Page 46 of A Village Theatre Murder
Seeing as Hayley Gibson was outside with the other guy from the forensic team, Julia decided to venture a question.
‘What makes you say that?’
‘Well, it’s early days and I’m not a clairvoyant,’ Bob said, modestly, as if he was, in fact, such a thing, but didn’t like to boast, ‘but it seems to me that bruise on the victim’s head is the same shape as the corner of that there book. And the corner of that there book is a bit flattened, see?’
Walter and Julia peered at it. It did seem so.
‘The book’s in good nick. You can see it’s been well looked-after. Look inside – it’s full of notes. Someone treasures this book. That flattened piece is new, is my feeling. So it seems to me – and like I said, I can’t be sure, not without the lab results – it seems to me that Superintendent Grave was hit on the head with theComplete Works, either tripped or collapsed to the floor, and died from hitting his head on the table. You’d be amazed how often it happens, to be honest.’
Julia could only assume that this was a reference to the table, and not to the blow fromThe Complete Works of Shakespeare. She didn’t imagine thatthathappened often at all. She looked down at Roger’s body, his long legs splayed at an odd angle, one arm reaching over his head, and the other trapped uncomfortably beneath him. Blood had seeped from under his head – from a wound or his ear, she couldn’t tell – and pooled on the wooden floor. He was a good-looking man in a stiff, angular sort of way, and he remained so in death. His colour, though was pale and greyish, and beginning to show the mottle of the recently deceased. Julia felt suddenly queasy, and moved to the front door. Outside, she leaned over and put her hands on her knees, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself and ease her sickly feeling.
Hayley Gibson came up behind her and asked, briskly, ‘You all right?’
‘Yes. Just…shocked, I suppose.’
‘Well, it’s shocking, that’s for sure. Listen, you go home. Roger Grave is a top policeman. His death is bringing out the big guns. And the big brass. And the big…everything. They’ll be all over this crime scene like a rash before the hour is up. Walter has taken your statement; we know where to find you for follow-up information.’
‘Yes, yes, I think I’ll go. But before I do, Hayley, there’s something I need to tell you…’
Hayley’s clever blue eyes were on Julia in a flash. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s about Bethany.’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you think she might have…Is she a suspect?’
‘I know you like the girl, but I’m sorry to say, she’s definitely got quite some explaining to do. If she thought her father was involved in her lover’s murder, then she would have had reason to confront him, perhaps even hit him with the book – although it looks as if it might have been the fall onto that table that killed him.’
‘That’s just it. I asked her about it. I asked if it was possible that Roger Grave might have threatened Graham, or hurt him. She was shocked, and completely denied he would ever do anything violent.’
‘Well, if she didn’t believe her father killed Graham Powell, then she wouldn’t have any reason to confront him.’
‘Unless I inadvertently convinced her that he might be involved. The thing is, Hayley, she wasgenuinelyastonished at the idea. She honestly hadn’t even considered the possibility. I was the one who put the idea in her head. If Bethany killed her father, it’s because I prompted her to do it.’
Hayley was having none of this. ‘Unless you smacked Roger Grave on the head yourself, you’re not to blame for his death, no matter what you said to Bethany. If it was Bethany, then that’son her. Don’t worry yourself about that, Julia. Let me and the rest of the force do our job.’
‘You’ll speak to her, then?’
‘Of course. Already in process. DC Farmer is going to go and break the news and ask her to come in. We’ll bring her in and see what she has to say. I’ll meet him at the station when I’m done here. As of now, Bethany is on the top of the list of people to interview.’
‘As a suspect?’
‘Julia, this investigation is in the very early stages. And besides, you know I can’t give you information about individuals.’
‘Okay, yes, of course, I understand. And what about Jane?’
‘I’ve already given instructions for her to be released. Grave’s death makes her involvement in her husband’s death look less likely. I find it hard to believe that the two murders are not connected, and Jane was locked up when Grave was killed. Even if she did cover up her marital troubles.’
This, at least, was good news. Julia had hated the idea of Jane being in jail overnight again.
‘Julia, don’t mention the book to anyone. It’s the kind of detail we don’t release, okay?’
‘No problem, I understand.’
‘Go on. You go home. There’s nothing for you to do here, and you still look terribly pale.’
Julia remembered that she’d driven Hayley to Roger’s house. She didn’t have a car there. ‘Will you be okay for a lift?’
