Episode 25 - A kind of Epiloge

Gary had wanted to deal with good, clean solvable murders, but there had been so many unanswered questions in the Finch cases that he wondered how he was ever going to pack it all into the official report.

Episode 24 - Final Countdown

A few minutes later Cleo was sitting in Dorothy's kitchen table. The smell of fresh baking was tantalising.

"Would you like some currant bread?" Dorothy said, and without waiting for an answer, put the bread, a knife, butter and plates on the table.

"Don't try and cut it thin," she advised. "It's only just come out of the oven."

Cleo cut two large corners off the loaf.

Episode 23 - Catch as catch can

Only official persons were allowed anywhere near the security cells at HQ. New regulation had been put in place hurriedly. Middlethumpton’s chief constabulary was in danger of ridicule if any more suspects escaped.

Episode 22 - The identity parade

Cleo was well informed the Norton brothers. Nicknamed Sam and Jam, they were in fact identical twins who capitalized on their incredible likeness. They baffled even close relatives.

Episode 21 - Detention

Two plain clothes detectives had parked outside the Crightons' bungalow on Gary’s orders and gone into the house. He was not taking any more chances. Betjeman Crighton was hand-cuffed and pushed onto the back seat of the police car. It drove off leaving Mr and Mrs Crighton standing desolate on their doorstep.

Episode 20 - Jessica

Cleo told Julie and Colin that she had an idea about where to look for Jessica and hoped she was right. Whether the woman was guilty or not, she was in a horrific emotional state and Cleo did not think the police would deal with her gently after she had made fools of them.

Episode 19 - Tangled webs

Gary phoned early.

"I've got news for you, Cleo," he said, sounding rather smug.

Episode 18 - Guilty

By about four-thirty, Cleo was drinking tea in Edith's kitchen, waiting for the boys to come home. She had left Robert at home, angry because he was not going to have company on an afternoon he taken free so as to help her with the investigations. Women were supposed to have hobbies for when their partners had no time for them, not occupations that distracted them from being available, he mused.

***

Episode 17 - Bontemps

Back at the cottage, Robert suddenly remembered what Mrs Crighton had told him before slamming the door in his face.

Episode 16 - Bonny and Clyde

Laura’s garden consisted of a very long patch of grass, now badly in need of cutting. There were nondescript little bedding plants down each side and along the flagstone path that led to the far end. Beyond the lawn there was a small vegetable patch with a few tired looking onions growing askew and nothing much else. On one side there was a fair-sized home compost container, so someone must have done some serious gardening at one time.

Episode 15 - Night shift

D.I. Gary Hurley was not happy about Cleo’s outing to Bristol, mainly because she had not told him she was going there. He let fly at Cleo as soon as he stepped into the cottage. He was so vehement that Robert decided to put his foot down.

Episode 14 - Mrs Goodweather

Dorothy was not sure what was going on. Gary had come with Cleo, which Dorothy had rightly interpreted and did not approve of. But she was on the defensive for Cleo and worried that Gary had seemed flippant and eager to go off with another woman. Dorothy thought that proved he was a philanderer at heart, but telling Cleo that would have been thought spiteful rather than well-meaning.

***

Episode 13 - The flesh is weak

It was well into the afternoon, when Gary drove Cleo back to Upper Grumpsfield.

“I should call in on Dorothy,” Cleo said.

Episode 12 - Quandaries

It hadn’t taken long for the forensic team consisting of one individual sticky-taping finger-prints and the other stabilizing the ladder against the frame of the wide shop window to declare that they had seen enough. Forensics had had long experience of smirches on walls. The only way real graffiti could be identified was by their style or when they had actually been signed by the perpetrators. But this wasn't a graffito by any stretch of the imagination. This was a mess of white paint smeared across a shop front by someone vindictive.

Episode 11 - Cleo

As Cleo turned out of the vicarage drive into the road, a white limousine appeared as if from nowhere and came straight at her. Frederick, who had heard a door slam and come to see what was going on, realized that he could not possibly cope with the two women left looking perplexed at the suddenness of Cleo’s departure. 

Episode 10 - Phillis

"I should phone Dorothy after breakfast," said Cleo, very early on Saturday morning. Jason and Jessica had not been in contact and Robert thought they should be left to their own devices to sort things out.

Episode 9 - Jason

As Cleo crossed the road back to Laura Finch's bungalow, a taxi drew up and she was glad to see Jason get out. Now she would be able to get back to her cottage and do some of the tasks that were piling up. He waved to her. He didn't seem particularly cut up about his mother's death.

Episode 8 - Betjeman

Gary left the forensic team to finish off and drove the few yards to Cleo's cottage. Chris had left the cottage and driven back to Laura Finch’s bungalow, where the other forensic team was working intensively but failing to find anything suspicious.

Episode 7 - Frederick

Frederick Parsnip emerged from his study. He was depressed about Laura Finch's death. He had sharpened all his pencils several times and shifted the contents of his in-box to the deal-with-later box. He had started a sermon he might be able to use at the funeral service, but he was out of his depth. The vicar would have made a good missionary, preaching hope and glory, comfort and joy. Death and sadness were too much for him to cope with. He preferred not to think about them.

***

Episode 6 - Shirley

D.I. Hurley moved fast. A young policewoman with the unlikely name of Shirley Temple was chosen to look after Miss Price. Hurley thought that was a rather good idea. Shirley wasn't so sure.

Episode 5 - Laura II

Cleo was stiff from sleeping on the sofa, but grateful that she had avoided any attempt at conjugal union, admittedly a seldom occurrence as sleep usually took priority. Robert had not married Cleo for her womanliness. She was a trophy won because Cleo was grateful for his friendship. There had never really been anything ‘between them’ after the novelty of Cleo being ‘interested’ had worn off, and in truth, Cleo had never been interested, only accommodating.

***

Episode 4 - Robert

Robert Jones had been left alone with Jessica at the cottage. Gary gave Dorothy and Cleo, who wanted to help Dorothy explain to Edith what had happened, a lift to the vicarage. Gary hoped to get a little time with Cleo when Dorothy had been welcomed.

Episode 3 - Jessica

Laura's bungalow was at the end of a long avenue of similar bungalows. Upper Grumpsfield had expanded into a dormitory for the nearest town, Middlethumpton, where there was very little building land left, and what there was did not attract private buyers. Laura had bought the bungalow in Lavender Drive secretly, had some renovations done and moved in without telling anyone beforehand. Even Dorothy Price had not been let into the secret.

Episode 2 - Gary

Hours later, after their tryst and dishes of Romano’s delicious pasta, Gary drove Cleo home.

“Let’s do this again soon, Cleo.”

Episode 1 - Laura I

Cleo Hartley turned the latchkey in the glass door of her new office, opened it, stepped inside and bent down to retrieve the mail that had been pushed through the letter flap below the security glass. She had expected mail to be waiting for her, but was startled at the shadow that fell on the wall between her and the window behind her desk. It looked as if someone was lying there.