Excerpt from the book called The Frisby Waterless Murders
Knowles headed over to Simon Rickett’s table and sat down. The actor looked at him and then looked around as if confused.
“Is there something wrong, Mr Ricketts?” asked Knowles.
“I was hoping that nice Sergeant Barnes was going to take down my statement,” said Simon looking hopeful, “has he been otherwise engaged?”
“He has,” replied Knowles, “he’s been asked to do something not nice, by me his not nice boss.”
“You’re a bundle of fun aren’t you?”
“All the time, my friend, all the time.”
“Why do I always get the cheerful one?” wondered Simon.
“I would like to ask you what your role in the proceedings was going to be today?”
“I was the long-lost son of the murdered woman, who has recently been trying to blackmail her for some money.”
Knowles looked surprised. “If that was happening wouldn’t she be more likely to want to murder you?”
“Most certainly, but someone got to her first didn’t they?”
“Evidently, was there a long-lost daughter too?”
“Absolutely, Inspector, “ Simon pointed at Knowles with mock seriousness, “you’re on the ball aren’t you?”
“Only those Keepfit balls at the gym,” said Knowles, “when I am trying to improve my balance. Who was playing the daughter, Ms Daisy Arnold in Seat 8?”
“That’s right.”
“Another lucky guess I’m afraid,” replied Knowles, with his own version of mock seriousness, “now did you see anything strange in the carriage at any time particularly when the smoke came in?”
“I am not sure. Those Smedley children were putting their pens in their mouths and blowing through them as though they were blowpipes. Their father told them to stop it as it might “give people ideas”, whatever that meant. When the smoke came in Daisy and I went to the same end of the carriage as The Smedleys, but they didn’t seem that keen to chat with us. About two minutes after the carriage cleared Madge placed her head on to the table and Doris screamed on cue, but then we found the Major had really been killed and Madge had to come back to life, like Lazarus rising from the dead.”
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 