Solving a mystery

Solving a mystery

Patrick liked to arrive early on a warm summer’s morning and take a coffee before he turned the key to the front door, switched on the lights and took down the shutters. He sat on the cafe’s terrace in front of his bookshop for a few minutes thinking about his uncertain future. His was the only independent bookshop in the town. There were two other large bookstores owned by national names known in the book distribution activity. In the last few years the sector was being dominated by Amazon. He felt like a tadpole caught in the weeds on the bank of a fast flowing river. He only existed because he had a faithful clientele that enjoyed his selection of interesting readable books, but for how long? His shop also had a few humorous objects and some animated gadgets. In this realm he attempted to differentiate this shop from the competition. The shop was small but he had made it cosy. The book shelves had clear and humorous indications of what subjects lay waiting to be selected. He had other touches of surprises and humour throughout the store. For instance in the children’s section sometimes when one took out a book from a shelf music was played or a nursery rhyme was heard. There was also a stuffed bear sitting in a corner reading a book. In the adult sections there were many quotations written on the walls behind the books. In some cases when a book was displaced you heard a voice say “good choice”. He had a large model of a shark with a book in his mouth hanging from the ceiling. It was a great success. These little gimmicks he thought helped animated his shop. He would have liked to have a reading area, but unfortunately the store’s floor area was too small. Time to start the day, he drained his last drop of coffee, and crossed the road to open his premises..

Ten minutes later his assistant Mary walked in with a bag of homemade biscuits. Mary, god bless her soul, was one of those employees that ran the business and for that matter the owner. She was a treasure. She made most days sparkle with her enthusiasm and humour. Once they had enjoyed one of her biscuits Patrick retired to the back office to face the day's administrative work. It must have been around 11 o’ clock when Patrick heard a call from Marie.

“ Patrick, can you come and help please?”

As he stepped in the book section he was surprised to see a number of people. Mary was busy with a family of two children that needed her advice in selecting some books for school. There were three people at the cash register waiting to pay. Another four customers were strolling around the store examining books. As he approached the cash register he noticed a man standing in the Crime and Mystery section intently reading a book he had selected. Patrick serviced the first customer waiting at the cash register. While doing so he heard “good choice”. In principle that would mean another book sold. He was just about to ring up the books that the next customer presented when he saw the man that had been in the Crime and Mystery section walk across the shop's floor. He was still engrossed in the book he had selected. To Patrick utter amazement he walked straight out of the bookshop, plunked himself on the cafe’s terrace opposite while still reading the book. Patrick just could not believe what he just saw, cheeky bugger. Before he turned back to the customer he did notice the stranger had hailed a waiter. He quickly dealt with the small queue. By this time Mary was available to deal with the remaining customers.This allowed Patrick to cross the road and confront the robber.

“Excuse me, didn't you just take that book out of my shop without paying for it?”

The man looked up starkled. “What. what is this all about!”

“I hear you have an American accent. Well in our country what you have just done is called robbery.”

“Robbery, don’t be ridiculous, I am only just borrowing the book for a moment. I had every intention of returning it. I was so engrossed by this mystery I completely forgot to pass by the cash register. Here is 20 pounds that should cover it. Robbery, my foot, you English are a stuffy lot.”

“Whether we are stuffy or not is debatable. But one thing is certain: we don't allow customers to walk out of our bookshops without paying no matter how interested they are in a particular book. Anyway, why are you so fascinated by this book? It is about a mystery, never solved, that deeply concerned this town some twenty years ago.”

“It's a long story. Join me for a cafe and I will tell you.”

“ As I now know you are not a blatant robber and in the spirit of not representing a stuffy Englishman…. with pleasure. But first give me ten minutes to make sure all is in order..”

Parkick crossed the road, put his head around the shop’s door and saw Mary in her usual state of having everything under control. He returned to his American acquaintance.

“ That was quick.”

“I am a lucky man. I have found that rare employee.”

“Let me first introduce myself. He extended his right hand. I am Fred Settle. I am retired now, but I was the principal of the crime department for the state of Wyoming. My wife died a year ago. I have three sons, two are married.”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Patrick Ffinch. Owner of the book shop across the street. Married with three children I have lived around here all my life.”

“Now let me tell you why I was so interested in this book you accused me of robbing. Twenty years ago my family and I came here for a five day holiday before going on to Paris. On our second day I read in the local newspaper about a young girl was raped and then stabbed to death. Apparently she was the mayor’s daughter and well known in the town. Consequently this hideous crime created quite a fuss. During the next few days I was here I followed the case. It was reported that the family and police did not find any clues or indications concerning this murder. Once back in America as it had at the time aroused my interest I did find out that unhappily the crime had never been solved. Nor did the police ever find the murder weapon.”

“Yes, it was a very sad and difficult moment in the town's history. Although strange to say for a few years the mystery brought a few curious tourists. Hence the book.”

