A Simple Country Funeral by Blythe Baker

Author:Blythe Baker [Baker, Blythe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

The look on Inspector Graves’ face when we walked into his office was precisely what I expected it would be.

“Mrs. Lightholder,” he said, his bright blue eyes narrowing. “What a surprise…”

Nathanial gave me a curious, sidelong look.

“What can I do for you three at such a late hour?” Sam asked, taking a seat in his leather chair behind his desk. He gestured for Irene and me to sit across from him.

“We went to the hospital tonight to visit with the wounded soldiers and deliver some supplies to the nurses,” Nathanial said. “While we were there, Helen had an interesting conversation with some of the wounded.”

“Did you, now?” Sam asked, his eyes narrowing even further. “Why do I get the feeling that I am not going to like the answer to my next question?”

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. I could feel Irene’s curious gaze upon me. I hadn’t told her about my past interactions with Sam Graves, nor the clear warning he had given me in the cemetery the afternoon of the beggar’s funeral.

“What did you hear?” he asked.

“I was told about a soldier that escaped,” I said, and shared with him the same story the boys had shared with me.

“And why, exactly, did you come all the way down here at nearly half past ten in the evening to tell me this?” he asked.

“Because I believe the soldier escaped the same night that the beggar was killed,” I said. “And from what the boys told me, if they suspected he was an enemy for even a moment, he wouldn’t have hesitated to attack.”

I expected Sam to scold me and send me away.

Instead, though, he leaned back in his seat, regarding me with something between admiration and hostility. I wasn’t sure which he was leaning toward for a few uncomfortable moments as he sat there, silent.

“You seem to have a mind for this sort of work, Mrs. Lightholder,” Sam said with apparent reluctance. “Sniffing up clues wherever they might be found, putting the pieces together like a puzzle…never resting until the answer has been discovered, the truth on display for all to see.”

I felt Irene’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look at her.

Sam pushed himself up out of his chair, his hands flat on the desk.

“You should know that we followed that lead already,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “Three days ago, in fact. While half of my men were out looking for this escaped loon of a soldier, I was dealing with the body of some unfortunate beggar who had been bothering the townsfolk for almost a fortnight. Upon comparing stories, many of the officers came to the same conclusion you did, and we investigated.”

He turned around to his window, his reflection looking irritated. He stared out into the darkness for a moment before his reflection shifted its gaze back to me.

“The soldier was not the one who killed the beggar,” Sam said finally, clasping his hands behind his back.

“But they both were covered in blood

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