Sir Winston turned to another marked passage. “‘They argued one day as she was making lunch. She had a chef’s knife in her hand, and for a moment, he thought she might use it on him. He slept badly that night, waking often, expecting to feel the blade in his back.’”

Allison Manning was suddenly on her feet; her face was red and contorted with anger. “That’s not about us, dammit! It’s written in the third person, don’t you see? What are you trying to do, you bastard?”

Sir Winston feigned shock at her outburst, but before he could speak, the coroner broke in. “Please compose yourself, Mrs. Manning; Sir Winston is only doing his duty.” He looked at his watch. “I think we will stop now for lunch. We will resume in one hour. Gentlemen of the jury, please do not discuss these proceedings among yourselves during lunch.” He stood, and the jurors stood with him.

Sir Winston collected the books and his briefcase and strode quickly from the room, leaving Allison Manning standing, staring after him. Finally she collected her purse and walked slowly toward the door.

Stone, nearly as shocked as she at the turn in Sir Winston’s questioning, followed her from the building. “Mrs. Manning?” he called.

She stopped and turned. “Yes?”

“My name is Stone Barrington; I’m an American, too. My chartered boat is moored near yours.”

“Oh, yes,” she said absently. She turned to go.

“I wonder if I could speak with you for a moment?”

“What about?” she asked, looking puzzled.

“I was present at the inquest this morning, and I heard what took place. I think you may be in over your head.”

“How do you mean?”

“Do you know who this Sir Winston is?”

“No.”

“Nobody mentioned that, huh?”

“No. Just what is your interest in this, Mr. Barrington?”

“Back in New York, I’m a lawyer, and right now, I think you need a lawyer very much. Can I buy you lunch?”

Chapter
4

They walked quickly across the lawn to her boat and went down below. “Would you like some lunch?” Allison Manning asked. “I’m going to make a sandwich.”

“Thank you, yes,” Stone replied.

She went to the galley and began putting together some sandwiches. “Please tell me your name again,” she said. “It always takes me a couple of times.”

“Stone Barrington. If you’ll forgive me, we only have an hour before the inquest resumes, and we should talk quickly.”

“All right.”

“First of all, let me explain the proceedings. A coroner’s inquest is…”

“To make an official determination of the cause of death,” she said.

“The cause and the circumstances. In this case, the jury could probably return one of three verdicts: death from natural causes, death by homicide, or an open verdict, which means the jury doesn’t feel it has enough evidence to decide how your husband died.”