without all those visitors to High Island and the coast small businesses like his could go bust.’ He paused. ‘Those businesses are concerned, Mr Palmer-Jones. The tourists come from overseas. Maybe they over-react to bad publicity. That’s the way of the world. They hear there’s been a murder on a sanctuary in Texas they decide to go somewhere else. So if the tour companies want to send over a Brit PI to keep their customers happy I’ve got to go along with it. Do you understand me?’
‘I understand that I’m here under sufferance.’
Benson seemed not to hear him. ‘It also means that I’m under pressure to clear the case up quickly. We make an arrest, lock someone up, it’s not news any more. But we’re going to do it right whatever the boy thinks.’ He sat forward, looked straight at George. ‘I’m not under that much pressure.’
‘Mr Benson,’ George said. ‘I believe you.’
‘Good.’ He smiled. ‘Well that’s good. This might be a small town, sir, but I’d like you to know that we do things right here. You don’t have to worry about that. When your friend died everything was done according to the proper procedure. Miss Cleary called me at home. I contacted the sheriff’s office, then I came straight down. A sergeant from Galveston arrived soon after and we cleared the area. The Identification Unit came. You know they have specially trained officers to search the scene of the crime. The medical examiner took a while to get here because he’s based at the county morgue in Texas City, but the IDU are glad sometimes to get in there first. And he’s an experienced man.’
‘Has he done a preliminary report?’
‘He’d report directly to the sheriff.’
‘But you would know, wouldn’t you, what the initial findings were?’
‘Have you ever been a cop, Mr Palmer-Jones?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘You don’t operate like a cop.’
‘The medical examiner’s report?’ George prompted.
‘He was stabbed. The weapon was thick bladed, but sharp.’
‘What about the head wounds?’ George asked.
‘You know about them?’ Benson seemed surprised, impressed. ‘They didn’t kill him.’
‘But he was knocked over first, then the assailant stood over him and stabbed him?’
‘That’s the theory.’
‘And your IDU. I presume they found the instrument which caused the head wound? A heavy stake with an eye at one end through which the boundary rope had been threaded.’
It was a guess and he was showing off. He’d look a fool if he were wrong.
Benson scowled. ‘ Someone been talking to you?’
George shook his head. ‘I noticed that it was missing yesterday. What about the murder weapon? The thick bladed instrument? Did they find that?’
‘No, Mr Palmer-Jones, they didn’t find that.’ He called into the kitchen for more coffee. Outside in the road a car braked sharply. They heard high spirited men’s voices, jeers and cat-calls. Then the engine revved up and the car drove quickly away.
George drank the strong black coffee.
‘Rob Earl didn’t do it, you know,’ he said.
Benson said nothing. George thought he had gone too far but he persisted.
‘Why would he? What was the motive?’
‘As I understand it your friend was always jealous of Mr Brownscombe. He’d taken a fancy to his wife.’
‘That was twenty years ago! Rob’s had dozens of girlfriends since then.’
‘It wasn’t anyone from around here,’ Benson said stubbornly. ‘Like I said, I know these people. There are one or two who might kill a man in a fight in a bar. But not that sort of attack. Not a stranger from behind.’
They looked at each other in silence.
‘Have the detectives looked into the Brownscombes’ business dealings?’ George asked.
‘I don’t know. You think that might be important?’
‘There’s a non-profit organization called the Wildlife Partnership. It’s based in Houston and the Brownscombes have done some work for it. There’s a possibility that in the UK
‘I understand that I’m here under sufferance.’
Benson seemed not to hear him. ‘It also means that I’m under pressure to clear the case up quickly. We make an arrest, lock someone up, it’s not news any more. But we’re going to do it right whatever the boy thinks.’ He sat forward, looked straight at George. ‘I’m not under that much pressure.’
‘Mr Benson,’ George said. ‘I believe you.’
‘Good.’ He smiled. ‘Well that’s good. This might be a small town, sir, but I’d like you to know that we do things right here. You don’t have to worry about that. When your friend died everything was done according to the proper procedure. Miss Cleary called me at home. I contacted the sheriff’s office, then I came straight down. A sergeant from Galveston arrived soon after and we cleared the area. The Identification Unit came. You know they have specially trained officers to search the scene of the crime. The medical examiner took a while to get here because he’s based at the county morgue in Texas City, but the IDU are glad sometimes to get in there first. And he’s an experienced man.’
‘Has he done a preliminary report?’
‘He’d report directly to the sheriff.’
‘But you would know, wouldn’t you, what the initial findings were?’
‘Have you ever been a cop, Mr Palmer-Jones?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘You don’t operate like a cop.’
‘The medical examiner’s report?’ George prompted.
‘He was stabbed. The weapon was thick bladed, but sharp.’
‘What about the head wounds?’ George asked.
‘You know about them?’ Benson seemed surprised, impressed. ‘They didn’t kill him.’
‘But he was knocked over first, then the assailant stood over him and stabbed him?’
‘That’s the theory.’
‘And your IDU. I presume they found the instrument which caused the head wound? A heavy stake with an eye at one end through which the boundary rope had been threaded.’
It was a guess and he was showing off. He’d look a fool if he were wrong.
Benson scowled. ‘ Someone been talking to you?’
George shook his head. ‘I noticed that it was missing yesterday. What about the murder weapon? The thick bladed instrument? Did they find that?’
‘No, Mr Palmer-Jones, they didn’t find that.’ He called into the kitchen for more coffee. Outside in the road a car braked sharply. They heard high spirited men’s voices, jeers and cat-calls. Then the engine revved up and the car drove quickly away.
George drank the strong black coffee.
‘Rob Earl didn’t do it, you know,’ he said.
Benson said nothing. George thought he had gone too far but he persisted.
‘Why would he? What was the motive?’
‘As I understand it your friend was always jealous of Mr Brownscombe. He’d taken a fancy to his wife.’
‘That was twenty years ago! Rob’s had dozens of girlfriends since then.’
‘It wasn’t anyone from around here,’ Benson said stubbornly. ‘Like I said, I know these people. There are one or two who might kill a man in a fight in a bar. But not that sort of attack. Not a stranger from behind.’
They looked at each other in silence.
‘Have the detectives looked into the Brownscombes’ business dealings?’ George asked.
‘I don’t know. You think that might be important?’
‘There’s a non-profit organization called the Wildlife Partnership. It’s based in Houston and the Brownscombes have done some work for it. There’s a possibility that in the UK
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