Page 30 of The Chapel of Bones

‘Hi, Wes. Judith Peachy’s arriving at Neston train station at ten-thirty. I’m sending a patrol car to pick her up. And we’ve heard from the University of Rennes. They got the message we left and somebody’s ringing in half an hour. I only wish the people at our local universities were so efficient.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘They all buggered off home on Friday afternoon and we haven’t heard a peep from any of them since.’

‘I don’t suppose they share our sense of urgency,’ said Wesley with a smile.

Gerry looked thoughtful. ‘That weird note we found at Sue Potter’s place – the lanzani. Does it feature in the book we found in the briefcase from Sycamore House?’

The book was still there, packed safely in a plastic evidence bag on top of Gerry’s filing cabinet. Wesley donned crime-scene gloves and flicked through the pages. When he found what he was looking for, he smiled.

‘Yes, here it is. Vicious-looking thing, identical to the one in Sue Potter’s note.’

Before Gerry could say anything, the phone on his desk rang and he picked it up. For a few moments he looked confused, then he handed the receiver to Wesley. ‘Someone from the University of Rennes. You deal with it.’

‘Bonjour,’ Wesley said. His schoolboy French was, as he’d explained to Rachel, extremely rusty. ‘Parlez-vous Anglais?’ He asked this more in hope than expectation, but to his relief, the question was answered in the affirmative and he pressed the speaker key so Gerry could listen in.

‘One of your officers left a message.’ The woman’s English was gratifyingly fluent. ‘You wanted to know about a Dr Aleric Donnal.’

‘That’s right.’

‘May I ask why?’

Wesley cleared his throat, not sure how the news would be received. ‘I’m sorry to have to tell you that Dr Donnal was found dead last week and we’re investigating his death.’

‘It was an accident?’

He hesitated before replying. ‘I’m afraid we’re treating his death as murder. We believe it may have taken place in May 2011, but we can’t be precise at the moment.’

‘That is a long time ago. You’ve only just found him?’

‘That’s right.’ Wesley didn’t fancy going into a long explanation. ‘Did you have any dealings with him?’

‘It was long before my time, Inspector. I’ve only worked here a couple of years, but I’ve looked up his records for you. Dr Donnal was here at the university between June 2007 and June 2010. He was a researcher in medieval history.’

‘Why did he leave?’

‘His contract came to an end and he decided to return to the UK to pursue his research. According to our records, he published a paper on the exile of your King Henry VII in Brittany. Rennes is the ideal place to access contemporary documents on that subject, of course. He left to continue his research at Morbay University.’

Wesley caught Gerry’s eye. At least they’d now pinned down the local university Donnal had worked at. Contacting them was a priority. But he had more questions to ask first.

‘Does the name Fontescue ring a bell?’

‘Ring a bell?’ The woman sounded confused.

‘Sorry. I mean, is it familiar?’

He could hear the rustle of papers, as though she was searching through a file. ‘Yes, the name Fontescue does appear in the index to his research. Is that important?’

Wesley wasn’t sure how to answer. ‘Is there anyone still at your university who remembers him?’

‘It was a long time ago, Inspector, and academics often move around. And they retire.’ There was a pause, as though she was thinking. ‘There is somebody – a Professor Dupont, who is now retired. I can email you his contact details.’

‘Ask her if he speaks English,’ said Gerry in a stage whisper.

The woman had obviously overheard, because she said, ‘The professor speaks excellent English, I believe.’

Wesley thanked her for her help and ended the call. ‘Looks like we might be making progress at last,’ he said.

Gerry grunted. ‘Medieval history. That’s more your department than mine. I’ll leave you to deal with all these university types.’

‘Fine by me.’