A doctor is quickly fetched and while he puts a couple of stitches in the gash on Pam's forehead, Jeffrey relays the details of their run in with Drake to Bogg.
"He seems to have it in for Pam, for some reason. First he tries to drown her and then he pushes her down some stairs."
"Technically he didn't push me. I slipped when I tried to back away from him."
"Same difference. And that's not all." Jeffrey turns back to Bogg. "When I confronted him he stone cold denied ever having tried to drown Pam."
"That doesn't sound like Drake. He would gloat and taunt." Bogg thinks about this.
The doctor tells Pam to stop by his surgery in a couple of days to have the stitches removed. He packs up his bag and leaves after greeting. Pam gets up to find a mirror.
"Maybe he hadn't done it yet," Bogg suggests. "Maybe Drake hadn't tried to drown Pam yet."
"What are you talking about? Of course he did. I saw him. I stopped him."
"I'm not denying that it was Drake who tried to drown her. I'm just saying that when you just met him, he hadn't done it yet."
"Huh? That makes no sense."
"We travel through time, right. And so does he." Jeffrey nods. "And occasionally we meet."
"Regrettably."
"Regrettably. But who's to say that the same amount of time has lapsed for him as for us between our meetings? Or even that these meetings take place in the same order?"
"Like how we first met an older Buffalo Bill Cody in England and then later a younger Bill Cody working for the Pony Express?"
"Exactly."
"So I may just have given him the idea to try to drown Pam?"
"I don't think Drake needs any encouragement in that department. Don't fret about it."
"Well, it's going to leave a nice scar." Pam drops into the seat next to Jeffrey on her return. "I may have to cut my hair into bangs to obscure it."
"I've always thought scars make a person look adventurous."
"You're a pirate. Facial mutilation is an occupational hazard for you. I teach high school history. Here." Pam gives a newspaper to Jeffrey. "Jeffrey has cracked the red light."
"That's right. Look at this." He shows Bogg the headline Agatha Christie Vanishes.
"Yeah?"
"That's about Alice. The woman who seemed a bit out of sorts? I think she's Agatha Christie. And we're here to help her."
"What do you think?" Bogg asks Pam.
"Me?"
"Yeah. You're the historian. What do you think?"
"I don't agree. Agatha Christie is supposed to disappear for over a week. Today is day two. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Do you have other suggestions what this could be about?"
"Nope." Pam shrugs.
"Then I guess we keep an eye on Alice. See if she doesn't do anything out of the ordinary," Bogg decides.
"How would we know when she does something she shouldn't?"
"What do you mean?"
"Pretty much all that is known about Agatha's disappearance is that she disappeared and was found again, claiming that she has amnesia."
"Guess we'll have to keep an eye out for her doing something that would mean she wasn't found."
"Does that mean we're staying here longer?"
"Probably."
"Is it okay if I ask the hotel manager to put an extra cot in our room? I mean, three people in a double bed is a bit crowded."
"Sounds like a good idea."
"I'll go right to it then." Pam gets up and walks away.
"And I'll see if I can find Alice." Jeffrey jumps up and is off with a shot.
"And I guess I'll just sit here and wait for you to return." Bogg picks up the paper.
-oOo-
"Where's Pam?"
Bogg looks up from the paper. "I don't know I haven't seen her since she went for the manager."
"That was over an hour ago. What would take her so long?"
"Where have you been all that time?"
"Sitting with Alice. She plays the piano and she sings quite nicely too. I liked listening to her. I'll go see where Pam is." And he's off again.
"I'm sure that what ever it is you need Pam for, I can take a shot at it too," Bogg says, but no one is listening.
Jeffrey finds Pam sitting on the floor outside the manager's office. She has pulled up her legs and holds her face in her hands.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Pam looks at him a little glassy as if she doesn't recognize him.
"Did you talk to the manager?" Pam gives a slow shake of the head. "Well, what stopped you?" Jeffrey knocks on the door and puts his hand on the door nob. Pam lashes out, grabs Jeffrey's arm and jerks him down. "Ow."
"Don't go in there."
"Why not?"
"Don't." Pam shakes her head again. "Go to the reception and ask them to call the police. There has been ... an accident."
"What kind of accident?"
Pam gives him another glassy look. "Just get the police."
"Are you okay?"
Pam makes a gesture that could be interpreted as both yes and no. Jeffrey rushes off. A moment later he returns with the receptionist and Bogg on his heels. Pam has picked herself up and stands against the wall.
"What's going on here? The boy said there was an accident."
"There was. Of sorts. You can't go in there. You mustn't disturb the crime scene."
"Crime scene?" The receptionist throws open the door to the manager's office. Pam just manages to pull Jeffrey away by the door. So he doesn't see the sight of the lifeless body of a woman slanted on the sofa, holding a gun in her right hand.
"Oh my!" The receptionist wants to walk into the office. Bogg quickly pulls him back and closes the door.
