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'I wish. Nanny had a dentist's appointment in Axton, our nearest town, so Polly took the children off for a morning in the nursery at the church hall. On the way she got a phone call from Mr Colston, my esteemed father-in-law, saying that Mona had been killed by her husband which, he said, was entirely Mona's fault for behaving badly. He said he'd rung the police and was waiting for them to turn up.

'He ordered Polly to drop everything and support him in his hour of need. He said that he couldn't possibly stay on at Oak Lodge because it was now a crime scene, so she must find him somewhere else to live. Polly rang me straight away. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.'

Bea absorbed that in silence. She'd come across Mr Colston before. He was a cantankerous, bitter old man, who'd not wanted Polly to marry Julian because he was a penniless foundling. One, moreover, whom Mr Colston had taught at school. Mr Colston's feelings had been mixed when Julian inherited a title and an estate in the Home Counties.

This stroke of fortune had, however, enabled Mr Colston to move into Oak Lodge, a spacious house in the village, where he was well looked after by a local woman who acted as housekeeper. If anything, Julian's generosity had soured the old man even more.

Bea sighed. 'You've been good to him.'

'We can't abandon him, can we? Polly kept her head. She said she'd dump Pip at the nursery and take baby Moppet along with her to find out exactly what was going on.'

'How did Mona die?'

'My first thought was that she'd had too much to drink and crashed her car, but my father-in-law said Mona had been bludgeoned to death by her husband. Apparently Marcus and Mona had had a row to end all rows last night. As far as I can make out she broke his laptop, he lashed out at her and then disappeared into the night. No one's seen him since.'

'Ouch,' said Bea, who had met Marcus and respected him ... with reservations. 'I can see her getting into a rage and throwing punches. If he pushed her and she fell and hit her head ...?'

Julian said, 'I don't read him as one likely to lose his temper, but I suppose there's always a first time. If my father-in-law can't stay on at Oak Lodge, then I suppose I'll have to find somewhere else for him, and for Mona's younger sister too. Surely you agree I don't have to do anything for Marcus?'

Bea began to see Julian's dilemma. Marcus was a member of his family only because he'd married into it. Marcus was still well off, despite his reverses, and could afford a good solicitor. Surely the police would pick him up and that would be that?

She said, 'Marcus will have to stand on his own two feet. Where do you think he's gone? Has he taken the first plane out of Heathrow.'

'No. His car's still here in the village, where he left it.'

'And you know where ...?'

'I have no knowledge of where he might be.'

Ah-ha. But you suspect something? There's been some gossip about Marcus? Has he been playing away? You can't keep that sort of thing a secret in a village.

Bea said, 'I know what you did after Polly phoned you. You went looking for information. You went over to the kitchen at the Hall to see what your all-knowing, all-seeing housekeeper, Mrs Maggs, had to say on the matter. It's Friday today, so the Hall is open to the public. Mrs Maggs is related to half the village and has a small army of cleaners and volunteer stewards under her control who will have brought her the latest gossip with the milk. So what did they have to say?'

'All talk died as I entered. No one would meet my eye, and that includes Mrs Maggs. I wasn't even offered a cuppa.'

Bea thought that through. 'I don't get it. If Marcus had been making "friends" in the village, everyone would know. So why not say so?'

Julian said, 'As I understand it, Marcus may have married into the Marston-Lang family who've lived here forever, but to their mind he's still an offcomer who's lost most of his money. Under normal circumstances they'd have no compunction about throwing him to the wolves. On the other hand, they approve of his plans to reopen the model railway in the park. That might be why they're not talking.'

Bea picked that up. 'I understand that it usually takes a couple of generations for someone to be accepted in a village but ... murder? No, if they're not talking it's because they don't think he did it. Have there been any burglaries in the village lately? Perhaps someone got drunk and ...'

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False Relation (An Abbot Agency Mystery Book 19) | Online Book Clubs Skip to main content

Today's Reading

'I wish. Nanny had a dentist's appointment in Axton, our nearest town, so Polly took the children off for a morning in the nursery at the church hall. On the way she got a phone call from Mr Colston, my esteemed father-in-law, saying that Mona had been killed by her husband which, he said, was entirely Mona's fault for behaving badly. He said he'd rung the police and was waiting for them to turn up.

'He ordered Polly to drop everything and support him in his hour of need. He said that he couldn't possibly stay on at Oak Lodge because it was now a crime scene, so she must find him somewhere else to live. Polly rang me straight away. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.'

Bea absorbed that in silence. She'd come across Mr Colston before. He was a cantankerous, bitter old man, who'd not wanted Polly to marry Julian because he was a penniless foundling. One, moreover, whom Mr Colston had taught at school. Mr Colston's feelings had been mixed when Julian inherited a title and an estate in the Home Counties.

This stroke of fortune had, however, enabled Mr Colston to move into Oak Lodge, a spacious house in the village, where he was well looked after by a local woman who acted as housekeeper. If anything, Julian's generosity had soured the old man even more.

Bea sighed. 'You've been good to him.'

'We can't abandon him, can we? Polly kept her head. She said she'd dump Pip at the nursery and take baby Moppet along with her to find out exactly what was going on.'

'How did Mona die?'

'My first thought was that she'd had too much to drink and crashed her car, but my father-in-law said Mona had been bludgeoned to death by her husband. Apparently Marcus and Mona had had a row to end all rows last night. As far as I can make out she broke his laptop, he lashed out at her and then disappeared into the night. No one's seen him since.'

'Ouch,' said Bea, who had met Marcus and respected him ... with reservations. 'I can see her getting into a rage and throwing punches. If he pushed her and she fell and hit her head ...?'

Julian said, 'I don't read him as one likely to lose his temper, but I suppose there's always a first time. If my father-in-law can't stay on at Oak Lodge, then I suppose I'll have to find somewhere else for him, and for Mona's younger sister too. Surely you agree I don't have to do anything for Marcus?'

Bea began to see Julian's dilemma. Marcus was a member of his family only because he'd married into it. Marcus was still well off, despite his reverses, and could afford a good solicitor. Surely the police would pick him up and that would be that?

She said, 'Marcus will have to stand on his own two feet. Where do you think he's gone? Has he taken the first plane out of Heathrow.'

'No. His car's still here in the village, where he left it.'

'And you know where ...?'

'I have no knowledge of where he might be.'

Ah-ha. But you suspect something? There's been some gossip about Marcus? Has he been playing away? You can't keep that sort of thing a secret in a village.

Bea said, 'I know what you did after Polly phoned you. You went looking for information. You went over to the kitchen at the Hall to see what your all-knowing, all-seeing housekeeper, Mrs Maggs, had to say on the matter. It's Friday today, so the Hall is open to the public. Mrs Maggs is related to half the village and has a small army of cleaners and volunteer stewards under her control who will have brought her the latest gossip with the milk. So what did they have to say?'

'All talk died as I entered. No one would meet my eye, and that includes Mrs Maggs. I wasn't even offered a cuppa.'

Bea thought that through. 'I don't get it. If Marcus had been making "friends" in the village, everyone would know. So why not say so?'

Julian said, 'As I understand it, Marcus may have married into the Marston-Lang family who've lived here forever, but to their mind he's still an offcomer who's lost most of his money. Under normal circumstances they'd have no compunction about throwing him to the wolves. On the other hand, they approve of his plans to reopen the model railway in the park. That might be why they're not talking.'

Bea picked that up. 'I understand that it usually takes a couple of generations for someone to be accepted in a village but ... murder? No, if they're not talking it's because they don't think he did it. Have there been any burglaries in the village lately? Perhaps someone got drunk and ...'

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