Murder in the Monastery (Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery series)

by Cookman, Lesley

  ‘So what happened yesterday?’ asked Fran.

  ‘Estelle finally got in touch with David again to tell him that Cornelia was Martha and to confess to the whole thing.’

  ‘How did she find out that Martha was still alive?’

  ‘Believe it or not, Martha called her.’

  ‘I didn’t know she had a phone!’ said Libby.

  ‘Nobody did. But she called Estelle and said she was ready to tell the truth.’

  ‘Why on earth did she call me?’

  ‘When David and Estelle arrived, she met them in the ruins and led them to the gardener’s shed. She had only expected Estelle and was planning to kill her and claim it was self-defence. She called you as a sort of proof that she was scared of Estelle.’

  ‘Why wouldn’t she say it was Estelle?’ asked Fran.

  ‘She thought you might call Estelle, or tell the police. She didn’t want that. But David put a spoke in her wheel. She had Estelle at knife point in there.’ Ian frowned down at the table. ‘She was quite demented.’

  ‘Why did she kill Dominic in the first place? She could have raised the alarm easily,’ said Peter.

  ‘She seems fixated on the reliquary, and keeps saying it should be kept at the Abbey. I think she was going to try and steal it herself and hide it somewhere.’

  ‘She’d never have got away with that!’ said Libby.

  ‘No, but she’s not in the least rational,’ said Ian.

  ‘Oh, I know – did you find out who called the Abbey saying he was the beneficiary?’ said Fran.

  Ian smiled. ‘Think about it. Who told you about the phone call?’

  ‘Well, Martha did,’ said Libby, ‘but that was before Dominic’s attack.’

  ‘There was no phone call. Think about it a bit more.’

  Fran, Libby, Ben and Peter looked at each other.

  ‘No,’ said Ben. ‘Give up.’

  ‘Dominic had done a dummy run, by all accounts –’

  ‘Yes, he wasn’t there a couple of times after rehearsal,’ said Peter.

  ‘So – he knew Martha was in the habit of coming down to check on the reliquary in the middle of the night.’

  ‘To worship it, you said,’ said Libby.

  ‘Exactly. But, I told you, as far as we can make out from what she’s saying, she intended it not to leave the Abbey. The phone call appears to have been a rather inept attempt at laying a false trail, hoping you would think someone was after it.’

  Libby sighed. ‘She certainly put on a good act. When I went to see her in hospital that time, I could have sworn she had no idea when Dominic was killed, or anything about it.’

  ‘And Fran’s bright light?’ asked Guy, reaching out and taking his wife’s hand. ‘What was that?’

  ‘Martha hitting her head on the reliquary stand,’ said Libby and Fran together.

  ‘That’s part of the story I couldn’t possibly answer,’ said Ian, smiling. ‘Yes, please, Hetty, I’d love coffee.’

  ‘Poor David.’ Fran shook her head. ‘I don’t suppose he’ll want to do the show now.’

  ‘Why won’t he?’ said Harry appearing in the doorway. ‘What’s been going on?’

  ‘Oh, Harry!’ came the chorus.

  Epilogue

  David did do The End of The Pier Show, confessing that he’d known Cornelia/Martha was a bit of a religious fanatic.

  ‘The reason we never divorced was she didn’t believe in it,’ he told Libby, on their first night at the Alexandria. ‘I would have done it eventually. Poor woman. He shook his head. ‘Poor all of us.’

  ‘And Estelle is going to be cautioned but not charged, which is good,’ said Libby, ‘even if she was planning to steal the reliquary.’

  David shuddered. ‘I never want to hear of that thing again.’

  ‘No, neither do the Beaumonts,’ said Libby. ‘They said it has caused enough trouble.’

  Peter wandered across the stage towards them. ‘I don’t either. And just remind me next time I get an idea for a play, Libby, not to write it.’

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  More Libby Sarjeant Murder Mysteries

  Murder at the Laurels

  Steeple Martin amateur detective Libby’s friend, and sleuthing partner, psychic investigator Fran Castle, suspects that there is something suspicious about the death of her aunt in a nursing home. When Fran’s long-lost relatives turn up and seem either unconcerned or obstructive, Libby and Fran are sure something is wrong, particularly as the will is missing.

  As usual Libby needs little persuasion to start investigating, even if she doesn’t see herself as Miss Marple. They discover surprising links to Fran’s own past but, as the murders multiply and the police take over, can the amateur sleuths keep on the trail?

  Murder in Midwinter

  Kent village sleuth Libby and her psychic investigator friend Fran befriend Bella Morleigh, who has inherited a derelict theatre. When an unknown body is discovered inside the theatre, they feel duty bound to help with the investigation.

  Although Libby is rather distracted by the preparations for her friends’ Civil Partnership ceremony, she’s getting the hang of using a computer to dig for information. However, when a second body is found it is one of Fran’s psychic moments that makes the connection between the deaths; a connection with startling results.