A Death in Smoking Paradise

There was one red left footed flip flop in front of her and then a couple of paces further a pair of stained cut-off jeans shorts dropped on the floor it was covered in the red mud that the island is built on, then a pair of blue tailored shorts and then by the door a pair of black boxers. Alice grimaced as she paused and as thoughts turned in her head she dragged on her cigarette and as she exhaled, she smiled and tutted knowing from her several previous visits it was Tanya's bedroom.

Alice gently poked her head through the open door and tentatively she entered the room she looked in the direction of the bed she encountered the overly potent and pungent smell of last night's cigarettes, stale alcohol intermixed with the sour sweaty body odour associated with an evening in a bar and subsequent night in bed. The smell was permeating off both a naked Tanya and a male companion who was tucked under the bed sheets as they both peacefully snored away. Alice slowly walked into the room, and she almost tripped over on the other flip-flop lying on the floor but looked up and smiled at the peaceful slim and naked darkly tanned Tanya clearly passed out fast asleep on her back. Her legs were covered in the same dust and the red mud of the paths of the island are made of that she had also seen on the dirty shorts.

Alice assumed the mud was from falling over whilst getting home last night. Tanya was still calmly but loudly snoring away on her back still on top of the bed clothes in almost a starfish position. Her blonde male companion was tucked up in the foetal position under the sheets. Tanya's soles of her feet were filthy covered in black and red mud and pointing straight up to the ceiling. Alice walked over the bed side unit and noticed that there was still an unlit cigarette between Tanya's fingers and in anticipation Alice slowly pulled the cigarette out of between her digits and clasped it safely in her own hand. She paused and flicked her own burning cigarette into the ashtray on the white Formica bedside table, before taking a gentle drag exhaling quietly before crouching beside the bed closest to Tanya.

As she squatted, she gently coughed and wiped her hand across her nose before speaking "Good Morning, Tanya?" She said loudly and looked down at the snoring friend. "Tanya, its Alice?" She said a little louder, "Morning Tanya!" She said louder again to no avail. She tapped her on the shoulders "Good morning, Tanya."

Tanya sniffed and rubbed her nose whilst still in her sleep, moaned and groaned and rolled on her side her arm flailing in the air as she rolled and landed as she hugged the male companion still under the bed clothes as she then tucked herself into a ball sticking her naked muddy backside closer to Alice's face.

Alice straightened up, and tutted and to avoid the buttocks stood up and as she thought of her next move she dragged on her cigarette.

She moved in the space created on the edge of the bed the springs creaked as she sat. "Hello Tanya, it's the Alice, from the police". She said again gently poking her fingers in the now accessible soft and darkly tanned flesh in Tanya's bony rib cage.

Tanya grunted and rolled on to her front and kicked her legs out straight, moaned and coughed hard three times pulling the pillow over her head as if to hide. Her male companion groaned and moved wiggling around. Alice immediately used her cigarette to light the Marlboro she had retrieved from Tanya's hand as soon as Tanya rolled around again on to her back coughing, and she was facing the right way Alice handed her the lit cigarette.

With one eye open as she took the cigarette "What?" Tanya said as the cigarette was placed between her lips, she started inhaling with her bloodshot eyes' half closed and as she exhaled and then coughed and dry retched.

"Sorry Tanya, morning! You might need to lose your, err, friend shortly; I need to get you down to the police station for a quick chat." Alice almost whispered.

Tanya scratched her messy deep brown main of hair and wiped sleep from her eyes as dragged on her cigarette again "Pardon?" She exhaled. Then a thought hit her. "Oh, fuck my head and arse hurts!" She said all blearily eyed as she rubbed her naked backside and she coughed and then dragged again. She then slowly turned her head and looked with a concerned face at the mess of blonde appearing from her hair male companion under the bed sheets.

"Sorry Tanya, not my call the boss wants to interview you!"

"Fuck, what time is it?"

"Err, I think it's nearly nine?"

