Murder in the Monastery (Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery series) by Lesley Cookman Page B

front door open for them, before rushing to the phone to warn anyone who had not been questioned yet of this delightful fact.
    ‘I’ve got Superintendent Bertram herself,’ hissed Peter. ‘Here now. Go away!’
    ‘I can see two large gentlemen approaching the front door,’ said Ben. ‘I shall wave Ian in front of their noses.’
    ‘I’ve already had a couple of uniforms who were completely uninterested,’ said Fran. ‘Told you.’
    ‘What did they ask you?’
    ‘How well I knew Dominic and when did I last see him. Did he seem to have any particular interest in the reliquary – although they couldn’t pronounce it.’
    ‘Neither could mine, and the same questions. They hadn’t been briefed properly, unless Big Bertha is genuinely trying to keep Ian out of the investigation.’
    ‘She can’t hope to do that,’ said Fran. ‘She’d know one of us would tell him, or the other officers.’
    When the phone rang ten minutes later, Libby nearly fell over in her eagerness to snatch it up.
    ‘Ben?’
    ‘No, Libby, another of your gentlemen,’ said an amused Ian.
    ‘Oh! Sorry, Ian, I was expecting Ben to report on his questioning by Big – Superintendent Bertram’s men.’
    ‘Oh, they’ve been, have they?’
    ‘Yes, to me first, then Ben, and Peter’s got the lady herself. And, Ian, my two didn’t know about you!’
    ‘That was silly of her, wasn’t it? I take it you put them right?’
    Libby repeated her conversation with the two detectives. ‘It completely put them off,’ she finished gleefully.
    ‘I bet it did. Well, I thought I’d better put you in the picture, as I’m pretty sure the superintendent won’t. She obviously had to get in touch with me, but sadly for her I was on a day off and for once, out of range. She had to leave a message with the team. I did actually receive the message from one of my sergeants, but I decided, as I wasn’t SIO, I would only respond this morning.’
    ‘After she’d had a chance to make a fool of herself?’ suggested Libby.
    ‘Of course not,’ said Ian, sounding shocked. ‘However, I was able to give her some background detail.’
    ‘Oh? Are you going to tell me what it is?’
    ‘You know what it is. The murder of Bernard Evans.’
    ‘Oh.’ Libby was disappointed. ‘Nothing more on that?’
    ‘A little, but I think I’ll keep it to myself just now. What did you tell the police?’
    ‘Well, actually, that’s rather odd. Big – Bertram came to the theatre yesterday morning and interviewed Pete, Ben and me, yet we’ve all had separate interviews going over the same ground this morning. Why would that be?’
    ‘I expect she decided to have another go at you all individually in case you changed your stories. And I expect she’s digging really deeply into Peter because he wrote the play.’
    ‘Surely she’ll have questioned Sister Catherine about that? And what would that have to do with Dominic’s murder?’
    ‘Oh, come on, Libby! Dominic, on the face of it, was hidden in the Monastery in order to steal the reliquary and Martha looks as though she was protecting it from him.’
    ‘That’s mad,’ said Libby. ‘In that case, why was Martha attacked by the reliquary when Dominic was found at least ten metres away?’
    ‘I’ve no idea, it isn’t my case, but I expect that’s what it looks like to Bertram. And if that’s what she thinks, she’ll put someone else in the frame to have killed Dominic.’
    Libby frowned. ‘But why, in that case, was the reliquary not stolen?’
    Ian sighed. ‘I’ve told you, it isn’t my case. I’m only interested in case it links up with the murder of Bernard Evans.’
    ‘I wish it was your case,’ grumbled Libby.
    ‘So you could get away with poking around?’ Ian sounded amused.
    ‘No, because Big Bertha is so horrible. She hates me.’
    ‘Oh, I’m glad you’ve stopped watching what you call her! I don’t suppose she’s got over your – er – help on the Creekmarsh case.’
    ‘I’m sure