"Indeed," Jan said, lighting a cigarette. "Is that why you were a suspect at first?"
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure I still am. I'd been sleeping with Claudia, and I got up early to go back to my room to shower and get dressed." She shrugged. "I always used to get up early to make breakfast, and I still do, though I can't cook anymore. And, when I got to my room, I saw a body in my bed, and there was blood..."
This was all out of order, but it was obvious that she needed to get this part over with.
"I screamed, I think, and people came running. I don't remember much after that, but apparently I was screaming for Claudia, so someone got her, and she took me to her room.
"I was a mess for most of that day, and Claudia stayed with me and took care of me, and eventually she made me eat something. That evening, I pulled myself together and went downstairs.
"The police had been, of course, and they had wanted to ask me questions, as you can imagine, but Mrs. Forrester had sent them away. She carries a lot of weight in this town, and she had told them it was crazy to think that I'd kill somebody, and that she'd call them when I was well enough to talk to them. So, I'm grateful to her for that, at least."
Apparently seeing that we were going to be taking our time, the waiter brought over a large platter of antipasto. With that, plus the delicious bread and olive oil combination, I wouldn't have minded if we'd never actually ordered any food.
I did glance at the menu, and I realized it had no prices. Erika's menu was somewhat larger, so I assumed hers showed the prices. As the representative of the Forrester family, they had assumed she was the head of our party.
"Don't worry," she said, smiling. "The family never pays cash anywhere around here. They just sign for everything, and somebody goes around once a week or so and settles up. I can sign for this; they know me here."
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