‘It was when you spoke of the plays of William Shakespeare and in particular the death of Desdemona in Othello.’

‘That’s very kind of you, Mr Pünd. But I’m afraid I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.’

‘All will be revealed. There is just one more piece of information that is required and our work will be concluded.’

‘And what is that?’

Pünd smiled. ‘For what reason did Melissa James go to church?’

SIXTEEN

PüND SEES THE LIGHT

Atticus Pünd had no time for religion. During the war, he had been persecuted not for what he believed but for what he was, a Greek Jew whose great-grandfather had emigrated to Germany sixty years before he was born, unaware that although he was bettering his own life, his decision would lead to the extinction of almost his entire bloodline. When Pünd had found himself in Belsen, he had seen Jews praying together, begging their God to deliver them from evil. He had also seen them taken away and murdered. He had known then, not that he had ever doubted it, that even if God existed He preferred not to listen, and all the stars, crosses and crescent moons in the world would not make an iota of difference.

That was what he still believed but at the same time he understood the need for religion and respected it. As he walked into the churchyard of St Daniel’s, he reflected that Tawleigh-on-the-Water would be a much poorer place without it. Here was a little world of its own, a green haven closed in by beech trees, the fishermen and -women who had created this community over the years still part of it, lying in their graves. The church itself dated back to the fifteenth century: a neat, handsome structure made from the Cornish granite known as moorstone, with a truncated tower to the west in need of some repair. Pünd felt a great sense of calm. He could imagine an English village without religion but he could not imagine it without a church.

Melissa James had come here an hour before her death. Why?

Samantha Collins, the doctor’s wife, had seen her from a bedroom window but there was no evidence that Melissa had any religious beliefs or any time for the church, even though she had elected to be buried here. Pünd could see the freshly dug grave, waiting patiently for the police to release the body. Had she met someone here? It was, after all, a good place for an assignation. It was private, set apart from the centre of the village. It was never locked.

Pünd turned the heavy iron ring and the door creaked open. The inside of the church was a surprise. It was somehow larger than the exterior had suggested, bright and very neat, with a blue carpet running between the pews to the altar at the far end. Above the altar, three stained-glass windows told the story of the life of St Daniel, and as Pünd moved closer he found himself bathed in light from the late-afternoon sun that slanted down, immersing him in different colours. To one side of him was a stone font. On the other, a monumental brass with an engraving of the lord of the manor who lay below. It was the whole span of life in a single glance.

He realised he was not alone. A woman had appeared, walking from behind the pulpit, carrying a vase of flowers. It was Samantha Collins. Pünd was not surprised to find her here. He had read in the notes that Hare had given him that she was devoted to the church.

‘Oh … good afternoon, Mr Pünd.’ She seemed momentarily startled. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I came here for a moment of contemplation,’ Pünd said, with a smile.

‘Well, you’re very welcome. I won’t be very long. I’m just freshening up the flowers. And I’ve got to put up the hymn numbers. The organ is terribly old and wheezy, but it might just have enough strength to get through another blast of “Onward, Christian Soldiers”.’

‘Please do not let me interfere with your work. I will return, very soon, to the hotel.’

But Samantha had put down the flowers and with sudden determination she came over to him. ‘I understand you’ve arrested Algie,’ she said.

‘I have arrested nobody, Mrs Collins. It is Detective Chief Inspector Hare who has taken your brother into custody and who is speaking to him now.’

‘I suppose you can’t tell me what he’s done.’

Pünd shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, no. It’s all right. I completely understand.’ She sighed. ‘Algie’s always been in trouble for one thing or another for as long as I can remember. I sometimes wonder how we can possibly be related when we’re so different.’ She hesitated, then plunged in. ‘Just tell me this. He hasn’t been arrested for the murder of Melissa James, has he?’

‘You suspect him of the crime, Mrs Collins?’

‘No! Not at all! That’s not what I meant.’ She was clearly horrified. ‘Algie’s capable of a lot of things but he would never deliberately set out to hurt someone.’

And yet he had hurt someone, Pünd reflected. He had left them lying on the side of the road.

‘But it’s just that I know he and Melissa were close,’ she went on. ‘As I told you, he was her financial adviser.’

‘Is that how he described the relationship to you?’

‘Yes. It probably meant he was after her money, but there was no crime in that. She had plenty to spare.’

There was something in her tone of voice that alerted Pünd. He remembered what she had said when he had met her at Church Lodge. The two women had not been close. ‘Would it be correct to say, Mrs Collins, that you were not very fond of Miss James?’

‘I disliked her, actually, Mr Pünd.’ The words had spilled out before she could stop them. ‘I know it’s wrong of me. One should find it in one’s heart to be kind. But I disliked her a great deal.’

‘May I ask why?’

‘Because I think she was spoiling Tawleigh-on-the-Water with her expensive hotel and her expensive car and all the people who came down here – the fans – just to catch sight of her. It wasn’t even as if she had acted in anything for years and years. I thought her a very superficial woman.’

‘Were you aware that she and your brother were having an affair?’

That threw her. ‘Did he tell you that?’

‘He confessed to an adulterous relationship. Yes.’

‘Well, that’s typical of Algie.’ She was furious. ‘I don’t care what happens to him. If he goes back into prison, that’s his affair. Adultery is a sin and I’m not having him in the house any more. I should have listened to Leonard from the start.’ She went on, barely pausing to catch her breath. ‘As for her, that’s exactly the sort of behaviour I’d have expected from a Hollywood actress. I’m not excusing Algie, not for a minute, but if you ask me there wasn’t a man in the village who was safe from her. She even latched on to Leonard, always on at him to treat her for illnesses that only existed in her head. That was Melissa James. She got what she wanted and heaven help you if you stood in her way.’

Perhaps it was the mention of heaven that had done it. Samantha stopped herself and looked around her, as if she had reminded herself where she was. ‘Of course it’s wrong of me to say bad things about a dead woman and I hope God has mercy on her. But I didn’t like her and I really think she could have done more for the church, especially as she’s being buried here. I mean, I mentioned the organ just now. She knew about all the problems we were having and she never gave a penny to the restoration fund. As it happens, I’m in a position to take care of it myself now. But you’d have thought she could have put her hand in her pocket. She didn’t have to be so selfish.’

‘You said none of this when we first met, Mrs Collins.’

‘Well, at the time it didn’t feel appropriate.’

Pünd had picked up on what she had said. ‘I understand that you have come into some money of your own,’ he said, adding, ‘It is very kind of you to wish to give it to the church.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of keeping it all to myself. Anyway, it’s a very large amount. It was left to me by an aunt who recently passed away.’

‘And the organ? I would imagine that will be an expensive purchase.’

‘Oh yes, Mr Pünd. An organ is the most expensive item in a church after the building itself, and this one is going to be specially built for us by Hele & Co in Plymouth. We may be talking about more than a thousand pounds but Leonard agrees with me, the church plays a vital role in the community and really it’s the very least we can do.’ She paused. ‘The church roof also needs renovating so we may do that too.’