A Death in Smoking Paradise

"In that case I better get the after-sun out of the fridge for her though she will have roasted herself!" She smirked and as she got up, flicked her cigarette in the ashtray and then shuffled in her flowery sarong towards the door.

"Bye-bye," Marion called out and waved and then giggled at nothing and then looked at her daughter "Can I get you drink?" She asked before finishing her glass of wine.

"Ugh, no, no thanks Mom, not today." Tanya pulled a face whilst holding her stomach.

"Suit yourself. I definitely need another one before you Dad gets home...oh whilst I think about it...Did Alice say any more about Chardonnay?" Marion enquired whilst placing her wine glass back on the table before her mouth chased her cigarette between her fingers and taking a leisurely long drag on her cigarette as she settled back on to the sofa.

"No Mom, they were talking to Dad and Ryan as they were last two out on the island as far as they were aware.

"Oh, and talking of Chardonnay, can you get Katya up here? I'm a forest, I need waxing again!"

"Yeah, I will talk to her."

Thursday

"Morning Ma'am" Alice smiled brightly as Davina walked into the office with her hair still wet from her morning shower, the thick curls slicked back with a large hair band over it to keep it place and as she sat down, she yawned.

"Remind me not to go out drinking with you guys again on a work night!"

"Oh, I thought we had fun?" Alice smiled sweetly.

"We did, but I am not enjoying it now. I sadly didn't manage to get anywhere with the laptop, I will try again in a minute. He will want it back. So where are we this morning? Also, where is Ryan?"

"Err, yes, can I offer you a cigarette?" Alice asked turning the pack around to face her.

Davina smiled and shook her head, "god no, not yet I've just washed my teeth!" She yawned again, "I could do with a coffee though," she stated as the front door opened wide.

"Morning, sorry, Ma'am" Ryan said as he hurriedly swung the door open and entered. "I will get the kettle on, any one fancy a brew?"

"Yes, we would!" Alice smiled and rolled her eyes at him as he tucked his un-ironed shirt in to his blue shorts.

***

"Hey you, morning!" Dexter said as he walked around the corner to find Hannah pacing up and down in her light blue round neck t-shirt and black leggings, she had red halter neck bikini straps around her neck as she nervously walked up and down in her flip-flops smoking her cigarette in one hand whilst gripping a water bottle in the other.

Hannah's face instantly relaxed as she clocked him, and he smiled warmly at her. "Oh, you did turn up; I was thinking of going back to bed." She smiled back and flicked her ash took a quick drag and then stubbed the cigarette out in the red dusty floor as she exhaled.

"Of course, I was, this was my idea. Good to see you got your water; think today is going to be another hot one!"

"Every day is a hot one here!" Hannah grimaced and flicked her lose blonde strand of hair from in front of her mouth.

"So, shall we do a couple of stretches, don't want to pull anything?" Dexter suggested as he bent over with ease and touched his toes.

"Yeah, I guess so." As she slowly groaned as she bent over and stretched not reaching her toes Dexter smiled as he looked up and observed her large bright pink knickers which were clearly seen through her overly stretched leggings.

"And the other side." Dexter smiled as he lurched and stretched his muscular hairy legs bulging in his red shorts as he sprung back upright. He smiled kindly as Hannah copied. "See not too difficult, is it?"

Hannah shrugged her shoulders, "I guess not?"

With that Dexter led her through a series of movement and stretches before they set off on a fast-walking slow-jog along the coast road.

***

Mike sniffed and smiled rolled on to his back and opened his eyes to see Carrie-Ann as ever with smoke pouring out her nose with a cigarette dangled in the corner of her mouth whilst sitting on the edge of the bed pulled her red bra around her slim body, once she had lined the cups up, she threaded her arms through the straps as Mike coughed and stirred, she looked across.

"Morning darling." She smiled as more smoke drifted out of her nose.

Mike grunted as he fully opened his eyes and focused on Carrie-Ann.

She answered the unasked question, "We've got, what I assume to be young male, company today darling, haven't we?" She stated as she got off the bed and walked over the chest of draws and pulled open the draw and took out a matching red t-shirt and balanced the cigarette on the top of the drawers and pulled the top over her head before placing the filter securely back between her lips.

"True."

"Just think, Darling, from Saturday, I won't need to wear much again, if I don't want to, but for now, I do need you to get up, so I can wash the bedding and you can dismantle the bed!" Carrie-Ann said as she turned and put her hand on hips whilst looking at Mike with the bed sheets up to almost his chin.

