In the Light of Madness Read Online Free Page B

condolences and soothing phrases swarmed around his mind. He didn’t notice his wife leave the room.
He was composing a speech for the Dolbys when the doorbell rang. He heard Vera’s footsteps heading for the front door. Hearing voices he braced himself for the visitors he sensed were heading his way.
“George, this is DI Wednesday and DS Lennox.”
George stood up and proffered his hand. “You’ve come about young Tom, I presume,” he said as he waved his arm to encourage the pair to sit. “Can we offer you a tea or coffee?”
The pair declined.
“We’re sorry about the disruption to the church grounds. Give it a couple more hours and you’ll be able to enter the church again,” Lennox said as he sat back in the chair.
“Were you both here last night?” queried Wednesday.
“We’re both out on Wednesday evenings. I teach Lay preachers in the next village, and Vera leads choir practice in the village hall. We both get in around ten.”
“So neither of you heard nor saw anything out of the ordinary last night?”
The reverend and his wife looked at one another before shaking their heads in unison.
“It’s common knowledge that the vicarage is empty on a Wednesday evening. Besides, with the tall hedge between us and the church, we can’t see what goes on there.” Vera’s voice wasn’t as soft as Wednesday had expected, even though the job had taught her never to expect or assume anything.
“Did you know Tom Dolby well?”
“Indeed we did. He attended church most Sundays with his parents. They’ll be devastated,” he shook his head slowly.
“Did he seem troubled lately? Or changed in any way that concerned you?”
Both George and Vera shook their heads symbiotically.
“He seemed interested in a group I was trying to set up for the local young people.”
“Group?” reiterated Lennox showing too much cynicism in his voice which the reverend picked up on.
Red faced, he continued the conversation. “Yes, there’s not much for the young to do around here, unless they train into Cambridge. Anyway, I’m trying to start up a rambling club. The church has even paid for a hut that’s nicely nestled in the woodland area.”
Wednesday and Lennox eyed one another.
“Could you tell us precisely where the hut is?” Wednesday asked, monitoring her tone of voice and pacing the urgency.
“I can do better than that, I’ll take you there. George should really visit the Dolbys,” Vera offered, as she mimed to her husband that he should get going.
“One last thing before we go,” asked Lennox, reluctant to be pushed around by Vera. “Do you know Darren Giles? He appears to have gone missing.”
Vera put both hands to her face as she took a sharp intake of breath. “Murder and now a missing boy. All this will destroy the sense of security amongst the parishioners,” she uttered.
Neither of them had any information about Darren Giles, so Wednesday placed her card on his desk before following them outside.
The vicarage garden had a semi-wilderness about it. Clearly money was not squandered on hiring a regular gardener. They walked along the narrow pavement, passing the cemetery where the white tent and crime scene tape still remained, incongruously. Rows of officers were on their knees undertaking a fingertip search of the area.
“Is that where he was found?” Vera asked in a hushed tone before putting her hand to her mouth. Wednesday nodded and placed her hand under Vera’s elbow to guide her past the macabre scene.
After walking through dense woodland for ten minutes, they arrived at a small clearing where the newly erected hut stood.
“My husband is devoted to the parish. This rambling club idea was intended to give the young people something constructive to do, whilst getting them interested in nature,” she said as she opened the unlocked door and stepped inside.
Inside, the hut smelt of new wood, and the windows still had protective tape on them. Their footsteps and voices echoed in the sparse space