A Meditation On Murder. Robert Thorogood

identify him Ben Jenkins Property Developer. Portugal. Brush with authorities before?

      ‘Okay, Dwayne,’ Richard eventually said. ‘I want background checks on our suspects. One of the five people locked inside the Meditation Space with Aslan Kennedy killed him. Who was it? And why?’

      ‘Yes, sir.’

      ‘As for you, Fidel, I want you trying to lift whatever fingerprints you can from the murder weapon. And if you can’t get any admissible prints from the handle, at least see if you can tell if it was wielded left-handed or right-handed.’

      ‘Yes, sir.’

      ‘Which leaves you and me, sir,’ Camille said, ‘and I think we should go back to The Retreat.’

      ‘You do?’ Richard asked, already suspicious of his subordinate’s motives. ‘And why exactly is that?’

      ‘Well, sir,’ Camille said, her eyes shining with innocence, ‘you said it yourself. There’s something about the Meditation Space that meant Aslan had to be killed in there and nowhere else. I think we need to inspect it again.’

      Richard took a step towards Camille and drew himself up to his full height.

      ‘And this has got nothing to do with finding Dominic so we can ask him to put Julia into a hypnotic trance, has it?’

      Camille was shocked by the suggestion. ‘Of course not, sir. You’ve already said that would be unethical. But there’s also the matter of the murder weapon to consider. Because if Julia didn’t have the carving knife about her person when she went into the room, it must have already been hidden in the Meditation Space beforehand. I think we need to work out how Julia got the carving knife into the murder room.’

      Richard looked at Camille a very long moment.

      ‘And you promise that this has got nothing to do with asking Dominic to put Julia into a trance?’

      ‘Of course not, sir,’ Camille said, shocked by the suggestion.

      ‘Very good,’ he said. ‘Then I think you’re right. We should go back to The Retreat.’

      Satisfied that he’d clipped Camille’s wings for once, Richard went off to get his briefcase. But what he didn’t see was the sly grin and slow wink that Camille gave Dwayne and Fidel the moment her boss’s back was turned.

      Getting Dominic to put Julia into a trance was precisely why Camille wanted to go to The Retreat.