"I think you should call the police."
The receptionist nods and rushes back to his desk.
"Are you all right?" Bogg puts a hand on Pam's shoulder and squeezes it lightly.
"Bogg, what's going on?"
"Jeff, it's better ..."
"If you don't tell me, I'll open that door and have a look myself."
"There's a woman in there. She's dead."
"Oh."
"You still want to see it?"
"No, but you shouldn't just assume I can't handle it."
"I know. You're right. I'm sorry." Bogg strokes Jeffrey's hair. After all the things the kid has to go through, living with him as a voyager, he wants to protect him from things like these. "Why don't you take Pam to the drawing room. She'll be more comfortable there."
"Right. Come, Pam." He gently pulls on her arm and she follows him without saying a word.
-oOo-
"I don't like this one bit." The detective inspector stands with his fits on his hips, his overcoat hanging loosely against his arms. "Poor woman shot herself through the head, from what it looks like."
"It's a suicide. Wouldn't that make your job easier?" Bogg asks from his position by the door post.
"Suicide is as bad as murder. I still have to investigate to rule out murder. Who was she? Why was she killed here?"
"I don't know. I've never seen her before."
The DI turns around to Bogg. "Were you the one who found her?"
"No, a friend of mine did."
"Well, then I'd like to talk to your friend."
"She's in the drawing room. But go easy on her. She's in a bit of a shock."
"I would imagine so. Where is the drawing room?"
"This way." Bogg points the way. "She's the red head over there."
"Thank you." The DI walks over to Pam and Jeffrey. "Morning. Young man would it be all right if I talked to your mother alone?"
"She's not my mom, but you can talk to her. Will you be all right, Pam?"
"Sure." Pam gives him a weak smile. Jeffrey leaves.
"Detective Inspector Vincent. I understand you found the woman. I'd like to ask you a few questions about that." He sits down opposite of her. "Would you like some tea? Or perhaps something stronger?"
"Tea would be fine."
The DI indicates to a detective constable to fetch them both a cup of tea.
"Tea will only be a moment. Now, first let's get you a little settled. Let's start with your name."
"Pam Townsend."
"You're American? Where from?"
"Rhode Island, Providence."
"The Mrs has relatives in America. The Lesters. They live up in Boston. Do you know them?"
"Sure, the Lesters, lovely couple. I've met them."
"You have?"
Pam throws him a look. "Of course not. I've never even been to Boston." Pam has never smoked but feels a sudden desire to blow smoke in the DI's face. Their tea arrives.
"Tell the other hotel guests I'd like to talk to them too, and the hotel personnel." The DC nods and leaves to round up the other hotel guests and employees. "Yes, I guess that was a silly question. So you've never been to Boston, but what are you doing here?"
"I'm traveling."
"Alone?"
"With my two friends."
"The boy and the man I met earlier. Let's go back a few hours in time. You went to the manager's office, why?"
"I wanted to ask him if he could put an extra cot in our room."
"Why?"
"We were gonna be staying longer than planned. I thought it would be more comfortable."
"A cot? Babies sleep in cots."
"Er? I think we have a linguistic mix up here. A cot is a field bed. I think you call them camp beds."
"I see. Why did you want a camp bed? Weren't there enough beds in the room?"
"Obviously not, I wouldn't ask for an extra one if there had been more than one bed, would I?"
"You were all sleeping in the same bed? All three of you?"
"I fail to see how that is any business of yours."
"I'm conducting a murder investigation. Everything is of my business. But please continue. You went to the manager's office, then what?"
"I knocked. When there was no answer I first knocked again and then I opened the door. That's when I saw her."
"Then what did you do?"
"Close the door again. Sit on the floor. That's how Jeffrey found me some time later."
"And Jeffrey is?"
"The young man you just sent away."
"The one you're sleeping in the same bed with."
Pam throws him a look.
"Anything unusual?"
"I have no idea."
"This woman was shot through the head. Have you heard a gun shot?"
"Not before I opened the door. Not earlier this morning. Jeffrey and I went for a walk after breakfast. If it happened then, we wouldn't have heard."
"Good point. For how long will you be staying here?"
"I don't know."
"Once you decide to leave, do tell us. Thank you for this talk, miss Townsend." The DI gets up.
The police talk to the other hotel guests, but get nothing further. No one recognizes the woman from the manager's office as the police describe her, and no one has heard a gun shot at any time during their stay at the hotel. The employees are a little more helpful, as one of the seems to recall that he has seen the hotel manager talk to a woman as described by the DC. But none of them has heard a gunshot either.
The hotel manager turns up a few hours later, he was visiting a friend on his day off. He confirms knowing the woman, but not intimately. He doesn't know why anyone would want to kill her, including herself. It leaves the DI with a body and a murder weapon, but not a clue as to the how and what, and how a shot could be fired from a gun and no one hearing it.