A BURIED BODY 9

More information for the DI to mull over

“What I think we should do,” Lucy told Arnold later that day as they made their way along the High Street and to where he;’d left his car, “is go and see that Inspector fellow and tell him what we’ve found out.”

“But have we discovered anything new?” asked Albert, “I mean, he will have spoken to dad, and dad probably said the same to him as he said to us. About a cunning plan? I’ll bet hes got that from having an old Blackadder comedy series DVD on repeat, He always liked that and Baldrick’s cunning plans.”

“I never saw that…” murmured Lucy, “Was it funny?

“Yes. And it was clever, the way the main character turned up in different arts of history. It had dad in stitches.”

“So you think he got the idea of his cunning pan by remembering something he saw on the telly?” smiled Lucy, “look, he’s your dad and you know him well enough to know that he likes to keep secrets ad how he does it.”

“Only little things when I was a kiddie,” agreed Arnold. “Like the ttime he made me believe that Santa had gone in strike because thr trains had all stopped.”

“Well, think about it. For a start he’s probably quite convinced that the Inspector’s the milkman or someone like that and keeps going on about the sort of milk bottles milkmen used to deliver in what he looks on as the good old days. But the clever man gave us enough information on the sly to know who the body in the shed might be. And knowing that will cross you off his list. of suspects for a double murder!”

“Only if you’re an optimist,” muttered her boyfriend squeezing her fingers gently. “And if you want to be a grass, then look over thee, getting out of his car and about to go into the butcher’s … your policeman with a face like a wet Sunday. Come on, then, it might be amusing. Let’s go and buy some sausages!”

“Vegetarian ones, if you must,” agreed Lucy.

“Vegetarian sausages from a butchers? You’ve got to be joking! Come on, then, and you can ask!”

They crossed the road, skedaddling between traffic which moved slowly along the High Street but generated at least ine angry hoot from a driver in a hurry, and then slowing down, sauntered into the butcher’s shop where Detective Corden was being served with something red and bloody in a plastic bag.

“Why hello,” breathed Lucy into his right ear, “fancy seeing you in here Detective Inspector!”

He turned round to see whose breath was irritating his ea and smiled when he saw who it was.

From his perspective it had been a fruitless day but he greeted her as warmly as he could after what he looked on as an investigation going nowhere. “Why, what a coincidence, Miss Madden,” he said, “What brings you in here?”

“Sausages,” she replied with a broad smile, and added “vegetarian ones.”

“And we wondered if you’d seen my dad and made any sense of what he’s got that head of his?” asked Arnold.

“The answers to your question are yes and no in that order,” replied the DI, “The gentleman’s not so easy to, er, interpret,” he added, trying to be both truthful and diplomatic at the same time.

His purchase was handed to him and he paid while Arnold hurreidly asked for some vegetarian sausages.

“Vegetarian sausages, an odd thing to by at a butcher’s,” said the inspector quietly

“Before you go, can I have a word with you?” asked Lucy, “I mean both of us seeing as you seem to have the love of my life on your list of suspects.”

“If you want me to be completely honest, the second body has thrown a spanner into the works when it comes to suspects,” the DI told her as they left the butcher’s shop.

“Did my dad suggest to you who the second body might be?” asked Arnold, slightly awkwardly.

“I wish he had,” sighed DI Corden ruefully, “but he told me all about the rising price of single cream and how he liked it in his tea, and I’ve never heard of such a thing as cream in a cup of tea!”

“That’s dad. He probably meant coffee,” said Arnold, smiing.

“Well, have you heard of an elderly man called Marley Beaufort?” asked Lucy.

Detective Inspector Corden shook his head. “I don’t think that I have,” he replied, frowningthoughtfully, “might I have heard of him?.

“I think you’ll find that’s the name of the body in the shed,” suggested Arnold, “at least, that’s the name of the man who had arranged to meet my dad the evening he fell into the grave and went to sleep in it. Apparently the two men had arranged to meet there, something to do with old time’s sake.”

“And your sure that this Marley what dd you say his name was?

“Marley Beaufort,”

“Marley Beaufort and your father were in it together?”

“In what together?”

“Well, you must remember you have a twin brother who was found very dead in that garden only a day before the two old friends arranged to meet there. Don’t you find the coincidence to be rather odd?”

“Are you trying to suggest that my dad did my twin brother in? Anyway, how would he have done it? How was he killed anyway? I’m assuming it was murder since you’re working round the clock at it.”

The DI sighed again. “You wouldn’t bury a body unless you wanted to keep it hidden, would you? But by the by, we’re waiting for cause of death to be established. The pathologist’s taking his time over this one. The truth is, nothing about this case is making much sense, but we’ll get to the answer in the end.” He looked at Clucy with a smie, “even if we have to fit you up, young lady,” he added.

TO BE CONTINUED

© Peter Rogerson, 05.10.24

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