Chris lost his temper and slapped her across the face. He was about to strike her again but she knocked the glass out of his other hand and he looked down at the liquid on the patio and the small pieces of glass.
"You cow, I'll never get that stain out of the paving now, get out, as if I'd even sleep with you even if it was only for one night."
"So Rose Tyler is good enough for you then? What was she going to be? Did you think to her you were going to be a sympathy shag because you can't take commitment?"
Chris was getting more than mad. "Get out of here Sophia, at least she would be worth shagging which is more than you'll ever be, even if you were the only British woman on the entire island which you're not, there are plenty of others."
He turned away from her and she bent down and picked up a long slither of glass Chris had not noticed then thought about it. She held it out but as she was changing her mind, he suddenly turned around and saw her.
"What are you doing you stupid bitch? Put that down before someone gets hurt."
They now were quite near to the edge of the pool and as he stepped towards her, he had forgotten the dark liquid on the highly polished tiles and slipped, lunging forward as Sophia watched, not pulling the slither of glass away in time as he fell onto it. Chris looked down in horror as blood stained his shirt and he fell backwards, making a splash as he entered the pool, the glass embedded in his chest as he bled out. Sophia wanted to scream but was too traumatised for anything to come out of her open mouth as she stood. She called his name but she could tell by the amount of blood she could see that he was no longer alive, his blue eyes staring up at her.
She fled from the patio and back in the house. She knew she had never touched anything upon entering, if anyone had seen her car, his was parked in the garage, no-one could place her there, he wouldn't be found until morning. She had only gone to see him to offer her sympathy and to tell him Rose wasn't worth fighting over, she was not to be blamed for him breaking the glass but he had slapped her and called her names, nobody got away with that. She only meant to get him to apologize, she wasn't to know he was going to turn and slip on the brandy that had been spilled.
Sophia got back in her car and fled back to her parent's villa just outside town, she could never say anything, it had been an accident but that new detective, the one Rose Tyler had taken up with and who had caused all this would never understand. If anything, it was all their faults. If she got caught, daddy would get her a good lawyer and she would get off.
Rose and Alec had got back from seeing Gordon back to his hotel and stopping to get groceries. Maria was there when they got back and they told her what had happened and they may need her to testify against Martin when he was hauled in for questioning and taken in front of the visiting magistrate, that was when he turned up, Alec had said. He had Fidel and Dwayne looking all over the island for the man who already attacked Rose once and had been about to try again if Rose had not acted as quickly as she had done.
Just after six, Alec got a call from Camille to say she was going home and Dwayne had tried Chris Martin's house again but no-one appeared to be at home and suggested he was holed up somewhere on the island and they would call back in the morning as soon as his housekeeper started work. Maria had gone home and Alec tried to get Rose to relax by the pool.
"Are you ok now sweetheart?" Alec asked after they had eaten dinner and he had brought out Rose's favourite desert onto the patio.
A cool breeze was blowing as he sat beside her, wishing the proper double lounger would hurry up and arrive. He had heard the weather forecast though, a tropical storm was on its way and would probably reach them tomorrow evening or the early morning the day after. They would have to get all the patio furniture under cover and see to the pool so Rose was calling the pool maintenance man in the morning to roll the cover over it since she didn't want Alec doing it, the handle was quite heavy for him.
Rose finished her desert and decided they should go indoors, it was cooling off.
"If that storm arrives, will you have to go to work?" she asked, switching on the TV and lying on the sofa as he finished the dishes.
"I may have to stay but I think the others can handle it. I don't want to leave you alone if we've not locked up Martin by the morning."
"I'll be ok once Maria arrives, she won't let him in this time and she said she would stay and not take her time off like she usually does, until he's caught."
"Well that makes me feel a little better I suppose but I'll make sure I'm back before she leaves. Camille and I will cover the daytime, Fidel will have to make sure his family are ok as well."
They went to bed just after eleven, Rose curling up on him as usual, dreaming of the tropical storm, she had just missed it when she had arrived. After they gently showed their love to each other, neither of them knew there was more than a tropical storm brewing. The next morning, Chris Martin's housekeeper arrived just after seven, going directly to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast, hoping he had returned after the police had been looking for him yesterday. She expected he had got in a bar brawl over a woman and it would all blow over and with his money, why wouldn't it?
She noticed the patio door was open but didn't worry too much, no-one could get around the back anyway but she expected he had maybe been for an early morning swim and was getting changed. She went to the bottom of the stairs and called him.
"Mr Chris, your breakfast is ready."
She got no reply, where else would he be? She went upstairs to knock on his bedroom door, it was open slightly and she couldn't see him so she tried the bathroom, again no sign of him. Shaking her head, she had better things to do than find her employer if he wanted to play hide and seek with her. She went back to the kitchen and put his breakfast under the grill on a low light to keep warm and began cleaning the sink and then moved to the living room.
