Short story: 'Marks on the Wall'

The Derby Telegraph invites readers to submit short stories. Here is a piece by Philip Neale (pen name - Neal James), titled  'Marks on the Wall'

 

DI Dennis Marks knew that Samuel North had killed his wife Susan. Everything was there. He had motive, opportunity, the weapon, and there were enough people who knew that the marriage was going through serious problems to put the man firmly in the frame. Despite all this there was nothing concrete to place North at the scene during the period that the pathologist estimated to be the time of death. Susan North had been shot, her body wrapped in plastic sheeting and dumped at the side of an isolated country road. According to the post mortem report she had been dead for at least two weeks.

 

North had married into money, becoming an essential part of his father-in-law’s business and inheriting a share of the company when the old man died. His wife Susan obtained controlling interest when her mother passed away and became the driving force with her sixty per cent share to his own forty.

 

This suited Susan, leaving her free to explore her own social life whilst still keeping the brakes upon Samuel’s ambitions, but when he found out about her affair with the tennis coach at her country club their relations soured irreparably. Susan’s golfing partner, Abigail Marshall, reported her missing to the local police when she failed to appear for her regular twice weekly round without informing her. Based on forensic evidence leading back to North’s gun, a search warrant was obtained for the family home, and Samuel North was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Read entire story at: Derby Telegraph Site

Neal James is the author of three books: 'A Ticket to Tewkesbury', 'Short Stories - Volume One' and 'Two Little Dicky Birds'

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