Why Not Murder

15. Nightmares

15. Nightmares

It was a Saturday and Maya, Cook, Hilda and Harriet were sitting inside the Laymuir kitchen because it was raining outside. Mr. and Mrs. Laymuir were out together for the afternoon. The gardeners were purchasing supplies. Heather's purse was on the table between them.

"I found it in the Mrs' studio in her cupboard. I was cleaning," Hilda explained, "You're the investigator so we thought you may be interested. The Mrs doesn't know we know about it," Hilda said to Maya.

Maya looked inside. It was full of stuff. First thing she noticed and pulled out was a rumpled note. She smoothed it out on the table enough to read it but the creases remained. She read aloud, "My heart is broken." and then added, "It's not signed."

"No it's not, nor is there any mention of wanting to end her life, nor is there any date. We have become a suspicious group," Harriet said. "We suppose that after the official finding that this was a case of suicide, Winnie was able to take the purse with her. I know Mrs. Laymuir's handwriting and this looks quite a bit like it. In fact when I first saw the note, I thought it was written by Mrs. Laymuir and that she had a broken heart because of Mr. Laymuir's affair. I first saw it lying on her painting table in her studio. It was on the day before Heather died. She had called me to her to have me arrange for a hair appointment. She acted like I hadn't seen it. It was among other sheets of paper with various sentences on them. She jots ideas down in a very rough form and uses them when she is dictating to me."

"We agree about the handwriting," Hilda said and Cook was nodding.

"Was an autopsy done?" Maya asked.

"No," Harriet replied, "Mr. Laymuir was against it and I drafted up his letter to the coroner while he dictated to me."

"Which means," Hilda interrupted, "She may not have ingested any sleeping pills whatsoever."

"Are you suggesting that Heather Roberts was murdered?" Maya looked at them all, glancing at each in turn.

"There was definitely motive for her death on the part of the Mrs." Hilda said while the others gave affirmative expressions.

"Why would you suspect Mrs. Laymuir capable of such a thing?" Maya asked.

"Because of her nightmares. She is having a recurring nightmare that started after Heather died. She is being pursued by someone who will kill her and she wakes up terrified and panic stricken having just barely escaped her pursuer," Harriet said.

"It means that she has a guilty conscience," Cook said, "I've been into dream analysis since I was a teenager and have read everything I could about it and symbolism across all cultures. I have developed my own ideas on the subject."

"Harriet and I set up a website for Cook," Hilda said, "People send her their dreams and she analyses them for free."

"How do you know that's what she has been dreaming?" Maya asked, "Did she tell you? Does she talk in her sleep? Do the Laymuirs sleep together?"

"You are a natural investigator," Cook said, "Proven by all the questions you ask." The twins agreed.

"She wrote into my website," Cook said, "and I recognized her. Didn't tell her though."

"She screams out in these nightmares," Harriet said, "Otherwise I haven't heard her talking in her sleep when I'm prowling around because of my life-long insomnia. The Mr. and Mrs. have separate bedrooms. The Mr's bedroom is beside the Mrs."

"Insomnia's a hard thing to deal with," Maya said.

"I've had it my whole life so I am used to it. I don't worry about it wishing I could sleep," Harriet said, "I don't feel tired next day, but then I wouldn't know what it is like to sleep for more than an hour at a time. I make it so the nighttime hours are different from my day hours. I do things I don't have time for during the day or things I shouldn't be doing during the day because there is always work to be done. I keep my journal then, read interesting stuff and do quiet two minute work outs each time I wake. I think if you always have insomnia it is much easier than if you only suffer from it sometimes."