“Yes, but my brand of comedy was made to be silent. Not everybody makes the transition smoothly.” And he looked across at Stella’s back. “She’s only hanging on by her fingertips because Cy kept her going.”

“So you think his death means the end of her career?” I asked in a low voice.

“Let’s put it this way. Her star is definitely on the wane.”

Stella turned back from the window, making me wonder whether she had overheard. “I hope they are all right,” she said. “They are taking their time, aren’t they?” Then she let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Someone’s coming.”

The front door opened, allowing the cold fog to creep in and we saw that it wasn’t the men at all, but Belinda and Craig. Belinda was now wearing a jumper that was several sizes too big for her and Craig looked extremely romantic in a silk dressing gown, his hair still wet and tousled.

“What’s all this about?” he demanded. “We’re having fun in the pool and suddenly someone’s yelling at us to get dressed and into the house as the police are coming.”

“You didn’t hear the news yet?” Ronnie asked. “Mr. Goldman is dead.”

“Dead? Oh my God. Poor old guy,” Craig said, shaking drops of water from his dark curls as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Heart attack? I’m not too surprised. He always was a heart attack waiting to happen, wasn’t he?”

“I hardly think it was a heart attack,” Ronnie said. “Someone hit him over the head with one of his new candlesticks and stole the other.”

Craig went almost as white as Ronnie had done. “Murdered, you mean? We’ve got a killer on the premises? Then let’s get the hell out of here while we’re all safe. I’ll go and pack. Someone get the automobiles out of the garage.”

“Nobody is allowed to leave until the sheriff gets here,” Ronnie said.

“Then where does Goldman keep his firearms? We need to arm ourselves just in case there’s a gang of them.” Craig looked distraught now. “There are mobsters in the area, you know. They’ll gun us down without thinking twice.”

“I don’t think a whole gang could sneak past us and get into the library without anyone hearing them, Craig,” Stella said angrily. “And mobsters would have taken the second candlestick, even if it did have blood and hair on it.”

“Then what are you suggesting? A single burglar?”

“Has to be,” Stella said. Then she paused, thinking. “That’s strange. We had one of those on the Berengaria coming across the Atlantic. A ruby was stolen and then a diamond ring and as far as I know the thief was never caught.” She turned to look at my mother and me. “You don’t think that same thief followed us here, do you?”