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the women have careers?”
    â€œRosie helps her husband run the Emporium. I don’t know about the Egyptian sisters.”
    â€œWhat does your husband do?”
    â€œReal estate.”
    â€œHe sells houses?”
    â€œGod, no,” she answered disparagingly. “Big land deals, businesses, that sort of thing.”
    Maggie reached across the desk for the list. “So was your husband in on these deals with Dubois?”
    She shrugged. “As I said, he doesn’t bring business home.”
    â€œSchaefer intimated that Maurice had a roving eye.” Maggie said.
    â€œWell, yes, he liked to flirt. No real harm in it.”
    â€œDid you see him leave the lodge that Saturday?”
    â€œNo. But I saw him down on the dock just before lunch. I thought it was odd because I assumed he’d gone fishing with the others, then I got talking to Rosie Smith—she was ranting on about her miserable grandchildren—and I forgot all about it.”
    â€œDid you tell the police you’d seen him on the dock?” Maggie asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
    Stella shook her head. “They didn’t ask me.” She reached into her handbag for another cigarette and Maggie noticed the slight tremble in her hands as she opened the pack.
    â€œSo when did you know that he was missing?”
    â€œWhen he didn’t turn up for dinner that night at the lodge. Arnold went over to his cabin, but there was no sign of him or his gear.”
    â€œDid the lodge organize a search party?”
    â€œIt was too dark, so we had to wait until morning, then we split up and searched the trails and along the beach. I don’t think anyone looked too hard, because all his stuff was gone from his cabin, you see, so we figured he’d got a lift back to Vancouver.”
    Maggie looked up as Nat walked quietly into the room. “Stella, I’d like you to meet my partner, Nat Southby. We’re just about finished,” Maggie told him. “Just one more question, Stella. You said you thought he might have got a lift back to the city. Were there other guests at the lodge outside of your party?”
    Stella began digging in her bag for her lighter. “No. Well, yes, I guess there might have been, but they didn’t come into the lodge for meals.” Maggie noticed that her hands were shaking quite badly as she lit her cigarette.
    â€¢ • •
    â€œWAS SHE ANY HELP?” Nat asked, when Maggie returned from seeing Stella out.
    Maggie nodded before walking over to the window and throwing it open to clear the smoke. “A regular little goldmine. Sit down and tell me, what’s odd about this list?”
    She had barely finished reading out the list of people who had been at the lodge when Nat said, “They have nothing in common—different nationalities, different occupations, different social classes . . .”
    â€œAnd there’s something else, Nat. That woman knows something that she doesn’t want to tell me.”
    â€¢ • •
    IT WAS AROUND EIGHT o’clock that evening and Maggie had just relaxed by her fireplace when the telephone rang. It was Harry.
    â€œMargaret, I’ve been worrying about that house you inherited in Quebec.”
    â€œBut . . .”
    â€œJust hear me out. I’ve just heard on the radio that the weather is at its worst back there and you have left the house empty, and you know you can’t rely on neighbours. I’ve talked to a lawyer friend of mine in Montreal, and he’s agreed to look after all the arrangements of putting it on the market.”
    â€œHarry, calm down,” she said when he finally paused for breath. “I have rented it to an aircraft engineer and his wife. They’re from England, and he’s just started working at an aircraft factory in Montreal. Apparently, they are thrilled to bits with the house.”
    â€œOh, I see. Well, I was only thinking of your interests,