Free Murder on the Old Road by Amy Myers Page A

as if to say it was all a long time ago, but it didn’t convince Georgia.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ she said sincerely. ‘This must be very hard for you.’
    â€˜I relive it each time I think of it. Age doesn’t change emotion, it merely hides it in a cupboard until one opens the door. But sometimes one has to do just that, to brush away the cobwebs. That’s why I wanted to see you.’
    â€˜There must have been a full police investigation.’
    â€˜Of course. And an inquest too. Murder was the verdict. I was so shocked at the time that I couldn’t take in all the details, but it must be on record somewhere and you could find it if necessary. But I hope it won’t be – not for my sake or my family’s, but for the village’s. There are troubles enough around today without any need for delving into the past.’
    â€˜What would you like? To know more?’
    â€˜My dear Georgia – how odd, already I think of you as dear Georgia – I still would like to know who killed Hugh. I can’t believe the truth would hurt now, but nevertheless, in the greater interest, I ask you to let it lie.’
    â€˜I have to ask why. Is it because you think the St Thomas issue was the motive for his death?’
    Jessica bowed her head. ‘It’s possible; the village felt very strongly, then as now. All the more reason for not stirring old ashes.’
    â€˜Because whoever killed your husband was on that pilgrimage with you?’
    Jessica hesitated. ‘Probably, although many of the villagers turned out to welcome us home and came to greet us. It’s possible that someone who hated Hugh lingered and killed him.’
    It was time to enter difficult territory, and Georgia braced herself. ‘Could there have been other, more personal motives for his death?’ She could hardly name Val, but she wondered very much what the relationship had been between him and his stepfather, given their opposing views.
    Jessica stiffened, very obviously reading the implication correctly. ‘Hugh had enemies, because of his beliefs, but as a man everyone loved him. Valentine had his differences with him, as one would expect. He was headstrong and twenty-two. Hugh was gentle, but a martinet where the family and Chillingham were concerned. He saw Val as an outsider, but that was no reason for Val to kill him. In fact, Val had everything to lose and nothing to win. With Hugh’s death, he, Julian and I were left penniless, and it was only thanks to Robert’s generosity that we had Chillingham Place as a roof over our heads all those years.’
    â€˜And what about the rest of the cast? Would any of them have had reason to kill him?’
    Georgia had been wary about asking so bluntly, but in fact Jessica laughed, perhaps because the main effort of speaking about Hugh had been surmounted. ‘Have you ever belonged to a drama group, Georgia?’
    â€˜Briefly.’ She had done so for one or two years, until Zac had come. He had swept her into marriage and refused to allow any distractions from her sole reason for existence as he saw it: to be devoted to him.
    â€˜Even brief experience should remind you that emotions run high in drama groups. One is thrust so closely together that private emotions swell up – often as a grand finale to the performance itself. Hence the attraction or otherwise of after-show parties in such groups. We were saving our real celebration for our return to Chillingham, but the after-show party was quite exciting. I seem to remember pouring a glass of very expensive wine over Lisa Moon’s head. She was playing Fair Rosamund, and I fear I carried Queen Eleanor’s vendetta from the play on too long. Hugh was very annoyed with me, and so was Clive. I do assure you Lisa didn’t mind. She thought it rather amusing.’

FIVE
    â€˜ M ike. This is a nice surprise.’ That was only half true. As soon as Georgia saw him in