A New Lease of Death Read Online Free PDF

professional man, anyway, in Mrs Primero’s eyes to make his wife a lady. Mrs Crilling was always popping over to Victor’s Piece and she always took the child with her. God knows, they must have been pretty close. Elizabeth called Mrs Primero “Granny Rose” just as Roger and his sisters did.’
    ‘So she “popped over” that Sunday night and found Granny Rose dead?’ Burden hazarded.
    ‘It wasn’t as simple as that. Mrs Crilling had been making the kid a party frock. She finished it by about six, dressed Elizabeth up and wanted to take her over and show her off to Mrs Primero. Mind you, she and Alice Flower were always at loggerheads. There was a good bit of jealousy there, spheres of influence and so on. So Mrs Crilling waited until Alice had gone off to church and went over alone, intending to go back and fetch the child if Mrs Primero was awake. She dozed a good bit, you see, being so old.
    ‘That first time – it was about twenty past six – Mrs Primero
was
asleep and Mrs Crilling didn’t go in. She just tapped on the drawing room window. When the old woman didn’t stir she went back and returned again later. By the way, she saw the empty scuttle through the window so she knew Painter hadn’t yet been in with the coal.’
    ‘You mean that Painter came in and did the deed between Mrs Crilling’s visits?’ Burden asked.
    ‘She didn’t go back again till seven. The back door had to be left unlocked for Painter, so she and the child went in, called out “Yoo-hoo” or some damn’ thing, and marched into the drawing room when they didn’t get an answer. Elizabeth went first – more’s the pity – and Bob’s your uncle!’
    ‘Blimey,’ said Burden, ‘that poor kid!’
    ‘Yes,’ Wexford murmured, ‘yes … Well, much as I should like to while away the rest of the afternoon, reminiscing over the coffee cups, I do have to see this clerical bloke.’
    They both got up. Wexford paid the bill, leaving a rather obviously exact ten per cent for a tip.
    ‘I can’t see where the parson comes into it at all,’ Burden said when they were in the car.
    ‘He can’t be an abolitionist because they’ve done away with the death penalty. As I say, he’s writing a book, expects to make a big thing out of it and that’s why he’s laid out good money on a transcript.’
    ‘Or he’s a prospective buyer of Victor’s Piece. He’s a haunted house merchant and he thinks he’s got another Borley Rectory.’
    An unfamiliar car stood on the forecourt of the police station. The numberplate was not local and beside it was a little metal label that bore the name Essex with the county coat of arms of three scimitars on a red field.
    ‘We shall soon know,’ said Wexford.

3
    There are false witnesses risen up against me and such as speak wrong.
    Psalm 27, appointed for the 5th Day
    IN GENERAL WEXFORD disliked the clergy. To him the dog collar was like a slipped halo, indicating a false saintliness, probable hypocrisy and massive self-regard. As he saw it vicars were not vicarious enough. Most of them expected you to worship God in them.
    He did not associate them with good looks and charm. Henry Archery, therefore, caused him slight surprise. He was still slim and exceedingly good-looking, and he was wearing an ordinary rather light-coloured suit and an ordinary collar and tie. His hair was thick enough and fair enough for the grey not to show much, his skin was tanned and his features had a pure evenly cut regularity.
    During the first preliminary small-talk remarks Wexford had noticed the beauty of his voice. You felt it would be a pleasure to hear him read aloud. As he showed him to a chair and sat down opposite him, Wexford chuckled to himself. He was picturing a group of tired ageing female parishioners working their fingers to the bone for the pitiful reward of this man’s smile. Archery was not smiling now and he looked anything but relaxed.
    ‘I’m familiar with the case, Chief Inspector,’ he began.