This excerpt is from the book entitled The Manton Rempville Murders an English Murder Mystery Book Set in the countryside, starring two policemen who have been working together for a few years and get along really well. There’s lots of dialogue and banter with some humour thrown in amongst the murders and suspects.

An English Murder Mystery Book set in the countryside.

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“No, he was on a tight leash, and I have learned my lesson. I phoned you from the scene of the crime and waited until your local constable arrived from Norton-juxta-Wychwood and then went home. Bingo didn’t pick up anything from the scene and didn’t take any clothing.” Adelaide Hills smiled as she knew the officers couldn’t rebuke her this time.

“Things are improving – now, did you see anyone in the area of the monastery, Adelaide?”

“I did, Sergeant. There were three young men horsing around as they walked through the trees away from me towards Manton Rempville Hall and also a youngish couple sitting on a fence by the monastery car park having an animated discussion. There were no vehicles in the car park, so I presume they’d walked there too. I also heard an older couple arguing about some money-related subject such as wills when I was walking back here after the constable had arrived.”

“And how old were the young men and the youngish couple, would you say?”

“The young men were around twenty and the youngish couple were slightly older, say around twenty-five, but no older than that.”

“When you say the young men were horsing around – what were they doing?”

“They were fooling around, pretending they had swords and fighting each other.” Adelaide Hills waved her arm in front of her, parodying a fencer.

“That’s a very strange coincidence, isn’t it?” interjected Knowles, leaning forwards.

“I suppose so, Inspector, but could their horse-play and the murderer’s modus operandi be connected, do you think?”

“We’ll be heading to the big Hall later on today, so we’ll find out who you saw and why they were acting in that manner.”

“Well, I hope I have been of help, Inspector, and do call again if you need to ask any more questions.”

“We will certainly do that, Adelaide, thank you.” Barnes and Knowles stood up and Knowles tried to pull the dog hairs from his trousers without much success. He glared at Bingo.

As the two policemen left, Bingo looked rather sad. Neither of the two men had patted him on the head as they passed.

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Knowles and Barnes drove back to Scoresby station and immediately headed to the Forensics laboratory, hoping that Dr. Crabtree would have some news for them.

“Well, Colin, I don’t have that much to tell you, really. You know some of it already. Stabbed in the back with some force by someone slightly taller than the five foot seven inch victim – the blade has followed a slightly downward trajectory – victim died instantly and fell in a heap on the ground causing the blade to buckle and bend slightly, so that the murderer was unable to remove the sword cleanly although they had a good go, causing the exit wound to be very messy indeed. There are no fingerprints on the sword whatsoever.”