Witchmoor Edge Read Online Free
Author: Mike Crowson
think?"
Millicent said, as they settled themselves in a light and airy but
somehow soulless room overlooking a medium sized rear garden,
mostly lawn. Lucy took out a notebook and sat ready.
"That's right," the woman agreed. "Shirley
Hunter."
"And your husband was Simon Hunter?"
"That's right. There’s a fairly recent
photograph there." She pointed to a framed picture on the wall.
Millicent stood up and walked over to get a
closer look. There was no doubt at all that it was the same man as
the one pulled from the canal.
"I'm afraid," Millicent began, turning back
to Mrs. Hunter, "that his body was pulled from the Leeds and
Liverpool Canal on Sunday morning."
Shirley Hunter didn't say anything, but
Millicent didn't think she looked particularly shocked or
upset.
"I shall have to ask you to formally identify
the body," Millicent continued, "but there's no doubt in my mind
from the photograph that we're talking about the same man. You said
you tried to report his disappearance at Witchmoor Police Station.
When was this?"
"Latish on Sunday afternoon." Shirley
replied, looking silent and subdued, but still not visibly upset.
"Simon was violent and bad tempered and after what happened on
Saturday I though it might help calm him down if I could say I was
looking for him."
Millicent was interested. "And what did
happen on Saturday?" she asked.
"Simon decided we were going for a picnic up
on the moors," Shirley began. "We left about eleven thirty, drove
up there and set out a meal beneath a few trees overlooking the
reservoir. Simon got into a rage about a mosquito bite. He was
throwing things around in a temper and some of them at me, so I
locked myself in the car. When he fetched a lump of wood to break
in, I drove the car at him and knocked him down. I got out of the
car to see if he was all right and he got up and chased me off. I
went back a bit later and he was gone and so was the car. I haven't
seen him since."
"How did you get back home?" Lucy asked.
"Walk?"
"I didn't go home, at least, not until
Sunday. Simon had dropped his mobile phone, so I used it to call a
friend from work who picked me up. I went shopping with her, then I
stayed the rest of the night with her and her partner."
"You said 'a friend from work'. What do you
do for a living?" Hampshire asked.
"I'm a charge nurse at the Bradford Royal
Infirmary," Shirley said.
"And your friend's name?"
"Ellen Barnes."
"She’s a nurse too?"
"She's a ward sister."
Millicent considered. "You said you hoped to
calm him down," she said. "Was he often violent tempered?"
"Often. He'd fly into a rage at the least
little thing. Not just with me, either."
"A mosquito bite wasn't much," Lucy
observed.
"It was enough," Shirley answered. "It bit
him, but it would have been all the same if I'd bitten him."
"You didn't seem altogether shocked that he
was fished from the canal," Millicent said, changing the
subject.
"Shocked?" Shirley Hunter seemed to consider
this for a few seconds. "When I was much younger," she said, "Just
a girl. I had a dog. It was very old at the end, and had heart
problems and couldn't see. When he died it was something of a
relief and no surprise at all, but it was still a shock. I feel
that way about Simon. I can't pretend I'm sorry; I'm not surprised
considering the way he went missing, but I'm a bit shocked all the
same."
"You were not surprised to hear of his death,
then?"
"Not really. He was mean and bad tempered. He
exploited people. I think he was having an affair, or had been. He
was very grasping in his business. It's no surprise that he pushed
somebody too far. I'm a bit surprised at the canal though, because
he could swim. Perhaps he’d been drinking."
"Was he often drunk?" Millicent asked.
"Not usually," Mrs. Hunter said. "He
sometimes went on a bender and got really drunk, but not often.
Oddly enough he was usually less violent when he was really
drunk."
"How long have you been married?"
"Four years. Simon was my brother's
Millicent said, as they settled themselves in a light and airy but
somehow soulless room overlooking a medium sized rear garden,
mostly lawn. Lucy took out a notebook and sat ready.
"That's right," the woman agreed. "Shirley
Hunter."
"And your husband was Simon Hunter?"
"That's right. There’s a fairly recent
photograph there." She pointed to a framed picture on the wall.
Millicent stood up and walked over to get a
closer look. There was no doubt at all that it was the same man as
the one pulled from the canal.
"I'm afraid," Millicent began, turning back
to Mrs. Hunter, "that his body was pulled from the Leeds and
Liverpool Canal on Sunday morning."
Shirley Hunter didn't say anything, but
Millicent didn't think she looked particularly shocked or
upset.
"I shall have to ask you to formally identify
the body," Millicent continued, "but there's no doubt in my mind
from the photograph that we're talking about the same man. You said
you tried to report his disappearance at Witchmoor Police Station.
When was this?"
"Latish on Sunday afternoon." Shirley
replied, looking silent and subdued, but still not visibly upset.
"Simon was violent and bad tempered and after what happened on
Saturday I though it might help calm him down if I could say I was
looking for him."
Millicent was interested. "And what did
happen on Saturday?" she asked.
"Simon decided we were going for a picnic up
on the moors," Shirley began. "We left about eleven thirty, drove
up there and set out a meal beneath a few trees overlooking the
reservoir. Simon got into a rage about a mosquito bite. He was
throwing things around in a temper and some of them at me, so I
locked myself in the car. When he fetched a lump of wood to break
in, I drove the car at him and knocked him down. I got out of the
car to see if he was all right and he got up and chased me off. I
went back a bit later and he was gone and so was the car. I haven't
seen him since."
"How did you get back home?" Lucy asked.
"Walk?"
"I didn't go home, at least, not until
Sunday. Simon had dropped his mobile phone, so I used it to call a
friend from work who picked me up. I went shopping with her, then I
stayed the rest of the night with her and her partner."
"You said 'a friend from work'. What do you
do for a living?" Hampshire asked.
"I'm a charge nurse at the Bradford Royal
Infirmary," Shirley said.
"And your friend's name?"
"Ellen Barnes."
"She’s a nurse too?"
"She's a ward sister."
Millicent considered. "You said you hoped to
calm him down," she said. "Was he often violent tempered?"
"Often. He'd fly into a rage at the least
little thing. Not just with me, either."
"A mosquito bite wasn't much," Lucy
observed.
"It was enough," Shirley answered. "It bit
him, but it would have been all the same if I'd bitten him."
"You didn't seem altogether shocked that he
was fished from the canal," Millicent said, changing the
subject.
"Shocked?" Shirley Hunter seemed to consider
this for a few seconds. "When I was much younger," she said, "Just
a girl. I had a dog. It was very old at the end, and had heart
problems and couldn't see. When he died it was something of a
relief and no surprise at all, but it was still a shock. I feel
that way about Simon. I can't pretend I'm sorry; I'm not surprised
considering the way he went missing, but I'm a bit shocked all the
same."
"You were not surprised to hear of his death,
then?"
"Not really. He was mean and bad tempered. He
exploited people. I think he was having an affair, or had been. He
was very grasping in his business. It's no surprise that he pushed
somebody too far. I'm a bit surprised at the canal though, because
he could swim. Perhaps he’d been drinking."
"Was he often drunk?" Millicent asked.
"Not usually," Mrs. Hunter said. "He
sometimes went on a bender and got really drunk, but not often.
Oddly enough he was usually less violent when he was really
drunk."
"How long have you been married?"
"Four years. Simon was my brother's