Page 15 of The Mercy Chair

‘Other than there might be a religious angle, we’ve not been told.’

‘Here’s the elevator pitch then,’ Nightingale said. ‘Two nights ago, some Druids found a body tied to the Lightning Tree. Do you know it?’

‘I knowofit.’

‘The victim had been dead at least a day when they—’

‘You haven’t done the post-mortem yet?’

‘No, although we’re confident we know how he died.’

‘Oh?’

‘He was stoned to death.’

Which was a new one on Poe. He had investigated men being burned alive, poisoners, contract killers, even murderous chefs, but a stoning wasn’t something he’d come across before.

‘Have you identified the victim?’ he asked.

‘A man called Cornelius Green.’

‘How very biblical. What do you know so far?’

‘Not much. Cornelius ran some sort of religious retreat. One of those places where people study the Bible, discuss what their faith means to them. That type of thing.’

‘Is this why I have an appointment with the Bishop of Carlisle tonight?’

‘I’ll find out why you’re seeing the bishop when you tell me.’

‘Fair enough,’ Poe said. ‘What else do you know?’

‘Not a huge amount. Poor bastard was tied to the Lightning Tree and had rocks thrown at his head.’

‘It’s the murder site?’

‘The bloodstaining’s conclusive and the rocks used were left in situ.’

‘How old is the victim?’

‘Late fifties, early sixties.’

‘Healthy?’

‘Nothing to suggest otherwise.’

‘So, unless he went to the Lightning Tree willingly, you’re looking at more than one offender.’

‘That’s what we think.’

‘Witnesses?’

‘Possibly. There’s a campsite nearby and someone thought they heard shouting.’

‘Meaning you might have the time of death?’

‘Maybe. But the witness admits he was high as a kite and it’s possible all he actually heard was an argument on the campsite.’

‘When’s the PM?’

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