Dead in the Water (Olivia Grant Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free

find the body.
    Somewhat more relaxed by then, I gave him an account, which seemed quite short, even to me. Of course, I hadn't much to tell.
    "You didn't touch the body?"
    "No."
    "Nor any of the rocks surrounding the lily pond?"
    I became instantly alert again. "The rocks? Why would I touch the rocks? Are they significant?" Again, his questions made me think he suspected foul play. Did he think someone—I, perhaps—had struck Noreen with a rock and pushed her under to drown? "Was Noreen killed with a rock?"
    He looked unhappy, as if I were once more cartwheeling ahead of his investigation. Clearly avoiding my question, he said, "I believe you indicated you went into the library."
    "Yes."
    "How long were you there?"
    "About half an hour. I fell asleep. Jet lag."
    "Did you see anyone then?"
    "Not until Aunt Alice, Mrs. Klein that is, came in to ask if I'd seen Noreen."
    "So no one saw you during that time?"
    Prickles rose on the backs of my arms. He still considered me a suspect. Did he think I had flown in that morning and killed a woman I'd never met? That I'd found her outdoors, smashed her head with a rock, drowned her in the pond, and then come back to the library, pretending I'd been fast asleep and dreaming about Benedict Cumberbatch?
    I came out of my visualization. "I don't know if anyone saw me on the sofa. I had my eyes closed. Are you saying she was killed this morning, during the time I slept in the library?"
    "These are routine questions, Mrs. Grant. No one is under suspicion." He seemed to regret having put the thought of murder into my head.
    "But you believe someone killed her?"
    A frown creased his forehead, and his eyebrows lowered and came together above his eyes. "At the moment, we have formed no conclusions about how Mrs. Mason died. The medical examiner will inform us in due time. Meanwhile, however, we must consider every possibility and gather information accordingly."
    I'd read somewhere, or my brother told me, the first forty-eight hours after a crime are critical, and I figured Kincaid needed to take statements before people had a chance to think about it too much and invent alibis.
    He made a note on his pad and looked up at me again. "In the meanwhile, however, we would appreciate your steering clear of the pond."
    I imagined the British police were searching the pond at the very moment, looking for clues. Can you get fingerprints off rocks? I also wondered if they would put yellow tape around the crime scene as the police did back home.
    "How long will you be in London?" Kincaid asked.
    "About two weeks. I came for a vacation and to visit my relatives."
    "Will you be staying here at Mason Hall?"
    I might not have been a suspect, but clearly he didn't want me leaving town. "Yes. At least I think so, although Aunt Alice hasn't assigned me a room as yet. As I said, I had barely arrived at the house when—"
    "Thank you, Mrs. Grant. You may leave now."
    "But you do think someone killed Noreen."
    "I didn't say that. It will be determined in good time."
    Did he even consider it might have been an accident? In case he still focused on me, I offered a possible alternative. "I've heard Mrs. Mason liked rather more than her share of alcohol. Could she have fallen into the lily pond while intoxicated?"
    "The possibility hadn't escaped our notice, but thank you. You may leave." He got up and came toward my chair as if he'd physically eject me to be free of my questions.
    I smiled to show I held no hard feelings, but I felt a little miffed at being dismissed so quickly. After all, my brother, a police officer in California, was planning to open his own private detective agency soon. The fact Kincaid didn't know that, and Brad almost never discussed police business with me anyway, didn't alter my pique. Nevertheless, I did as he asked.
    When I returned to the drawing room, all eyes turned in my direction. William, Beryl, Elizabeth, and Chaz didn't appear to have left their seats in the interim, but Aunt Alice