Chapter 1

If there is anything that makes any sense out of the chaotic mess in Kelsey Mews it was that Martha Goodpenny was not responsible for any of the consequences. Sure, she was there when the victim's body was discovered face down on the staircase without a stitch on. She was the one holding the bloody knife gingerly between her fingers hoping not to disturb any fingerprints but it was obvious she was just trying to keep it away from the small toddler trying to grab anything underfoot. The fact that the infant had managed to get smeared with some of the victim's blood in such a shocking manner simply defied logic. The circumstances invited suspension of routine procedures until it could be removed from the immediate vicinity of the deceased.

Ms. Goodpenny was happy to have the weapon removed from her fingers and see it placed inside the comforting solitude of a plastic evidence envelope to await further investigation. The body was duly photographed and finally removed inside a black plastic container to the morgue for further analysis. Of course, the slit throat seemed to offer an easy verdict on the "cause of death" and the next question on the lead investigator's mind was the exact timing of the crime so that alibis could be sorted and witnesses as well as suspects questioned.

The "past middle age" widow with greying hair was not in the least bit perturbed by the sight of a corpse as she had been the wife of a Chief Inspector of Homicide for nearly three decades. She had seen more crime photos and listened to more theories of motives for murder than psalms on a Sunday afternoon. She was relieved the victim with whom she was only slightly acquainted despite the fact she was in fact her blood relative was bagged and removed because her nudity was more disturbing to her than the fact she had been recently murdered.

Chief Inspector Tower was not amused to find the widow of Harry Goodpenny on his crime scene.

He was never a fan of the late Chief Inspector who he suspected made more use of his intuition instead of good old solid police work. His widow was attractive enough considering her age but he was not in the least kindly disposed to treating her with anything other than the courtesy any civilian would expect in the interrogation room. Besides, she seemed to know a bit too much about the open safe and the missing computers and video cameras than normal for an ordinary witness. Still, he was careful in his handling of the still good-looking and fashionable Martha because he knew he owed her for not telling the long dead Harry how he had pawed and tried to kiss her when they had both drunk poor Harry under the table after the New Year's Eve celebration at the main barracks. He knew he was in the wrong but his below the beltline brain was headed in a one way direction and it was difficult to put the brakes on gracefully.

Chief Inspector Tower's wife had left him almost ten years ago this August and he knew it was his philandering with tasty new female recruits and the odd female barrister every now and then that steeled her heart to make a clean breast of it. Martha had not been one of those "friends" who told him "I told you so" but had actually brought him a casserole when he was down and out and cautioned him against drinking too much because he wasn't as young as he used to be. He considered it a class act because of the crude way he had tried to get into her knickers when the opportunity arose.

"Martha, you know will have to have a word with you at the station to get your story about the unfortunate circumstances. No need to come immediately, let's say nine in the morning and we will get this nasty business out of the way. Lady Rowena was a bit of a tramp and had plenty of eager assassins ready to shut her lips if they thought they could get away with it. I know she was your brother's child but her history is not one to brag about in mixed company."

The keen-eyed mature woman nodded her head in assent only now becoming fully aware of the severity of the crime. She had sorted the scenario in her mind a dozen times and knew there was something that didn't ring true. Before she allowed them to escort her away from the crime scene, she gave it one last scan hoping to put something into her data bank that would help her connect the dots about her niece's sudden demise.

Her visit to the luxury premises was prompted by a cryptic message from her niece to "take my little Felicia off my hands" referring to the tiny two year old whose trust fund was the primary source of Rowena's income for the past two years. Her divorce from the international playboy Ricardo Montoya was a messy business and the tabloids had even sent reporters to her door to see if she had any tidbits about her niece and her terrible reputation. She had walked in on the gruesome scene via the unlocked front door and immediately called the police to report the crime.

Before she left in the police van, Martha called her solicitor and arranged to have the toddler Felicia taken to her mother's country estate since she was the named guardian in case of any mishap happening to Lady Rowena. Martha knew her mother would be ecstatic to have a small child in the large house once more to be spoiled and over-protected. She had never had any children of her own because of some chemical deficiency and tended to be a bit off kilter around them because they often refused to be reasoned with.

She popped into the shower as soon as she got home and sat down on the wide bed that she had purchased after her husband died. They had separate smaller beds during the marriage because her departed spouse snored like a trooper just when she was always dropping off to sleep. They had gotten into a routine of having sex in other areas of the household like on the sofa or in the pantry or the shower but kept their sleeping arrangements separate and a lot more restful. In later year, her husband was noticeably not "up for it" due to a prostate problem that nagged him in having an operation that all but ended his "slap and tickle" days forever. Martha didn't mind because she had a lot of hobbies to pursue and she enjoyed looking over his shoulder to help solve the complicated murder cases that eluded the experts at the yard.