Free Spiritwalker by Siobhan Corcoran Page A

PC.  He recognised the woman as PC Gregory, a stout middle-aged woman with a matronly appearance.  She's in good hands there at least he thought to himself as he entered the room. 
    “Guv” Gregory greeted him as he entered.  “This is Mrs Bucks, the deceased’s sister.”
    Mrs Bucks was a frail looking elderly woman, her eyes were red and puffy from crying.  She looked to be still in shock from the discovery of her brother's body.”
    “Mrs Bucks, I'm DI Morley.  I'm very sorry for your loss.”  He said sitting on the sofa beside the elderly woman.  “Do you feel like telling me what happened here?”  He asked her gently.
    “I just found him like that, lying there, covered in blood.”  She sobbed looking him in the eye.  “I knew something was up before I came this morning.  You see he usually rings me first thing to make sure I've not forgotten, I'm a bit of a scatter-brain and I forget the time.  It always annoys him when I'm late.  He was in the army you see... Never could abide tardiness, everything had to be on time.  Never married, don't think any woman could live with him.  My George is very easy-going as long as he gets fed he don't care about time.”  She was rambling on barely stopping to take a breath.
    “Mrs Bucks,” The Inspector interrupted her.  “Did your brother have any enemies, anyone who had a grudge against him?”
    “Willy? Willy didn't have an enemy in the world.  I know he could be a bit peculiar at times but nobody hated him.  How could someone do that to an old man?  I thought he had just fallen and hit his head...They think someone killed him. Robbed him and left him to die.” She began to cry uncontrollably again. 
    “There, there dear,” PC Gregory said sitting on the other side of her and patting her hands.  “We're going to take you home now as soon as the inspector here is finished asking you questions.  Georgie will be home waiting for you.”
    I forgot all about Georgie, I must telephone and tell him what's happened.” She began rooting around in her purse frantically.  “I can't find it.  I can't find my phone what am I going to do.  I have to ring Georgie.”
    “We already sent someone over to see him.  He's fine, we told him what happened.  He wanted to come and get you but we told him to stay there that we'd bring you home soon.”
    “That's my Georgie always thinking of someone else.  He can't even drive.”  She began to cheer up thinking of her husband.
    “How long have you been married?” PC Gregory asked realising that talking about her husband cheered her up.
    “Sixty years next May.  The first of May.  Our children are all grown up now of course.  Two sons and a daughter all with children of their own now.  I've six grandchildren they're all grown up too now.  My eldest granddaughter is getting married on the first of May next year.  Isn't that nice, something to look forward to.” she rambled on happily about her grand-daughter' wedding.  Perhaps so she won't have to talk about her brother, Morley thought as he got up to go.
                DI Morley left the two women alone.  He knew he wasn't going to get much more information from the sister.  He would interview her properly tomorrow when she wasn't so much in shock.  He went back to the body.  The pathologist had arrived and was examining the body.  He waited until he was finished.  Then he gave the all clear for the body to be removed for the autopsy. 
    “Dr.  Sutton, it’s good to see you, what do you think?” DI Morley asked shaking hands with the pathologist.
    “Good to see you, Morley.  Pity it’s always something like this though.”
     “Can you tell me anything about the cause of death, or how long he has been dead?”
    “Won't know for certain until I do the autopsy, but it looks like the poor man was strangled. But it could have been the injury to the back of the head just as easily.  Either way it wasn't natural