In Dublin's Fair City (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #6)

“People who die of natural causes don’t end up with bruises on their throats,” the inspector said dryly. “He didn’t strangle her enough to kill her but probably enough to make her pass out. Not enough broken blood vessels in her eyes. Then he must have rammed her face into the pillow to finish her off.”


I felt a sob rising in my throat, put an embarrassed hand up to my mouth, and managed to turn the sob into a sniff. Inspector Harris touched my arm. “I’m sure this must be most distressing for you, Miss Murphy.”

“I’m fine,” I said, although I didn’t feel that way. “It's just seeing her there. Such a waste of a young life.”

The inspector took my arm. “Maybe if we go and sit over there at the porthole—you take that sofa and I’ll take the chair. Now, first things first. Let's start with your discovering the body. This happened exactly when?” He took out a notebook and pencil and looked at me expectantly.

“It was after midnight, I know that much. The band had played ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ and I left the ball with everyone else.”

“Go back a bit.” He held up his hand. “You had been occupying this cabin the entire voyage, correct? But you left it yesterday evening?”

“That's right, sir. I had been told by Miss Sheehan to keep to my cabin as much as possible. But yesterday the steward told me there was to be a fancy dress ball and suggested I might like to obtain a costume and go to it.”

“Which steward was this?”

“Frederick, the day steward for this cabin.”

He scribbled down the name. “So you decided to go in spite of being told to keep to your cabin.”

“Yes. I’d been cooped up in here throughout the voyage. A costume ball was too much of a temptation, and I felt I could safely join in the fun. So I had some costumes sent down from the ship's rental store, tried them on, and kept a couple of them. One was Marie Antoinette and one was the Spanish senorita's costume that Rose is now wearing. I decided to go as Marie Antoinette because of the big, powdered wig and the mask. I thought there was no chance of my being recognized.”

“And were you recognized?”

A picture came into my head of that executioner stepping forward to block my path and saying those alarming things to me. Then I shook my head. He couldn’t have known who I was. He was only acting, enjoying playing such a macabre part.

“Absolutely not,” I said.

“So you came back here after midnight. Anything unusual happen? Did you pass anybody in the corridors?”

“Of course. Revelers from the ball were all making their way to their cabins. The only strange thing was that there was no steward on duty in his little room at the end of the hall. Later, when I found the regular night attendant, Henry, he told me that a strange steward had shown up with a floral display for this cabin and had offered to take his place while he went down to the crew party.” I looked around the room. “It must be that big arrangement of chrysanthamums on the dresser.”

“You hear that, Jonesy?” Inspector Harris alerted one of the policemen. “Big display of mums over there. There might be fingerprints on the vase. See what you can do, eh?”

He turned back to me. “Did you know you can identify people by their fingerprints? No two are alike, apparently. And Scotland Yard has now come up with a way to dust objects so that the fingerprints show up. So all we’d have to do is to take the fingerprints of all the men on this ship, and... “

“There don’t appear to be any fingerprints on the vase, sir,” the young policeman called back. “It appears to have been wiped clean.”

“Ah, a thoughtful criminal then.” He nodded. “Right. Back to square one. So you came in and...”

“And saw someone asleep in my bed. I thought it must have been Miss Sheehan herself, come back to her own cabin for the last night atsea, and I was rather annoyed that she hadn’t warned me. I went to wake her gently and that's when I found it was Rose.” “What made you think it was Miss Sheehan?”

“They both had red hair and that's all I could see. The coverlet was pulled right up, you see. All nice and smooth. No sign of foul play.” “And what did you do then?”

“Went for help, of course. Henry, the cabin steward came in, and then he went to fetch the first officer and the ship's doctor. That's all I can tell you.”

He cocked his head on one side, staring at me. “So who knew you were going to be at this ball?”

“Only Frederick, the day steward, and Henry. And Rose, of course.” “And the people working in the costume rental place?” “Well, yes, I suppose so.”

“So it wouldn’t have been too hard to ascertain that you were out of the cabin last night.”

“No, probably not. But what would the motive for entering this cabin have been if someone thought it was unoccupied?”

“Robbery, of course. I expect Miss Sheehan was quite a rich woman. She probably had a nice little collection of jewels with her.”