Free The Blue Virgin by Marni Graff Page A

the tea tray into the kitchen. While listening to the questioning, she had been trying to figure out who might have had a motive to kill Bryn Wallace, but she was at a loss. Surely if her father had surfaced, he would want to reconnect with his daughter. What possible reason could he have had to kill her?
      Simon followed her, and as he helped her load the dishwasher in the large vicarage kitchen, she saw him notice her frown and distant expression. His own expression turned to one of dismay.
      “Oh, no, I’ve seen that expression before,” he said.
      “What expression?” Nora asked, eyes wide, handing him a dish towel.
      “The one that says you’re getting ready to poke your nose in where it doesn’t belong,” he answered good-naturedly.
      Nora was sorry she’d ever told him her mother called her a “nosey parker.” She noted he was trying not to sound stuffy, but still, she wasn’t going to let him off that easily.
      “That’s absurd,” she said with more than a hint of defensiveness. “I’m not poking, I’m involved. Val is my dearest friend, and this was her love. I’m just going to try to think of anything those two detectives out there may have missed. I have no intention of trying to solve this murder.”
      “You promise to leave the detecting to the professionals?”
      “Of course. At least I mean to leave it to them … I’m just thinking —thinking can’t hurt.” Simon groaned as she rushed on. “How about a compromise? I’ll only poke about if it seems Val is a serious suspect. You’ll just have to be happy with that.”

    *

    When they returned to the drawing room, the inspector had finished his questioning. Watkins spoke next, suggesting Janet Wallace travel into Oxford later to the John Radcliffe Hospital to formally identify her daughter’s body that evening.
      “Stay with me tonight, Janet,” Val offered. “It will be late, and you won’t be in any shape to come back by taxi.”
      When the woman murmured that she didn’t want to cause any trouble, Nora stepped in. “At least overnight, Mrs. Wallace. You shouldn’t be alone. We’ll be happy to take you with us back to Oxford.”
      “It’s probably the best idea,” Barnes agreed. “You’ll be required to testify at the inquest, and we might have a better idea when that will be by tomorrow.”
      Both detectives expressed their condolences again to the bereaved mother, and with Val accompanying them, they left to return to Oxford.
      Val had already notified Janet’s employers, who would be arriving shortly to take over her duties; they insisted she take off as much time as she needed. Not only was Janet a valued employee, but they had both known Bryn as a girl and were shocked at the news of her violent death.
      “I’ll need to pack a bag,” Janet said but continued to sit.
      Nora said, “No rush. Let’s take a walk through town for a few minutes, Simon. I need to get in my daily constitutional.” She raised her eyebrows in Janet’s direction, and Simon understood she wanted to give the grief-stricken woman a few moments of privacy. As they left, Janet was leafing through one of a series of photograph albums she had compiled of her only child, tracing the history of the daughter she had loved and lost.

Chapter Ten

    “Death is always the same, but each man dies in his own way.”
    — Carson McCullers, Clock Without Hands

    4:30 PM

    Charlie Borden was known to be punctual, in life and in the pathology lab. Therefore Declan was not surprised when, after returning Val Rogan to her flat, he got the call telling him Charlie was ready to review the postmortem with him. Declan directed Watkins to drive him to St. Aldate’s Station, where he could pick up the MGB. He left Watkins combing through the initial reports and interviews that filtered in before they were logged into the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System computer network. It was a collation of information on similar serious