Free Souvenirs of Murder by Margaret Duffy Page A

moment, staring at the floor and then opened the one large cupboard the room possessed revealing a vacuum cleaner, dusters, a long broom, a dustpan and brush and brass cleaning materials. There were also flower arranging items on an upper shelf.
    â€˜It must have been one of the tools from that cleaner that was forced down his throat,’ I said.
    Patrick rummaged. ‘There isn’t a narrow nozzle tube here so that must have been it. But why did Blanche come here that morning? We know he wasn’t on the cleaning rota, nor were he and his wife on the flower rota – I looked in the porch on the way in. There are no parish papers kept in this room: they’re all in the safe at the rectory. You don’t have to come in here to gain access to the tower in order to wind the clock either. Anyway, a retired farmer by the name of Bill does that.’
    â€˜He might have been dragged in here having been hit on the head somewhere else,’ I suggested. ‘Does James know what he was struck with yet?’
    â€˜He hadn’t when we last spoke but there might have been developments. We’ll have to go to the nick.’
    I wandered back into the nave. ‘Where are the heavy brass candlesticks kept when they’re not in use?’
    â€˜At home, in the safe with the communion silver. They’re all valuable antiques.’
    â€˜And your father cleans those too?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜But someone else must have had the keys to the safe while your parents were away.’
    â€˜Good thinking.’
    â€˜Would that be the sexton as well?’
    â€˜No, probably someone like the Chairman of the PCC.’
    â€˜Mrs Crosby’s husband then.’
    â€˜It’s a priority we go to the nick so that we can read up the notes on the answers to questions that have already been asked. No point in asking them all over again unless people gave evasive answers.’
    Outside, a couple of minutes later, I surveyed the acre or so of graveyard and said, ‘Have the police really searched every inch of this for whatever it was that Blanche was attacked with?’
    â€˜They must have.’
    â€˜Only it’s quite overgrown in places. What about the rectory garden?’
    Part of this is literally over the wall towards one end. The drive to the house, with more garden bordering it, runs along the church boundary on the southern side.
    Patrick rang Carrick.
    â€˜They did, but, as yet, only as far as what was regarded the distance someone could throw something like a heavy hammer,’ he told me, Carrick still on the line.
    â€˜What about the builders?’ I said. ‘Were they interviewed? Had they had any tools stolen? Had any of them known the murder victim? Or have previous convictions?’
    Patrick gravely passed over his mobile.
    â€˜Hello, Ingrid,’ said the DCI. ‘I heard nearly all of that. Come to the nick and I expect you’ll be able to find most of the answers.’
    We agreed that the pair of us would do so at around two that afternoon.
    â€˜There’s time to search,’ I told Patrick, setting off in the direction of the little gate that is in the boundary wall. ‘The killer might have gone right into the rectory garden to dispose of the weapon.’
    â€˜What, look for a hammer or something similar?’ he said, staying where he was. ‘I was thinking of an early lunch.’
    I turned and held up one hand, fingers outstretched, palm towards him. ‘ Five children,’ I said. ‘Like you, I’ve signed a contract so this will be my job with SOCA for a while if there’s no happy ending to your spot of bother.’
    He caught up with me and we went through the gate.
    â€˜I’d clean windows, wash floors, mow lawns, anything.’ Patrick said.
    I saw that I had really offended him and he was also tired. ‘Sorry, that was very unkind of me. I know you would. Perhaps I’m just trying to say that I