She thought she would go check the garage, see if his car was in and seeing it was, she was puzzled where he had got to. Perhaps he had gone back out and was staying over with a woman he had picked up, she doubted he was with Miss Rose, the news of the fight between the new detective and her boss over her had been all over the island. She had thought he was crazy going up against the man who had stolen the woman from him but he had been too slow with her, women could only wait so long for a man to show interest in her, just like that Dwayne.
An hour later, she made her way across the living room and spotted some broken glass, the stupid man must have got drunk and he was in one of the other bedrooms, she hadn't looked properly upstairs yet. She went to get a brush and dustpan from the kitchen and walked out onto the patio, she was sure that storm wasn't far away now and the pool needed covering. She was about to go out and sweep up the glass when the doorbell rang. She turned but something caught her eye, the pool water was red. She stepped closer and saw the body face up, a slither of glass sticking out of his chest. She screamed.
Dwayne and Fidel were about to go off duty but Alec had insisted they try and see if Chris was at home. They heard a woman screaming inside and Fidel was about to kick down the door when it was opened.
"Come quick, it's Mr Chris, he's in the pool and there's blood everywhere."
The two officers rushed past her to walk to the edge of the pool, it was deep so the body couldn't be seen from inside the house and the blood stains on the patio, now brown could have been mistaken for the brandy that had been spilled.
"Call Camille, Fidel, get her to bring Hardy out here and call the coroner, it looks like he's been here a while. How long have you been here for Millie?"
"I got here at seven, I thought he was drunk and passed out somewhere when he didn't want his breakfast and he wasn't in his room. Then I came out here and saw the broken glass and saw the water was red. It must have been an accident, there's a lot of glass."
"Did he drink a lot?" Dwayne asked, trying to get his sometimes girlfriend to sit down as she was shaking.
Fidel had told Camille the bad news and she looked over at Alec, he had threatened to kill Chris when they had fought outside the station a few days ago, she would have to take the lead on this, especially after the man went after Rose again yesterday. She really hoped her boss had a solid alibi.
"Sir, that was Fidel, they found Chris Martin."
"Well get him in here then, what are they waiting for?"
"The coroner Sir, he's dead, his housekeeper just found him in the pool, a slither of glass in his chest. Sir, I'm sorry but I have to ask you this, did you kill him?"
Alec reached for his pills even though he had taken two a few hours ago, Rose always made sure he took them. Camille saw his reaction but he couldn't be ruled out. The wind outside was getting stronger, the storm would be on them soon and she knew Hardy didn't want to leave Rose at home on her own but now the man who had attacked her was dead, it didn't rule him out as the main suspect. She had an obligation to call the commissioner.
They drove out to the Martin residence, the coroner's black van already parked outside and the commissioner pulled up behind them. The coroner was just taking a stretcher and a black bag inside, Camille followed but the commissioner held Alec back.
"I suggest you let DS Bordey take the lead in this one Alec, she told me about your fight with the deceased before I got there, you threatened to kill him."
"Did she tell you he tried to attack Rose again yesterday? Hmm? We let him out on bail, he signed a statement then goes after my girlfriend again. Yes, I threatened him but since he was let out yesterday, I've either been with Rose or our lawyer, I haven't been on my own."
"I take it your girlfriend can vouch for you? Is your lawyer still on the island? If so, I advise you to contact him though this storm is going to be on us soon, we may have to put everything on hold."
They all felt the first drops of rain as the coroner and his assistant brought out the body. The commissioner stopped to take a look, the glass still protruding and his blue eyes staring. He spoke to the two men.
"I want a full report as soon as you are finished. I'm heading back now, the full force will hit us within a few hours and I don't want to be out in it, Sergeant Bordey, see this residence is secured before you leave and get back to the station. Detective Inspector, go home to your girlfriend, you are off this case until you can be eliminated which will be delayed until the storm passes us."
Camille looked at Alec, she didn't somehow think he was responsible but the circumstances didn't look good for him, if it were to be pursued. She saw Fidel and Dwayne looking at their boss, who was now calling their lawyer to get a taxi out to his and Rose's house but not to say anything until he got there. He wanted to tell Rose in person.
Camille took the two other officers back inside.
"You two finish up here, take photos and then secure the house and make sure Millie leaves, get her statement then get back to the station before this storm really hits. I'm going to take Hardy back home, the commissioner says he's off this case until we get more details. Fidel, hurry up with the photos before the rain washes everything away and see if you can winch the cover over the pool. Don't you two for one minute think that Hardy is responsible for this, Chris Martin's lawyer will have a field day in view of the fight the other day but remember, innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around."
Alec was now calling Rose, telling her he had asked their lawyer to visit again so she wouldn't wonder why he was out in the storm and to say he was on his way home.
"I've just had the pool man here, he says he can fit a motor on the winch in case there's another storm. Is everything ok Alec?"
"Just peachy sweetheart. I'm just taking care of something then Camille is going to drop me home, there's nothing much we can do in this, it's beginning to rain heavily now. Gordon will be lucky to get a cab in this."
