Read Online Kennedy 01 - Into the Shadows by Shirley Wells - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shirley Wells
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Michael.
‘How’s Liz?’ Jill asked at last.
‘Fine, thanks. I expect she’ll be along in a while …’
Jill didn’t stop to find out. She was ready for her bacon and eggs.
It was after nine when Max called at Lilac Cottage that evening. Jill wasn’t in the least surprised by his visit.
The cats, despite knowing he wasn’t a cat person, gave him a royal welcome. Even Rabble, who didn’t approve of visitors, was walking in and out of his legs. It did her no good; he took no notice whatsoever.
‘Michael confessed,’ he announced grimly. ‘Just like that.
He asked for a glass of water, then said he’d like to tell us how he killed his mother.’
Jill had liked Michael. She’d warmed to him from the start, and she felt let down. Saddened and let down.
Everyone in Kelton Bridge would feel the same, too.
Michael was a popular member of the community, the young man who’d been so helpful at the pub, and the lad who had visited an injured bird every day.
‘So what’s with the long face?’ she asked, sighing as Max threw himself down in her armchair as if he’d come home after a hard day at the office.
‘His confession’s complete crap.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘According to him, he came home from school, carrying a knife he’d bought from a complete stranger in Rochdale or it might have been Burnley some time ago, saw his mother standing in the hall, looked her in the eye and killed her.’
‘So he can’t say where he got the knife from?’
‘Nope. Or when.’
‘Looked her in the eye? She was killed from behind, wasn’t she?’
‘She was. It doesn’t seem as if our Michael’s aware of that though.’
‘So who is he protecting?’ Relief flooding through her, Jill sat in the chair opposite Max. ‘We know he arrived home early, and we know he was expecting his father to be out. Was he also expecting his mother to be out? Perhaps he had someone with him? Does he have a girlfriend?’
‘He doesn’t have many close friends - lots of acquaintances, but not what you’d call real friends. But he couldn’t have witnessed the murder,’ Max pointed out. ‘If he had, he’d know his mother had been attacked from behind.’
‘Does his father know?’ Jill asked.
‘That he’s confessed, yes. That his confession is worth diddley squat, no.’
‘How did he react?’
‘I’ve just come from there and he’s pretty distraught.
When it first happened, he was amazingly calm. But he was still trying to resuscitate her when we got there couldn’t accept she’d gone. I thought he was doing OK
considering, but he’s going downhill.’
‘He didn’t look too good when I saw him, poor chap.
Only the thought of praying for Michael seemed to help.’
Max grimaced. ‘He can’t accept she’s dead, and he certainly can’t accept that Michael killed her. His latest idea is that someone was at the vicarage and was still there when we arrived. Either that, or the driver of the mysterious red van killed her and then took off.’
‘It’s a possibility, I suppose.’
‘A very slim one,’ Max replied. ‘There was blood everywhere.
Whoever killed her would have been covered in the stuff, just as father and son were. There’s no sign of any by the front door or the back. No shoe-prints.’
Jill curled her feet beneath her, and tried to get things straight in her mind. Michael hadn’t seen the murder perhaps, but he had to be protecting someone. Who? It must be someone he cared about deeply.
‘What about Michael’s mobile phone?’ she asked. “I assume he does have one? Any text messages from girlfriends on it?’
‘Nothing visible but it’s still being checked.’ He gave her one of his coaxing looks. ‘Will you come in tomorrow and have a look through his confession? See what you can come up with?’
“I suppose ‘
‘Thanks.’
He looked at his watch and, with a heavy sigh, got to his feet. “I need to go home and get some sleep. Oh, and the photo that was
‘How’s Liz?’ Jill asked at last.
‘Fine, thanks. I expect she’ll be along in a while …’
Jill didn’t stop to find out. She was ready for her bacon and eggs.
It was after nine when Max called at Lilac Cottage that evening. Jill wasn’t in the least surprised by his visit.
The cats, despite knowing he wasn’t a cat person, gave him a royal welcome. Even Rabble, who didn’t approve of visitors, was walking in and out of his legs. It did her no good; he took no notice whatsoever.
‘Michael confessed,’ he announced grimly. ‘Just like that.
He asked for a glass of water, then said he’d like to tell us how he killed his mother.’
Jill had liked Michael. She’d warmed to him from the start, and she felt let down. Saddened and let down.
Everyone in Kelton Bridge would feel the same, too.
Michael was a popular member of the community, the young man who’d been so helpful at the pub, and the lad who had visited an injured bird every day.
‘So what’s with the long face?’ she asked, sighing as Max threw himself down in her armchair as if he’d come home after a hard day at the office.
‘His confession’s complete crap.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘According to him, he came home from school, carrying a knife he’d bought from a complete stranger in Rochdale or it might have been Burnley some time ago, saw his mother standing in the hall, looked her in the eye and killed her.’
‘So he can’t say where he got the knife from?’
‘Nope. Or when.’
‘Looked her in the eye? She was killed from behind, wasn’t she?’
‘She was. It doesn’t seem as if our Michael’s aware of that though.’
‘So who is he protecting?’ Relief flooding through her, Jill sat in the chair opposite Max. ‘We know he arrived home early, and we know he was expecting his father to be out. Was he also expecting his mother to be out? Perhaps he had someone with him? Does he have a girlfriend?’
‘He doesn’t have many close friends - lots of acquaintances, but not what you’d call real friends. But he couldn’t have witnessed the murder,’ Max pointed out. ‘If he had, he’d know his mother had been attacked from behind.’
‘Does his father know?’ Jill asked.
‘That he’s confessed, yes. That his confession is worth diddley squat, no.’
‘How did he react?’
‘I’ve just come from there and he’s pretty distraught.
When it first happened, he was amazingly calm. But he was still trying to resuscitate her when we got there couldn’t accept she’d gone. I thought he was doing OK
considering, but he’s going downhill.’
‘He didn’t look too good when I saw him, poor chap.
Only the thought of praying for Michael seemed to help.’
Max grimaced. ‘He can’t accept she’s dead, and he certainly can’t accept that Michael killed her. His latest idea is that someone was at the vicarage and was still there when we arrived. Either that, or the driver of the mysterious red van killed her and then took off.’
‘It’s a possibility, I suppose.’
‘A very slim one,’ Max replied. ‘There was blood everywhere.
Whoever killed her would have been covered in the stuff, just as father and son were. There’s no sign of any by the front door or the back. No shoe-prints.’
Jill curled her feet beneath her, and tried to get things straight in her mind. Michael hadn’t seen the murder perhaps, but he had to be protecting someone. Who? It must be someone he cared about deeply.
‘What about Michael’s mobile phone?’ she asked. “I assume he does have one? Any text messages from girlfriends on it?’
‘Nothing visible but it’s still being checked.’ He gave her one of his coaxing looks. ‘Will you come in tomorrow and have a look through his confession? See what you can come up with?’
“I suppose ‘
‘Thanks.’
He looked at his watch and, with a heavy sigh, got to his feet. “I need to go home and get some sleep. Oh, and the photo that was
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