Cyanide in the Sun by Martin Edwards

Author:Martin Edwards [Edwards, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Golden Age Crime Fiction, Anthologies
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2025-06-12T13:00:00+00:00

* * *

The moon was high in the heavens when they came to the base of the tower and it shone on a group of four men – the rector, Richard De’ath, Edward Pilbrow, and Sergeant Botting, the village constable. When they saw Alleyn and Fox, they separated and revealed a fifth, who was kneeling by the body of Timothy Bates.

‘Kind of you to come,’ the rector said, shaking hands with Alleyn. ‘And a great relief to all of us.’

Their manner indicated that Alleyn’s arrival would remove a sense of personal responsibility. ‘If you’d like to have a look—?’ the doctor said.

The broken body lay huddled on its side. The head rested on the open Bible. The right hand, rigid in cadaveric spasm, clutched a torn page. Alleyn knelt and Fox came closer with the torch. At the top of the page Alleyn saw the word Ezekiel and a little farther down, Chapter 12.

Using the tip of his finger Alleyn straightened the page. ‘Look,’ he said, and pointed to the thirteenth verse. “My net also will I spread upon him and he shall be taken in my snare.’”

The words had been faintly underlined in mauve.

Alleyn stood up and looked round the circle of faces.

‘Well,’ the doctor said, ‘we’d better see about moving him.’

Alleyn said, ‘I don’t think he should be moved just yet.’

‘Not!’ the rector cried out. ‘But surely – to leave him like this – I mean, after this terrible accident⁠—’

‘It has yet to be proved,’ Alleyn said, ‘that it was an accident.’

There was a sharp sound from Richard De’ath.

‘– and I fancy,’ Alleyn went on, glancing at De’ath, ‘that it’s going to take quite a lot of proving.’

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