A Christmas Shadow, page 18
“You look almost jovial. Is it the happy couple or have you finally found your Christmas spirit?” she asked.
“Maybe both, but it is nice to see Jimmy and Sophie so happy.”
“Bless him, Jimmy can’t wait to go skiing. He was telling me all about it earlier,” she said, sitting down next to him.
Shadow grunted. “It’s a good thing he’s married a doctor. I’m expecting him to return with most of his limbs in a plaster cast.”
“I think it sounds very romantic. An alpine lodge at Christmas with roaring log fires and snow falling outside. Cuddled up together, opening presents by the tree and drinking mulled wine.”
Shadow groaned. “There’ll be even more of that stuff over there than there is here. And I think the freezing snow will lose its appeal when they have both got chapped lips and chilblains. I’d prefer a bit of winter sun any day.”
“Is that so? Then it seems like the perfect time to give you this.”
Maggie slipped an envelope with a red satin bow tied around it across the table to him.
“What is it?
“Your present from me. Merry Christmas.”
“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”
“The usual response is ‘thank you’, John.”
Shadow carefully removed the ribbon and opened the envelope. Inside was a plane ticket to Brindisi.
“I thought we might be spending Christmas together,” he said gruffly.
Maggie gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Perhaps next year,” she replied softly. “I think it’s time you went out there and said goodbye, don’t you?”
Shadow nodded and leaning across the table, gently kissed her cheek.
“Thank you, Maggie,” he said quietly. Then before he could say any more the tapping of a fork against a champagne glass told the guests that the speeches were about to start. Sophie’s father was up first. He looked as if he hated public speaking every bit as much as Shadow and managed to say everything that was expected of him in under two minutes.
Then it was Jimmy’s turn. He reduced half the guests to tears as he told them all how much he loved Sophie and how happy she made him. Up next were Ben and Ollie, who had the audience in stitches with their stories about working with Sophie and Jimmy. Shadow couldn’t help but notice that most of the jokes seemed to be at his expense.
After the speeches, the disco started, and everyone seemed to relax. Shadow went to offer his congratulations to the groom.
“Will you cope without me, Chief?” asked Jimmy, who hadn’t stopped grinning all day.
“I won’t need to. I’m going to spend Christmas with Luca and his family.”
Jimmy’s eyes opened in surprise. “But you never leave Yorkshire, let alone the country.”
“The decision wasn’t entirely my own.”
Jimmy’s smile faded a little. “You are coming back, aren’t you, Chief?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you love everything about Italy – the food, the wine – and you and Luca got on really well. Maybe when you are out there in the sun, you won’t want to come back.”
Shadow shook his head. “If that is the case, then I’m sure you’ll cope without me, Sergeant.”
*
Due to the problems with traffic and the ever-increasing snow, Jimmy and Sophie decided to depart earlier than planned and leave their guests to enjoy the evening disco. In a nod to Sophie’s horse-riding childhood, a carriage and four horses was to take them as far as the station where a taxi would be waiting for them.
There was quite a crowd gathered in front of the Minster to watch the happy couple leave. Shadow spotted a few familiar faces. There was Dorothy the director of the Eboracum Museum with her partner Genevieve, Matthew and Celia, two of the ghost walk guides, Oliver from Bacchus and even Malcolm Webster, who was being scolded by Marjorie for throwing confetti.
As the rest of the wedding party were waving off the happy couple, Shadow realised he could put off his duty no longer. He went and spoke quietly to George. Then he turned and surveyed the crowd. Maggie was comforting a weeping Rose. Angela was celebrating catching Sophie’s bouquet, while Ben and Ollie teased a blushing Tom. Simon Fortescue was entertaining the Marchmans with some tale about his own wedding. Clarissa was shaking hands and saying goodbye to Sophie’s parents, who were looking almost as emotional as Rose.
With a heavy heart, Shadow made his way over, hoping he wasn’t about to ruin the day for everyone.
“I think you should come with me,” he said softly.
The dean turned her head slightly and jutted out her chin. “Why is that, Chief Inspector?” she asked.
“Because Sergeant Hedley is waiting to arrest you for the murder of Anna Novak,” he whispered.
“I see. Well, as we are on Minster land, I suppose this is his jurisdiction,” she replied with a forced smile. To anyone watching to would seem like they were simply discussing the wedding. Luckily Sophie’s parents were now well out of earshot.
