The Cold Light of Mourning - By Elizabeth J. Duncan Page 0,71

and hair on it. But people don’t usually try to kill someone with something made of plastic.”

“Unless that’s all there was to hand,” said Penny.

Davies started forward slightly, and then, as if reaching a decision, leaned forward in his chair.

“Look,” he said. “To be honest, we’re at a bit of an impasse here, and I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts. Why don’t I tell you what I think happened and when you know a bit more, you might start to see something that you’d overlooked, or didn’t think was important, in a new light.

“But first, how about another glass of wine?”

Twenty-four

Penny sipped the last of her wine and shook her head as she set the glass down.

“That’s a lot to take in,” she said. “So what you’re saying is that Meg Wynne Thompson was killed twice, that either the strangulation or the blows to the head would have been enough. And then there’s the needle. What to make of that?”

Davies nodded. “Exactly. I had a word about this with my nephew Martin,” he said. “You know, the one who emigrated to join the RCMP. Martin’s been sent to America to take a course in profiling and he told me that overkill like this can mean a couple of things.

“First, it sometimes means that the killer hasn’t killed before, so doesn’t know what he’s doing—doesn’t know how much force he needs to use to get the job done, so to speak. Second, the frenzied nature of it probably means that the killing was personal. So for some reason, Meg Wynne had antagonized the killer to the point where there’s so much emotion embedded in the attack that whoever killed her used far more force than he needed to.”

Penny nodded. “Right. I can see that. Killings like this are usually domestic, aren’t they? Close to home.”

“That’s right,” Davies agreed. “They are.”

After a few moments, as Penny pondered what he had told her, he looked at his watch.

“Almost time we were heading back,” he said. “But there’s plenty of time for coffee, if you’d like one. Or pudding. I don’t eat sweets much anymore,” he said as he patted his middle, “but you go ahead if you want something.”

“I think not,” said Penny, patting hers. “I need to be getting back, too. I’ve left Victoria on her own running the salon and I told her I wouldn’t be gone too long. She’s my new apprentice!”

She placed her napkin on the table and smiled at Davies.

“Thank you,” she said simply. “I enjoyed that.”

“So did I,” he replied, and after a brief pause added, “What have you got on over the next few days? Will you be available if I need to speak to you again?”

“Oh, I think so. When you have a business, you’re pretty well tied to it, but Victoria and I are planning to go up to Llandudno for the afternoon to get some stock at the Cash and Carry. I’m making some changes to my business plan, you see. I’ve been thinking for a while about getting in someone to take over more of the day-to-day running of things so I can grow the business, and with Victoria there now, it just makes sense for her to do that.”

“Really?” said Davies. “Good for you. Hope it works out.”

“Speaking of Victoria,” Penny said, “she’s going to be playing at Rhys Gruffydd’s funeral tomorrow. Apparently most of the wedding party is coming back to be there. Thought you’d like to know.”

Davies nodded and looked up from his wallet where he was sorting out his credit cards.

“Please remember what I told you about getting involved in this, Penny. Whoever he is, he’s dangerous. When you’ve killed once, why not kill a second time, or even a third?”

While they’d been having lunch, the weather had started to improve. The sky had lightened and the drizzle was letting up. The air felt fresh and charged, and Penny felt an unexpected lifting of her spirits.

They drove in an easy silence for a few minutes, until Davies tapped her on the knee and pointed at something outside his rain-spattered window.

“Look!” he said. “Ordered especially for you.”

Leaning forward to see past him, Penny gasped.

A magnificent, shimmering rainbow arced across the sky stretching from Snowdon across the valley. As its bright red blended into a spectrum of colours ending in vibrant violet, it gave off a subtle glow that transformed the view into a surreal glimpse into a magical world. A gentle mist rose from the green fields and Penny felt