The Claresby Collection: Twelve Mysteries by Daphne Coleridge Page B
Authors: Daphne Coleridge
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she would be singing in the choir that year. She and Rupert had put a dozen flat boxes full of blooms in the back of the car and she was carrying the first of these up the path to the church when she was surprised to meet a sour-faced Anne Jones marching in the opposite direction.
“Are you helping with the flowers too?” asked Laura.
“No I am not!” came the swift response. “I was here to tell the vicar that if she had any decency she would not conduct the services tomorrow and telling everyone else that it was their Christian duty to refuse to attend.”
“Oh,” said Laura, slightly taken aback by the vitriol evident in this declaration.
“And you of all people should set an example. It is a positive disgrace, with parishioners disappearing and the police at their wits end, for people to continue to show support for that evil woman.”
“Parishioner,” corrected Laura rather coldly.
“Oh, so you haven’t heard? We’ve had another disappearance. Martin Gordon hasn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon and that woman who lives with him over the pub says the last she knew he was heading for the church. It is common knowledge that he was having an affair with the vicar. How many more deaths do we need before she is made to leave? Everyone knew what she was when her first husband was killed.”
“You should be careful not to make accusations like that,” warned Laura. “Her husband died of natural causes.”
“Oh, you’re just like the rest of them; you won’t see the truth!” And with that the woman stormed off.
Laura carried on to into the porch and through the low arched doorway. It was news to her that Martin had gone missing and news too that he was thought to be romantically involved with Veronica. She would have thought it very improbable had not she recalled what Wendy had said about Veronica being missing from the vicarage one night and the fact that she had “suspicions”. But it didn’t make sense that she had spent the night with Martin, who already had a partner – unless she had been away that night for some reason.
“What was that about?” asked Rupert, coming up behind with a couple more boxes.
“Martin has disappeared,” hissed Laura, as they joined the others in the church.
There were flowers all over the place, but nobody seemed bothered about arranging them. Veronica was sitting in a pew looking anguished, Frank was hovering around looking anxious, and Wendy and Bill Smith, the new churchwarden, were looking bemused.
Veronica looked up with an almost panicked expression on her face, but relaxed just a little when she saw Laura and Rupert.
“I suppose you’ve heard? We’ll have police all over the place again soon. Unfortunately word is that Martin was heading for the church last night before he disappeared, so one way or another I will be implicated.”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone will blame you,” Frank put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Martin was a bad lot; he must have had plenty of enemies.”
Veronica gave a wan smile but said, “Of course people will blame me – I know that there were rumours about us having an affair, but there was no truth in it. He did try to flirt with me once or twice, but he was experienced enough to know a gentle but firm rebuff when he met one.”
Frank was shaking his head. “Martin was not one to give up; he was too sure of his own charms.”
“Why would he be at the church yesterday?” asked Laura.
Veronica shook her head. “I don’t know. It was Good Friday, so we held a vigil between twelve and three, but there was nothing happening after that.”
“Was that what Gordon came for?”
“No; it wasn’t well attended to be honest, and Gordon definitely wasn’t there.”
“Gordon had a bit of a reputation with the ladies – isn’t it possible he just spent the night with one of them and mentioned the visit to the church as an excuse,” suggested Rupert.
Wendy shook her
“Are you helping with the flowers too?” asked Laura.
“No I am not!” came the swift response. “I was here to tell the vicar that if she had any decency she would not conduct the services tomorrow and telling everyone else that it was their Christian duty to refuse to attend.”
“Oh,” said Laura, slightly taken aback by the vitriol evident in this declaration.
“And you of all people should set an example. It is a positive disgrace, with parishioners disappearing and the police at their wits end, for people to continue to show support for that evil woman.”
“Parishioner,” corrected Laura rather coldly.
“Oh, so you haven’t heard? We’ve had another disappearance. Martin Gordon hasn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon and that woman who lives with him over the pub says the last she knew he was heading for the church. It is common knowledge that he was having an affair with the vicar. How many more deaths do we need before she is made to leave? Everyone knew what she was when her first husband was killed.”
“You should be careful not to make accusations like that,” warned Laura. “Her husband died of natural causes.”
“Oh, you’re just like the rest of them; you won’t see the truth!” And with that the woman stormed off.
Laura carried on to into the porch and through the low arched doorway. It was news to her that Martin had gone missing and news too that he was thought to be romantically involved with Veronica. She would have thought it very improbable had not she recalled what Wendy had said about Veronica being missing from the vicarage one night and the fact that she had “suspicions”. But it didn’t make sense that she had spent the night with Martin, who already had a partner – unless she had been away that night for some reason.
“What was that about?” asked Rupert, coming up behind with a couple more boxes.
“Martin has disappeared,” hissed Laura, as they joined the others in the church.
There were flowers all over the place, but nobody seemed bothered about arranging them. Veronica was sitting in a pew looking anguished, Frank was hovering around looking anxious, and Wendy and Bill Smith, the new churchwarden, were looking bemused.
Veronica looked up with an almost panicked expression on her face, but relaxed just a little when she saw Laura and Rupert.
“I suppose you’ve heard? We’ll have police all over the place again soon. Unfortunately word is that Martin was heading for the church last night before he disappeared, so one way or another I will be implicated.”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone will blame you,” Frank put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Martin was a bad lot; he must have had plenty of enemies.”
Veronica gave a wan smile but said, “Of course people will blame me – I know that there were rumours about us having an affair, but there was no truth in it. He did try to flirt with me once or twice, but he was experienced enough to know a gentle but firm rebuff when he met one.”
Frank was shaking his head. “Martin was not one to give up; he was too sure of his own charms.”
“Why would he be at the church yesterday?” asked Laura.
Veronica shook her head. “I don’t know. It was Good Friday, so we held a vigil between twelve and three, but there was nothing happening after that.”
“Was that what Gordon came for?”
“No; it wasn’t well attended to be honest, and Gordon definitely wasn’t there.”
“Gordon had a bit of a reputation with the ladies – isn’t it possible he just spent the night with one of them and mentioned the visit to the church as an excuse,” suggested Rupert.
Wendy shook her
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