7b2696c981e3d60fa8abbc841c83ccf4

“Yes, I can’t be sure, since I had been sleeping. And I use earplugs at all times. But I could have sworn I heard shouting. And splashing.”

“Splashing?” asked Chase, exchanging a meaningful glance with Odelia.

“Yes. As if someone had stumbled into the pool and was splashing about and shouting. I sat up for a moment, listening intently, but the splashing stopped, and so did the shouting. So then I went back to sleep and didn’t think anything more of it, until Mrs. Taggart arrived this morning and gaveme the bad news. I immediately thought of what I heard, and I was actually just thinking about phoning the police when you arrived—very conveniently, I might add.” He gave us a beaming smile, glad to be of assistance.

“Do you have any idea what time this was, sir?” asked Odelia.

“Well…” He thought for a moment. Then his face lit up. “Yes, actually I do. I’d gone to the bathroom not long before, and I don’t think I’d been asleep long. You see, when you get to be my age, frequent visits to the bathroom are a given.” He gave Chase a wink. “You’re too young, my friend, but wait till you’re a little older. You’ll either want to install a toilet upstairs, or move into an apartment. Navigating a staircase in the middle of the night is the best recipe for breaking your neck.” He frowned. “Now where was I? Oh, that’s right. I’d gone to the bathroom, had settled in again, and that’s when I woke up from that splashing and shouting. And when I was in the bathroom, I’d picked up my Kindle to do a bit of light reading—it sometimes takes a while before… you know, the river starts flowing, shall we say. So I like to have my Kindle to do some reading while I wait for those bodily functions to start working like they’re supposed to—if you see what I mean.”

“He takes an awfully long time to get to the point, Max,” said Dooley.

“He does,” I agreed.

“It’s not just his bodily functions that are delayed, it’s the rest of him, too.”

“Be patient, Dooley. He’s bound to get to the point… at some point.”

“I’m reading an Agatha Christie book, by the way,” said Mr. Durain. “Have you read Agatha Christie?”

“Yes, I have,” said Odelia with an indulgent smile, as Chase’s jaw was working feverishly. The cop clearly didn’t have as much patience as Odelia had.

“I’m reading through her entire oeuvre right now, in chronological order. I always find that the best way to sample a beloved author is to read through their entire oeuvre in chronological order.” He frowned again. “Now where was I?”

“You had just gone to the bathroom and you were waiting for… things to get going,” said Chase helpfully.

“Oh, that’s right. Well, at my age, things sometimes take their sweet time to get going, you see.”

“Yes, I see,” said Chase through gritted teeth.

“So as I was saying, I’d grabbed my Kindle, and out of habit I like to check what time it is, just to know if it’s the middle of the night or closer to the morning. Just to know how much longer I can spend in the arms of Morpheus.”

“Morpheus?” asked Dooley. “Is she Mr. Durain’s wife?”

“It’s an expression,” I said. “Morpheus is the Greek god of dreams.”

“What time was it?” asked Chase, his pencil poised over his notepad.

“One o’clock,” said Mr. Durain. “On the dot.”

“So those shouts and that splashing…” said Odelia

“Must have come on the heels of that.”

“Did you spend a long time reading?” asked Odelia.

“Oh, no, not long. Lately I’ve been able to go much quicker. My doctor has given me some new tablets, you see. Something entirely new and revolutionary—or so he claims. Doctors are always saying that, of course. Though I have to admit that he seems to have hit on something good this time. These tablets are designed to encourage my prostate to release its usual death grip on my urinary tract. And I must say it seems to work a charm. It used to take me ten minutes to do my business and now sometimes I can get away with just under five. Which is an enormous ego boost, I can tell you.” Hegave me and Dooley a cheeky wink, and I gave him a wink in return, though I very much doubt he noticed.

“When you’re old, you learn to savor the simple things in life, don’t you, Max?” asked Dooley.

“Yes, you do, Dooley,” I said.

“Like how long it takes you to go tinkle.”

“So I’d say that the kid who fell into the pool must have done so around one fifteen,” said Mr. Durain, keen to dot those I’s and cross those t’s.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Durain,” said Odelia.

“Yes, you’ve been a great help,” said Chase, though for some reason he couldn’t make it sound as if he actually meant it. Ex-NYPD, you know. They’re used to living life in the fast lane, and unfortunately for him, life in Hampton Cove is lived in the extremely slow lane.

Chapter 24

Once again we were in Uncle Alec’s office, with Chase and Odelia reporting on their progress—or lack thereof—in the case of the drowned young man.