A Meditation On Murder. Robert Thorogood

      Richard and Camille found Julia with her eyes closed and sitting in a lotus position on the floor of the first cell. Richard could see that she was now far more sensibly dressed—although he found himself musing that he’d personally not choose to go to prison wearing cut-off jeans and a tight T-shirt in bright lime green promoting hashish, but he supposed it was each to his own.

      Julia opened her eyes as the police approached.

      ‘What have I done?’ she asked, so grief-stricken that neither Richard nor Camille said anything for a moment.

      ‘You know,’ Julia said, ‘I’ve been trying to put myself into a trance and go back in time.’

      ‘You have?’ Richard asked, already pre-emptively weary. This was what he found so tiresome about the New Age movement: they seemed to use the most cumbersome methods to reveal things that were actually already known. Like trying to go into a trance when a normal person would just use their memory. Or inventing ley lines to explain the mystery of Glastonbury Tor, when really it was just a hill in a surprising place. As for Stonehenge, Richard had always felt that the guy who’d commissioned it had probably only wanted a nice side table, but had made the mistake of asking a bunch of druids with too much time on their hands to do it.

      Correctly interpreting her boss’s dismissive look, Camille tried to move the conversation on. She asked Julia, ‘And have you been able to access your memories?’

      Julia looked at the police. ‘Not consciously.’

      ‘Not consciously?’ Richard asked, exasperated.

      ‘But I could access them subconsciously, I’m sure of it. If I could just get Dominic’s help.’

      Richard’s antennae twitched. For a man who wasn’t a suspect, Dominic’s name was appearing a little too often in the investigation for his liking.

      ‘You mean The Retreat’s handyman?’

      ‘That’s right. He’s a wonder.’

      ‘Well, we can both agree about that, he’s certainly a wonder. But this case is peculiar enough as it is without bringing in a handyman to extract a confession.’

      Julia smiled slowly. ‘But he’s not a handyman. He’s a Seer.’

      ‘A Seer?’

      ‘That’s right.’

      ‘Please could you tell me what a Seer is.’

      ‘He can see things.’

      Richard took a deep breath and waited for the surge of irritation to wash away.

      It didn’t, so Camille stepped in. ‘And what sorts of things can he see?’ she asked.

      ‘The future of course. But he can also see the past.’

      ‘And how does he do that?’

      ‘Well, in this case, he’d put me into a trance state. You see, he used to be The Retreat’s hypnotherapist.’

      ‘Used to be?’ Camille asked.

      ‘That’s right. He stopped doing that just after I arrived.’

      Richard and Camille shared a glance.

      ‘Is that why Dominic and Aslan have been arguing?’

      Julia was puzzled. ‘You know about that?’

      ‘Why don’t you tell us?’ Richard said, probing.

      Julia smiled sadly. ‘It’s hard to talk about without making it sound worse than it is, but they weren’t ever going to get on. You see, Dominic’s a Capricorn and Aslan’s a Libran,’ Julia said as if that explained everything. ‘And I think Aslan felt that Dominic was taking advantage of the guests in his hypnotherapy sessions. Not that he was. Dominic’s hypnotised me often enough. So I know how gentle and supportive he is. He doesn’t take advantage of anyone. But Aslan told Dominic he didn’t want him offering any more hypnotherapy sessions. Dominic was furious, but there wasn’t much he could do. The hotel belongs to Aslan and Rianka. But here’s the thing, Aslan said Dominic could stay on as the hotel’s handyman. That’s the sort of guy Aslan was. He still offered Dominic a job even though they’d argued so badly.’

      ‘And Dominic took it?’ Richard said, surprised.

      ‘It allowed him to stay on the island,’ Julia said.

      ‘I see,’ Richard said, even though he couldn’t.

      ‘But the thing is, you have to believe me, Dominic is amazing at getting people to remember memories they’ve buried because they find them too upsetting. And if you let him hypnotise me, I bet I’ll be able to tell you how I got the knife into the Meditation Space. And why I … did what I did,’ Julia finished with a gulp.

      ‘Unfortunately,’ Richard said, ‘that would be totally unethical. So why don’t we just leave you here for a bit longer, and when you remember anything that might help us, you just call out. We’re only next door.’

      Sensing that Camille was disappointed with this ruling, Richard returned to the main office, calling out to Fidel as he entered through the bead curtains.

      ‘So have you dusted the drawing pin?’

      Fidel looked up from his desk in surprise.

      ‘Yes, sir, I have.’

      ‘And what did you find?’

      ‘Well, sir, I was only able to dust the flat bit you press down on with your thumb.’

      ‘Of course. But is there a fingerprint there?’

      ‘No, sir. There’s no print on it, it’s entirely clear.’

      ‘Now that is interesting,’ Richard said, excitedly.

      ‘Yes, sir,’ Fidel said, baffled by his boss’s sudden enthusiasm.

      ‘But doesn’t that just mean it’s never been used?’ Dwayne asked.

      ‘And that’s where you’d be wrong,’ Richard said as he started writing on the board.

      ‘I would?’ Dwayne asked, puzzled.

      ‘Yes, because I think that drawing pin was part of the killer’s plans—and they then wiped it clean of prints once it was used.’

      Richard wrote up this latest development on the whiteboard, and then he took a step back to look at his handiwork.

The Murder Five guests go for a swim Paul hands out robes Aslan prepares the tea 5 guests + Aslan go into Meditation Space Aslan locks it down from inside Drink tea—all cups turned over 10-15 minute window for murder, (8.00-8.10/8.15) Right handed killer?	Investigation / Leads How did the knife get into the room? Was the tea drugged? WHY KILL IN PAPER HOUSE? WHY A DRAWING PIN? Who wiped it of prints? Who was in Aslan’s office @6pm the night before shouting ‘You’re not going to get away with it’?
Outside the Meditation Space
Rianka Kennedy Wife Has no idea who’d want Aslan dead	Dominic De Vere Ex-hypnotherapist. Now handyman Sacked by Aslan Argued with Aslan
Inside the Meditation Space
Aslan Kennedy Victim Everyone says he’s nice	Julia Higgins Worked at The Retreat last 6 months Confessed to murder But NO MEANS: where did she get the knife from? NO OPPORTUNITY: how did she get the knife to the room? NO MOTIVE: why kill Aslan? PLUS: left-handed, but the killer was right-handed?
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