A Maze of Murders Read Online Free Page A

that tight, I wouldn’t have had anything to do with him. I can’t stand drunks.’
    â€˜Yet if he wasn’t … Why did nothing happen?’
    â€˜Because we both fell asleep,’ she said angrily, certain he must be laughing at her.
    Surprise, not contemptuous amusement, was his reaction. It seemed the English did not live up to their reputation. ‘Señorita, I have to tell you that what you’ve said suggests the señor had drunk very much more than you wish to admit.’
    â€˜I’m not a liar.’
    â€˜But it is very difficult to believe that if sober, he would have fallen asleep at such a moment.’
    â€˜I don’t care how difficult, that’s how it went.’
    â€˜Was Señor Lewis a good swimmer?’
    â€˜He said he was. Talked about winning medals when he was younger, but like as not that was flannel to try to impress us.’
    â€˜When you and your friends awoke in the morning, you found his clothes were still aboard?’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    â€˜Did he have a bathing costume with him?’
    â€˜I never saw one.’
    He was about to speak again when a young woman looked into the lounge, saw Cara, stepped inside. ‘Everything all right?’ she asked.
    â€˜No, it bloody well isn’t,’ Cara answered.
    â€˜What’s wrong?’
    â€˜He’s trying to call me a liar.’
    The answer confused her.
    â€˜Are you Señorita Glass?’ Alvarez asked.
    She nodded.
    Whenever two women went around together, it always seemed that one was more obviously attractive than the other. Even a Frenchman would not have described Kirsty as more than pleasant looking. ‘I am Inspector Alvarez.’
    Kirsty said: ‘We’ve just been to see the police again and they don’t know anything. Do you?’
    â€˜I very much regret not, señorita. Which is why I am here to try and discover what might have happened to the señor.’
    â€˜By asking bloody rude questions,’ Cara said resentfully.
    He turned. ‘I am sorry, señorita, if I have disturbed you, but there are times when a detective has to be rather like a doctor…’
    â€˜And most of them are dirty old men!’
    Kirsty looked worried, afraid that Alvarez would take sharp offence.
    He said quietly: ‘Señorita Glass, please come and sit down so that I can discover if you can help me.’
    As Kirsty moved forward, Cara said: ‘I’ve told you all I know, so there’s no point in me staying.’
    â€˜That is so. But first, how much longer are you staying here?’
    â€˜A week.’ She hesitated, but when nothing more was said, she stood and left, hips swinging.
    He spoke to Kirsty: ‘Tell me as much as you can remember of Thursday night.’
    Her description of the evening was considerably more detailed than Cara’s had been and she showed no embarrassment when describing the more intimate moments.
    Her manner reminded him of the old saying, The fastest running torrente is not always the deepest. ‘Señorita, am I correct to believe you did not drink as much as the others?’
    â€˜I’ve a bit of a funny tummy and it’s very easily upset, so I have to be careful.’
    â€˜Yet perhaps you had drunk rather more than you think since you were ill on Friday morning?’
    â€˜Not half as ill as the other two. And I do remember exactly how much I had.’
    â€˜Then you must be surprised that you were so affected?’
    â€˜In a way, I suppose so. But maybe booze is just grabbing me more than it used to.’
    â€˜Are you certain that the first bottle of whisky was emptied before the second one was opened?’
    â€˜Yes. Wouldn’t you expect it to be?’
    He nodded. ‘Was Señor Lewis drunk by the time he opened the second one?’
    â€˜No way. He was full of himself, suggesting all sorts of things, but that seemed to be his style.’
    â€˜His speech