Page 66 of The Chapel of Bones

‘That’s what we keep being told. What was your father’s relationship with him?’

‘They were on friendly terms. My father used to source books for him; ones that were hard to get hold of by normal means.’

‘Rare books? Medieval manuscripts? The sort usually found in museums or archives?’ A suspicion was forming in Wesley’s mind.

But Penny soon dashed his budding hopes. ‘Oh no, nothing terribly valuable. Dusty old books by Victorian scholars mainly. As far as I know, my dad never dealt in priceless illuminated manuscripts or anything like that. His interest was in books, not ancient treasures sold for huge sums by auction houses.’

‘So he wouldn’t have been able to get his hands on an original medieval bestiary?’

‘He might have dealt with books on the subject, but I can’t remember him ever mentioning that he’d acquired the real thing. You’re thinking someone killed Dr Donnal to get hold of some priceless manuscript?’

‘It’s a possibility we have to consider.’

‘Well, if he did have anything like that, I assure you my dad had nothing to do with it.’ She said the words with absolute certainty.

‘There is a connection between your father and the house where Professor Donnal’s body was found.’ Wesley paused to let his statement sink in. ‘Your father used to own the house around the time Dr Donnal died.’

Her hand went to her mouth. The news had clearly shocked her.

‘He did own a property near Neston at one time. You’re saying that’s where . . . ?’

‘Yes. Sycamore House.’

For a moment she looked relieved. ‘That’s not right. The house Dad owned was called St Julian’s.’

‘The name was changed by subsequent owners.’

She took a deep breath. ‘I see. That’s why I didn’t make the connection.’

‘Can you tell us about it?’

‘My father inherited it from his parents and rented it out, but I don’t think he ever charged rent at the market rate. I suppose you could describe him as rather naïve, but he was perfectly content with a small regular sum. Although he did sell it for quite a bit in the end – said it supplemented his pension.’

‘Did you ever go there?’

‘Only as a child, when my grandparents were living in the place. I remember thinking it was rather creepy and I never went back there after they passed away.’

‘Your father never lived there himself?’

‘Good heavens, no. He had a little place in Tradmouth, near the shop. His parents bought St Julian’s after my dad went away to university, but they never did much to it. My grandfather was a historian, and Dad used to say he’d bought the house because he’d heard there was an old chapel in the grounds. Not thatmy grandfather was ever serious about excavating it. I think he just liked the idea.’ She raised her hand as though she’d just remembered something. ‘I think Dad said his father had done some digging around and found some old tiles, but I’ve no idea what happened to them.’

‘Some were found in a chest in the attic,’ said Wesley, thinking it best not to mention the knife discovered with them. ‘A friend of mine is an archaeologist and he’s excavating the chapel at the moment. He’s found an old holy well too.’

Penny smiled. ‘My grandfather would have loved that. He died when I was about ten, so I never really knew him. I wish I had, because we could have shared our love of history.’ She gave a modest smile. ‘That’s why I do the job I do.’

Wesley decided it was time to come to the point. ‘As landlord, your father would have had access to the house. Do you know of any building work that was done there?’

Penny shook her head. ‘My father wasn’t a practical man and he never did any work himself. He wouldn’t have known where to start.’ She smiled fondly. ‘He even needed an electrician to change a plug. In fact he didn’t go to the house very often. He let the place furnished just as his father had left it. He was far too busy running the shop and was just glad of a little extra money coming in.’ She leaned forward, and Wesley suspected she was anxious to avert suspicion from the father she’d loved. ‘I remember him describing himself as a hands-off landlord. If something needed doing, he called someone else in.’

‘Do you know the names of any tradesmen he dealt with?’ Gerry asked.

‘No, but I’ve kept a lot of his things. I couldn’t bring myself to throw anything away. The old records from the shop are in the loft, and there might be something about the house up there too. But it’ll take some time to find it all.’

‘If you can dig out anything relevant, we’ll send someone round to fetch it,’ said Wesley, handing her his card. ‘But if you can find it sooner rather than later, we’d be very grateful,’ he added.

She thought for a few moments, then her eyes lit up, as though she’d just remembered something important. ‘There is something. I was up in the loft looking for one of my late mother’s old recipe books the other day, and I came across a ledger. When I looked inside, I found a list of names under the heading “St Julian’s Tenants”. It must have been mixed up with some old books that came from the shop. When Dad died, things became rather chaotic.’

Gerry nodded in sympathy. He wasn’t the most organised person himself when it came to paperwork.