Innocent Murderer by Suzanne F. Kingsmill Page B

caught on her necklace. I kicked hard and slowly rose to the surface. As I did so I could see the bundle of clothes, her clothes I guessed, floating languidly like a ballet dancer. And that’s when I saw it: a face among the clothes was staring back at me, wide-eyed and lifeless. I nearly choked on a mouthful of water and almost let go of the first body. But I managed to kick up and broke the surface, raking in the air the way a croupier rakes in the chips.
    Martha had disappeared to get help. I was all alone. I tried to hoist the body up the ladder but the superhu – man strength that visits some people in moments like this wasn’t calling on me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t save them both, so I closed my eyes and did artificial res – piration, trying not to think about anything at all, espe – cially about who I was trying to save.
    Suddenly an extra pair of hands reached down and grabbed the body under the arms, pulling it out of the pool. I watched as Duncan laid her down on the deck and began to take her pulse. The captain had arrived and went over to help Duncan. I heard him suck in his breath and looked over to see him stooping over the body, one hand holding his head, his expression, what? Dum – founded? Shocked? No, there was more. If I hadn’t been so cold and shaking that I could barely see I would have sworn that Jason was crying. Someone threw a blanket over me as I looked up at Jason and said through chat – tering teeth, “There’s another one.”
    â€œSave your strength,” said Jason as he glanced back at me. And I realized he hadn’t heard me.
    â€œThere’s another one,” I said loudly.
    â€œAnother what?” asked Jason, his voice strangely hoarse.
    â€œAnother body.”
    I pointed with my finger at the bundle of clothes, but I didn’t take my eyes off the body Duncan was working on. It was Terry. Her face was grey and lifeless, but still as beautiful in death as it had been in life. I felt sick and cold and hopeless. How can life be so tenuous? I turned away, my stomach heaving, and saw the second mate jump in the water to rescue whoever was in the bundle of clothes.
    I think we all knew our actions were in vain. Their bod – ies looked as though they’d been deserted for a long time.
    The doctor had arrived, and she and Jason pulled the sod – den mass out of the water and laid it down beside Duncan, who was resting on his haunches, a look of resignation on his face. He moved over to the body clad in the salt and pepper coat, and pushed the hair from her face.
    Jason gasped and I heard him mutter “Oh, no,” as we gazed down on Sally, who had finally realized her wish to be free of her torment.
    It seemed surreal, standing there wrapped in a blan – ket that wouldn’t keep Scruffy warm, in the land of the midnight sun, with the bodies of two women lying at our feet. I noticed someone had covered Terry. Beautiful, arrogant Terry. Timid, lovelorn Sally.
    What had happened here that took two lives away?
    I shivered. Looking up, I saw a row of people gaping at the bodies, and then felt angry that the end of two lives could become a spectator sport. How had they found out at this crazy hour of the morning?
    Martha tugged me on the arm, pulling me toward the stairs. I hadn’t even known she was there. I stopped and looked toward where the rainbows had been but they had evaporated, just like the souls of those two women had. I started walking down the corridor when Martha grabbed my arm and steered me into the sauna.
    â€œYou get in the sauna. I’ll get you some dry clothes,” she said and was gone.
    Like an automaton I stripped off my wet under – clothes and went into the sauna. It was lonely in there, the chattering voices of moments past assailing my ears as I sought to make sense of what had just happened. Terry must have been taking a late night sauna or it