Be Careful What You Wish For (The Clifton Chronicles 4)

“No, thank you, padre,” said the colonel. “We were just leaving.”

47

“AM I EXPECTED to wear a dinner jacket tonight?” asked Harry after he’d finished unpacking.

“No. The dress code is always informal on the first and last nights.”

“And what does that mean, because it seems to change with each generation.”

“For you, a suit and tie.”

“Will anyone be joining us for dinner?” asked Harry as he took his only suit out of the wardrobe.

“Giles, Seb and Sam, so it’s just family.”

“So is Sam now considered family?”

“Seb seems to think so.”

“Then he’s a lucky boy. Although I must confess I’m looking forward to getting to know Bob Bingham better. I hope we’ll have dinner with him and his wife one evening. What’s her name?”

“Priscilla. But be warned, they couldn’t be more different.”

“What do you mean?”

“I won’t say anything until you’ve met her, and then you can judge for yourself.”

“Sounds intriguing, although ‘be warned’ has to be a clue. In any case, I’ve already decided that Bob is going to fill several pages of my next book.”

“As a hero or a villain?”

“Haven’t decided yet.”

“What’s the theme?” asked Emma as she opened the wardrobe.

“William Warwick and his wife are on holiday aboard a luxury liner.”

“And who murders who?”

“The poor downtrodden husband of the chairman of the shipping line murders his wife, and runs off with the ship’s cook.”

“But William Warwick would solve the crime long before they reached port, and the wicked husband would spend the rest of his life in jail.”

“No he wouldn’t,” said Harry as he selected which of his two ties he would wear for dinner. “Warwick has no authority to arrest him on board ship, so the husband gets away with it.”

“But if it was an English vessel, her husband would be subject to English law.”

“Ah, there’s the twist. For tax reasons the ship sails under a flag of convenience, Liberia in this case, so all he has to do is bribe the local police chief and the case never gets to court.”

“Brilliant,” said Emma. “Why didn’t I think of that? It would solve all my problems.”

“You think that if I murdered you, it would solve all your problems?”

“No, you idiot. But not having to pay any tax might. I think I’ll put you on the board.”

“If you did that, I would murder you,” said Harry, taking her in his arms.

“A flag of convenience,” repeated Emma. “I wonder how the board would react to that idea?” She took two dresses out of the cupboard and held them up. “Which one, the red or the black?”