"What the fuck, not sure when I got home, and," she croaked then coughed and looked beside her, "well, I am not sure what I did afterwards. I am guessing I fell over, maybe I had sex?" She questioned stroking the inside of her thighs. "I feel crap and my arse is probably black and blue?" She questioned again scratching her hair and looking beside her. "Fuck," she dragged hard on her cigarette before exhaling out the side of her mouth. "Okay," she sniffed her arm pits, "let me have a pee and my shower, and," she coughed again, "I will be right there." She groaned before taking a further two deep drags on her cigarette and sighing loudly as she exhaled and shuffled to the side of the bed and leant forward and held her stomach and waited for a second as her world spun before she took a final drag and then stubbed the cigarette out as she levered herself out of the bed, as the bed creaked the blonde companion moaned and shuffled under the bedsheet.

***

"Ma'am, the 'tox' report has just been sent across." Ryan stated as he pulled on his cigarette before reaching across and stubbing it out in the ashtray as he exhaled.

"Great, is there anything of interest?" Davina asked looking up from her papers and picking up her mug of coffee in both hands and then taking a gulp.

"Err, let me see..." he mused as the wisps of his exhale drifted out his nose, "yes, there was no alcohol in her blood but there are sleeping tablets and residue of cocaine." Ryan stated as he continued reading. "That's a confusing combination!" He ruminated out loud.

"So, she was countering the high or just habitual user?" Davina asked.

"Well, interestingly there is a small drugs scene on the island, but it's not promoted or encouraged like they actively promote nicotine consumption. I am assuming the post-mortem they will find she had a heart attack?" Ryan suggested.

"Good thinking, but of course we have no idea, we will need to find out from Katya and Tanya who she knew was on the island that day, other than you, of course and what else she saw, for example you mentioned the boat?" Davina asked.

Ryan looked up at the clock, and thought about it, "Yeah, we haven't actually seen it; but Alice should be back in a minute."

***

"Bye Darling" Carrie-Ann called out as she quickly leaned across and extracted her second morning cigarette from her nearly empty pack on the bedside table and quickly lit it, dragging hard a couple of times and then exhaled and lay back on the bed. She listened as Mike gently shut the front door and then inhaled again on her cigarette. She paused held the smoke in her lungs let the smoke and its nicotine do its morning magic on her bloodstream for a couple of beats and smiled before releasing a very much thinned out a cone up towards the ceiling.

***

Alice sat on the sofa with a cigarette between her fingers picking at her cuticles on her spare hand whilst waiting for Tanya. She heard coughing, groaning, and sniffing, from Tanya's bedroom direction and in the very quiet and sparsely furnished house by the loud echoing sound of a bladder being forcefully emptied into a distant toilet with a door wide open, and then the flush. With a few seconds later the sound of shuffling feet.

"Oh, morning Alice," Marion rasped, "oh, what is matter now, what are you doing here?" She croaked as she shuffled into the kitchen with a cigarette dangled in the corner of her mouth her white chiffon dressing gown open and flowing behind her like a cape.

"Just waiting for Tanya to say goodbye to her...male... let's say acquaintance and then she wanted to have a shower, my boss wants to talk to her this morning due to finding Chardonnay and all that." Alice explained tentatively as she flicked her cigarette on the ashtray.

Marion laughed and gently coughed again "Male? Hmmm, I imagine she will be a little delicate this morning, but it's understandable after yesterday, and hell again as usual I am too." Only got up for yet another piss and a ciggy, Alice, don't ever get old!" She snorted, "And then was going back..." she yawned and stretched her arms "...to bed...it's probably far too early for me but thought I could hear something." She flicked her cigarette, licked her lips and took a short drag "...hmmm...which male?" She mused as she shrugged her shoulders "I didn't hear her come home but then I passed out early again." She shook her head and then leaning her head back took an exaggerated drag on her cigarette and wobbled backwards grabbing the counter for support as she did.

"Err, I assume a new islander...never seen him before?" Alice said highlighting that she was not entirely sure.

"Ahh, yes, him!" She said as she exhaled out the corner of her mouth and then smiled behind her smoke cloud, "if I was to guess I think it might probably be, err, oh what's his name," she paused and screwed her face as the thought "oh yes him...thingy, err, Dave, no, err, yes, Dexter!" Marion smiled as she mused and relaxed her face and quickly dragged on her cigarette. "My Tanya doesn't hang around, does she with fresh young cock on the island?" Marion cackled as she exhaled and then violently coughed.

