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DANIEL HAD A busy afternoon, hurrying to pick up the photographs, which were excellent. He then went to speak to the man who assisted in the few house sales on the island. For a practicing estate agent, with all the legal knowledge, one would have to go to the much larger island of Guernsey. He could only say that there had been a couple of people interested. Miss Thorwood would get an excellent price for the house, if she chose to sell. No, he could not describe the man who had been interested, except that he was at least forty-five years old, maybe fifty. Well spoken, and with no outstanding features he could recall. Yes, he had spoken to Miss Trelawny several times, but she had no wish to sell. She had taken against the man, it seemed, but she would give no reason.
Daniel also reserved three places on the boat back to Folkstone, for mid-afternoon on Sunday. He bought what he thought would be a nice dinner for them, and breakfast for the following day. He tried to remember what Miriam liked, or more specifically, what she did not like, and was annoyed with himself that he had very little idea. Careless of him: he had always been too intent on watching her, or listening to her words and their inflection, to notice her choice of dish.
So he settled for fresh bread, butter, cheese, sliced fresh ham, a small jar of marmalade, and a packet of tea. He added fresh plums. It was too early in the season for apples.
He was walking the mile and a half back to May’s house as the sun dropped toward the horizon and the sky deepened in color. The sunset breeze smelled softly of salt. Gulls were circling high, light catching the gleaming undersides of their wings. He watched the water rippling like silk, an indefinable color, not blue, not green, not gray, nor silver, but infinitely changing as it moved. His gaze shifted closer to the shore, where it was smoother, like satin under the shadow of the headland. There it was almost still, as if it were very deep.
Then something broke the surface. A fish? Very big for this far inshore. Then it was gone again. Perhaps it had only been a momentary change in the wind, a trick of the fading light. But the water was deep where the shadows lay. Deep enough for a big fish, like a huge shark. Did whales ever come into the English Channel? Bit out of their way to the great oceans. A seal? That was possible, even likely.
Or a ship? A submarine. Of course! Never mind smuggling brandy or tobacco, or anything of that sort. What an old-fashioned idea! It belonged to the last century. This was an ideal place for a submarine harbor. In the deep water, they need never be seen at all, except by whomever owned May’s house.
Suddenly everything fell into place. The house was wanted by the navy—not the British Navy, the German! That was why May had had to go.
Daniel quickened his step, striding out down the slope toward the house. If the solution to the murder was that big, he should never have left Miriam alone! He reached the front door and tried to open it. It was locked fast. Of course! He had told her to lock it.
He stepped back and looked up at the windows. He could see nothing through them from the outside. “Miriam!” he shouted. “Miriam!”
An upstairs window opened and she looked out. From the red of the sunset, her hair gleamed like fire. “Daniel! Are you all right?” She sounded alarmed.
“Yes, let me in! I know what it’s all about! Open the door!”
She disappeared from the window, and several moments later he heard the bolt slide on the front door and it swung open.
He stepped inside quickly and then closed it. “So, you did lock it!” he observed.
She ignored his remark. “Tell me!” she demanded.
He put the shopping down on the hall table. “Deep water!”
She was mystified. “What?”
He pointed in the general direction of the sea. “Deep water. Under the shadow of the headland. For submarines.”
Understanding filled her face. She breathed out slowly. “Germans!”
“Yes. I’ll bet it was them who wanted to buy this house. It has the only view of this bay. The rest is rocky, and you’d have a terrible job building on it. And anyway, since this house has the perfect view, you couldn’t do anything in secret.”
“Yes. I see! I see! And May wouldn’t sell. I wonder if she had any idea.” Then she dismissed it with a gesture. “Doesn’t matter why she wouldn’t sell…she wouldn’t. So, they got rid of her. But—”
“I know,” he said quickly. “Why frame Philip Sidney for assault, and then for embezzlement? Are they going to try to tack murder on it as well?”
“What a vile thought. We’ve got to stop them. Who is ‘them’ anyway?”
“That is the big question, and we’ve got till tomorrow, midday, to find the answer. And, I suppose the voyage back.”
“And tomorrow evening,” she added. “Although, if we haven’t got a pretty good idea by then, it’s a bit late.” She picked up the shopping and carried it through to the kitchen.
“I’ve got the photographs,” he told her, following behind. “I debated whether to ask Mullane to write a statement, in case he didn’t actually come.”
Miriam put the shopping down on the kitchen table and looked at him very gravely. “And did you?”
“No. I thought he might be offended and change his mind. And to have him on the stand, where he can be cross-questioned, would be far stronger than a piece of paper, no matter who it is signed by. Do you think I was wrong?”
“No. No, I don’t. Let’s make dinner and consider all the possibilities.”
He was startled, until he saw she was smiling. “Oh, yes, you make it. I’ll watch and tell you if you’re doing anything wrong,” he agreed.
