The Manor House Murder by Faith Martin

Author:Faith Martin [Martin, Faith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books crime, thriller and mystery
Published: 2019-11-08T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Dr Simon Grade walked in, dressed in spotless white tennis slacks and a dark green shirt. Jason smiled. ‘Dr Grade, thank you for coming over.’

‘Oh, yes. I quite understand. It was terrible. I heard it on the radio this morning. No, I don’t mind coming at all. Besides, I’d already put St Bede back to bed, as it were.’

Jason blinked. ‘Sorry?’

Dr Grade looked at him somewhat disapprovingly. ‘The St Bede’s manuscript. That was on loan here yesterday.’ He spoke as if the manuscript should have been all that he was thinking about. ‘It was removed very early this morning so that none of the guests would be disturbed. I was here to oversee the operations.’

Jason nodded. ‘Oh yes. The manuscript.’ He wondered why he hadn’t been told more about it, then silently wondered what possible bearing a centuries-old piece of paper could have to do with anything.

‘Yes, it was as safe as houses here last night, I know. Sir Andrew was kind enough to show me his security arrangements. I’d just got everything back in order when your sergeant called.’

Jason observed the man in silence for a moment. He was babbling, of course, but that in itself meant nothing, especially in a man as self-important as this one. ‘The manuscript is valuable, I expect?’ he asked mildly.

‘Oh I should say,’ Dr Grade said quickly. ‘It’s not the original, of course, but . . .’ and before either Jason or Flora could stop him he was off and running. Eventually, even Simon Grade could think of nothing more to say on the subject and sat looking at Jason helplessly.

The chief inspector shifted slowly on his seat. ‘That’s very interesting. Graham Noble was telling me that you gave very much the same speech yesterday afternoon to a group of people waiting to go into his lecture.’

Simon Grade paled just a little. ‘Oh. Oh yes. I suppose I do get carried away,’ he admitted, picking an imaginary bit of lint from his trouser leg.

Flora’s eyes sharpened. She had at last picked up on something that Jason had begun to suspect almost from the first minute of meeting the museum owner. He was upset about something. Very upset.

‘Did you happen to notice if the reverend was eating anything at the time, Dr Grade?’ Jason asked casually.

Simon started nervously. ‘Sorry? Which reverend are we talking about? There were so many . . .’ He spread his hands in a helpless gesture and smiled apologetically.

Jason smiled back. ‘I’m sorry. I should have been more explicit. Reverend Noble is the one who . . . well, I’ve been told that Celia Gordon, the woman who died, made quite a thing about meeting him again,’ he clarified delicately.

Simon flushed. ‘Oh him! Poor man. Yes. Er . . . sorry, what was the question again?’

Jason nodded. Yes, the good Dr Grade’s mind was definitely fixated on something else. ‘Was he eating anything, do you know?’ he repeated patiently.

Simon looked at the carpet. Then at the windows. Then at an inoffensive computer printer.

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