Page 17 of Death at Inishmore Castle

“That seems sensible.”

I laughed. “You always agree with him.”

“Well, if it keeps someone from trying to kill you, then yes I do.”

“I haven’t asked you, but do you remember seeing the priest talking with anyone other than Sister Sarah?”

She yawned and then picked up Mr. Poe, who snuggled into her.

“I was with you, so we saw the same things,” she said. “I’ll be honest, something about him was off-putting. And it wasn’t just his attitude or that he yelled at us. You know how you get a sense of someone? I’m embarrassed to say, without knowing him at all, that I didn’t like him. I was thinking that men like him gave priests a bad name.”

“Don’t feel guilty. I felt the same way.”

“Do you think he was really a priest?”

“No. And I don’t think Sister Sarah is a nun.”

Her eyes went wide. “Why not?”

“She wasn’t happy when I asked what order she was from and pointed out she wasn’t Irish.”

“She’s a religious person,” Lizzie said. “Maybe she just didn’t like talking about herself.”

“You may be right. But remember, she and the priest were arguing. She made a point of asking about him at dinner, and it felt like she was trying to draw attention away from herself. She didn’t seem surprised either when it was mentioned he wasindisposed. Her eyes narrowed, like she knew we weren’t telling the truth. That and when she prayed at dinner, it didn’t sound like she knew what she was saying. It was a bunch of random words.

“You were chatting with some of the other guests at dinner, did you notice anything suspicious?”

“No. The American couple, the Airendales, are celebrating their seventh anniversary. They both enjoy a bit of whiskey, at least, that is what the wife told me. She seemed kind of posh. And did you notice those diamonds she wears? They seem more appropriate for a gala than a weekend dinner on vacation. But I’m not judging. She mostly talked about shopping and the art here in the castle.”

My sister didn’t realize how her naturally affable way drew people to her. Other folks told her things without her prying much. She’d always been like that.

The lights flickered back on. I blinked against the brightness. They’d been going off and on all night. I felt better when they were on, even though the dead body was easier to see.

Two hours later, there was a loud noise on the other side of the door. We opened it to find several people coming down the hallway.

My eyes were bleary, but I could see that Kieran led the crowd. He was damp, they all were, but he was still ruggedly handsome. We’d spent a lot of time together the last few months discussing cases, and he’d become a fantastic resource for my books.

While he’d never admit it, I’d become a sounding board for him as well. We met at the pub in Shamrock Cove several nights a week to discuss cases. My sister called them dates. But she was much more romantically minded than I was.

He’d brought his sergeant, Sheila, and what looked like a forensic team.

Lizzie and I moved out of the study.

“You go on to bed. I’ll be up soon,” I said.

She glanced from me to Kieran. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “No reason for both of us to lose more sleep.”

“I think I’ll wait for you,” she said.

Rob and Scott were coming down the hallway from the other way. It was time for them to take over the watch.

“Can you two take Lizzie to our room?”

“No.” My sister wasn’t usually so stubborn. “I’m waiting for you.”

Our friends looked from me to my sister and then at Kieran. Lizzie might be the quieter of the pair of us, but she wasn’t a person to be messed with and she was making that clear for some reason.

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