“Let’s just hope he doesn’t tell this to all his customers.”

“True. Anyway, I came right back here to find Kathleen. I didn’t tell her what Jerry said about June, but I did want to see if she knew Jerry and Allison had been together. But I couldn’t find her anywhere. I was looking down on the beach when I saw her arm sticking out from beneath a kayak. She was unconscious. I screamed. Everyone in the place came. Well, everyone except you. I must have been upset. I should have realized you weren’t there. Did you know that the bride is a doctor?” she asked, changing the subject.

“No, go on. What had happened to Kathleen?”

“Someone hit her over the head. She thinks she was unconscious for quite a while.” Susan looked at her husband, waiting for his response.

“And no one else saw her in all that time?” he asked.

“That’s the problem,” Susan said. “No one did. I didn’t think of that. And neither did Kath. We called the police because we thought that the murderer must have been the one who hit her. Well, I still think that’s possible.”

“But the police don’t agree?”

“Of course not. Apparently everyone thinks Kathleen was just pretending to be hurt-despite the large lump on the back of her head-and no one is going to investigate anything. I went to see Frances Adams.”

“Again? The woman must be getting tired of us!”

“Maybe. But, although I didn’t like what she was saying, she did manage to get me to see what everyone else is thinking.

“Anyway, that’s the story of my day. It’s been horrible. Every time I think I’ve found something that might help Jerry, it has turned out to be just the opposite.”

“Where’s Kathleen now?”

“In her cottage. She’s sleeping, too. You know, I should check on her.”

“Good idea. You do that and I’ll use the bathroom and join you two. It sounds as though we could all use a drink before dinner.”

Susan hurried next door to the Gordons’ cottage, realizing, guiltily, that she should have checked on her friend’s condition before waking up Jed. Not bothering to knock, she opened the door and peeked in.

She need not have worried about disturbing Kathleen. A quick look around the room was all it took to be sure that her friend wasn’t there.

This time, she didn’t scream, although the room was in a shocking state. The bedding was on the floor, dresser drawers emptied onto the bare mattress, and looking through the open door into the bathroom, Susan could see makeup, shampoo, and the like spilled onto the countertop and tile floor.

“Good God!” Jed appeared in the doorway behind her.

“Kathleen’s missing,” Susan said.

“You’re sure she’s not just hiding under all this mess?”

“No. She may be hurt. Doesn’t it look to you as though there was a struggle?”

“It looks to me as though someone was searching for something.” He walked in and picked up a paperback from the floor and replaced it on the nightstand. “You know, this could all have happened after Kathleen left the cottage. She could be sitting on the beach reading a mystery novel or drinking some rum punch.”

“Or unconscious under a kayak,” Susan said. “Okay. Let’s look around. If we find her, fine. But we can’t search the beaches in both directions. If she doesn’t turn up right away, I say we call the police. Or Lila. Or maybe we should call Lila first and then call the police.”

Jed looked at his watch. “I’ll look around all the cottages west of here. You take the gift shop, bar, restaurant, pool area, and beach. Keep an eye on the time.” He looked at his watch. “We meet back here in fifteen minutes. There’s a murderer loose. Don’t take any chances.”

“You, too!” Susan turned and got to work.

They met back at the Gordons’ cottage as planned, Susan arriving a few minutes late.

“Where have you been?” He sounded worried.

“Saying hello in what I hope was a perky manner to half the guests in the resort. It’s predinner drinks time, you know. I didn’t want them to think something else odd had happened. You didn’t find her?”

“No, but James was down by the water putting away the kayaks. He says he’s been walking between the cottage and the beach for the past hour or so and hasn’t seen anything unusual.”

“Did you tell him about this mess and all?”

“Just asked him if he’d seen Kathleen. He said no and-”

“That he’d been walking back and forth, etc.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“So we call the police,” Susan said.

“And we tell Lila,” Jed added, following his wife toward the office.

Actually, Lila called the police. Susan couldn’t tell whether or not Lila believed her, but it was obvious that a possible intruder at Compass Bay wasn’t something she could ignore. Once again the police arrived almost immediately. Once again there were two men. This time, however, Susan was pleased to note that they listened with great seriousness to Susan and Jed and assured them that they would immediately organize an all-island search. While Susan gave one Kathleen’s description, the other got on the phone with headquarters.

“I think they’re doing all they can,” Lila said when the three of them were together again. “Perhaps it’s time for dinner…”

“Definitely,” Jed agreed.

“But, Jed, we forgot to tell them that you were dr-”

“Let’s go, hon. Our reservation was for seven. We don’t want to be late.” He grabbed her arm with more force than necessary, and Susan got the idea at once.

“Yes, you’re right! Thanks for your help,” she added to Lila as her husband guided her away.

“Why did you do that? The police should know if you were drugged!”

“They should and they will in good time. But, Susan, if I was drugged, it happened here.”

“You think one of the staff did it? Which one?” Susan peered around at the numerous servers on the crowded patio restaurant.

“I’ve been thinking about that. Assuming that my food was tampered with, it may have been someone in the kitchen or the waiter or maybe the bartender. I had a beer with my meal. Draft, not bottled. Or…”

“Or?”

“Or it could have been someone who stopped at my table to chat. Let’s sit down and I’ll try to think who I spoke to during lunch.”

“You have reservations for three, I believe, Mr. Henshaw,” the hostess said, approaching them with a slip of paper in her hand.

“Yes, Mrs. Gordon won’t be joining us this evening,” he answered. “I wondered if you could find a table with some privacy for Mrs. Henshaw and me. It’s been a long day, and my wife has a slight headache.”

Now, Susan had never had a “slight headache” in her life. She either felt fine or as though a brick had knocked her over the head, but she tried to look appropriately wan and droopy as the hostess led them to a small table on the patio around the pool.

“I’ll tell a waiter to serve you here,” she said before walking away and leaving them alone.

“This is pretty good. If we speak softly, no one should overhear.”

Susan scooted her chair slightly to the right so she could look up at the restaurant without turning further. “So who stopped at your table?”

“Lord, Susan, you know I’m not good at names.”

“Then just describe them to me.”

“Well, all the bridge players were there. They were playing at a table right next to mine, and whoever was dummy usually took the opportunity to order another drink and stop over and chat. That foursome really packs away the alcohol.”

“Well, three of them do anyway,” Susan said. Their waiter came for their drink order and to announce the dinner specials. “So tell me who else appeared at your table,” she asked when they were alone again.

“Well…” The sun was sinking into the sea in the west, and Jed’s face reflected the vivid hues of the sky. He frowned.

“What about the honeymooners? They didn’t stop to talk to you, did they?”

“As far as I know, they followed their usual pattern and didn’t leave their cottage until well after the rest of us had eaten both breakfast and lunch.”