‘Why?’ demanded Jake. ‘You’ve come halfway around the world! You’ve put your whole life and liberty at risk to do what — abandon the search?’
‘Just for this one,’ said Lauren. ‘I’m not going to get what we want by lying to them. Especially after what’s happened to them, with their uncle being killed. We’ll be taking advantage of their grief. I can’t do that.’
The atmosphere at the guest house was one of gloom and mourning. The MacClains had disappeared to their own quarters, and no one felt like calling on them for anything.
Jake and Lauren wandered out to the garden, and found the Gordons sitting on one of the benches. Lauren and Jake joined them. The Gordons in particular looked deeply shocked by what had happened.
‘How awful!’ said Pam Gordon. She cast a look towards the house, and the annex where the family lived.
‘I wonder if we ought to leave?’ murmured John Gordon. ‘After all, they won’t feel much like running their guest house after this has happened.’
‘I think they’ll need our support,’ said Lauren. ‘And being busy can be a help at a time like this. Help dull the pain.’
The sound of footsteps approaching made them turn, and they saw Ian Muir coming towards them, limping slightly. He pulled a chair over and joined them.
‘I’ve just been answering questions from the police,’ he said. He shook his head. ‘Not that I could tell them much. Yes, I was out for a walk, but I didn’t see him, or what happened to him.’
‘Did the police give any clue as to what they think happened?’ asked John Gordon.
Muir nodded.
‘They seem to think it was an accident,’ said Muir. ‘He fell off the cliff.’
Mr and Mrs Gordon exchanged looks that showed their doubt about this.
‘You don’t think so?’ asked Muir.
Mrs Gordon shrugged.
‘Who knows?’ she said. ‘It just seems odd that someone who’s spent their whole life around these cliffs should fall off them so easily.’
‘That’s often the way,’ said Muir. ‘People get complacent. That’s the way accidents happen.’ He turned to Jake and Lauren. ‘What do you two think? You’re the ones who found the body.’
Jake sighed.
‘We just found him,’ he said. ‘He was a mess. His head was covered in blood. The police say it was hitting his head that killed him.’
‘Which is odd,’ said Mr Gordon. ‘You’d have thought he would have landed feet first and broken his legs, or something.’
‘Maybe he tripped,’ said Muir. ‘Fell over and went down head first. Like I say, these things happen.’
‘Perhaps the Russians might be able to throw some light on it,’ said Pam Gordon. ‘The place he was found isn’t too far from their cottage.’
‘That’s what I said,’ Muir told them. ‘But it seems the Russians aren’t able to help. Or, rather . . .’ and he scowled, ‘. . . won’t help.’
Jake frowned.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Apparently, they refuse to be questioned without their ambassador present, and it’s going to take some time for her to arrive.’
‘They can’t refuse, surely?’ asked Pam.
‘It seems they’re claiming diplomatic immunity,’ said Muir.
‘The police told you this?’ queried Lauren. ‘Isn’t that a bit unusual for them to reveal things like that?’
Muir looked awkward.
‘Yeah, well, they didn’t exactly volunteer it,’ he said. ‘It sort of came out.’
He looked at the four, who were looking at him quizzically.
‘OK,’ he said. ‘If you must know, they started getting heavy with me, so I told them if they carried on like that I was going to be claiming diplomatic immunity. And this cop groans “Just like the Russians!” That’s when the story came out.’
‘How can you claim diplomatic immunity?’ asked Jake.
‘I work for the State Department,’ replied Muir. He shrugged. ‘Nothing grand, just an ordinary desk job, but it gives me diplomatic status. Which can be useful in some situations.’
I bet, thought Jake.
Muir got up.
‘Anyway, I’d better go phone my office back home, just in case these cops start checking up on me. See you guys later!’
With that he limped back towards the guest house.
‘Well well,’ said John Gordon. ‘Diplomatic immunity. Who’d have thought it!’ He turned to Lauren and smiled. ‘Maybe you ought to try the same stunt: being a New Zealander and that. A foreign national.’