Murder at Locke Abbey Read Online Free PDF

bolster my father’s mood.”
    “Have you ever seen him have a seizure or convulsions before?”
    “No. Why?”
    “Because that sounds very much like something called a grand mal seizure, which is caused by a condition known as epilepsy. Until recently, sufferers were often thought to be possessed. Some still believe the seizures are the work of the Devil.”
    “And the vomiting and speaking in tongues?
    “Speaking in tongues?” She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
    “That’s how people have been referring to his attempt at speech.”
    “Was he speaking another language , or did peoples’ imaginations run away with them?”
    “I can only speak Latin and French, but I believe it is your latter suggestion. In all honesty, his words were more like grunts and groans, I could make out no pattern to his speech, as I might expect to in a foreign language, even one I wasn’t familiar with.”
    “Given the other odd events of late, I can see why this would seem supernatural, but I believe it has a rational explanation.”
    “Oh?”
    “Assuming that he doesn’t have epilepsy, which I can confirm with his wife, he likely suffered an apoplectic seizure, which is bleeding in his brain. Obviously the skull is a bone and cannot stretch to accommodate the increased pressure, and I have heard of cases where that has caused bleeding into the eye. The reason for such episodes is still being debated but some appear to be the result of injury, a blow to the head, while others can be due to a weakness in the blood vessels. Whatever the reason, they are natural, not supernatural in origin. Was an autopsy performed?”
    “ No.”
    “That’s unusual, isn’t it, given that the doctor was unsure of the cause of death.”
    “Mrs Lanning requested that he be left in peace.”
    Thea pursed her lips together. “That is annoying.”
    “Why?”
    “Because the only way I can confirm that diagnosis, is to look at his brain and see if there was bleeding into the cranial cavity.”
    “You mean, you want to cut into his skull?” Cole sounded upset.
    “How else can we confirm if he was bleeding into his brain?” she asked.
    “But what about his wife?”
    “What about her?”
    “She doesn’t want him disturbed.”
    “I realise that but superstition and fear thrive in ignorant environments. If you want to discover the truth, I need to start gathering proof.”
    Cole looked rather shocked, as if she had slapped him. “I rather think compa ssion for a recent widow shows good manners.”
    She realised she had offended him but she spoke the truth.
    Her father stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder.
    “She means a lack of knowledge,” he explained. “She was not calling you or your friends ignorant. You are right, of course, that we should show compassion to a widow but that leaves us at something of an impasse. We can perform this procedure and prove Thea correct, or show consideration to Mrs Lanning and make do with theories. Of course, in the absence of proof, the rest of your party will find it easier to argue against a rational explanation. These are your guests however, as are we, so we shall abide by your judgement.”
    Cole’s expression softened but Thea felt mutinous.
    “ Father?” She slipped her shoulder from his grasp and made her way to the corner of the room, so they could talk with some degree of privacy.
    “Excuse us a moment, Cole.” He joined his daughter.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low. “If we don’t autopsy, people will continue to believe it was some sort of demonic possession!”
    “And if we do this, we could c ause pain to a grieving woman.”
    “But surely she wants to know the truth!”
    “Sometimes a lie offers more comfort than the truth.”
    “But even when uncomfortable, the truth is always preferable! Mother told me that.”
    “Most of the time, she would be right but in this instance, we have to be compassionate. To you,