The Magic Chair Murder
Page 25
‘The front door,’ she managed to gasp. ‘It isn’t locked.’
THIRTY-SIX
‘I still say that everyone is making far too much fuss.’
‘Fran, darling, people have sent flowers, and hot house grapes, and boxes of chocolates,’ Mo said, helping herself from one of the latter items. ‘You really must learn not to discourage that sort of attention.’
‘I wasn’t meaning that. I meant things like Doctor Jenks being called in and prescribing me a sedative.’
‘Well, goodness me, most women would have needed a sedative after being attacked by a homicidal maniac. Thank goodness they caught him this time round.’
‘Tom said it was more luck than judgement,’ Fran said. ‘I suppose you know that after John James escaped through the kitchen door, he made off across the fields at the back? Tom didn’t see which direction he went in, but it seems that he didn’t try to get back to his car, because I suppose he thought the police would soon get hold of the registration number and spot him on the road. Anyway, he set off across country, where old Ned Braithwaite managed to wound him in the leg after taking a pot shot at him in mistake for a deer. Ned is really getting far too doddery to make a successful poacher.’
‘I can’t help thinking that it’s rather a comical end to it all.’
‘It wasn’t very comical when he attacked me, I can assure you, and I don’t imagine that it will be particularly comical when he comes up for trial,’ Fran said. ‘I wonder which case they will bring against him? The original Halfpenny Landing murders, or the murder of Linda Dexter?’
‘No, what I mean is that it’s sort of comical, the way Tom tried to bash down your front door when it wasn’t actually locked in the first place.’
‘Well, believe me, it didn’t seem very funny at the time.’
‘Do you think the two of you will be wanted as witnesses at the trial?’
‘Oh, I do hope not. My mother would see it as a dreadful scandal – a member of the family being mixed up in any kind of court case.’
‘But if you’re not involved in the case anymore, and you’re determined not to have anything further to do with the Robert Barnaby Society, you won’t ever see anything of Tom.’
‘So?’
Mo, who had been speculatively contemplating the open box of chocolates again, switched her full attention back to her friend. ‘You say that as if you don’t care. No, wait a minute … don’t give me that innocent face, Fran Black. We go back far too long. What’s going on? Come on, I demand that you tell all.’
‘It’s nothing really, but I had a call from Tom today, about his aunt.’
‘His aunt! What about his aunt?’
‘Well, it’s his great-aunt, actually.’
‘Yes? Well? What about his great-aunt?’
‘He says that there’s some rather strange goings-on at her church. Some mystery involving the death of a parishioner. He was wondering if we might try to look into it.’
‘And?’ demanded Mo.
‘We’ve arranged to meet and discuss it, the week after next, once the Championships are over. You know, I must say that I am really looking forward to the tennis on Thursday. A girl needs a bit of excitement in her life, every now and then.’