[Lord Edgington Investigates 09] - What the Vicar Saw by Benedict Brown

Author:Benedict Brown [Brown, Benedict]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heathdene Books
Published: 2023-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

“We had him,” I declared once we’d left the town hall and were back on our journey through town. “Why in heaven’s name did we leave when we could have pushed him towards a confession?”

“Because it wouldn’t have been true.” Grandfather walked with small, precise steps, as though attempting to make the journey last as long as possible. “The man is in no state to be interviewed.”

“Of course he isn’t. He knows we’re onto him and he’s scared for his life.”

“No, no, Christopher. You’re quite mistaken.” I don’t know whether he intended to sound superior at such moments, but he certainly succeeded. “Think about what he actually told us.”

I did just that and couldn’t detect any problems with the evidence we’d gathered. “He’s desperate to see Seekings House demolished and the land redeveloped. Without the Fanes or – far less likely – my grandmother selling their large estates, the village can’t grow. The mayor knows that he’ll lose his job if he doesn’t deliver on the promises he made, and I think he would kill to achieve his goals.”

“Fantastic work.”

I wasn’t falling for his trap and whistled a little tune as I waited for him to continue.

“You have conceived of a singularly creative narrative in which a mild-mannered bureaucrat would resort to murder in order to see a few houses built. Yes, that’s rather compelling.”

“I don’t see why you’re dismissing the possibility. He was a perfect wreck in there. I’ve never seen such a guilty chap. And don’t forget, I’ve met quite a few murderers myself.”

He nodded in contemplation. “That is true, Christopher. That is very true. However, there’s one thing of which you’re clearly unaware. Much as he told us, a man like Mayor Hobson will never have been accused of a crime before. He’s lived a simple existence in a simple town. From his manner and accent, I’d say he was a man of humble upbringing, without a sophisticated education. His reaction to our questioning was not spurred by guilt but fear.”

“Aren’t the two normally connected?”

Grandfather pondered the point. “They can be. But tell me this; have you ever walked past a policeman and felt a frisson of unease? A feeling that you must do something to show the man that you’re not the sort in whom he need take any interest?”

“Yes, I have!” I was frankly impressed at how well he knew me, or perhaps how well he knew human nature more generally. “It has happened to me in London on a number of occasions.”

“And what do you do as a result?”

“I whistle!”

“You whistle?”

“That’s right. You see, I get terribly nervous and don’t want the chap to think badly of me, so I whistle and end up looking a great deal more suspicious than I otherwise would have.”

“Of course you do, and you’re not the only one.” Grandfather seemed pleased at the result of his supposition. “If the police arrested every person who got in a stew when a bobby walked past, our prisons would be overflowing, and our streets would be empty.

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