"Oh, I see, err," Alice paused almost with concern as Marion hacked a deep cough, before continuing. Marion swiftly recovered as she dragged on her cigarette again. "I don't think I have met him yet, other than, you know, just now!" Alice smiled sweetly at Marion and flicked her cigarette. "Oh, Marion, before I forget to ask you guys on the committee are not aware of anyone on Trudy Island this weekend?" Alice enquired as Marion released another volley of smoke across the kitchen as she struggled with the coffee machine.

"Err," she paused and thought whilst she turned to look at Alice sitting with bright red hair and blue police uniform, her dark tanned legs crossed over each other contrasting against the white sofa, as she took a quick drag "I can't think of anyone...that place gives me the creeps." Marion faux shuddered as her smoke tumbled out of her mouth.

"Oh, okay, that's my afternoon sorted I expect Davina will want me look at the CCTV and see if we can find anyone leaving the island who shouldn't!" Alice stated as she was interrupted as there were noisy footsteps which clumped down the hallway as half -dressed Dexter bolted from Tanya's bedroom out into the living room skidding on the polished tiled floor and then without acknowledging his audience swiftly scrammed out the front door, his undone shirt flapping as he went. Alice and Marion smiled at each other and then both waved as the figure disappeared.

A few strategic minutes Tanya then casually strolled out of the bedroom and down the hallway topless in just a new pair of clean barely-there bright white linen shorts, the top button and fly still undone as she shuffled down the hallway, the open shorts flapping revealing the contrast against the white linen with the curling top of her dark thick brown pubes. She still had a green towel wrapped atop her head, a freshly lit cigarette as ever present in the corner of her mouth.

"Morning mom, oh, has Dexter's gone already?"

"Yeah, he can only be described as ran for it!" Marion stated in an inquisitive motherly way.

"Oh, never mind, Oh, coffee, thanks Mom." Tanya groaned as she massaged the towel on top of her head before taking it off and dropping it on the middle of the floor as she shuffled towards the kitchen.

"Morning Tan, so...who was your guest?" Marion enquired sternly and motherly.

"Mom, later!" Tanya snapped back defensively staring at Alice.

"Oh, anyway," Marion screwed her face up again and coughed and swiftly dragged on her cigarette and exhaled before continuing, "Tan if you are going down to the station, I would like you to put some more clothes on, maybe shave your legs and pits, especially if you are talking to the real police today. You know how make yourself a bit presentable; as you will be representing the island and all that." The noticeably naked Marion with her unshaved legs said not turning around from trying as she clattered and clanked as she attempted and failed to get the coffee machine to work.

"Yeah, Mom will do whatever, but first I also need a coffee, oh fuck it mum, shall I help you with that?" Tanya asked as her cigarette bounced between her lips as she came alongside Marion and then within seconds got the coffee machine whining and bubbling away. She turned remembering, "Oh, sorry Alice is it okay if I have a coffee first, as ever my throat and head are banging and throbbing!" she grinned and then flicked her ash and dragged hard again on her cigarette.

Alice shrugged her shoulders "Yeah, carry on, I am in no hurry!" She grinned and pulled another cigarette from the open pack in front of her and quickly chain lit her cigarette and as she exhaled, she stubbed out her spent cigarette amongst the mountain of butts in ashtray in front of her and settled down to wait with another deep inhale.

***

Martha slowly pushed open her front door, and turned, bent down and picked up her two carrier bags full of breakfast goodies off the doorstep. She then walked into the room, kicking the door closed with the back of her heal, and then ambled across the room smoke drifting out of her nose with her own cigarette dangled on the corner of her mouth. She was making her way to the kitchen; she got the kitchen table dropped her carrier bags on top and reached to flick her cigarette above the ashtray. She was slightly taken aback to find a large pair of white cotton knickers on the kitchen table in ashtray, with now with a black ash-stained gusset. She smiled, tutted, and shook her head and then hesitantly turned her head and looked across the room to find Hannah alone passed out on the sofa under her white bed sheet. She rolled her eyes, removed the offending underwear from the table scrunching it up in her hand, and flicked her cigarette in the now revealed ashtray.

She grinned and then placed the cigarette back between her lips, and then threw the knickers towards Hannah, they landed on her face, and she soon coughed and spluttered as she woke up pushing the criminal cotton item off her nose and mouth.

"What the fuck?" Hannah croaked and then gently coughed and groaned as she held them in her hands. "Oh, my head!" She croaked again.

Martha grinned, "Morning you, I guess you must have had a good night with Tanya?" She asked as she lent on her bedroom door frame.