Marley was just picking up the lawyer from the hotel. "Man, you are crazy going out in this. You going out to Rose's place then? You won't get back before this storm's over man, I'm going home after this."
Camille dropped Alec outside and he asked if she would be ok driving back into town.
"I'll be fine, you just worry about what you are going to tell your girlfriend and your lawyer. I'll be back to ask her some questions when this storm blows itself out. You already know the facts but you are still a suspect, I'm sorry."
"You think I don't know I'm more than a person of interest in this? Rose can vouch for me, we were together after Martin tried to get in yesterday."
He didn't know how Rose was going to react when he told her. Gordon had already arrived and Maria had already made coffee for them and upon hearing Alec enter, went to make his usual pot of tea, wondering why he couldn't drink coffee like his girlfriend. He stood by the door and Rose went over to him.
"Why did you ask Gordon to come over, especially in this horrible weather?"
"Come inside Rose, I'm only prepared to say this once. You know where I was from the time I came back yesterday, right?"
He led her back into the living area and sat her on the sofa, nodding to Gordon.
"What's this all about Alec? Has something happened?" Rose asked.
"This sounds serious Inspector," Gordon added, sipping his coffee.
"It is. Sweetheart, Chris Martin is dead, his housekeeper found him in the pool a short time ago, just as Dwayne and Fidel were checking if he had come back. The Commissioner is waiting for the autopsy but he was stabbed through the chest with a slither of glass, he bled out within minutes by the look of things, Camille wouldn't let me inside for long, just enough to see the pool covered in blood. I've been taken off the case."
Gordon looked at him then at Rose, this was not what he had been sent here by Pete Tyler for, no wonder the man wanted him there.
"But why Alec? Surely you're the best person for the job?" Rose asked.
"No, when we had that fight the other day, I said I would kill him if he went near you again then he came after you yesterday, I'm at the top of their list of suspects."
"But that was the heat of the moment, surely. You got in a fight, you could have ended up in hospital because of him. When did it happen?"
"We're waiting to find out, he wasn't at home yesterday afternoon and his housekeeper left at six last night, she said he wasn't there when she went home and she couldn't find him this morning, she never went out onto the patio though, the pool is too deep to see from the living room, she went out to see if he had gone in the pool when she couldn't find him and saw the glass. Someone must had stabbed him with a piece."
"I think you'd better make a statement detective inspector and don't say another word without me being there," Gordon said, opening his briefcase. "I'll need to inform Mr Tyler about this."
"No need, I'll call him myself. Are you ok Rose?"
Rose had slouched down on the sofa. She knew it hadn't been Alec, he'd been with her all the time except when they had fallen asleep but she was certain she had slept on him all night though some would question that. How could she be certain he'd not crept out and got back in bed again? Rose handed Alec her phone and he called Pete and told him what had happened.
"Alec, just let Gordon handle it and I'm coming out there on the next flight I can get, don't worry too much though despite everyone hearing you threatening him, if he attacked Rose again or tried to but I know you're not guilty, my stepdaughter trusts you, so do I. Can you put Rose on please?"
"Dad, he didn't do it, he couldn't. There was no need for them to fight over me, I wouldn't leave Alec for Chris, if I'd wanted to choose him I would have done a long time ago but I never felt that way about him, he was just a friend. Are you coming over?"
"Yes I was coming on my own though now I may bring Jake with me, Alec could do with another friend. Don't worry sweetheart, it'll be ok, just do and say what Gordon advises the two of you, don't talk to the police on your own without him being present and don't speak to Martin's lawyer at all, if he's still acting for him. I'll be there as soon as I can. Look out for him Rose, he's going to need you."
"I know Dad, thanks."
Outside, the strong wind was howling, the rain was lashing down and the island was preparing for the worse. Rose was thanking they were cosy inside, the pool had been covered and all the furniture stowed safely away under cover. Maria was staying until it passed, Rose refused to let her go out on her own now and she had called her family to tell them she was safe, she had two teenage boys.
Camille, Fidel and Dwayne had put the shutters on the windows and Fidel had gone to take care of his family, they expected everyone else had done the same but the phones had to be manned in case of emergencies. The Commissioner had gone back to his residence, debating what to do about the recently arrived Scottish detective inspector. He knew Rose Tyler very well, she was a respected member of the small community and had a valid residency and work permit though he had never known her to have held down a job. He expected Mr Tyler subsidised her income.
Selwyn Patterson considered himself a fair person, he had taken on a sickly man to help him through to his heart operation, he sincerely hoped Alec Hardy had not betrayed the trust put in him, it had taken some arranging to get him over here. He also doubted that he would have driven all the way over to Chris Martin's house and get into another fight with him in his state of health with no-one there to assist him. Camille had told him the man needed his pills after the fight the other day and Rose had been upset when she had got there that he might had landed himself in the island's tiny hospital where he doubted Hardy's heart condition could be treated.
Still, the storm was almost at full strength, no-one was going anywhere and the coroner would be working to determine when death had occurred and hopefully, Hardy would have more than Rose Tyler as a witness.