Page 43 of Death at Inishmore Castle

My sister was already up and dressed, so she answered the knock.

“Morning,” Scott said. “I don’t know if you heard but Mr. O’Sullivan had an accident last night. He’s still resting, but the word is he took a nasty fall. Do you guys think it’s connected to the murders? Like, maybe someone was trying to kill him, and Kieran’s trying to keep it quiet?”

“Oh,” Lizzie said. “Is he okay?” She wasn’t a very adept liar, but she was doing a great job of skirting what she knew.

“Lolly says yes. It was a head injury, though. One of Kieran’s men was watching him overnight for any signs that he might have a brain bleed. At least, that’s what Lolly told me. She’s in the kitchen helping the housekeeper with breakfast. She asked us to take Bernard for a walk, and we wondered if Mr. Poe might like to go too.”

Our dog yipped by Lizzie’s feet. “I think that’s a yes,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. The more we walk, the more scones we can eat. Lolly gave them her recipe for the blueberry ones she makes.”

“Yum,” Lizzie said. “We’ll be down soon. His leash is by the back door. I hung it there last night.”

“No problem. We’ll see you at breakfast.”

Mr. Poe followed them out the door.

She laughed as she watched them go down the hallway.

“I know Mr. Poe and Bernard are great friends, but they look like Mutt and Jeff when they are together.”

I laughed too. Mr. Poe had reached the fine weight of fifteen pounds. Whereas Bernard, an Irish Wolfhound, was closer to one hundred and fifty. But she was right, they’d become friends from the moment they met.

Bernard went everywhere with Lolly because she had narcolepsy. He was her protector, and at times, would gently nudge her awake. He was quite an amazing dog, much like our Mr. Poe.

Lizzie shut the door. “This gives me more time to cover up the bags under my eyes.”

She looked beautiful, as she always did. But there was a bit of blue underneath her eyes.

“Did you not sleep?” I had. Well, after spending an hour staring at the ceiling waiting for more noises, and running through the murders in my head.

“Fitfully,” she said. “After what we heard in the walls, I’m just creeped out.”

“Speaking of that. I’m going to pretend to do some research after breakfast so I can go through the books in the study. I very much want to read about the history of the castle.”

“Isn’t it a crime scene?”

I shrugged. “Forensics should be finished with it by now. And I’ll ask permission from Kieran.”

“Will you tell him why you really want to do the research?” She cocked her head in the same way Mr. Poe did when he was questioning my actions.

“If it makes you feel better. Besides, he needs to know there has to be a secret entrance somewhere, because those footsteps we heard didn’t come from the hallway. There may be secret passages built into the castle. That would make it easier for a killer to come and go. It may not even be someone inside the house. If there are secret entrances, any of the guests or staff could be sneaking around.”

“Yikes. That does not make me feel any better. You’re on your own, though. I don’t want to miss the tour the gardener is giving later this morning. He’ll not only give a history of the flora and fauna but also tell us about how this has become a natural habitat for several native species of plants that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.”

She sounded so excited. Gardening was one of her passions. But going to these classes might also give me a chance to talk to some of the other suspects.

“Hmmm. Maybe I’ll join you for that one. But first, let me hop in the shower so we can get some breakfast. I’m starving.”

“You’re always hungry.”

I laughed. “True.”

About thirty minutes later, we made it to the formal dining room, where breakfast was being served. In addition to Lolly’s scones, there were plenty of eggs, smoked bacon, sausages, and a selection of other baked goods. The Irish believed in a hearty breakfast. Possibly, a heart-stopping one, but I was starving.

After filling my plate, I sat down next to Sally Airendale.

“Hi again,” she said. “These breakfast buffets are fabulous, don’t you think?” Sally wore a deep purple sweater set with blackslacks, and a ring of pearls around her neck. She reminded me of those women inTown & Countrymagazine.

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