He nodded, "Yes Caz, on it" and he rolled over and gently coughed the once, and extracted his own cigarette from the pack on the bedside table, rolled back and grabbed the lighter and quickly lit it, exhaled before dragging again whilst Carrie-Ann glared at him for staying under the covers, once he had finished exhaling he sighed apologetically and then shuffled out of the bed, squeezing Carrie-Ann's naked buttocks as he went past on the way to the bathroom before she bent down and pulled up her blue jeans over her simple red cotton knickers, shaking her head and smiling at Mike's naked backside though the en-suite bathroom door as he peed in the toilet with his cigarette in one hand and his cock in the other.

***

"Right it is, err..." Davina said looking around "...ah Thursday morning and what do we know about Chardonnay that is going to solve this case?" Davina asked standing in front of both Alice and Ryan looking at the white board against the wall. Earlier in the morning Ryan had wiped off the couple of games of noughts and crosses and replaced it with the facts of the case. "Alice so what do we know about Chardonnay's finances?"

"Yes ma'am I spoke to her bank this morning, and she was clearly saving money as there was quite a bit of cash in there, but that is understandable for most of us living on the islands we don't spend much, her monthly income from SPIL and then some other bits of interest income, but what is interesting Ma'am in the last two months there have been two large deposits each of a thousand bucks."

"Can we chase who the money came from?"

"I already asked that Ma'am and it was easy, it was one H Simmonds." Alice grinned proud of herself and extracted a cigarette as a present to herself.

"Who is that on the island?"

"Oh, sorry Ma'am I forget that you didn't know that he is Henry the hypnotist." She stated as her unlit cigarette bounced in the corner of her mouth.

"What the...?" Davina asked her voice laced in confusion.

"Henry, he works on the boat that we all normally use to get to and from the mainland." Alice stated as she got the lighter fired up.

"Oh, so when does that boat come back?"

"Sunday," she nodded before focusing on tilted her head slightly to the left and protecting the flame finally getting the cigarette alight.

Davina nodded and wrote Henry up on the board. "Was he here at the weekend?"

Ryan interjected "The boat comes in every Sunday afternoon and leaves on Sunday evening."

Davina scribbled a big question mark next to his name. "So does our Henry leave the boat when it comes in, is there time? Or does he stay on board?"

"I don't know, maybe, it doesn't hang around." Alice stated indecisively.

"Who would know if he left?" Davina asked.

"Tanya meets every boat that has visitors on it."

"So, where do we find Tanya today?" Davina asked Alice and Ryan.

Alice thought for a moment "Its, err Thursday, she takes a group of people up to the waterfall for the island weekly and very important COPD mitigation walk." She almost chanted back.

***

"See, I told you I wouldn't make it too difficult for you!" Dexter stated as they briskly walked along the flat road following the shore.

"Uh uh, I guess so, I'm hot sweaty and sticky!" Hannah replied and wiped the sweat off her brow as she tried to keep up with Dexter as he powered along the path.

"Do you enjoy being back on the islands?" Dexter asked.

"Yeah, it's good being with my sister." Hannah panted and twisted the lid on her water bottle and gulped some of her water as they walked.

"What do you think about the almost forced consistent smoking they sort impose on you?" Dexter asked as he dropped back alongside her on a wider part of the path.

Hannah smiled to herself as she thought, "At first I hated the idea, I have always loathed the idea of smoking, years of sitting there watching my Mom, Dad and sister continuously coughing and spluttering in a cloud of stinking smoke, I used to ask them if it was going to rain they had such a big dark cloud hanging above their heads. but for some strange reason after my first trip out to the island I suddenly got to love it and I very quickly- as I was living still living with two smokers- got the hang of it, and then even at this, some might say when comparing to others early stage in my smoking life, I have unexpectantly genuinely fallen in love with the art of smoking. I can really see why committed smokers want to move here, there are no restrictions, you can literally enjoy the smoke anywhere." She grinned and patted her thighs which wobbled in her leggings. "But being at home with Mom smoking was fine, but you when we went out and it was raining, we couldn't sit outside with a drink and smoke...oh dear oh fuck..." She stated as she rubbed her hands down her thighs.

"Are you okay?"

