Read The Corpse's Tale (Trevor Joseph Detective series) for Free Online

after the churchyard since David Morgan was arrested?’
    ‘We set up a volunteer committee. It worked well for a few years but lately,’ Tony shrugged his shoulders, ‘no one’s heart seems to be in it. My wife and I do what we can. It’s not easy trying to run a parish and look after the fabric of the building and the graves.’
    ‘It is a lot of work, given the size of the place,’ Trevor agreed.
    ‘Have you come to any conclusions yet?’
    ‘Hardly, we only arrived in the village a couple of hours ago, Reverend Oliver.’
    ‘I don’t envy you, Inspector. Sergeant George investigated every possibility at the time. Everyone, including me, is absolutely sure he charged the right man.’
    ‘You found Anna, didn’t you?’ Trevor knew the vicar had.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And David was standing over the body?’
    ‘Crouched next to her.’ Tony shook his head as though he wanted to be rid of the memory.
    ‘Did David Morgan say anything to you?’
    ‘I gave a full statement at the time, which will be more accurate than anything I can say now. Time has a habit of blurring conversations and events. But should there be anything that you think I, or my wife, can do to help you with your enquiries, please don’t hesitate to call. You’re staying at the pub?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Rita has my telephone number. Parish business often keeps us from home. We live in the vicarage.’ He indicated an imposing Georgian house that overlooked the churchyard.
    ‘Very nice,’ Trevor said.
    ‘From the outside. The plumbing’s a nightmare. It has twenty rooms, every one of them too large to heat to a comfortable level, which means we freeze in winter. But,’ he made a wry face, ‘as you said, it does look impressive.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I hope you weren’t coming to see me, Inspector. I’m due to administer communion in the local hospital in ten minutes.’
    ‘I’m on my way to visit David Morgan.’
    ‘I’ve just come from there.’
    ‘How is he, Reverend Oliver?’ Trevor asked.
    ‘Call me Tony, everyone does, except David. He is as well as can be expected, considering what happened this morning.’
    ‘There’s been an incident?’
    ‘Of course, if you’ve only been here a couple of hours you wouldn’t have heard. Stones were thrown through his mother’s window. There was a note on one of them.’
    ‘What did it say?’
    ‘Something unpleasant, Inspector. Sergeant Thomas was there when I left. If you’re quick you might catch him.’
    Trevor suddenly realized where he’d seen Tony Oliver before. ‘You used to be To n y Jordan the singer. You had four number one hits.’
    ‘Fifteen years ago in another more shallow life, Inspector,’ Tony smiled. ‘I will pray for you but I don’t envy you your task. Much as I would like to think otherwise, given the years I’ve known him and his mother, Dai Helpful killed Anna Harris.’
    ‘Because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate?’ Trevor suggested.
    ‘What is the alternative, Inspector?’
    ‘That a murderer has been walking free among you for the last ten years while an innocent man has been locked up.’
    Tony fell silent for  a while. ‘It’s been nice to meet you, Inspector, but I must go. God speed.’
    Tony walked off quickly.  Trevor remained and studied his surroundings.
    Llan church had been built on a low rise on the floor of the valley. The church itself blocked the view on one side. Trevor walked past the shed and stood in front of it. He had an uninterrupted view of the pub and row of shops on one side of the village and the cottages and their gardens on the other. Behind the shed was a large, high flat tomb, hidden from view by the church on one side, the shed on the other and an enormous yew tree on the third. He recalled what Patrick had said about Anna having sex before she died.
    The spot certainly provided privacy for lovers who had nowhere else to go. And Anna had been found behind the shed, just two or three feet from