Leger's Foe (The Leger Hotel Mysteries Series Book 4)

‘I don’t know.  I couldn’t see his face because he was so tall.  If I saw his legs, I could identify him!’

Leger rubbed a paw against his whiskers as he considered this.  He couldn’t help but scowl.  He knew humans didn’t always mate for life and sometimes had more than one husband or wife, but he couldn’t imagine Carole having a relationship with another man while she was married.

‘What about the conversation?  Did you hear any of it?’ Leger pushed.

‘No, not really,’ Iain shrugged again.  ‘What was your other case?  You said you had a couple.’

‘Ah, yes.  The man who was pushed into the loch the other day.  I need to find the culprit and I was hoping that someone who lives here – that would be you – could tell me exactly what happened,’ Leger said.

Iain’s eyes completely changed then and Leger couldn’t help wondering what was going through his mind.  He had gone from being completely co-operative to reluctant to speak at all and that alone was enough to ring alarm bells.

‘Iain?  Can you tell me what you saw?’ Leger said.

‘Nothing.  I didn’t see anything,’ Iain said.  ‘But I know who pushed that man and I know that he’ll be in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out.’

‘Who was it?’ Leger said, leaning forward as he anticipated the answer.  ‘Was it the man that Carole met last night?’

‘What?  No!  It wasn’t a man, it was…’

‘Iain!’

The young cygnet’s father pulled back the reeds with his beak and opened his wings wide.  He looked huge and menacing and Leger knew it was the right time to leave.  Without any further conversation, and not even a farewell, Leger sped off in the direction of the McInnes household yet again so he could relate his findings to Lily and Bob and they could mull over the suspicions he now held.

Leger was sure he reached the house in record time.  He propelled himself through the cat flap so he tumbled when he hit the floor.  Lily, who had declared earlier she would be sleeping on top of the cupboards, was curled up in between Bob’s paws and the pair were cuddling, cheek to cheek.

‘Don’t mind me,’ Leger sniffed.

‘We won’t!’ Lily grinned.  ‘What did you find out?’

Leger sat opposite his two housemates and took his time licking his front paws before he began relating the story of his meeting with Iain.

‘From what I can deduce, Carole went to the loch to meet a man.  They are clearly very close because Iain, the cygnet, heard kissing noises but then they argued.  I was going to ask Iain what happened after they argued but I didn’t get a chance,’ Leger said.

‘If anything major had happened, like if things had turned violent in any way, he would have said so without being asked.  It’s not the kind of thing you just leave out,’ Lily decided.

Bob made a noise of agreement but kept his mouth closed.

‘I think you’re right, Lily.  At least now we know it wasn’t a man who pushed Sean Gilbert into the pond the other day too.  It was either a woman or a swan,’ Leger said.  ‘That also means that Sean Gilbert’s friend, the one who spoke to the paper, isn’t responsible for pushing him in and is either protecting the culprit or has amnesia.’

‘Is he out of hospital?’ Lily probed.

‘Who?’ Leger asked.

‘Sean Gilbert’s friend.’

‘Yes, apparently so.  He gave the interview on his release from hospital,’ Leger advised.  ‘What are you thinking?’

‘When was Sean Gilbert pushed into the water?’ Lily asked.

‘Monday,’ Bob said.  ‘Definitely Monday.’

‘And when did Carole and the kids arrive?’ Lily continued.

‘They arrived on Sunday evening,’ Leger hissed.  ‘I don’t like where you’re going with this.’

‘It’s just a theory,’ Lily said.

‘But it’s one that makes sense, no matter how much I want to believe it’s wrong!’ Leger cringed.

‘Wait, let me get this straight,’ Bob said.  ‘Carole arrived on Sunday night, Sean Gilbert was murdered on Monday and because Carole likes the loch and a baby swan said it wasn’t a man who killed Sean Gilbert, you assume it was Carole who did it?’

Lily sucked in a breath and ground her teeth.  ‘You have to admit, she’s been awfully quiet all week.’

‘It can’t be true,’ Leger countered.  ‘I just don’t believe it.’

‘But it’s a possibility!  What if the man she met at the loch was Sean Gilbert’s friend, who is covering for her?’

‘There’s one thing missing from this stupid theory,’ Bob growled.  ‘A motive!’

‘Bob, please settle down.  I’m just adding up the facts!’ Lily defended.

‘You’re causing trouble.  Do you know what could happen with ridiculous accusations and rumours like this?  You could ruin an innocent woman’s reputation permanently.  This is not right!’

Leger took a step back from the pair as they separated and Lily leapt up on top of the cupboard, via the worktops and the sink.  Bob and Lily were firm friends and very affectionate but he feared that her accusations against Carole could cause a rift between them.  Bob was very fond of the young woman and there was no way he would ever hear a word said against her.