Bonnie of Evidence - By Maddy Hunter Page 0,27

of stairs ta her room, and this is how he found her. Poor lad. This is the stuff of nightmares.”

“Was the door locked or unlocked when he arrived?”

“Locked. He pounded on her door, but when she didn’t answer, he used his special passkey ta let himself in.”

“Do you know if he checked the body for a pulse?”

“Wheest. He was too frightened ta touch anything. He ran down ta my apartment ta fetch me, but when I saw her with my own eyes, I dared not touch her either.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m superstitious enough ta be fearful of whit killed her.”

Etienne waited a beat. “What do you suspect killed her?”

“Demons,” she said in a wicked witch vibrato. “It was the work of demons.”

I hung my head. Oh, God.

“Thank you for sharing that,” Etienne said with good grace. “Could you tell me what you did after you decided not to check her vital signs?”

“I called nine-nine-nine, then rang up Mr. Peppers ta tell him whit had happened.”

“And where were you when you made the call?”

“Standing there by the bed. The lady had knocked the phone off the nightstand, so I picked it up and set it ta rights again.” She threw Etienne a sharp look. “Ye wouldn’t expect me ta run all the way down ta the front desk ta make the call when I could as easily use the phone in front of me, would ye?”

Morna Dalrymple had obviously never seen Law and Order.

“I’ll not quibble with anything you’ve done, Mrs. Dalrymple,” Etienne conceded. “You’re to be commended for your quick reactions.” He nodded at Wally. “Anything of note in Isobel’s medical history form?”

Wally pulled a couple of sheets of paper from the file folder on his lap. “She was apparently claiming to be healthy as a horse because except for her name, age, gender, and the name of her primary care physician, the rest of her medical form is blank. No serious health problems. No age-related conditions. No prescription drugs. No nothing.”

“So she would have us believe,” said Etienne, sounding unconvinced. “Excuse me for a moment.” Crossing the floor in front of me, he disappeared into the bathroom.

“Whit’s he doing?” asked Morna, craning her neck to follow him. “I hope he has the decency ta close the door while he does his business.”

I exchanged a tentative look with Wally. “What if Isobel lied on her medical form?” I asked, recalling my recent conversation with Stella Gordon aboard the Britannia. “What if she had a serious medical condition, but failed to report it because she decided it was her business and no one else’s?”

Wally let out a cynical bark. “Like that ever happens.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Everyone lies on their medical forms, Emily. Female guests lie about their age. Male guests lie about their virility drugs. No one is sworn to tell the truth, so everyone lies. It’s an ego-boosting thing.”

I sucked in my breath, mortified. “My guys would never lie. It wouldn’t even occur to them!” Well, it might occur to Bernice, but even she was bright enough not to fudge something as critical as her medical history.

“Isobel Kronk suffered from some type of allergy,” Etienne announced as he rejoined us. “There’s an epinephrine pen on the counter in the bathroom.”

Wally eyed me pointedly. “What’d I tell you?”

“Oh, my God. She died from anaphylactic shock?” Wait until I saw Stella Gordon. I’d warned her that something like this could happen if guests weren’t forthcoming on their medical forms. I’d used this very example!

“It was shock, all right.” Morna bobbed her head sagely before ranting in her witch’s voice again, “The shock of having a legion of demons fly out of her mouth ta strangle her.”

I heaved a sigh. Why did I get the feeling this was going to be a very long day?

“Anaphylactic shock is a possibility.” Etienne stood at the foot of the bed, regarding Isobel’s lifeless body. “I just wonder what she was allergic to. Food? Latex? Insect bites?”

Morna’s features bunched together as if cinched by a drawstring. “What kind of insect bites would ye be talking about?”

“Stings, mostly,” said Etienne. “Bees. Wasps. Various types of ants.”

“If it makes any difference, the windows were open earlier, but I closed them.”

Etienne nodded. “I’ll make note of it.”

“I don’t think you’re understanding me,” she continued. “The windows were open. We have no bug screens on our windows at the Crannach Arms.”

Aha! “So a bee or a wasp could easily have flown in?”