Page 12 of A Village Theatre Murder

‘Was the cupboard locked?’

‘No. It’s a village hall. I mean, there’s no reason…I fetchedall the small accessories on Wednesday to go through them a final time, and make last-minute decisions with Julia.’

By the way DI Gibson nodded, Julia understood that Tabitha’s account tallied with Roger’s.

‘Thinking back to Wednesday. When you held the gun, did you notice any difference from when you’d held it on Monday? The weight, perhaps. Anything at all?’

Tabitha shook her head.

‘Julia?’

‘No. I held it briefly both times, but I couldn’t say that I’d even notice if there was anything different.’

‘Okay. Now, after the two of you had your Wednesday sort-through, what happened to the props?’

Tabitha answered, ‘We packed them up and I took them back to the hall, where they went back in the cupboard. They were used for the dress rehearsal, and went back until Saturday night’s performance.’

Hayley frowned. ‘At the dress rehearsal, was the gun used?’

‘Yes.’

Hayley nodded. ‘Did you take out the gun on Saturday, Tabitha?’

Tabitha looked stricken at the memory of that fateful night. ‘Yes. I did. I took it out and put it into the pocket of the jacket Oscar was wearing, so it was there when he needed it.’

‘What was your relationship with Graham Powell like, Tabitha?’ said Hayley. Hayley’s voice was casual but her eyes were sharp. Julia froze. But Tabitha didn’t seem at all worried by the question.

‘I know his wife Jane better, she’s in our book club. But Graham always seemed like a nice man. I don’t think anyone would want to hurt him, Hayley.’

‘Right.’ Hayley was quiet, seemingly deep in thought, the pen tapping rhythmically on the pad of paper in front of her. ‘So what happens now? Is it just ruled an accidental death?’

‘No, Tabitha, I’m afraid not. There was a bullet in that gun, and that bullet killed a man. Someone put a bullet in it. Someone loaded that gun, and I can see no reason that they would do so if they didn’t mean to kill Graham. Someone who handled the gun that day is a murderer.’

8

Tabitha made a small involuntary noise, somewhere between a moan and a sigh. She’d finally realised that she was on that list of people who might be held responsible. ‘Oh God…’ she said. ‘Am I…? Do I…? Should I have a lawyer?’

Hayley looked at Tabitha carefully. ‘Why do you think you need a lawyer?’ she said.

‘You just said that someone who handled the gun is a murderer.’ Julia could hear the panic in Tabitha’s voice. She couldn’t quite believe what Hayley seemed to be implying.

‘Did you load the gun, Tabitha?’

‘No!’

‘Did you deliberately write a play that would end with Graham Powell being shot?’ Hayley’s voice was calm; conversational, even.

‘Roger did the casting, not me,’ said Tabitha. ‘You can’t think that I killed someone, Hayley.’

Hayley sighed. ‘No, I don’t really think so, Tabitha,’ she said. ‘But just because you and Julia are friends of mine doesn’t mean I can rule you out without following due process. It’s my job.’

Hayley spoke in a reassuring tone. Tabitha nodded and took a few steady breaths.

‘That means getting a fuller statement from you both, as we discussed, and likewise from Oscar. You will just tell us what you know, as fully as you can, and I hope we’ll be able to discount you both as suspects.’

‘What about Roger Grave?’ Julia blurted out. She had had her run-ins with the man, but she didn’t like the thought of him facing a charge.

‘I can’t discuss that with you, Julia. You know that.’

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