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Kirst?' called Sophie, pushing open the door of the ladies'.
'Two more minutes,' Kirsty shouted back. 'Just putting my face on.'
It had been a busy night in El Puerto , the fish and meat restaurant located in the Old Custom House, just across the road from Penarth Marina. But then every night in El Puerto was busy. The place was an incessant buzz of energy and conviviality and, from the beginning to the end of their shift, Sophie Gould and her best friend Kirsty Lane were constantly on the move, scurrying between tables, taking orders, pouring wine and champagne, and delivering plates of red snapper, steaming lobster and sea bass to hungry punters. It was hard work, but they loved it, and the tips alone were almost enough to pay for a decent night out.
As Kirsty finally emerged from the loo, snapping shut her sequinned shoulder bag, Terry, the deputy manager, appeared from behind the display counter, wiping his hands on a tea towel.
'You two must really love this place,' he said.
'Been getting ready, haven't we?' said Kirsty.
'We're going clubbing,' Sophie added.
'Blimey, you've got some stamina, I'll say that for you.'
Kirsty winked at him. 'A lot more than you could handle, mate.'
She was tiny and raven-haired, with big brown eyes, and it was obvious to Sophie that Terry fancied her rotten. As the deputy manager blushed through a grin, Sophie said, 'Come on, Kirst, let's be off. Save your flirting muscles for later.'
Saying goodnight to Terry, they tottered towards the door on their heels. They were almost there when he called after them. 'By the way, while you two were out back beautifying yourselves, you missed all the excitement.'
Kirsty glanced back at him. 'What excitement was that, then?'
'There's something going on down by the Marina, isn't there,' he told them. 'They've cordoned it all off. There's police, ambulances, the lot.'
Now Kirsty turned her big, shining eyes on her friend. She loved a bit of drama. 'Hey, come on, Soph, let's have a nosy.'
Sophie sighed. She'd much rather be downing a spritzer in a nice bar than standing out in the cold, but she knew there was no stopping Kirsty when she got a bee in her bonnet.
'Two minutes, tops,' she conceded. 'I'm not standing around all night.'
They went outside. It was not hard to identify the site of the incident. Quite a crowd had already gathered behind a sizeable barrier of fluorescent yellow tape. A standing metal sign read: POLICE RESTRICTED ZONE. Parked within the barrier were a pair of ambulances and four police cars, their blue lights flashing silently. Arc lamps had been set up down by the jetty and seemed to be trained on a yacht berthed beside a police patrol boat. Uniformed men milled everywhere.
Kirsty tapped a fellow rubbernecker on the shoulder. He was an elderly gent with a white moustache, wearing a navy blue blazer, white slacks and white shoes. Sophie was pretty sure she'd seen him earlier in the restaurant.
'What's going on, mister?' Kirsty asked.
The elderly man looked her up and down before answering. When he opened his mouth to speak, Sophie noticed with distaste that his teeth were very yellow.
'I've no idea,' he said waspishly. 'All I know is that I'm unable to get access to my boat. It's damned inconvenient.'
A younger, thicker-set man turned round. His accent identified him as a local. 'They reckon there's been a murder.'
'That's what the police have said, is it?' Sophie asked.
'Well. . . not as such,' the man admitted. 'Not to me, anyway. But that's what everyone reckons.'
Sophie touched her friend on the arm. 'Aw, c'mon, Kirst, let's go. Whatever's happening, we'll read about it in the paper tomorrow.'
Kirsty had the expression of a little kid being dragged away from a funfair. 'Just a couple more minutes,' she pleaded.
'What's the point? We won't find out anything. It's not like they're going to make an announce—'
The end of her sentence was cut off by the roar of a powerful engine and the screech of brakes from behind them. She turned