Page 40 of A Village Theatre Murder
‘I saw Graham’s lawyer the other day. He was here at the police station, talking about a separation…’
Oscar looked surprised – and not in a good way – to discover that this piece of the puzzle was already out in the world.
‘Yes, well, I really can’t discuss anything more with you. Client confidentiality, and so on. But I’m here to help Jane in any way I can.’
‘Ah, so your relationship is professional then, is it?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Somehow I thought you were…friends.’
‘The Powells and I go back a long way. Yes, we are friends. Jane and I have some ancient history between us. But I’m also their lawyer, a role that I take very seriously.’
‘Good, well, I’m glad Jane has somebody in her corner. It seems she is in a sad and difficult situation.’
Oscar and Julia walked into the station, Julia chewing over what Oscar had told her. Did this change things, she wondered? She still needed to find out if Roger had told Hayley about the moustache. But when she asked Cherise if she could speak to Roger, Cherise told her that Roger was out for the day.
‘Do you know where I might find him?’ asked Julia.
‘It’s hardly for me to ask Superintendent Grave his movements for the day, is it?’ said Cherise, glaring at Julia. Julia conceded that indeed, it was not, and that she would have to send him a text. She felt a bit awkward messaging him for police business when she only had his number because of the show. She went back to the car, thinking about what she now knew, and how it might fit in with what she had thought.
Jake was thrilled to see her back. Thrilled! The separation had been long and arduous – although, truth be told, it was five minutes and he had been asleep for its entirety – and now they were reunited. He breathed his hot, foggy dog breath onto her neck while she fastened her seat belt. She opened the driver’s side window and gulped in a lungful of fresh air.
‘Good chap, Jakey,’ she said, having surveyed the car for new tooth marks. ‘Give me a minute and we’ll be on our way.’
While she had been standing in the police station speaking to Cherise, she had heard a WhatsApp message arrive on her phone. She pulled it out of her handbag to check.
It was from Roger himself to the group.
Hi all. Please see the new cast list below.
‘Third time lucky,’ Julia muttered to herself. Indeed, as promised, there followed a list of names of characters and names of actors. Oscar and Graham were not amongst them, ofcourse. Hector was listed, once again, as Postman. The poor chap would be most disappointed. Julia was sorry for him, but admired Roger’s resolve. Hector was indisputably a truly terrible actor. Sure, this wasn’t the West End, just an amateur production in the Cotswolds, but you had to have some standards. Roger was, if nothing else, a professional – even when it came to amateur dramatics – and a sensible man.
But Roger’s message was, for once, perfectly timed.
Julia typed out a message to him.
Hi Roger. Good call on the casting, Tab and I will get the props and costumes sorted. Could I chat to you about something else? Not cast-related, you’ll be pleased to hear! Maybe a coffee? It’s a bit urgent.
His reply was almost instant:Are you in the village? I’ll be at the hall until about 2p.m. You can pop in if you are about.
Yes, yes, she did want to pop in! She messaged to say she’d be round shortly and got a thumbs-up.
Jake wasn’t pleased to be left in the car again, but this really was a pop-in. She opened the windows and reiterated her previous instructions, then followed the path through the garden to the hall. The big main door was locked, so she went around to the side door, adjacent to the stage. This door was open. Through the gap she saw Roger Grave’s back, his long neck angled towards the phone held to his ear. She was hesitant to interrupt him, and in the moment that she hovered in the doorway she heard him say sweetly, ‘Darling, you know you can rely on me. Even though I disapproved of what you planned to do, when I realised I couldn’t talk you out of it, I helped you with Graham.’
Roger’s voice dropped, as he walked towards the other side of the hall, and out of Julia’s hearing. Julia was shocked by whatshe’d heard.I helped you with Graham. Helped who? With what? Had Roger had something to do with Graham’s death?
He had called the person darling, and his tone had been so loving. Roger Grave was not, by nature, a gushing man. There was only one other time that Julia had seen him behave lovingly – with Bethany outside the Buttered Scone. She felt sure he must be speaking to Bethany now – who else could it be? If Bethany had been in a relationship with Graham, and then with Roger, maybe the two of them had felt a need to get rid of Graham. Hadn’t Hector mentioned that things had been tense between the two men in rehearsals? That would certainly be true if they were fighting over the same woman. But would that lead to murder?
Roger had had even more opportunity than Jane had to load the prop gun; and Roger’s fingerprints had been on the weapon. Julia had presumed it had been from when Roger had taken the gun from Oscar at the scene. But thinking about it now, a policeman of Roger’s experience would have been more careful about adding prints to the weapon – unless he wanted a reason for his own prints to appear on the gun. Julia’s heart started pounding. The more she thought about it, the more sense this was making.
She stepped backward, moving slowly. She didn’t want to face him until she’d had more time to think about it. But Roger must have felt her presence, because he started to turn around. Julia had the presence of mind to step forward. By the time he saw her, she looked as if she’d just arrived and could not possibly have overheard him.
‘Hello, Roger,’ she called out with a deliberate casualness. She felt a nervous constriction in her throat, but hoped it wasn’t obvious in her voice.
‘Hi, Julia,’ he said, holding up his hand to indicate he needed a moment. Speaking into his phone he said, ‘I’ve got to go, Bethie. Let’s chat later…Okay…You too.’
Julia smiled and gave a ‘don’t mind me…’ wave of her hand, but inside, she was all a-churn. ItwasBethany that he had been speaking to! She didn’t have time to properly process what she had heard. That would be for later. For now, she had to think of something to say, a reason for being here.
