shelf.

They entered the dining room, where Franco was on hand to escort them to their table. The chairman’s table was no longer roped off, but it remained unoccupied. The Buchanan family were now sitting at separate tables on the other side of the room, the two brothers conspicuously seated apart from each other. Franco accompanied William and Beth to the Whittakers’ table, where the judge rose to greet them.

‘William, it’s good of you to join us after what must have been a gruelling couple of days. I don’t imagine you’ve had much sleep.’

‘Not a lot, sir,’ said William, as they shook hands.

‘George, please. I don’t think you’ve met my wife, Catherine.’

‘Beth’s already told me about your fascinating talk on Puccini.’

‘And I can’t wait to visit the Fitzmolean again,’ said Catherine, ‘now that I have my own personal guide.’

‘That’s how we met,’ said William, as Franco appeared and handed them each a menu.

‘Tonight’s special is the rump steak,’ he declared, ‘while there’s the finest smoked salmon for the more abstemious.’

William ordered the steak, confident that Beth wouldn’t overrule him, although she did frown. Once they had all placed their orders, Beth told them about the morning lecture she and Catherine had attended, entitled, ‘The Big Apple: why not take a bite!’ given by Professor Samuels of Columbia University.

‘The professor has made me think again about how we should spend our time in New York,’ Beth commented. ‘I now want to drive across the Brooklyn Bridge, walk around Central Park and—’

‘Not at night,’ said William.

‘—and visit the Bronx zoo,’ continued Beth.

‘Not to mention catching a Broadway show,’ said Catherine. ‘He told us we should get tickets for La Cage aux Folles, if we possibly can,’ she added, as Franco reappeared with their first course.

Beth and Catherine continued to chat enthusiastically about the lecture, while the judge ate his asparagus, commenting only on how delicate the hollandaise sauce was. It wasn’t until their plates had been cleared away, to be replaced with the second course, that he turned to William and said, ‘May I ask how your investigation is proceeding?’

‘It’s complicated. However, I can tell you I’ve handed in my report to the commodore,’ said William, as he cut into his steak and watched the blood run. He looked up to see that all three of them had put down their knives and forks and were staring at him in anticipation.

‘Did the chairman die of a heart attack?’ asked the judge, cutting to the quick.

‘He may well have done,’ said William. ‘But I’m more interested in what caused that heart attack.’

Once again, all three of them waited impatiently while William placed a little mustard on the side of his plate.

‘Are you going to tell us the answer,’ Beth finally demanded, ‘or do we have to wait until our food’s gone cold?’

William put down his knife, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, ‘I’m able to tell you how the murder was committed, as long as you don’t breathe a word to anyone.’