Read Online Where Death Delights by Bernard Knight - Free Book Online

imagined. Short, portly and starting to go bald, he looked ten years older than Richard, but there was an air of benign prosperity about him that told of years of a settled lifestyle.
    â€˜Richard, nice to see you again. How did the first day go?’ They chatted their way back into his consulting room where the GP sat his old friend down in the patient’s chair. After the inevitable reminiscences about their student days, they got down to business.
    â€˜If you’re happy with the arrangements, Richard, you are welcome to take on the cases in Monmouth and Chepstow. Since Dr Saunders retired, we’ve had to send them either to Newport or Hereford, both of which are outside my jurisdiction.’
    Pryor was keen to confirm his agreement to this and also thanked Meredith for putting him on to the solicitor in Lydney.
    â€˜I wondered why those remains from the reservoir went up to Hereford?’ he remarked.
    The coroner nodded. ‘There was no one here to deal with them. Mind you, if there’d been anything even slightly suspicious, I’d have had to send them to Cardiff, as Dr Marek in Hereford makes no claim to having any forensic expertise. It’ll be useful having you in the area, I must say.’
    Pryor saw a chance to get his feet more firmly under the table.
    â€˜I’d be more than happy to help in that direction, but I’ve got no official standing with the police or the Home Office.’
    Brian Meredith tapped the side of his nose, reminding Richard of Jimmy Jenkins’s habit. ‘I may be able to put a word about here and there, Richard. You’re too good a prize not to be used around South Wales.’
    Emboldened by the extra four pounds in his wallet, Pryor suggested that as it was almost lunchtime, he might treat his friend to a meal somewhere. Meredith lived a couple of miles outside Monmouth – ‘a doctor should never live in his practice premises, if he wants any peace’ was his favourite saying. He accepted the offer of lunch and took Richard to one of the best hotels near the town centre. As he looked at the prices on the menu, the pathologist felt his wallet getting lighter by the minute, but he reckoned it was worth it if Brian could pull a few strings for him.
    â€˜How did you get on with old Lethbridge and this bone business?’ asked the coroner, over their rather tough steaks.
    â€˜The lady in Newnham is dead set on upsetting your verdict,’ answered Richard. ‘She’s got a private investigator looking into it, as well.’
    â€˜Trevor Mitchell? He’s a good man, I met him a few times when he was still in the CID across the border. Any chance that I’m going to have to eat my words?’
    Pryor shrugged. ‘Not so far, but I’m waiting to hear from Mitchell as to what he found when he interviewed Mrs Barnes.’
    â€˜She was a tough little bird, spoke her mind at the inquest!’ said Meredith. ‘It seems she wants to get married again and urgently needs a declaration that her husband is dead.’
    The conversation veered towards more personal matters until they finished their meal, when Pryor manfully paid up at the till and walked back to the surgery with Meredith.
    â€˜I’ll have to call you up to an inquest sometime on that lady with the overdose,’ said the coroner as they entered his forecourt.
    â€˜We’ll run an analysis to make sure it was that Seconal,’ said Richard, as he unlocked his car. ‘You should have the result in a day or two, along with the post-mortem reports on both cases.’
    Meredith’s pale eyebrows rose on his chubby face.
    â€˜That’s a welcome change!’ he admitted. ‘The forensic lab in Cardiff usually takes at least a couple of weeks!’
    They shook hands and Pryor climbed into his car and shut the door. He was about to start the engine, when the coroner came to the window, which Richard wound down.
    â€˜It