“How did you find out?” she asked.
“I began to wonder if you could have been involved when I visited you the other night. You knew Anna’s name, although it hadn’t been given in the press reports. You certainly had a motive. Then I realised that you weren’t Simon’s alibi, he was yours. You saw a message from Anna on his phone when he left it in the vestry. You smashed screen so he would never see it.”
“Simon had never been very discreet. He would quite frequently leave his phone lying around and I often read his messages. Mostly they amused me, and I knew Simon needed a distraction, needed to be entertained while I was busy working, but Anna wasn’t like the others, she needed him, and he was beginning to fall in love with her. They had discussed running away together. The text I read from her said how she was looking forward to Monday and what a relief if would be. A chill went through me; I thought Simon was going to leave me the next day. Then Anna sent another text, the one he didn’t read, saying she wanted to see him after she finished work and if he could get away. She said she’d be waiting at in the basement of the wine shop all night if necessary.”
Shadow nodded. Until now he had only been able to guess what might have been in Anna’s message, but it was what he had assumed.
“Anna was looking forward to Monday because she was planning to meet me and tell me about a crime she had witnessed. To discuss it with a police officer would be a relief,” he explained. Clarissa blinked at him several times, then shook her head.
“It makes no difference. She still wanted to take him away from me. He would have gone to her if I hadn’t been taken ill.”
“Then when you returned from the hospital, you encouraged him to take a sleeping pill, waited a little while, then dressed up in his hat and coat, playing the male like you did at school. It was you who told me about that, but your real mistake was that ridiculous charade of smashing the glass in your office to try to distract me. If you had lived in York a little longer, perhaps you would have known that the city walls are locked at dusk. Nobody could have thrown that stone except you, before dashing inside in time for us to arrive. You were frightened Simon might say something incriminating.”
“Why didn’t you arrest me last night?”
“I didn’t have any proof. It was only when I happened to see a video of you caught in the background quite by chance. You were heading towards La Dolce Vita. The person I saw was dressed in Simon’s hat and coat, but they were limping.”
“Anna could only see my silhouette through the top of the glass door, so she let me in without thinking,” Clarissa continued, as if lost in the memory.
“And you hit her over the head with a cobble you picked up from outside.”
“That wasn’t my intention, Chief Inspector. At first, I only wanted to speak to her. Tell her to leave Simon alone. Then I saw her through the window. Waiting there, so young and beautiful. Waiting for my husband. Some primal emotion overtook me.”
“Envy, wrath, perhaps even pride,” suggested Shadow. The dean didn’t appear to be listening, as she continued to speak.
“Having an allergic reaction to that wine was a godsend, Chief Inspector. As I was lying in hospital, I suddenly realised what I needed to do. It was like a revelation. I should go and see her instead. Explain to her that I wouldn’t allow Simon to leave me. He needs me, you see. That’s what none of these young girls ever understand. Simon needs me.”
Shadow had heard enough. He took her firmly by the elbow and guided her to where a grim-faced George was waiting. He could hear Simon call out after them.
“Clarissa, darling, where are you going?”
She didn’t look at him, instead she turned to Shadow.
“Wouldn’t you do anything you could to stop the one you loved from leaving you?”
Shadow stared into the eyes of the woman standing opposite him, but all he could see was the image of Anna’s soaking, lifeless body on the stretcher.
“Almost anything,” he replied, then stepped back and let George read the dean her rights.
*
It didn’t take him long to pack. He glanced around the boat that had been his home for almost thirty years. He added Luisa’s photo to the top of his pile of clothes in the suitcase. There was nothing else he needed. In truth, there was little else on board Florence to show that he had lived there for over half his life. The bookcase was full of books that he had no intention of reading again. Despite his initial protests, Jimmy had added his vast collection of jazz albums to his phone. Was it uploading or downloading? He could never remember. There was, however, one more thing he had to do before leaving for the airport.
He stepped out on to the snow-covered deck and peered through the darkness to the orange glow beneath Skeldergate Bridge, which seemed to have become Jake’s home since he abandoned the area where they found Anna.
“We’ve made an arrest,” he called out, his warm breath forming clouds in the freezing air as he approached the young man and his dog huddled together in a sleeping bag. Jake took a drag on his cigarette.
