The Corpse's Tale (Trevor Joseph Detective series) (10 page)

‘And thou art dead, as young and fair

As aught of mortal birth;

And form so soft, and charms so rare

Too soon return’d to earth!

Though Earth received them in her bed,

And o’er the spot the crowd may tread

In carelessness and mirth,

There is an eye which could not brook

A moment on that grave to look…’

‘Elegy on Thyrza, by Anna’s favourite poet, Lord Byron,’ Sarah murmured, touched by Judy Oliver’s rendering.

Trevor didn’t hear her. He was staring at Judy Oliver’s feet. She was wearing brown sandals. They didn’t look right with her formal black dress. But it was obvious why she was wearing them. Across the bridge of her right foot was a bandage.

‘You’ll never guess what we discovered,’ Peter

said when Trevor switched on the TV.

‘There were two watches,’ Trevor said.

‘How did you know?’ Sarah looked at him in admiration.

‘Patrick found traces of a second watch in the wound on Anna’s wrist. I know who bought them, but is there a record?’

‘They were expensive, the buyer paid in cash, but,’ Sarah smiled, ‘I insisted they went through the files. The owner didn’t remember the sale but his father did.’

‘And he’ll swear in court that Tony Oliver bought them?’

‘Won’t you give us credit for anything, Joseph?’ Peter grumbled.

‘Lily told me that Anna had one special boyfriend who was rich and knew everything there was to know about sex. Mike Thomas said there were rumours that Anna would have sex with anyone who would introduce her to a producer or director. There’s only one man in the village who has strong connections with show business. But he slipped up when he bought similar, if not identical, watches for his wife and girlfriend.

‘I still don’t see…’

‘You will. Telephone Mike Thomas. Tell him you’re arresting Judy Oliver for the murder of Anna Harris. She may be downstairs having lunch.’

‘Where are you going?’ Peter asked irritably when Trevor opened the door.

‘To arrest the man who covered up the crime and perverted the course of justice.’

Stephen George was sitting in his lean-to, drinking beer. Trevor rapped on the glass. Stephen opened the door. He looked Trevor in the eye and Trevor saw that he knew what was coming. But George made one last, halfhearted attempt at bravado.

‘More questions, Inspector Joseph?’

‘Just one. Did Tony Oliver help you to cover up your sister’s murder of Anna Harris?’

‘No.’

‘Is that the truth?’

‘Yes.’ Stephen returned to his chair. ‘I knew when Dai Helpful won his appeal it might only be a matter of time. I would have destroyed the samples Professor Robbins took at the postmortem, if I’d known where they’d been sent. As the years passed, I hoped they’d been thrown out.’

‘Did you see Judy kill Anna?’

‘No. She telephoned me on her mobile. She was hysterical. I thought she’d caught Tony sleeping with another woman. He was always playing around. Judy said she was in the churchyard. I walked there and found her sitting on a tombstone looking at Anna’s body. I don’t think she realized she’d killed Anna until she stamped on the watch with her stiletto heel and tore Anna’s earrings from her ears. Tony had bought Anna those as well. When Anna didn’t move or make a sound, Judy snapped. That’s when she telephoned me.’

‘Whose idea was it to put Judy’s watch on Anna’s wrist?’

‘Mine. Judy said people had seen Anna wearing the watch in the pub. I sent Judy home to get hers to replace the one she’d broken. I thought the smashed watch an obvious indication that a jealous wife was the killer.

And Judy was known to be jealous. Tony gave up his career when Judy was charged with assaulting one of his mistresses. She couldn’t cope with all the girls he worked with. With good reason. He always had at least one, if not more, on the go.’

‘And he couldn’t resist Anna.’

‘I told you the truth when I said we were all in love with Anna. But she was choosy. She wanted to be a star. Tony still knew a lot of people in the business.’

‘Only he became careless and Judy found out.’

‘She was suspicious of every woman he looked at or talked to. That night she saw Anna wearing an identical watch to one he’d given her. She went home and found the receipt for both of them and a pair of earrings in his desk drawer. She went to the church intending to confront him. She saw him locking up after choir practice but, instead of going home, he went to the back of the shed. She hid behind the yew tree and waited.’

‘And saw him with Anna.’

‘The axe was in the chopping block behind the tree. Dai had only chopped half a load of logs and hadn’t locked it away. I’m not blaming him…’

‘That’s big of you, considering he served ten years in prison for a crime your sister committed. You fitted him up, George.’

‘Not intentionally. I tore Anna’s dress off her to make it look like a rape that had gone too far. I planned to investigate it and find nothing. Dozens of murders remain unsolved across the country every year. Only Tony phoned me when he found Dai with Anna’s body the next morning. It was perfect.’

‘Not for Dai Helpful.’

‘He’ll get compensation.’

‘I’ll visit you after you’ve served ten years inside and ask what price you’d put on ten years in prison, George.’

Two days later, Trevor carried his case and a box of files down to his car at seven in the morning. Rita James was in the hall.

‘Constable Merchant said you’re checking out today, Inspector.’

‘After one of your excellent breakfasts, Mrs James. Peter and Sarah will be down shortly.’

‘I’m sorry. But who would have thought a woman like Judy Oliver capable of murder?  know she’d been in show business, but she was still a vicar’s wife. Here let me.’ She opened the door for him. ‘Give me your keys and I’ll unlock your car.’

Trevor rested the box on his knee, ferreted in his pocket and handed them over. They both glanced at the church. David Morgan was struggling with the lock on the shed door.

‘He’s a forgiving soul,’ Rita murmured.

‘Seeing the churchyard in a state upset him.’ Trevor locked the box and case in the boot of his car, crossed the road and walked up the path. David had knocked the lock off the shed and was looking inside.

‘It’s empty, Mr Joseph.’

‘I expect the Church Council will soon buy you some new tools.’

‘That’s what Mam said. Thank you, Mr Joseph. Mr Smith said you’d prove that I didn’t kill Anna and you did.’

‘I’m only sorry it wasn’t sooner, David.’

‘I picked these in Mam’s garden for Anna.’ David pulled a small bunch of roses from his pocket. ‘Do you think she’d like them?’

‘I do, David – and it’s her, not me, you should be thanking. All the evidence we needed was on her body.’

David opened the door of the church, took off his cap and went inside. Trevor watched him walk up to the tomb. He turned back and saw Mrs Morgan standing on the path. She held out her hand. He shook it. Below him Peter and Sarah were loading Sarah’s van.

‘Goodbye, Mrs Morgan.’

‘Goodbye, Inspector Joseph. Thank you and may God bless you.’

He smiled at her. ‘I rather think he already has, Mrs Morgan.’

S E C R E T S

B Y LY N N E B A R R E T T- L E E

Sisters Megan and Ffion have never had secrets, so when Megan goes to flat-sit all she's expecting is a rest and a change.

When a stranger called Jack phones, Megan wonders who he is. Ffion behaves like she's just seen a ghost, and refuses to say any more.

So is Jack a ghost? Ffion's not telling and when she disappears too, the mystery deepens. Megan begins to fear for the future. She's always been the one who has looked after her little sister. Is this going to be the one time she can't?

LYNNE BARRETT-LEE is the author of four novels and also writes as Daisy Jordan for Transworld. She lives with her family in Cardiff, Wales.

ISBN 1905170300 price £2.99