“I have found over the years the public has never lost their interest in crime. My reason for being engrossed in the book was to find out more about who the young girl was, her friends, the family and any police reports. I am retired so I have time on my hands. Why all my interest in what appears to be a cold case by now long forgotten? I have found something that might relate to this case. When we were on holiday here we spent most of our time on the beach except for one of my sons that loved exploring the surrounding countryside. He was fourteen at the time and from a very young age had always preferred to have time alone for a period in the day, particularly on holidays. Last year I decided to sell our house and go and live in an apartment. This meant clearing out the house and selling most of the furniture. In a drawer of one of my sons' rooms I found what, no doubt, is a crusader's dagger. I had never seen it before. I called my son. I told him I had found a dagger. Why didn’t he show it to me? That’s a secondary question, as I was in the process of clearing out the house. Did he want to keep it? I then asked him where he had bought it as it looked as if it had come from a collector's possessions. He told me when we went to that seaside town in England before our trip to Paris some twenty years ago he had found the dagger hidden at the bottom of a hedge row near a forest. He went on to say he would not have seen it except some animal had dug it up as it had been buried. At the time he thought it was an interesting object so he kept it without telling anybody, even his brothers. He always kept it hidden and occasionally used it for cutting paper or opening envelopes. In recent years he had forgotten all about it. No he did not want to keep it.

“It is an unbelievable story concerning a mystery dating back twenty years. Do you have the dagger with you?”

“Yes. I came here to give it to the local police as a possible piece of evidence as to an unsolved murder. It's back in my hotel.”

“As I know the chief constable well I could give him a call and tell him I would like to introduce somebody from America that might have an object relating to Sally’s murder twenty years ago.”

“It sounds like a good idea.”

Ten minutes later Paterick was introducing Fred Settle to the local chief constable. After the introduction, Fred related a short history of how he came into possession of the dagger. He placed the dagger on the desk. Both Patrick and his friend Greffory, the chief constable, agreed it looked like a collectors item belonging to the crusaders period. The dagger had style and elegance that pointed to it being made by a master craftsman. They estimated it would be reasonably valuable. No wonder his son had picked it up.The conversation continued for a few minutes with interesting speculations. It amused Richard to watch two police officers discuss a murder case. The American was a tall, powerful looking man. He had a rugged ,chiselled face and a flock of white hair. His manner of speaking denoted he was a man who decided quickly. Richard’s friend Geoffrey was a typical English representative. Medium high, dark swept back hair, mild and thoughtful with very pleasant manners. The American would call him a perfect English gentleman. Geoffrey thanked Fred Settle with a friendly suggestion he tells his son finding does not always mean the right to keep. He asked for the contact address for him and his son. He said he might contact his son with the idea of trying to find out where he found the dagger. He told them this find would certainly reopen the investigation. It had remained dormant for at least the last 10 years.

Back at Fred’s hotel Richard had a quick drink with him before saying goodbye, promising to stay in touch and forward any news on the police investigation.

The chief did contact Fred’s son and they had a long conversation about where he thought he had found the dagger. The son apologized for taking the dagger but at that time he had no idea it might relate to a murder case. He wasn't even aware there had been a murder in the town. In those days it was forbidden to discuss murder trials and cases in the family due to his father's position.

It must have been about eight months later that Fred received a letter from Paterick..

Dear Fred

I hope I find you and your family well.

The recently opened investigation into Sally Benson murder has been tedious and complicated. The police have done a good job. It took time, patience and careful research. Geoffrey was very insistent that all progress was kept within the police force. Meaning any information was only for internal eyes. That is why my silence has been prolonged. The dagger was, as we suspect, a collectors item. It was sold at an auction by Sotheby's of a collection of antique arms twenty two years ago concerning Lord Grantham's estate. The knife collection was auctioned separately to the gun collection. The knife collection was sold to Sir Gordon Hamilton. Eight months after the sale Sir Gordon died and his knife collection was divided amongst his three sons. The three sons were investigated as to which one had inherited the dagger. The two elder sons thought it was their young brother as he was always interested in knives When this son was investigated he was very vague about it ever being in his possession and invited the police to search his bachelor apartment on the coast a few miles from the famous seaside town. The other two brothers were married and had homes in the south of London. In the meantime the police had found a tiny trace of blood on the blade. It matched with Sally 's blood strain. So they had the weapon. When the dagger was shown to all three brothers and all agreed it was purchased by their father in an auction of the knives collection belonging to Lord Grantham. Only the young brother thought it might have got lost in the transfer after their father’s death. The younger brother was known to the police. When he was a teenager the police had already had a run in with him about drinking and driving. As he lived in the vicinity the police made local enquiries about his behavior.The rumor mill told the police that he had some years ago given up partying, alcohol and no doubt, drugs. They call him for an interview. Under intensive cross examination he finally admitted he had taken Sally back to his flat. Both were high on alcohol and drugs.They had just met at a political party jamboree. At his apartment they had a violent argument about sex. In a fit of rage he had raped her and to silence her screams and anger in blind fury he killed her with the dagger. Early that morning he dumped her in the forest and hid the dagger. He claimed it was an act of somebody completely out of control, without any notion of what he was doing. From that evening on he claims he is completely clean of any substance that influences his judgment. He regards his act. It has caused him many nightmares.

Now it is for the courts to decide.

If you ever come this way the door is open.

Regards

Patrick

David Nutt july 2025