Читать книгу St Oda's Bones - Marcus Attwater - Страница 10

When Henrietta arrived at the parish rooms for choir practice she found the atmosphere strangely subdued. For some reason the rector was there, and instead of Jessamy, their conductor, it was Elly Hollis who got up and called them to order.

'Good evening. You may wonder why Aidan has joined us tonight. It won't be for long, but there is something we thought would be best if you heard from us. Um. Aidan?'

Henrietta smiled to herself. Elly was never as sure speaking in public as she was face to face.

'Thank you, Elly,' Hollis said, getting to his feet, 'Yes, I'm afraid I have two rather sad announcements to make. As you have no doubt heard, Valerie Harwood has died on Tuesday. I know a lot of rumours are doing the rounds about that, and I sadly must confirm that it does look like she took her own life. The funeral will be next Saturday, but the family have asked that it remain private. No flowers. Our thoughts are with Peter and Ruth and their families.'

They don't want anyone prying, Henrietta concluded, and it was their good right. But it seemed harsh that Valerie's neighbours of many years wouldn't get a chance to say their goodbyes.

'Is that why the police have been here asking questions?' Sylvia Erskine wanted to know.

'Yes, I believe they are looking into the circumstances of Mrs Harwood's demise. Please, I do not know more of this than you do. We must wait for news, and hope it is not sadder than what we already know. But that brings me to my other point. This summer, what we believed to be the relics of St Oda were discovered beneath her shrine. The archaeologist in charge of the excavation has informed me, however, that he believes the bones to be no more than 60 years old, and maybe much younger. He has therefore handed the remains over to the police. I have spoken to DI Collins of the local CID, and they are treating this as a murder enquiry.' The rector paused for a moment as gasps ran around the room, then continued. 'So the relics of St Oda are still, alas, lost, and we must pray for the poor soul who found his last resting place beneath her shrine.'

He sat down again, and then realised his presence was no longer required and left. Before everyone could start discussing the extraordinary news, Jessamy returned to the order of the day.

'Those of you who have joined the choir for the celebrations: first rehearsal will be next Saturday at three. Some members of the cathedral choir will be joining us, and we expect the highest standards. Missing first rehearsal means you're out.'

Of course, during the coffee break, they discussed the rector's announcements with a vengeance. Georgina Abbot was talking nineteen to the dozen, counterpointed by Mr Thompson's low rumble. Elly seemed mostly disappointed that the bones hadn't turned out to be St Oda's after all, wondering aloud where they would find a replacement at short notice. But the other choristers were more interested in speculating who it could be, if not the saint. The police were starting a murder enquiry, the rector had said. Would they all be interrogated? Would the church be closed and overrun with CSI teams? Would Abbey Hill be on television?

Henrietta noticed that her fellow altos didn't join in the gossiping. Mrs Erskine and Fiona Barton were very quiet, while normally they never fell silent. And I'm not saying much, myself, am I? Henrietta thought. Of course not. To the others it was just a juicy story, but Sylvia and Fiona had been here 30 years ago, like she had been. And she knew they must all be thinking the same thing: what if it's Kester?

As she walked the short way home from the church, the full impact of that question hit her. What if it is Kester? She was almost certain it must be, certain enough to know she had to do something. Her first impulse was to call Bridget, but she realised that for once, that might not be wise. She did not want to speak to a friend in her professional capacity, and here, she recognised, there was a need to do things the official way. She would just have to wait until the morning and call the police.