Little Knell Read Online Free Page B

would be; and that would certainly have to be done before he even got as far as cautioning anyone. He had an uneasy feeling that the office of coroner went back to William the Conqueror, at least. ‘Do we know who committed this alleged offence, sir?’
    â€˜Wetherspoon and Wetherspoon.’
    â€˜The removal people?’
    â€˜Them,’ said Leeyes. ‘Or, more precisely, Sidney Wetherspoon himself and one Wayne Goddard.’
    â€˜Wayne Goddard?’ Sloan frowned. ‘That name rings a bell. Sid Wetherspoon, I’ve known since I was a lad.’ Detective Inspector Christopher Dennis Sloan was Calleshire born and bred and thus knew his patch better than most. ‘I wouldn’t have thought he’d do the wrong thing. Not Sid.’
    The superintendent picked up the message sheet and continued, quoting from the coroner’s statement, ‘… “in that they did move or cause to be moved a body without either first obtaining my written permission or acting on the duly authorized instructions of my officer”.’
    â€˜So,’ concluded Detective Inspector Sloan, ‘he’s not blaming PC Stuart, then?’ Police Constable Douglas Stuart had acted as the coroner’s officer, his right-hand man, at Berebury for years and years.
    â€˜Not likely,’ snorted Leeyes. ‘Well, he wouldn’t, would he, seeing he needs him like he does? Locombe-Stableford hasn’t done a hand’s turn himself since Nelson lost his eye.’
    â€˜Doug Stuart does save him a lot of work,’ observed Sloan moderately.
    â€˜Difficult man to pin anything on, is Stuart,’ said Leeyes, sounding aggrieved. As far as the superintendent was concerned this was the rub.
    â€˜Where was this body going?’ asked Sloan, since there was no point in getting embroiled in differing views of Douglas Stuart. As Sloan had confirmed for himself a long time ago, one man looked up and saw stars and another looked down and saw mud. Stars or mud, he would talk to Stuart first.
    â€˜Not going,’ said Leeyes gloomily. ‘Gone. And that’s only half the trouble.’
    Sloan raised an eyebrow interrogatively.
    The trouble with the drug dealing that was so much on his mind was that it had suddenly burgeoned out over Calleshire from the urban area around the industrial town of Luston. And that was what he should be working on now. He hadn’t time to be playing about with arcane old statutes for sake of an outworn argument.
    â€˜It’s already been taken over to the Greatorex Museum,’ said Leeyes. ‘And Marcus Fixby-Smith – apparently he’s the head honcho over there – won’t play ball.’
    Detective Inspector Sloan said he could see that there might be difficulties.
    â€˜Difficulties!’ trumpeted Leeyes. ‘You haven’t started to appreciate quite how many difficulties there are yet, Sloan.’
    â€˜Sorry, sir.’
    â€˜Apparently, the curator doesn’t want to part with the mummy because exactly how you first begin to go about examining these old things is very important.’
    Sloan said that he could see that it might be.
    â€˜And he doesn’t want anyone else messing about with it until he and his archaeological pals have had a go.’
    Sloan said he could see that, too.
    â€˜You may be able to, Sloan,’ said Leeyes with heat. ‘All I can say is that the coroner can’t.’ He sniffed. ‘Or won’t.’
    â€˜Do we know what it is exactly Mr Locombe-Stableford wants?’ asked Sloan. Something – he didn’t know quite what yet – didn’t add up here. Especially that business about acting on information received. That sort of information usually reached the police long before it got to the coroner.
    â€˜Trouble, that’s what he wants,’ muttered Leeyes, tersely. ‘If you ask me, he’s out for blood. Preferably mine. And, as he never fails to