Page 28 of The Chapel of Bones

Wesley put on crime-scene gloves before taking it from her. He’d almost forgotten about Pete Wolsey’s call the previous night, and now that he had the briefcase in front of him, he felt a sudden rush of curiosity. He turned to Gerry. ‘This is the briefcase Pete Wolsey found under the stairs at Sycamore House when he was doing that building work.’

‘Come on then, let’s see what’s inside.’

The clasp had rusted up, so Wesley struggled with it for a while. When he eventually managed to prise it open, he lookedinside and found a large illustrated book in a protective plastic cover, like a library edition.

‘What’s the book?’ said Gerry, leaning over to see.

‘Beasts of the Middle Ages.’ Wesley opened it and looked through the colourful pages. It was a facsimile of a medieval bestiary, and the front page bore the stamp of the county archives. ‘This must be the one Donnal borrowed on the sixth of May 2011 and never returned. The one the letter sent to Harbour Steps was about.’

As he reached into the briefcase again, his fingers came into contact with something caught at the bottom. It was a leaflet, the kind available in the tourist information centre at the edge of the Memorial Gardens. It featured fuzzy photographs of animals: chimpanzees, lions, ostriches and a sad-looking elephant.

‘Gadson’s Zoo in East Burrington. Same as the leaflet in Sue Potter’s bin.’ He examined it closely. ‘But this one’s way out of date. What was Donnal doing with it, I wonder?’ he said, passing it to Gerry.

‘Maybe he fancied a day out. Do you know anything about the place?’

Wesley nodded. ‘Pam and I took the kids there a few years ago. We weren’t impressed. It was more like someone’s private collection of exotic animals than a proper zoo that takes conservation seriously and tries to replicate the animals’ natural habitat. I’m surprised it’s stayed open, to be honest. Pam didn’t like seeing the animals in cages and small enclosures.’ He smiled. ‘Della’s always joining protests about this and that, but if she organised one about Gadson’s Zoo, I’d be right behind her.’

‘Maybe Donnal was doing some research about his medieval beasts there. Or he might have just picked up the leaflet somewhere. Perhaps we should pay the zoo a visit. See whether anyone there knows anything about him.’

Wesley looked sceptical. From the evidence he’d seen so far, Aleric Donnal was more interested in mythical creatures than real ones in a run-down zoo. But they had to follow every possible lead. Especially as a similar leaflet had been found on Sue Potter’s premises.

‘Let’s call it a day, Wes. We’ve got Sue Potter’s post-mortem in the morning.’

As Wesley was grabbing his jacket, the phone in Gerry’s office began to ring. It was the constable on duty outside Sue Potter’s cottage wanting to know what they should do with Gertrude, the victim’s cat. One of the neighbours had fed it that day, but she’d made it quite clear it was a purely temporary arrangement, because she had a dog who took exception to the feline species.

Wesley had followed the DCI into his office, hoping the message was something that would move the investigation forward. Gerry had put the speakerphone on, so every word was audible. He looked at Wesley and gave a dramatic shrug. This wasn’t really a problem for the chief investigating officer. On the other hand, Gerry Heffernan had a bit of a reputation for being a soft touch behind all his bluster.

‘If someone brings it to the station in a carrier, I’ll take the poor thing home,’ he said. ‘My son’s a vet. He might be able to find it a billet if the victim’s sister doesn’t want to take responsibility.’

Once the call was ended, Gerry looked at Wesley. ‘I suppose it would be more than your life’s worth to take it in.’

‘I think Moriarty and Sherlock would have something to say. They just about tolerate each other, but I wouldn’t want to introduce another cat into the mix.’

Gerry chuckled. ‘I’ve never come across such appropriate names for a detective’s cat and dog. I’ll take Gertrude in for a while until she finds a permanent home. Our Alison loves animals – has to in her job.’ Gerry’s daughter had almostcompleted her training as a veterinary nurse and worked with her half-brother, Sam, at the Carnvale Veterinary Clinic.

As Wesley walked home, he couldn’t get Aleric Donnal’s briefcase out of his mind. The leaflet from Gadson’s Zoo seemed so out of place. Why had he kept it? He couldn’t shake off the thought that it could be important. But he’d been wrong before.

19

On Sunday morning, the church bells were ringing merrily as Wesley and Gerry walked to the hospital to witness Sue Potter’s post-mortem. Wesley felt slightly queasy about the prospect. He’d formed a mental picture of her as a pleasant, lively person who’d supported the local community and knew how to have fun, and now he would have to watch Colin cut up her lifeless body. But if they were to find the individual responsible for ending her life, it was something he had to face.

When they arrived at the mortuary, Colin was ready to begin. As usual, he kept up a commentary, and once the examination was over, he gave his verdict. Sue Potter had been a well-nourished woman in her sixties. She’d been in general good health and the cause of her death was strangulation by something soft. A woman’s silk scarf had been found on a chair near the body and was currently being examined at the forensic lab. If it turned out that it was the murder weapon, and that it belonged to Sue, this meant that the killer had used whatever was to hand. He – or she, because Colin hadn’t ruled out the possibility that the killer was a woman – hadn’t come armed.

Once he’d taken off his protective clothing, Colin led them to his office. He had some new biscuits he wanted them to try. They were in for a treat. Colin’s hospitality always took the sting out of the unpleasantness of the post-mortem.

‘Aleric Donnal appears to have had an interest in medieval beasts, and Sue Potter received a note containing an illustration of something similar. Could there be a connection between thetwo deaths?’ Wesley asked once they were settled with their refreshments, voicing the half-formed ideas that were flitting around his mind.

Colin nodded thoughtfully. ‘Donnal was stabbed in the back and Sue Potter was strangled. The only thing they appear to have in common from a pathologist’s point of view is that they were both attacked from behind; taken by surprise. But apart from that . . .’

‘Thanks, Colin. You’re a star.’ Gerry drained his teacup and patted his large stomach as though he’d just enjoyed a good meal.

‘So I’ve been told,’ said Colin. ‘Have the next of kin been informed?’

‘The sister’s coming down tomorrow. We’re hoping she’ll be able to tell us more about the victim’s background.’

‘Poor woman.’

Colin usually kept a professional detachment from his lifeless patients, so Wesley was rather surprised at this comment.