"Err yeah," she giggled nervously, "I am still learning as, err, talking of smoking...I lit a cigarette as I left the house..." She patted her pocket-less thighs, "but stupidly- I am really showing my limited nicotine dependence innocence here," she nervously giggled. "I stupidly didn't bring any cigarettes with me!" She tutted as she shook her head.

Dexter smiled supportively and nodded, "Don't worry, it happens to us all to begin with, I brought two new packs with me, as on this island you never know how long you might be!" He smiled and pulling the two cigarettes out of his short's pockets, before continuing. "It's understandable, out here in the gorgeous sunshine, plenty of drink plenty of beach. It's an amazing and loveable experience. Is that why you came back?"

"That and my mom's sexual exploits, yes, it was an easy decision."

"Talking of easy decisions, and cigarettes shall we stop for a ciggy break?"

Hannah enthusiastically nodded, "Hell yeah!" she stated a little too loudly and eagerly and then smiled as Dexter nodded and lead them the short distance off the track and down on to the rocks by the light blue sea lapping against the sand.

"Cool, shall we have a quick break here and then before it gets too hot, we could walk or run up to the waterfall?" Dexter asked as he pulled the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

Hannah smiled sweetly at Dexter "Honestly I prefer the idea of a cigarette or two and a gentle slow walk, but yes Dexter, we can." She grinned enthusiastically in appreciation as he offered her a cigarette from his pack, and she placed it between her lips, and he offered her a light before lighting his own.

"It's so quiet around here, away from the crowds." Dexter suggested after lighting his cigarette the smoke swirling in front of them.

Hannah looked around the empty beach and giggled "Dexter, crowds on this island?" she laughed and then gently coughed and sniffed before dragging on her cigarette again and then perched her bottom down on the black rock under the palm tree before getting up and repositioning herself.

"You know what I mean?" Dexter asked before also dragging hard on his cigarette.

"Well, I guess so...anyway so what's your reason for running away out here? What are you running from?" Hannah asked as she exhaled and flicked her ash from the cigarette and watched it drift off on the air before slowly falling into sea.

Dexter looked both ways to prove there was no one around. "I was asked to come out here." His eyes sparking and his mouth had a wicked smile.

"Oh, sounds interesting, by who?" She asked with her cigarette hoovering in front of her mouth the smoke drifting from the end going across her face before having to move her hair out of her mouth before finally taking a drag.

"It is interesting question." He said cryptically before taking a short pull before dropping his half-smoked cigarette into the sea below as he exhaled. "Come on you, let us get on?"

"Hang on!" Hannah grizzled dejectedly before dragging hard twice on her cigarette, exhaling, and then glancing at Dexter and as she exhaled, she then smiled and dragged hard for a third time.

"Come on, you know it's the right thing to do, it was meant to be exercise this morning!" Dexter replied as Hannah nodded mid inhale, she exhaled and confidently stubbed her cigarette out on the rock.

"Yes sir!" Hannah saluted with a large flirtatious smile before taking a desperate gulp of her water.

***

Davina walked alongside Alice and Ryan "How far a walk is it officers? Should I have brought walking boots?" she asked as they made their way across to the police buggy.

Ryan laughed "it's not very far and it's an easy walk, but the committee in conjunction with the doctors at the hospital have stipulated to make sure it is suggested that we don't all sit down and drink and smoke ourselves into blissful oblivion!"

"Does everyone go on the walk?"

Ryan laughed again, "No, most are either too old, too ill, or they are too busy smoking and drinking themselves into oblivion!" he grinned.

"Oh, but we are taking the buggy?" Davina asked as she jumped in the passenger side seat and Alice coughed as she hopped in the back.

"Only up to the little parking spot, it makes the walk a lot easier on our lungs as it's shorter." Alice suggested with a smile as she leaned between Ryan and Davina and picked up the lighter off the dashboard and settled down to light her cigarette before offering it to Davina who shook her head and left it to Ryan to light his and then to put it back in its spot. Ryan with his cigarette in the corner of his mouth then got the buggy moving.

After about sixty seconds of driving along Davina tapped Ryan on the shoulders and piped up "Officers, actually when does Tanya get back from her walk?"

"Oh, late afternoon, they have a pick nick and a drink or two." Ryan replied.

"Well then there is no hurry going to find her. Is there?" She looked at the two officers, "she isn't going anywhere, so before we go and find Tanya, I think we should search Chardonnays room, to see if there is anything interesting there, we should see or missed. What do you think?" Davina asked rhetorically.

