Sealed amnd Despatched - Jabal Jarrett 04 by Freda Bream

Author:Freda Bream
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-13T00:00:00+00:00

11

FOR the rest of the week Jabal worked, watched, listened and, as far as he dared, questioned, with alternate feelings of guilt that his curate’s work was increased and pleasure at the thought that the curate would thereby have less time to lower the spirits of elderly parishioners. In his conscientious ‘visitations’, as he insisted on calling them, Eric Bailey was strong on the gloom — and — despondency angle of life and adept at suggesting some fearsome form of divine wrath about to overtake and destroy those who presumed to feel happy. Jabal found it impossible to believe in a god who was less tolerant than he was himself, but the curate’s picture of the Almighty seemed to be that of a vicious avenging ogre who spent his time laying cruel-jawed gin traps for those who dared step off the narrow path of what Eric considered righteousness.

There were many callers at the accountant’s office. All were polite to Jabal, some were too busy to chat, others welcomed the opportunity. None seemed in awe of Sandy, who remained good-humoured, tolerant and cheerful. Jabal could not afford to wait until he was out of the room before sounding other members of the staff but Sandy made no comment on the questions he asked and sometimes he joined in the conversation. When the murders were mentioned, some were guarded in their remarks but most persons who imagine they have complete control of facial expression and body language have nevertheless unconscious mannerisms which betray emotion — a sudden tightening of the lips, a tensing of the hands or spine, a lowering of the eyelids — small movements of which they are unaware, but which Jabal had learned to watch for and interpret. The people’s warden rubbed his thumb and forefinger together when he disapproved of a suggested course of action. Young Bolder in the choir pulled the lobe of his left ear when thinking up a lie and attributed some strange extra-sensory power to the vicar, who always seemed to catch him out.

He saw more of the partners than of anyone else except Sandy. Smithson looked more confident now and the nervous tics so apparent earlier had almost disappeared.

“Because you’ve taken over,” Terry told him once. “He knows you’ll get to the truth.”

“I have not taken over. I am merely trying to help and will probably be unsuccessful. Don’t expect too much.”

But Terry grinned in disbelief and the unpleasant sense of responsibility became stronger in Jabal.

His respect was growing for Mortimer Long, now the senior partner. For one who had never known what it is to be short of money, Long showed a surprising understanding of others’ needs. He was well aware of the superior social status which the possession of wealth confers on a New Zealander and accepted it modestly as his due. Yet he made a determined effort to be gracious to those whom he considered of lower caste. He chatted to Mrs Turner about the weather and enquired after the arthritic condition of the caretaker’s mother’s hip.

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