Maggie dug in her bag and handed the girl some Kleenex.

Diana blew her nose. “It’s all horrible. I don’t know what to do. I should never have come here. I should have stayed in Colorado.”

“This isn’t your fault,” said Maggie, hoping she was telling the truth. Could Diana’s arrival have triggered events that ended with the deaths of two people? But how?

“Even if it had nothing to do with me, I wouldn’t have known about it. I was beginning to cope with Dad’s death. I’d almost finished getting the estate settled. I thought I’d take a break. Take a vacation. See the country a little. And instead…” Diana started sobbing again.

Will was looking down the slight hill at the scrub pines and grasses that were above the beach where, Maggie assumed, Cordelia’s body was. Several uniformed police officers were walking around, looking at the ground. Looking for evidence, Maggie assumed. Of what? Of whom? So far she hadn’t seen Ike Irons, but he must be here, too. These must be state police. Ike had said he had a small staff, and the place was full of cops.

“What happened, Diana?” said Maggie. “What did you tell the police?”

“What I said on the phone,” she said. “I got up, and went down to get coffee. Cordelia wasn’t there. I checked and she wasn’t in her room, so I assumed she’d gone for a walk on the beach. She likes to do that in the morning. So I drank my coffee and decided to join her. Have you ever been in back of our house?”

Maggie shook her head.

“There’s the yard, just below the porch, where there are a few bushes, but not too many, because the land is pretty sandy.” Diana pointed. “Cordelia has a small herb garden there in a sort of deep box. This time of year there’s nothing left except some mint and parsley and dill. Beyond that there’s a narrow stone path that leads to the beach. I found her near the end of the path, in the beach grass.” Diana’s tears were still flowing, but she wasn’t sobbing. “It was awful. She was just lying there. I knew she was dead, right away.”

“Did she have any wounds?”

“There was blood. She was lying on her face. I think she’d been shot in the back of her head. There was a…hole.”

“The back!”

“It looked as though she’d been coming back toward the house, from the beach, and someone’d shot her. She fell so one of her feet was on the path and the rest of her was in the grass.” Diana was silent. “It was so peaceful down on the beach. I stood there for a moment, right over her. I could see the water, and the beach. The gulls were crying, that mournful way they do, and the waves were coming in. I felt like I was in a movie; as though if I backed up and went back to the house and started the morning again it would all be different.”

Maggie put her hand out on Diana’s arm. “But it wasn’t.”

“No. It wasn’t. All I want is to be away from this place. Horrible things happen here, Maggie.”

Maggie was trying to think of something suitably comforting to say when Jim came striding purposefully down the hill in their direction.

“Diana, I’m so sorry. Gussie called to tell me,” he said, nodding at Maggie and Will, but focusing on Diana. “Have you talked to the police?”

“I showed them where I found Cordelia’s body. That’s all. I can’t even get my backpack or clothes or telephone,” said Diana, clearly ready to begin sobbing again. “Tell them I need my backpack!”

“Remember: I’m your lawyer. I’ll take over from here. Don’t talk to any of the police from now on. Let me do that,” Jim said firmly. “I’ll see what I can do about your backpack.”

“Good morning, Jim,” said Ike Irons, joining them. “We seem to be running into each other a lot this week.”

“I heard my client was having a difficult morning and came to join her,” said Jim. “I understand you have some personal things she’ll need.”

“We’ll need to keep this whole property clear for our investigation,” said the chief. “I was about to ask Ms. Summer and that friend of hers,” he gestured toward Will, who was being ushered up the hill toward the road by another policeman, “to leave. I’d like to talk to Miss Hopkins. Since she was the person closest to the deceased, and she found the body, she’s a person of interest. I have some questions for her.”

“Which she won’t be answering right now, when she’s in such distress, and won’t be answering at all unless I’m with her,” answered Jim. “In fact, Ms. Hopkins and I were about to leave. When you need to speak with her, you know how to contact me, and I’ll make sure she’s available. We realize you need to make the house and grounds a crime scene for now, but that means she can’t have access to her personal belongings. Could she take her backpack and telephone with her, Ike? With the storm coming, I’d guess you want to get this crime scene, especially the grounds, wrapped up as soon as possible. I’ll guarantee Ms. Hopkins won’t be leaving town in the next couple of days.”

“I can’t let her have any of her belongings, Jim. And those guarantees better be good.” Ike said, turning toward Diana. “We’ve already searched Ms. Hopkins’ backpack. We found her gun.”

Both Jim and Maggie turned and looked at Diana.

“That’s my property! It was for protection! Cordelia gave it to me after Dad was killed,” said Diana. “You have no right to go through my things.”

“Ah, but we do, you see. The crime lab will know whether the gun was fired recently, and whether it was the one that killed your cousin. Or your father. And you need a license to carry a handgun in Massachusetts. We could hold you right now, before we get the results of any tests back.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Diana wailed. “Why would I shoot Cordelia?”

“That’s one of the things we have to figure out,” said Ike.

“Am I being arrested?” said Diana.

“Shush,” said Jim. “Don’t say anything more.”

“No, you’re not being arrested. Not yet,” said Ike. “But I want to talk with you later. Jim, I’m holding you responsible for keeping an eye on her in the meantime.” He looked back at Diana. “Don’t think of leaving. You can’t get far in any case. Last I heard the governor had closed the bridges and directed the island ferries to schedule their last runs before the storm. Anyone who’s on the Cape now is going to be here when Hurricane Tasha arrives.”

Ike walked down toward the beach.

“Why in hell didn’t you tell me you had a gun?” said Jim to Diana. “Come with me. You and I have to talk. Fast. Before the chief wants to see you.”

Diana glanced back at Maggie, and then followed Jim up the hill to his car.

Chapter 29

“My Little Daughter Must Go To Bed.” Victorian lithograph from about 1880. Two little girls in their nightgowns, one sitting in a cane-seated rocker and one standing by a window, both holding their baby dolls also wearing night attire, preparing to put their babies to sleep in a dolls’ wooden cradle. Classic sentimental print of period. No illustrator or publisher identified. 7 x 9 inches. Price: $55.

Will was standing on the road, waiting for Maggie.

“What’s happening?” he asked, after taking one look at her face. “I saw your friend Diana go off with Jim. I have some catching up to do but I think I’m getting the picture. Diana thought her father was dead, but she found him here in Winslow, alive and using another name.”

Maggie nodded, and got into the passenger side of the car. “And only a few days after she arrived he was killed. She was staying here with her cousin Cordelia while the police looked for her father’s killer. Now someone’s murdered Cordelia.”

“The poor kid,” Will said. “And knowing my Maggie, you’ve been in the middle of it all since you’ve arrived.”

“I was the one who found her father’s body.” Maggie admitted.

“What is it about you?” said Will, reaching out and fondly stroking her hair. “You may not believe this, Maggie, but until I met you I’d never known anyone actually involved with a murder. And then the very evening we met…”