"Yes Ma'am" Alice and Ryan agreed in unison, as Ryan slowed down and then the buggy whirred as he pulled a sharp U turn kicking dust up off the road and headed back the way they came.

They drove away from the coast and turned down a little track before coming along side four porter cabins making an effective horseshoe courtyard.

"Well, this is certainly less salubrious that the other cabins!" Davina stated as they parked up.

"It's the lowest level singles quarters Ma'am" Alice suggested as they got out of the buggy.

The grey nondescript porter cabins with the undergrowth and ivy slowly crawling up the sides. They were arranged with two doors at either end leading to single bedrooms and a shared toilet and shower in between the bedrooms.

"Which one was Chardonnays?" Davina asked.

"The one on the very end" Ryan answered far too quickly.

"And she used to share this porta cabin with Katya?" Davina enquired with a knowing smile.

"Yes Ma'am" Alice responded as the three of them walked up to the little step and paused before putting on their blue latex gloves before trying the door handle. Unsurprisingly for the island it was unlocked.

The opened the door to be faced with a small pink decorated girly bedroom even for the industrial container-based room, with a single bed with pink bedspread, and pillow and in the far-left corner, a bedside table with a large glass ashtray on it, beside a fridge under the window with a pink plastic lamp on it. Leaning against the lamp was a half empty carton of SPIL golds. The door to the interconnecting bathroom was open showing the toilet.

Davina turned to Alice, "Go back and get your camera and photograph this, there may be things that we don't spot a first."

"Yes Ma'am," and she turned and headed out of the room and slowly walked back to the buggy.

Once Alice was out of earshot and both were standing in the small room. "So, Ryan, I get the impression you may have been here once or twice alone with Chardonnay?" She raised a small teasing eyebrow and smile, "is there anything you recognise as not in the right place or just plain wrong?"

"Err, maybe, I, err don't think so?" Ryan stumbled over his words as he looked around.

"Well shall we both have a look?"

They looked around the room, the ashtray beside the bed was spotlessly clean, and the bed had been made. There had been no evidence of rush or fight or even urgent need to get out of the room, it all looked presentable and calm.

Davina looked at the open internal door "Who has the room next door?" she asked.

Ryan frowned. "As far as I am aware since Katya moved out its empty." He replied and walked over to the bathroom and tried the door, it opened and looked inside. "Yes, Ma'am it's empty."

"Okay, thank you Detective, the reason I ask, is that the toilet seat is up!" she stated looking through the door.

"Oh, so, someone male has potentially tidied up in here. Or she used to p..."

"Don't go there officer, there is that possibility that a male tidied up, or was the last to use it." Davina stated as Alice stood on the doorstep exhaling smoke before flicking her cigarette away as walked back in.

"Took your time?" Davina asked as she ran her fingers through her curly hair.

"Sorry Ma'am I just, you know, I needed another quick cigarette outside; I didn't want to get my ash on the potential crime scene!"

"Good skills officer." Davina praised her whilst shaking her head, as Ryan smiled mouthed to Alice as Davina looked in the cupboards "you owe me one." Alice grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ma'am what do you need photographed, everything looks okay?" Alice asked.

"Umm, yes, photograph everything, oh look..." she said opening the draw "... there is plenty of underwear, rather skimpy non-existent if I don't say." Davina stated as she rummaged in the draw and pulled out and stretched a tiny glittery union jack thong between her fingers "clearly patriotic girl!" and then rummaged again pulled out a pair of large yellow cotton knickers "umm these are more like it".

"What are we looking for?" Ryan asked pensively.

"Not sure, I won't know until I find it."

"Oh, okay." Ryan mused, smiled, and then squatted down beside the bed and umm and ahh'd as he thought for a second and then pulled open the bedside cabinet draw and ran his fingers along the back of the draw.

"Ah ha!" he smiled as he brought out four white bags taped together.

"Well, a little inside knowledge solves one of questions, the drugs were hers." Davina stated.

"We have been trying to work out for ages, haven't we Al, where the cocaine on the island was coming from. I should have guessed it was Chardonnay, she knows everyone!" Ryan stated pleased with himself.

"She also knew you, Ryan! Anyway, photograph and bag them up, just don't snort them until I have gone officers. Also, Ryan dust for prints on the drug bags, the bedside unit, and the toilet seat and, also might be wise to strip the bed, the lab might be able to find something useful on there. We can get this all back to the lab later once we have spoken to Tanya?"