This excerpt is from the book entitled The Goat Parva 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.
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Knowles stooped over Davis’ body and muttered “Oh Roger, what were you doing and who was it you were watching?”
“Eh Barnesy, do you think he’s been moved or do you think he was here watching something or somebody?”
“This is a suitable depression in the ground to view someone or something over there in that glade especially if you have binoculars and/or a long lens.”
They walked over to the glade. There were some individual footprints in the soft soil and they were slightly deeper than other prints where someone had been walking along.
“Someone was standing on one leg so all his/her weight was on one foot,” said Knowles, “and she/he had quite petite feet with a distinctive tread pattern on the shoes – what could that be a heron impression contest? Look at me I am a flamingo.”
“I’ll ask forensics to take a caste of this footprint and then we can go around Goat Parva like Prince Charming looking for Cinderella.”
“We can ask them whether they were aware that there was an unexpected guest at their ball.”
One of the forensic officers waved them over to the body.
“We found these in the mouth, sir – acorns, seven acorns.”
“That’s disgusting – that probably means it was the same murderer as with Clem Shapiro, ” said Barnes, “I wonder if the number of acorns is significant, sir?”
“There are seven acorns – it might be a coincidence, but can you check to see if Davis ever worked in Sevenoaks?”
“I will, sir, when I get back to the office.”
“Right, but before you do that let’s pay our respects to Mrs Adelaide Hills and her bundle of joy, Bingo.”
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 