Who Killed Miss Finch? by Peter Boon

Author:Peter Boon [Boon, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Meadowcroft Publishing
Published: 2020-08-16T16:00:00+00:00

23

‘It’s not right! Edward, it’s not right!’ Mum paced up and down the pub floor for what must have been the two-hundredth time. To say she was panicking was an understatement. ‘Don’t just sit there, Casper. Do something, for god’s sake!’

‘I already told you, love, he could be there for hours, there’s no point going there and just waiting. Edward can keep trying his detective friend.’

‘Friend? It’s that bully who’s to blame for this. He’s only done it to get at Edward. The way all those officers came in with their warrant, ransacking our flat, it’s disgusting!’

It had been over an hour since Dad had found me, and this had been the scene since I’d arrived at the pub. I was almost grateful for mum’s hysteria; it gave me something to focus on. Helping dad keep her calm was preventing me from falling into a similar state.

It just made no sense. Everything had pointed to it being one of our main group of suspects. Finding out that it was someone unconnected to Miss Finch, let alone my brother, just didn’t add up.

I stopped myself mid-thought. Unconnected to Miss Finch, as far as we know. If I wanted to get to the bottom of this, I would have to think like a detective and not someone with personal connections to the suspects.

How would Hercule Poirot have reacted if they had arrested Miss Lemon or Hastings for the murder? He would have used his “little grey cells” to solve the mystery objectively, even if they ended up being the murderer. Which would never happen. Would it?

No. For as much as I was convinced it couldn’t be Patrick or Noah, I was doubly sure it wasn’t my brother – my own flesh and blood.

But how much do adult siblings know about each other once they’ve grown up? I considered what I knew about Alfie Crisp, the person. Hard-working pub landlord, openly gay, patience of a saint with my mum and dad. I thought back to last night – and how kind he was coming to get me out of the toilets after my anxiety attack.

I was sure that my brother was innocent. But I couldn’t keep thinking that about everyone who came under suspicion.

Was Patrick even in the clear? I’d remembered Finch saying in the meeting she saw him yesterday, but that didn’t figure in Patrick’s story. He was still hiding something.

But I would come on to the other suspects tomorrow and do my best to find out who was guilty. For today, I had to find out why they had arrested my brother, and what his connection to the murder was.

It was at that moment something occurred to me. I knew why Alfie had been arrested. It made little sense at all, but I knew why.

‘Dad, I’m just going to pop out to clear my head a bit. Tell mum I’ll be back soon.’

I could see my mum in the back of the bar, pouring her heart out on the phone to my auntie.

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