The Cold Light of Mourning - By Elizabeth J. Duncan Page 0,96
him, snapping off the needle. She got out and tried to run away, but she couldn’t escape in the shoes she was wearing, and when he caught up with her he bashed and strangled her—with the dog lead as Penny suspected.”
He paused for a moment, took a sip of water, and continued.
“He was the one who had taken the dog out that morning. We’ve taken the dog’s bed away for analysis; it probably contains soil or leaves similar to what we found on Meg Wynne’s clothing. And when it was over, he and his accomplice put Meg Wynne’s body in the boot of his car.
“And here comes the really nasty part. The body stayed in the car all Saturday. At least he had the decency, if you can call it that, to pretend that he was having car problems so Emyr wouldn’t have to ride to the church with his dead fiancée in the boot.”
Penny and Victoria groaned and looked at each other.
“I know,” Davies agreed. “It’s an awful image.
“So the body stayed in the boot of his car until the Sunday night when the opportunity arose to dispose of the body. We tracked down the nurse who was looking after Emyr’s father, who told us that she was up late that night preparing medication in the kitchen and saw a vehicle leave the car park at the back of the house with its lights off, as if the driver didn’t want to attract any attention. When we asked her which car, she confirmed it was Williams’s BMW. It was a full moon that night, so she had no trouble making it out. Emma Teasdale’s grave had been opened and was ready for the funeral on Monday, and they saw their chance and took it. And if it hadn’t been for Penny’s intuition, the body probably would never have been found. You have to admit, hiding the body in a grave was very clever.”
He looked at Penny, then Victoria.
“So there you have it. We think it’s a pretty tight case.”
“I wonder,” said Penny. “What do you think Meg Wynne was going to do about Williams and his drug operation?”
Davies was silent for a moment.
“That’s a good question, and I’ve wondered about that, too. I’d like to think that she was going to report him, and he knew if he wanted to keep his business going he had to get rid of her. I think she was starting to realize just how filthy drug money is—they don’t call it laundering for nothing—and she didn’t want to be on his payroll any longer.
“Anyway, she was about to marry Emyr and she didn’t really need Williams’s money anymore.
“And speaking of money, it turns out that Meg Wynne left everything to her mother, who has finally found the courage to leave her husband.”
The women nodded and smiled.
“And now, a toast. To Victoria,” he said, raising his glass, “and to Penny.”
As they raised their glasses, the manager approached their table carrying a large bouquet of flowers.
“This has just been delivered for the two ladies,” he said, lowering it into Victoria’s arms. “I met him earlier today in the bank and told him you’d be dining with us this evening.”
Victoria looked at the card and smiled.
With heartfelt thanks, Emyr.
And then she handed the bouquet to Penny.
“No more presentation bouquets for me, thank you very much!”
A few days later an official-looking envelope arrived from Jenkins and Jones, solicitors, requesting that Penny contact them to set up an appointment.
When she arrived, she was immediately shown into the office of Richard Jones, the senior partner.
A small, tidy, bald man approaching seventy, he had looked after many of the townsfolk’s legal affairs for decades.
“Ah, Miss Brannigan,” he said, standing up as he held out his hand to show her to the chair facing his old-fashioned oak desk. “Thank you for coming. Yes, indeed. I have some rather good news for you.”
“Oh, yes?” said Penny cautiously, sweeping her skirt behind her as she sat down.
After a few moments of settling back into his chair, Mr. Jones picked up an important-looking document comprised of several pages, with red stickers and seals attached in strategic places, and leafed through it.
“Yes, here we are.
“It’s to do with the last will and testament of Emma Teasdale. She was a good friend of yours, I believe?”
“Yes, she was,” said Penny.
“Well, it turns out that she has left you her tea service which you had always admired,” he said, raising his eyes from the page and peering