Murder on the Moor - C. S. Challinor [57]
“A tan uniform, such as a scout leader might wear.”
Rex nodded in triumph at Alistair. His colleague relaxed his shoulders. “At least I know now it’s not Collins who murdered the wee girl. I don’t know if I could have ever forgiven myself.”
“Definitely not Collins,” the chief inspector confirmed. “We grilled him for three hours. His alibi sticks. No possibility of him being anywhere near the scene yesterday. And we had to release our other suspect, a door-to-door salesman in his fifties who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This one looks verra much like our man based on the sighting and evidence so far.”
“Beardsley has a green van like the one mentioned on the news,” Rex added.
Alistair slumped with relief in a chair as Beardsley was marched out of the room in handcuffs. He flung his head back and closed his eyes tight. Then he flopped forward with his face in his hands and wept. Estelle declared him in need of a reviving brandy and got up to fetch one.
“Poor man’s been under intolerable strain.”
“I say, old girl,” Cuthbert said plaintively, wincing as he adjusted his foot on the stool. “I could do with a refill myself.”
“Did you bag your Rannoch Rush?” the chief inspector asked Rex, prodding him into the hallway.
“Aye, it’s all yours.”
Donning latex gloves, Dalgerry scraped the plant and soil samples from Beardsley’s boot.
“This is his knapsack,” Rex informed him. “I haven’t looked in it yet.”
Dalgerry pounced on the bag and, opening it up, sifted among the contents. He pulled out a hunting knife, a ball of twine, and a roll of masking tape. “Well, well, what do we have here,” he rhetorically asked.
“He has a camera somewhere,” Rex added.
“Any interest in joining the Force, Mr. Graves?” Dalgerry inquired, baring his sharp teeth in a grin.
“Och, I’d rather stay dry and let you lads do the dirty work.”
Rex’s chambers were eminently more comfortable than police headquarters, and most of his work did not entail trudging around in the rain. He filled the chief inspector in on Moira’s suspicious drowning and told him about the precariously positioned scythe in the stable.
“Curious,” Dalgerry responded. “More of Beardsley’s doing, you think?”
“I canna be sure.”
“Well, most obliged to you.” Dalgerry shook his hand. “I’ll be in touch. Strickler and Dawes will investigate the Wilcox case and take statements.” He dipped his head at Helen and opened the front door.
Rex returned to the living room to see if Alistair had recovered, and was pleased to find him joking with the Farquharsons. Cuthbert raised his replenished tumbler to Rex.
“To think we were harboring a serial killer!” Estelle exclaimed. “Vascular plant, indeed! You certainly know your stuff, Rex.”
“How’s the foot?” Rex asked her husband.
“Oh, he’ll survive,” Estelle replied for him. “Alistair’s medic friend is going to come by at the end of his shift to make sure it’s not broken. As soon as that’s done, we’ll leave. This whole thing gives me the willies.”
“I’ll get that,” Alistair said when the doorbell rang. “It might be John.”
“Aye, it makes my skin crawl to think how that child molester was after Flora!” Mrs. Allerdice burst out, handkerchief trembling in her hand.
“I believe he feigned interest in your daughter to throw us off the scent,” Rex explained.
“He tried to befriend all of us, didn’t he, Donnie?” Flora said to her brother.
He nodded, staring at the unfinished game of backgammon. “Honey didna mind him.”
“He fed her apples and sugar lumps, that’s why.”
“The tow truck is here,” Alistair announced from the doorway. “Three men. The work should get done fast.”
“Oh, good,” Shona exclaimed. “I called the hotel on my mobile. The cook is in a stew.” She hesitated. “I dinna want the Loch Lochy Hotel associated with a child murderer. Do you think there’s any way to prevent news of this leaking to the press?”
“No chance,” Estelle informed her. “The police will be there right now with crime scene tape and fingerprint experts. They’ll be questioning your staff and all the guests. News will spread like wildfire. Soon everyone