"What? She asked and slowly opened her eyes, "Yeah, wasn't too bad" she coughed again and ran her tongue along her teeth holding her head as she sat up "drank far too much and I, urgh, I couldn't keep up with Tanya both drinking and smoking and flirting, however much I tried." She grimaced.

"I don't think even now I can do that she is certainly a cigarette smoking machine!" Martha smiled and then dragged on her cigarette. "Oh, who was she flirting with?".

"Some really fit guy, the one you saw, I think he was called Dexter, ugh, my head and lungs hurt." Hannah put her hand on her chest and screwed her face up as she coughed hard.

Oh okay, I guess the throat-lung hurting is a hint?" She asked as she pulled the pack from inside her sarong hem and threw it across to Hannah which landed on her lap. "These will help!" She grinned.

"Eh, they are the last thing I really want, ever!" Hannah moaned and held her head in her hands.

"Are you sure? For me they often work a treat, there are also freshly baked donuts in the bag!" Martha grinned.

Hannah's eyes widened as she laughed, "Oh fresh donuts, now you are talking, you're an amazing sister, they are perfect hangover cure!"

"They are!"

"As I'm not sure actually I want a cigarette?" She said holding the open pack in front of her and looking up at the bakery bags on the kitchen table, "Seeing as I was with Tanya and spent the night sm..." she gently scratched her hair and a grin crept across her face as she looked at the filters and shook her head and looked up at her sister "...oh fuck it, Mart, I'm probably, no definitely still drunk and talking rubbish do you know what am I saying...of course I actually do." She smiled back Martha as she extracted the cylinder from the pack and placed the orange filter between her lips.

Martha smiled back at her. "That's what I thought would happen, it's okay, have the rest of my pack, and of course help yourself to the donuts, Danish's, and importantly the ciggies.

"Thanks..."

"I've got a pack or two in the bedroom," she smiled as she opened the bag on the table lifting a Danish pastry out of the bag, "but Hannah, sorry all I really need now is to get some sleep before my afternoon shift, oh before I go, are you planning on doing anything or nothing today?" Martha asked and then bit into the donut and chewed then licked her lips as Hannah inched the flame closer to the cigarette between her lips before releasing and stopping the flame to respond.

"Err, as Tanya last night mentioned the beach bar is open again this afternoon, I thought I could slowly walk up there, and maybe go for a swim clear my head and get some exercise and drink some soft drinks." She stated and then paused as she concentrated again and got the lighter with flame focused on getting the cigarette alight with a couple of her gentle inhales, before sighing loudly as she exhaled, and the fresh rush of nicotine got to work in her now deprived blood stream.

"Excellent idea!" Smiled Martha, "it's good to get exercise or do something on this island; it helps keep the boredom demons away. I do have to keep telling people that!" She stated as she stood there, donut in one hand and cigarette in the other, she then dragged on the remnants of her cigarette before quickly looking around before walking back to the coffee table in front of Hannah and stubbing her cigarette out and taking another bite of the donut.

"I don't want any demons, finding myself a Dexter however is a completely different story." She grinned, "but as you have told me hundreds of times, I am never going to lose any weight if I don't exercise." Hannah smiled and gently pulled again on the cigarette.

"Big sister or doctor, I am right on both accounts." Martha stated as she licked her lips of the stray jam. "It will be hot again, to make sure you drink..."

"...Plenty of water" they said in unison.

"Excellent, I am going to get some shut eye, it was another crap night." Martha stated as she headed back to the bedroom and was about to push the door closed behind her.

"Night, Night Mart, I guess I won't see you later if you are working?"

"No, but I am free Friday night for a drink, as I have Saturday and Sunday off, yay go me! So be good, there should still be cereal and milk in the fridge, have fun and enjoy the walk and the swim...oh and if you're that dehydrated already, don't drink too many of the free beers!" She winked.

"Yes mom!" Hannah chanted back before looking at the cigarette with the light brown staining on the filter between her fingers and smiling at it, before placing it back between her lips taking another delightful morning lungful of much needed smoke.

Martha smiled as she turned and entered her bedroom and closed the door a little before briefly watching her sister on the sofa, through the gap in the door, enjoying her morning cigarette; she smiled fondly as she watched another cloud of smoke leave her lips and pushed the door closed until there was a gentle click.