Page 31 of She Saw What He Did

Ellen wiped the perspiration from her forehead and thought again about Abby. She didn’t seem the kind to make things up but …

‘Nothing,’ said Ryan, breaking into her thoughts. ‘They’ve found zilch on the island. Either this murderer got rid of everything, boats, body, the lot, or Abby Miller’s story isn’t accurate.’

Ellen nodded.

‘Okay, let’s question a few more here on the quay. You never know, someone may have seen something.’

There had been several boat trips yesterday, but no one had noticed the Miller’s boat.

‘The thing is, you don’t take much notice of people going out on trips,’ said Trevor, one of the boat tour guides. ‘People are coming and going all the time.’

‘I reckon they didn’t moor the boat properly’ said Roy, joining them. ‘They are probably too embarrassed to admit it.’

‘It’s a bit extreme to say you’ve seen a murder though isn’t it?’ said Ellen.

‘These London folk …’

‘They’re from the mainland,’ corrected Ellen. ‘Not London.’

Roy didn’t seem to hear her.

‘That would explain why their rucksack went missing. They most likely left it on the boat. It doesn’t take long to travel out if it’s not tied securely,’ Roy said knowingly.

‘It’s all supposition,’ smiled Ryan. ‘Meanwhile we’ve got to investigate a murder, so if you hear of anything, let us know.’

‘A murder without a body?’ laughed Roy.

Lisa was apologetic when they went into the café.

‘I don’t remember seeing them,’ she said.

‘They bought pasties,’ said Ellen.

‘I sell loads of pasties,’ smiled Lisa.

‘Do you remember a man in a raincoat going out in a boat?’

‘To be honest, Ellen, I’m too busy to see who’s getting in the boats. I really can’t believe there was a murder on the island.’

Ellen couldn’t help agreeing it was unlikely, but she kept quiet. Maybe Abby Miller was a fantasist, but they had to investigate thoroughly.

Chapter Twenty

Moray Arbour leaned back in the oversized leather chair and looked at the screen in front of him.

‘How the fuck did this happen?’ he spat into the speaker phone. ‘You assured us this Sparrow clown was one hundred per cent reliable.’

The voice at the other end was shaky and apologetic.

‘We’ve never had a problem before. I don’t know what happened.’

‘Well I do. I just watched the fucking recording. Sparrow went crazy. It’s a mess.’

A photo of Abby and Jared Miller popped up onto the screen. Moray sighed.

‘So what’s Sparrow doing about it?’ he said, studying the photo.

‘He’s assured me he can get the box.’

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