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Sunday 14th June
Hazel was regretting not getting a little more dressed up to come to Les Liens this morning. She had thrown on some decent clothes and her favourite scarf, but had she known that that Couture Magazine’s former editor Lady Marcia Barkwythe would be at the club she might have added a bit more bling. Come to that, she might even have polished Arty’s collar.
“Lady Marcia, thank you for talking with me. I understand that you are here to try to relax after you … you know, but I do need to ask you a few questions.”
“I really don’t know how you think I can help … but carry on.”
She was not usually embarrassed to ask about affairs, after all, they were her staple income as an investigator, but there was something about having this discussion with Marcia that made her cheeks flush.
“I know this is a little delicate, but I understand that you left your husband last week. I have been told that you were having an affair with someone else and he found out.”
“How do you know that? Who told you? Doctor Clyde?
“I’m afraid I can’t say who told me, but is it true?”
“Well, he accused me of having an affair, and I left him. Let us leave it at that.”
The look in Marcia’s eyes told Hazel that there was more to it than she was letting on.
“Anna tells me that when you left on Wednesday, you were quite terse with Amelia. Now, this is just a working theory, and I have one for everyone, but I think that Amelia had found out about your affair; maybe she had seen you together. When Lord Barkwythe confronted you, you assumed that it was Amelia who had told him. People could think you came back to Les Liens yesterday to exact your revenge.”
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“So, the amateur snooper thinks she can hide from the professional snoopers,” Hazel said to Artemis. “I don’t think so, Miss Grampian.” Arty ran off ahead, up the path to Shirley’s villa on the edge of the estate. He scratched at the door.
“Hazel Durette, P.I. I need to ask you a few questions Miss Grampian.”
“Do you now? And why do you suppose I would answer them?”
“As a sleuth yourself, I would say you have an intrinsic instinct for truth and justice, so helping my investigations into the death of Amelia Marshall would be in nature.”
“Obviously, you haven’t read up on me, Miss Durette.”
Hazel knew all about the former MP but had been hoping to appeal to some hidden better nature. “Can I come in?” she asked, and Shirley opened the door. Arty ran in and jumped on the sofa, spun around in circles half a dozen times and made a little nest for himself out of the clothes that were lying there. “What a cute dog!” exclaimed Shirley, sitting next to him and rubbing Arty’s exposed belly.
“How is the book going?” asked Hazel.
“Yes, it’s going extremely well thank you. Might even turn it into a television series.”
“Sounds exciting. And the death of Amelia, the excitement that this will create in the press will be an added bonus for you, I guess?”
“What are you saying?”
“Well, a spot of free publicity for you … writing a murder mystery novel and a murder happens as you are researching it … some might say it is a little coincidental.”
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Now move on to: "Episode Eight: Continuing investigations".
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