“Good. Will they go down for it?”
“Yes, they’ve confessed. Are you looking for somewhere to stay over Christmas?”
Jake looked up at him, narrowing his eyes and not bothering to remove the cigarette from his mouth.
“Is that an invitation?”
“Sort of,” replied Shadow with a shrug. “I’m going away for a few weeks. I need someone to keep an eye on Florence.”
After surveying him for a moment more, Jake rose to his feet and picked up his rucksack and sleeping bag. Slightly warily, he followed Shadow back down the towpath and stepped on to the boat, with Missy leaping after him. Shadow dropped the keys to Florence into his hand.
“There isn’t much in the fridge, but you’d better eat that lot before it goes off,” he said, gesturing through the door to the hamper of Italian food Maria and Gino had given him for Christmas. Jake turned and looked at him.
“You are coming back, aren’t you, Shadow?”
“That’s the second time someone’s asked me that.”
“And?”
“You just keep Missy off the sofas and no smoking inside,” replied Shadow as he hauled his suitcase on to the towpath and set off towards the bridge. “And don’t upset the geese,” he added as an afterthought.
A cool breeze blew across the river and a few flakes of snow began to swirl down from the sky. He glanced back. Jake had gone inside, but Missy was still sitting on the boat’s prow wagging her tail.
“Merry Christmas, Missy,” he called out and smiled to himself before disappearing into the darkness of the bridge’s shadow.
The End
Want more? Check out John Shadow’s latest case in A Forgotten Shadow!
Buy now!
Join Tule Publishing’s newsletter for more great reads and weekly deals!
Sign up now!
Author’s Note
A Christmas Shadow is a work of fiction, but it does include a couple of real events that I used for inspiration. The Advent Procession, at the beginning of the story, takes place as I described each year and is well worth experiencing if you have the chance. Like Shadow, I too remember seeing the Minster on fire when it was struck by lightning in 1984 and it is something I always think about whenever there is a thunderstorm in York.
All the characters in the story are imaginary except for Gerald and Donald, the two Minster cats. Sadly, Gerald really has passed away, but his statue stands in the grounds of Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks as always to the wonderful team at Tule: Jane Porter, Meghan Farrell, Cyndi Parent and Nikki Babri.
Once again, I have been incredibly lucky to work with three amazing editors: Sinclair Sawhney, Helena Newton and Beth Attwood. Thank you for all your advice, support and patience!
Huge thanks also to Patrick Knowles for another beautiful book cover and to Lee Hyat for coordinating the design.
A Christmas Shadow Crossword
Across
2. Wilma replaces Vera to produce something new from the vine
3. Mr E’s Tin was used to make this cathedral
5. Ned joins a priest under a bishop
8. Yves found his tail in this Mediterranean country
9. Keep your pet and rice as proof of purchase
Down
1. Initially Zoe and Zelda meld with Bee to obtain funds fraudulently
2. We celebrate our union with dinner, dancing and gin
4. Treat hen kindly; don’t scare her
6. If you yell with George, Ann and Rob, you’ll have a nasty reaction
7. An ace coin is needed to buy an illicit drug
A Christmas Shadow Crossword Solution
If you enjoyed A Christmas Shadow, you’ll love the other books in…
The Chief Inspector Shadow series
Book 1: A Long Shadow
Buy now!
Book 2: A Viking’s Shadow
Buy now!
Book 3: A Ghostly Shadow
Buy now!
Book 4: A Roman Shadow
Buy now!
Book 5: A Forgotten Shadow
Buy now!
Book 6: A Christmas Shadow
View the series here!
Keep Up with your Favorite Authors and their New Releases
For the latest news from Tule Publishing authors, sign up for our newsletter here or check out our website at TulePublishing.com
Stay social! For new release updates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and reader giveaways:
Like us on
Follow us on
Follow us on
See you online!
About the Author
H L Marsay always loved detective stories and promised herself that one day, she would write one too. She is lucky enough to live in York, a city full of history and mystery. When not writing, the five men in her life keep her busy – two sons, two dogs and one husband.
Visit her website at hlmarsay.wixsite.com
Follow H L on Facebook and Twitter @MarsayHelen
*
For the latest news from Tule Publishing, sign up for our newsletter here or check out our website at TulePublishing.com
H L Marsay, A Christmas Shadow
