“It’s practically his trademark, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but what possible motive would Teddy have for killing Croft?”
“From what I’ve heard, anybody on the run who wants to live on this island and not be found has to pay off Croft. Maybe Teddy didn’t like him, or maybe he just did it on a whim, who knows?”
“I’ve got to have time to figure this out,” Lance said, “but it’s just as well you’re being picked up tomorrow. I’m sending a larger airplane, and Bill Pepper and his wife are coming back with you.”
“No,” Holly said.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“Sir Winston Sutherland has shut down the island; nobody leaves, maybe for days, while Croft’s death is investigated, so you may as well cancel the airplane.”
“Swell,” Lance said.
“Yeah, well…Do I have your permission to get in touch with Bill Pepper?”
“For what?”
“I want to find out if he got those housing applications of Robertson, Pemberton and Weatherby. They could help us identify Teddy.”
“I suppose so. All right, go ahead and call him on his satphone. He should be home by now.”
“He’s been released?”
“Yes, but they’re holding Jim Tiptree; it’s a huge mess, and we’re trying to sort it out now. Let me know if you’re sending the photos.”
“All right; good-bye.” Holly hung up and called Bill Pepper’s number. No answer. She went back to the patio. “Stone, can I have the car keys?”
Stone handed them to her. “Where are you going?”
“Where we were last night,” she said.
“Hang on, I’m going with you.”
36
Lance presented himself in the director’s office for the second time that morning.
“Now what, Lance?”
“There’s a bit of a flap in St. Marks.”
Kate Lee massaged her temples. “Oh, God.”
“Let me explain what’s happened.” Lance gave her the rundown on Croft’s murder and Tiptree’s detention.
“What a mess,” Kate said.
“It gets worse,” Lance replied. “Holly Barker thinks Teddy Fay did it.”
“I’m sorry, my mind just boggled; I’m unable to follow her logic.”
“She may have a point. First, Croft was shot in the head with an exploding bullet, apparently from outside the Markstown jail building, an expert shot, and that sounds like Teddy. Second, Holly points out that anyone hiding on the island would have to bribe Croft to remain safe, and that’s a motive for Teddy.”
“Could Teddy know about Bill and Annie Pepper’s arrest?”
“I don’t see how he could.”