Free Murder Among Us by Ann Granger

returned.
    "And the same goes for these others, these celebrity guests, Merle, the Fultons and the others?"
    "It's possible."
    "More to the point," went on McVeigh gloomily, "the area major investigation group hasn't anyone else available or no one as suitable, to put in charge at the moment. One man is on leave touring Europe with a caravan, can't even find him at short notice. Two people are sick. Two have gone up North on that lorry-driver case. That's about to break and I can't call them back. Several others are looking into the sub-post office robbery. And I don't want to ask for anyone to come in from outside because I feel local knowledge may be very important." McVeigh stared out of the window.

    "How busy are you with that child molester business? Any more sightings?"
    "No, none. He may have moved on out of the district or he may be lying low. I've got a good man in charge of it, Harris. I'm not involved myself."
    "Good. You're reasonably free, then. I shall oversee the Spring wood Hall murder inquiry myself. But I've too much on my plate to go foot-slogging round interviewing witnesses and all the rest of it. You'll have to carry on for the time being, Alan. Report everything to me and don't initiate any action without my sayso, all right?"
    Markby nodded glumly. Just great. All the work and none of the freedom to do things his way.
    "Of course, if you feel the clash of interests is too great..."
    "It's all right, I can manage. What about the film the TV crew took?"
    "We've obtained a copy. It's currently being blown up and studied frame by frame but so far it's disappointing. You can nip over and take a look at it before you leave. There was always doubt whether the television company would use any of the footage because it was assumed the occasion wasn't really interesting enough apart from a few known names being there. They covered it in case they were short of material and could use it to fill in. Once they realised a body had been discovered they were keen to film everything, of course. Prior to that, they'd only filmed views of the house and a clip of guests arriving—until the streak. They got a good shot or two of her and it's still possible there might be something in the background. Don't count on it."
    McVeigh pushed all the papers back in the cardboard folder from which they'd spilled. "See what you can do. If Morton gets back from Yorkshire ahead of time, he can take over if necessary."
    "Some people," said Markby mildly, "might interpret such an action in mid-investigation as a declaration of lack of confidence in my progress."

    MURDER AMOMQ U5 59
    The superintendent's bushy eyebrows shot up alarmingly.
    "Nonsense! You know we've all got every confidence in you! That's why everyone thinks it's time your career moved on and up."
    "Can we discuss that some other time?" Markby asked brusquely. "About this case. If I take this on, I'll do it on the strict understanding that I'll be left on it. Unless, needless to say, I feel the slightest tug of loyalties at which point I'll ask myself to be taken off. Of course you're overseeing it and I'll keep you informed. I won't do anything unusual without checking it out with you first. But otherwise I must be able to do things in my own way."
    There was a silence. McVeigh wasn't used to having terms dictated to him but for once he conceded defeat gracefully. "All right!" he acknowledged. "But just remember that technically I'm directing this and if the balloon goes up, my name will be attached to it!"
    "I'm not sure," said Finlay Ross, "but that I should report you for employing child labour!" He twitched a bushy eyebrow and nodded in the direction of the ramshackle buildings which constituted the Alice Batt Rest Home for Horses and Donkeys.
    "Oh, Emma!" exclaimed Zoe, glancing towards the scene which had met the vet's eye.
    Emma Danby was engaged in the energetic grooming of an aged donkey. It was large as donkeys went and to reach over its back Emma had to