The Body in the Trees by Richard James

Author:Richard James [James, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Published: 2020-04-15T22:00:00+00:00

XIV

Regatta

“You’re convinced it was murder, then?” The two detectives had eschewed the opportunity of hailing a cab from the station. Instead, they joined the steady stream of people walking to the regatta. The Larton Donkey disgorged itself of day-trippers intent on enjoying the day’s convivialities by the river. Bowman noticed smarter carriages rattling past from the Dean, their passengers reclining in their finery as they stared with disdain through the open windows. Ladies held their handkerchiefs to their noses in protest at the dust kicked up from the horses” hooves. The horses were bigger and smarter than any that Bowman had yet seen in Larton, including those in service at Larton Manor. It seemed that every carriage was grander than the last, and Bowman noticed a few stragglers from the Rise cast their eyes up in envy as they rattled past. Everywhere, mused the inspector as he walked the dusty road with his companion, there seemed to be a sharp line drawn between those that have and those that have not. He had not expected to see that line drawn so sharp in the country. Here there were crops in the fields and fruit on the trees, a glut of food that could feed the village three times over. Yet, twice a day, the produce from the farms and orchards was loaded onto carts and drays to be sent away. Most of the profit would then be spent in rent, all of it destined for Lord Melville and the Larton Estate, and so many of the villagers were held in thrall to a system where they worked the hardest for the smallest gain. Only those who had escaped into the respectable professions or, such as those in the Dean, had benefited from a wise investment had found the means to plough another furrow.

“Yes, Graves,” Bowman replied as they approached the causeway between the Rise and the Village. “I believe Sharples was murdered. There is a detail in the case that I find most puzzling.” He squinted into the sun, fighting a heavy throbbing at his temples.

“The glass breaking after the shot,” Graves nodded. “If he fell backwards and not onto the case at all, how to account for the glass breaking after he had shot himself.”

The two men paused to lean over the bridge on the causeway. They stared into the shallow, murky water of the small tributary beneath, each deep in thought. Dragonflies danced amongst the bulrushes with butterflies and bees. A hungry heron stood still as a statue, its beady eye alert to every ripple in the water. Every now and then, a burp of bubbles would break on the water’s surface, indicative of life beneath or the movement of mud on the riverbed.

“What’s our next move, sir?” Graves shook his blond curls in the heat.

“It seems the whole of Larton will be gathered for the regatta today, Graves,” Bowman replied. “It’s the perfect opportunity to dig a little deeper. I would like to learn more of Erasmus Finch’s death, too.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.