Read Online The Corpse's Tale (Trevor Joseph Detective series) by Katherine John - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katherine John
Tags: Suspense & Thrillers
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someone in the churchyard?’ ‘Because she told us when we saw her rubbing the marks off the church notice board.’ ‘What marks?’ Trevor recalled what Rita James had said.
She stopped by the church notice board, took out her hanky and polished the corner of the glass. There must have been a spot of dirt there but that was the kind of girl she was. Do anything for anyone. And she did like the village to look nice.
‘Anna had one special boyfriend. She wouldn’t tell us who he was, only that he was rich and knew everything there was to know about sex. She said the boys in the sixth form college were children compared to him. And when he was free to see her, he used to write the time in a corner of the board with a soft eye- liner pencil she’d given him. If she could make it, she used to rub off the mark and then he’d know she’d be there. You had to look really close to see the numbers. She said he was the only man she could ever love. But not
enough to give up her place at Drama School.’ ‘And you never told Sergeant George any of this at the time?’ ‘He never asked, Inspector. Besides, everyone thought Dai Helpful killed Anna.’
C H A P T E R N I N E
T REVOR WAS WATCHING THE video of Anna’s funeral in the incident room when Peter and Sarah returned from visiting Anna’s mother. He glanced at his watch.
‘I was just about to go down to order dinner.’
‘Can you wait?’ Sarah’s eyes were shining.
‘He can wait if it’s going to get him back to his lady love sooner than he thinks.’ Peter set a box on the table.
Sarah saw Trevor looking at it. ‘The watch, sir. Anna’s mother gave it to us.’
‘It was in a box of Anna’s effects the police handed back to her family.’ Peter held up a bag. ‘Sarah also persuaded her to part with the dress. It’s still in the police evidence bag.’
‘Good work, Sarah.’ Trevor looked at the screen. Judy Oliver was standing next to Anna’s coffin, reciting a poem. She was dressed formally but there was something odd about her shoes. He made a note to think about it later, before switching off the TV.
‘I talked to Anna’s mother by myself, sir, as you suggested.’ Sarah took her own notebook from her handbag. She flipped it open. ‘She said that as far as she could make out none of Anna’s underclothes were missing. And she told Sergeant George that.’
‘Which is why the local police never issued a description of them,’ Collins said. ‘They didn’t know what they were looking for.’
‘Anna’s mother admitted that Anna rarely wore underclothes in summer in the evening. She also said she had never seen the watch before the police showed it to her.’ Sarah turned over the page. ‘She was certain no one in the family had given it to Anna. She’d celebrated her eighteenth birthday two months before she was killed, but her mother can’t recall seeing a watch like it among the presents. She couldn’t say for definite that it wasn’t A n n a ’s because her daughter had a lot of jewellery. She said,’ Sarah referred to her notes, ‘“Boys were always giving Anna jewellery. She put the boxes in the top drawer of her dressing table.”’
‘Didn’t she know the watch was valuable?’ Trevor asked.
‘The only value Mrs Harris puts on Anna’s possessions is sentimental, sir. It was painful to listen to her talking about her daughter – and her husband. As she said, one day she was running a successful antiques business with a loving husband, beautiful daughter and comfortable home. The next she was burying her daughter and days later her husband. He took an overdose of sleeping pills after Anna’s funeral. She couldn’t bear to return to the village, so she sold the business and her home.’
‘Then Anna never wore the watch in front of her parents.’ Trevor felt that his theory of a married lover had just gained strength.
‘When Mrs Harris moved, she boxed up Anna’s things. She couldn’t bear to
She stopped by the church notice board, took out her hanky and polished the corner of the glass. There must have been a spot of dirt there but that was the kind of girl she was. Do anything for anyone. And she did like the village to look nice.
‘Anna had one special boyfriend. She wouldn’t tell us who he was, only that he was rich and knew everything there was to know about sex. She said the boys in the sixth form college were children compared to him. And when he was free to see her, he used to write the time in a corner of the board with a soft eye- liner pencil she’d given him. If she could make it, she used to rub off the mark and then he’d know she’d be there. You had to look really close to see the numbers. She said he was the only man she could ever love. But not
enough to give up her place at Drama School.’ ‘And you never told Sergeant George any of this at the time?’ ‘He never asked, Inspector. Besides, everyone thought Dai Helpful killed Anna.’
C H A P T E R N I N E
T REVOR WAS WATCHING THE video of Anna’s funeral in the incident room when Peter and Sarah returned from visiting Anna’s mother. He glanced at his watch.
‘I was just about to go down to order dinner.’
‘Can you wait?’ Sarah’s eyes were shining.
‘He can wait if it’s going to get him back to his lady love sooner than he thinks.’ Peter set a box on the table.
Sarah saw Trevor looking at it. ‘The watch, sir. Anna’s mother gave it to us.’
‘It was in a box of Anna’s effects the police handed back to her family.’ Peter held up a bag. ‘Sarah also persuaded her to part with the dress. It’s still in the police evidence bag.’
‘Good work, Sarah.’ Trevor looked at the screen. Judy Oliver was standing next to Anna’s coffin, reciting a poem. She was dressed formally but there was something odd about her shoes. He made a note to think about it later, before switching off the TV.
‘I talked to Anna’s mother by myself, sir, as you suggested.’ Sarah took her own notebook from her handbag. She flipped it open. ‘She said that as far as she could make out none of Anna’s underclothes were missing. And she told Sergeant George that.’
‘Which is why the local police never issued a description of them,’ Collins said. ‘They didn’t know what they were looking for.’
‘Anna’s mother admitted that Anna rarely wore underclothes in summer in the evening. She also said she had never seen the watch before the police showed it to her.’ Sarah turned over the page. ‘She was certain no one in the family had given it to Anna. She’d celebrated her eighteenth birthday two months before she was killed, but her mother can’t recall seeing a watch like it among the presents. She couldn’t say for definite that it wasn’t A n n a ’s because her daughter had a lot of jewellery. She said,’ Sarah referred to her notes, ‘“Boys were always giving Anna jewellery. She put the boxes in the top drawer of her dressing table.”’
‘Didn’t she know the watch was valuable?’ Trevor asked.
‘The only value Mrs Harris puts on Anna’s possessions is sentimental, sir. It was painful to listen to her talking about her daughter – and her husband. As she said, one day she was running a successful antiques business with a loving husband, beautiful daughter and comfortable home. The next she was burying her daughter and days later her husband. He took an overdose of sleeping pills after Anna’s funeral. She couldn’t bear to return to the village, so she sold the business and her home.’
‘Then Anna never wore the watch in front of her parents.’ Trevor felt that his theory of a married lover had just gained strength.
‘When Mrs Harris moved, she boxed up Anna’s things. She couldn’t bear to
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