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of two men, one in uniform and one in plain clothes. |
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The plainclothesman introduced himself in fluent, if accented English and then asked, "You were with Mrs. Bates when she died?" |
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"Yes," Peter and Linda responded together. |
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"Ah, yes. The doctor tells me she died of a brain seizure, that she had one before, and that at her age another was to be expected." |
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So the Corfu doctor was not such a fool, Linda thought. |
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"Yes, she had a very bad stroke previously," Peter agreed. |
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"Ah, so you knew that, yes? Our doctor says there was nothing he could do except advise her against exertion. What was she doing on that hill?" |
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Peter closed his eyes and swallowed. "It was my fault," he said miserably. |
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"No," Linda interrupted. "It was my fault." |
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Peter was going to say something stupid, and this poor policeman, who simply wanted something to put into his report would hear the whole ugly-sad story. No one was guilty of anything, not even poor Mrs. Bates, who had only been sick, and there was no reason to generate a scandal in this tight little colony where she and Peter and Rose-Anne and the others might want to come again. |
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"Mr. Tattersall and I are going to be married," Linda continued before Peter could get a word in, "but we hadn't yet told Mrs. Bates. This afternoon, Mr. Tattersall and I had a silly argument, |
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