The Dark Side of the Mirror by Pat Herbert

Author:Pat Herbert [Herbert, Pat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-06-08T04:00:00+00:00

Summer, 1956

Anbolin Amery-Judge smiled with satisfaction. She was sure she had solved two murders now. There had been not one, but two, miscarriages of justice, to her mind, although she wasn’t sure how easy it would be to convince the police of that, especially after all this time. But she intended to try.

She knocked on Bernard’s study door and, unlike Mrs Harper who never did, waited to be invited in.

Bernard looked up from his desk, and tutted with impatience. How was he supposed to write his next sermon with all these interruptions? He had already had occasion that morning to admonish his housekeeper for making a noise on the landing with the ancient vacuum cleaner. He ignored the fact, supplied by Mrs Harper, that it was so noisy because it was so old. He didn’t have the money to waste on fripperies like new vacuum cleaners. His stipend didn’t stretch that far, what with the expense of the bottle of Glenfiddich he regularly incurred. Not that he drank the whisky himself, of course, but Robbie always enjoyed a glass or two when he visited, which was usually three or four times a week after his evening surgery.

Now it was the turn of that old biddy to interrupt him, and who seemed to be a permanent fixture now. She had arrived in June and it was now the middle of August. Surely it was about time she went home? He couldn’t even remember why she was there in the first place, except for that annoying man’s visit and then seeing the ghost of his father hanging in his garden shed. From then on, it seemed that Anbolin had taken over and seemed to be playing all her cards close to her very ample chest.

“Sorry to disturb you, governor,” said Anbolin light-heartedly. “I can see you’re busy, but I just wanted to let you know I’ll be leaving after dinner.”

Bernard’s heart leapt. At last! But why couldn’t she leave before dinner? Well, he didn’t really need an answer to that.

“I see,” he smiled. “Well, it’s been – er…”

“Yes, yes. I’m sure it’s been something or other. But I need to get back home now to sort out all the information I’ve managed to collect. I will be taking my findings to the police at some point, and I may need you to come with me. Back me up, so to speak.”

“Er, right. Of course. Only too pleased.”

“Anyway, I must get home. I’ve left my cat to the tender mercies of my next door neighbour so I think it’s about time I put in an appearance.”

“Oh, you have a cat, do you?” said Bernard happily, looking over at his own cat, Beelzebub, curled up asleep on the vicar’s fireside chair. “What colour is he?”

Anbolin frowned at him. “She is a Persian blue,” she said snootily. “What colour indeed!”

Bernard was puzzled. A blue-coloured cat? He’d never heard of such a thing.

“Oh, right,” he said vaguely.

Anbolin grinned mischievously at him. “You’ve no idea what a Persian blue is, have you?”

“Well, I presume it’s a cat?”

She laughed.

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