themselves toward him. "The last I heard they were waiting for some lab tests to come back."
"Did the men who died have anything else in common? Besides the red hair, I mean."
He looked up at her, a frown creasing his brow. "Yeah, they did. Every one of them spent their last evening on earth at the Tudor Arms."
Chills raced down Elizabeth's spine. Resentment of the Americans was rife in the village, and she was in constant dread that one day the hostility would erupt into something very dangerous. It appeared that maybe her worst fears were about to be realized.
CHAPTER
2
"I find it hard to believe," Elizabeth said slowly, "that someone at the Tudor Arms poisoned four men."
"If it
is
poison." Earl got to his feet, brushing dog hairs from his sharply creased pants. "Guess we won't know that for sure until the lab tests come back."
"Do you know which night the men were down there?"
"Apparently they were there on different nights."
"Then doesn't it seem more likely they were poisoned by something on the base?"
"It's possible, I guess."
"But you don't think so."
His expression was grave. "I don't know what to think."
"I suppose it's futile to hope that it's simply a case of food poisoning?"
"Not likely. If it was something in the food, spread over a week or more, you'd figure on a lot more people being affected by it. No one else on the base is sick. Not like that, anyway. Have you heard of anyone in the village being sick the last week or two?"
"No, I haven't. Certainly not a fatal illness, anyway. I'm quite sure I would have heard about that." She paused, tilting her head on one side to look up at him. "I can make a few inquiries, if you like?"
"I'm always afraid to ask you to do that. You have a lousy habit of getting into trouble when you start asking questions."
She grinned at him. "But you need my help, right?"
"Right." He sighed. "You know how tough it is for our guys to get anything out of the village folks. They'll talk to you. Besides, you're darn good at ferreting out anything suspicious. Not like those chumps at the local constabulary. I wouldn't trust them to solve a jigsaw puzzle."
His praise made her light-headed. "George and Sid mean well," she murmured. "But after being retired for so long, it's hard for them to get back to being policemen again. Especially since they were more or less forced into it. That's the problem with wars, they take away all the able-bodied men."
"Seems to me the women are doing a pretty good job of filling in for them." He whistled to the dogs, who were wandering just a little too close to the cliff edge. "Maybe they should put your friend . . . what's her name . . . Rita Crumm in charge of the constables. She could get them licked into shape in no time."
Although she knew he was joking, Elizabeth gasped in horror. "A woman constable? Never! And Rita? Heaven forbid. She'd have everyone in prison before the week was out. And she's not my friend, by the way. Far from it. I putup with her because I have to, but there's certainly no love lost between us."
Earl laughed. "That's a pretty big understatement. From what I've seen of you two, I figure you'd like to tear each other apart."
"At times, I suppose. It's just that Rita is under the mistaken impression that she's in charge of the war effort in Sitting Marsh, thereby giving her the right to order everyone about as if they were her slaves. That ridiculous Housewives League, for instance. It's just an excuse for Rita to lord it over everyone."
"Everyone but you." He linked her arm through his again. "No one lords it over the lady of the manor."
She peeked up at him. "Are you making fun of me?"
"Never." He hugged her arm to his side. "Now tell me what's been happening at the manor while I've been gone."
Happily she did as he asked. She told him about Polly, her juvenile assistant, and the young girl's latest attempts to reunite with her GI boyfriend, and Sadie's bizarre methods of dealing with her housemaid
"Did the men who died have anything else in common? Besides the red hair, I mean."
He looked up at her, a frown creasing his brow. "Yeah, they did. Every one of them spent their last evening on earth at the Tudor Arms."
Chills raced down Elizabeth's spine. Resentment of the Americans was rife in the village, and she was in constant dread that one day the hostility would erupt into something very dangerous. It appeared that maybe her worst fears were about to be realized.
CHAPTER
2
"I find it hard to believe," Elizabeth said slowly, "that someone at the Tudor Arms poisoned four men."
"If it
is
poison." Earl got to his feet, brushing dog hairs from his sharply creased pants. "Guess we won't know that for sure until the lab tests come back."
"Do you know which night the men were down there?"
"Apparently they were there on different nights."
"Then doesn't it seem more likely they were poisoned by something on the base?"
"It's possible, I guess."
"But you don't think so."
His expression was grave. "I don't know what to think."
"I suppose it's futile to hope that it's simply a case of food poisoning?"
"Not likely. If it was something in the food, spread over a week or more, you'd figure on a lot more people being affected by it. No one else on the base is sick. Not like that, anyway. Have you heard of anyone in the village being sick the last week or two?"
"No, I haven't. Certainly not a fatal illness, anyway. I'm quite sure I would have heard about that." She paused, tilting her head on one side to look up at him. "I can make a few inquiries, if you like?"
"I'm always afraid to ask you to do that. You have a lousy habit of getting into trouble when you start asking questions."
She grinned at him. "But you need my help, right?"
"Right." He sighed. "You know how tough it is for our guys to get anything out of the village folks. They'll talk to you. Besides, you're darn good at ferreting out anything suspicious. Not like those chumps at the local constabulary. I wouldn't trust them to solve a jigsaw puzzle."
His praise made her light-headed. "George and Sid mean well," she murmured. "But after being retired for so long, it's hard for them to get back to being policemen again. Especially since they were more or less forced into it. That's the problem with wars, they take away all the able-bodied men."
"Seems to me the women are doing a pretty good job of filling in for them." He whistled to the dogs, who were wandering just a little too close to the cliff edge. "Maybe they should put your friend . . . what's her name . . . Rita Crumm in charge of the constables. She could get them licked into shape in no time."
Although she knew he was joking, Elizabeth gasped in horror. "A woman constable? Never! And Rita? Heaven forbid. She'd have everyone in prison before the week was out. And she's not my friend, by the way. Far from it. I putup with her because I have to, but there's certainly no love lost between us."
Earl laughed. "That's a pretty big understatement. From what I've seen of you two, I figure you'd like to tear each other apart."
"At times, I suppose. It's just that Rita is under the mistaken impression that she's in charge of the war effort in Sitting Marsh, thereby giving her the right to order everyone about as if they were her slaves. That ridiculous Housewives League, for instance. It's just an excuse for Rita to lord it over everyone."
"Everyone but you." He linked her arm through his again. "No one lords it over the lady of the manor."
She peeked up at him. "Are you making fun of me?"
"Never." He hugged her arm to his side. "Now tell me what's been happening at the manor while I've been gone."
Happily she did as he asked. She told him about Polly, her juvenile assistant, and the young girl's latest attempts to reunite with her GI boyfriend, and Sadie's bizarre methods of dealing with her housemaid
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