Free Murder in the Neighbourhood: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery by Penelope Sotheby Page A

Diane’s humour, Darrell immediately tells her that he’s about to arrest Carys Jones’ cousin, Rosalyn Thomas, for her murder.
    “That can’t be possible,” says Diane adamantly.
    “But there’s her criminal record, she lied about being in Mrs. Jones’ home, she arrived in the area two nights before the murder….”
    Diane holds up her hand, which immediately stops Darrell from arguing further.  She motions for the inspector to follow her up the staircase to the second floor of her home. They stop in front of a railing, one that looks remarkably similar to the one in Carys’ home – the railing that Carys was thrown over.
    “I’m guessing this Mrs. Rosalyn Thomas is not some bionic bodybuilder….” says Diane.
    “No, not at all,” laughs Darrell. “Actually, she’s quite frail looking. But her beady eyes more than make up for it, I can tell you that.”
    “Now, can you imagine this Mrs. Thomas being able to lift Carys over the railing… even if Carys was unconscious or already dead?”
    “You’re probably right,” says the inspector. “Unless she hides it well, Mrs. Thomas does not have enough strength do that.
    Darrell’s mind is whirling. He had been so sure that Mrs. Thomas was the murderer. Everything points to her: her lust for money, her demand to see Carys Jones’ will, lying about not seeing Carys since their days in Wales, arriving in the area before and not after the murder….
    But she couldn’t have done it alone…
    … she could have had help though.
    “That’s it! Mrs. Thomas has an accomplice!” yells Darrell. “I need to go talk to Richard again.”
    Darrell hurries down the stairs and out of Diane’s cottage without even petting Rufus goodbye. On the way back to the apartment over the pub, Darrell looks over to see Richard sitting on a bench on the edge of the green.
    “Richard!” shouts Darrell, running across the lane.
    Richard looks up with a serene smile on his face. “I haven’t been outside in days.”
    “Richard, I forgot to ask you about Mrs. Jones’ other caregiver…”
    “Brian?”
    “Yes, that’s it, Brian. You mentioned he went on holiday. Do you know where?”
    “I’m not certain, but I think he said Wales. That’s where he’s from anyway.”
    “Richard, thank you! Truly!”             
    Darrell is quite confident he’s found Mrs. Thomas’ accomplice. He jogs towards his parked Range Rover and decides he’s going to call in a few officers to meet him at the B&B where Mrs. Thomas has been staying. First though, he calls Diane.
    “Diane, Darrell here. I think I know who the accomplice is. I want you to double check that your doors are locked and don’t open the door to anyone.”
    “Thank you Darrell, I will.”
    Diane goes downstairs to re-lock the front door and checks to make sure the back door is secured too. She then heads back upstairs to resume looking for a new book to read. While going through the pile of novels on her bedroom floor, she hears a creaking noise downstairs. Must be Rufus, she thinks, until she notices him sound asleep on top of her bed.
    She goes back downstairs and looks around the living room but sees nothing out of the ordinary. She looks around the kitchen and does not find anything or anyone strange either. “Perhaps the cottage is catching up with me and my creaky bones,” Diane chuckles to herself.
    Climbing the staircase to go back to her bedroom, Diane hears another creak, and it’s louder this time.
    Diane quickly turns around. A young man is walking up the stairs and heading straight towards her. Behind him, she can see a strange woman standing at the bottom of the staircase.
    “Kill her now Brian!” the woman yells. “She’s helping the police!”
    Diane turns and runs up the remaining stairs. At the top of the staircase she meets Rufus, who charges down the steps. Without hesitation, Rufus leaps up and pushes Brian down the staircase. The young man lets out a panicked holler as he