Randolf looked up to the heavens and silently cursed. ‘Well, we can’t wait for that. We are going to have to cut it open.’
Jeannie’s ears pricked up at that. ‘You won’t damage it, will you? If you do, you will have to pay for it.’
Randolf gave her a long, hard stare that I wished to God I had the balls to pull off.
‘Yeah… It doesn’t exactly work like that, Mrs Weiss,’ he said dryly. I was starting to like him.
He motioned that it was my turn for questioning, and I followed him out. On the way he instructed one of his men to cut open the cover before we headed past the bustling bodies in white overalls through to the study.
As I settled into the leather armchair across from DCI Randolf, I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine. The study felt even more oppressive now than the day Eugene’s will was read. The detective’s piercing gaze seemed to bore right through me.
‘So,’ he began, leaning forward slightly, ‘tell me about your relationship with Fergus Weiss.’
I sat on my hands, trying to stave off the bitter chill in the room. I wished they’d light a fire in here; this old house was formidably cold in winter when the fires weren’t lit. ‘Well, he was Miles’s uncle. We weren’t particularly close, but we were cordial enough at family gatherings.’
Randolf nodded, jotting something down in his notebook. ‘And how would you describe his relationship with the rest of the family?’
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. ‘Fergus could be… a handful at times. He drank a lot. And when he drank he had strong opinions and wasn’t afraid to voice them, which often led to tension.’
Randolf’s eyebrow arched slightly. ‘Strong opinions about what, exactly?’
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. ‘Well, he had some rather outdated views on certain topics. Race, gender, sexuality, that sort of thing. It often led to arguments, especially with the younger family members.’
‘I see,’ Randolf said, scribbling in his notebook. ‘And did anyone in particular clash with him more than others?’
I thought for a moment. I wasn’t going to drop my daughter in it. I was about to open my mouth to give some dismissive answer, when a commotion erupted from outside. Shouts and the sound of running footsteps echoed through the halls. Randolf’s radio crackled to life.
‘Sir. Ten-fifty-four. Ten-fifty-four,’ an urgent voice came through the speaker.
Randolf was up and out of his chair, dashing out of the room before he could inform me that the interview was over. I sat for a second to two, before making a snap decision to follow him. He hadn’t explicitly told me not to.
I hurried after him, meeting no one on the way who could stop me. My breath echoed as I ran down the corridor to the pool room. When I entered, dozens of officers and workers in forensic suits were gathered around the edges of the pool looking in. One woman in a white overalls was taking pictures of the water, crouching down low to get a better view.
The mammoth pool cover had been wrenched open and peeled back. It must have taken considerable manpower, because that thing was so heavy-duty it operated on motorised machinery. In the middle of the pool, a dark object bobbed. Silently, I took a few steps closer.
Dark hair splayed outwards, drifting in the water. I gasped and Randolf, seeing me, bellowed at me to get the hell out. He yelled at his officers, instructing them that this was a crime scene and should have been cordoned off.
I stumbled backwards, my mind reeling. As I was ushered out of the pool room, I caught snippets of urgent conversation behind me from the forensics team.
‘…young female.’
‘…been here for days…’
My heart pounded in my chest and bile rose in my throat as I made my way back to the living room, my legs threatening to give way. I barrelled through the door, the family looking up in shock as I entered, their faces a mix of confusion and concern.
‘Liv, what’s going on?’ Miles asked, standing. ‘We heard people running.’
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. How could I tell them what I had seen? Before I could gather my thoughts, DCI Randolf burst into the room, his face grim.
‘I regret to inform you that we have discovered another body,’ he announced.
Jeannie whimpered, her hands shooting to her mouth in terror. ‘Ceecee!’ she gasped.
He looked over us all. His initial air of sympathy had well and truly evaporated. One of us was a serial killer, and he meant to find out who, before another death occurred.
‘Until we can identify the deceased and determine the cause of death, I’m going to have to ask all of you to remain here. I will post one of my officers with you.’
The room fell into a shocked silence, broken only byJeannie’smuffled sobs. Mrs Harlow, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly stood up, her face ashen.
