A Stranger Death (Ch 2)

Chapter 2

The next day the whole Maddison household was rudely awakened by the most ear-piercing scream. They were accustomed to hearing such noises come from Sandra Maddison, but this particular scream was much louder than usual prompting immediate concern over just what could be going on.

What can it be now? thought Sarah. Getting out of bed, she put on her dressing gown and started to go downstairs to investigate. She met her brother Robert on the stairs, and they looked at each other questioningly.

"Did you hear that scream? It sounded like mother. Did she spot a spider or a mouse or something?" asked Robert.

"Couldn't very well miss it," replied Sarah. "It sounded like mother, but I don't have the faintest idea what could have prompted it."

But when they got to the kitchen there was no sign of their mother. It was as they were looking through the rest of the house that Sarah spotted her mother through the lounge window at the far end of the back garden.

"There she is Robert, at the bottom of the garden. We'd better go out and see what's upset her".

Sarah and Robert went back through the kitchen and out into the garden. A look of abject horror crept onto Sarah's face when she spotted what appeared to be a man lying on his front in the middle of their vegetable patch. She had no idea what he was doing there, but somehow she knew, just knew, that he had to be dead.

"Robert, is that what I think it is? Is that a man lying there?" asked Sarah needlessly, somehow feeling the need that she had to say something.

"Yes, it looks like it. Keep back Sarah and I'll take a look."

Despite her brother's instruction to keep back, Sarah couldn't resist going closer, watching as her mother slowly approached the man and kicked him gently on his arm. She repeated this action three times as if testing to see if there would be any response, but there was none.

"Leave him alone Mum and let me take a look," said Robert as he approached the area. He bent down and felt for a pulse in the man's neck. Finding none, he reached the only possible conclusion. "I'm sorry Mum, but this man is dead. Has been for some time I think."

At this pronouncement by her brother, Sarah placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream and ran back into the house and up to her room, her sanctuary. She had never seen a dead body before, and it truly horrified her.

"Leave everything exactly as it is Mum. Don't touch anything," said Robert "and I'll go indoors and telephone police headquarters at Paignton. They'll soon get everyone organised and get to the bottom of this."

So saying, Robert went to make his phone call, leaving his mother alone again in the garden. Sarah couldn't resist the impulse to look out of her bedroom window to see what was happening, still unable to believe it. This sort of thing just didn't happen in Riviera Cross. What was the man doing there? How had he died? Presumably he'd had a heart attack, or a stroke, or something along those lines, but why in their garden? Robert seemed to take everything very calmly, but then, she thought, he had probably come across situations like this before as a member of the police force.

Sarah could see her mother at the bottom of the garden. Despite Robert's instructions, she seemed to be trying to do something to the body, but as she had her back to Sarah, she couldn't see well enough to know what she was doing. By the time Robert had finished his phone call to the police, their mother was back in the kitchen, although Sarah had spotted her going into the shed on her way back up the garden path. Whatever was she up to now? wondered Sarah.

Sarah went back downstairs just in time to hear her brother's report. "I've just spoken to my Sergeant, and he's going to get things organised straight away," said Robert. "Any suspicious death has to be fully investigated, so I'm afraid we can expect quite a few people here in a short while. Although there doesn't seem to be any sign of violence or any indication of a crime being committed, the crime scene guys will want to take a good look around. Our pathologists will also want to take a look before the body is removed. I expect Detective Chief Inspector Morgan will be assigned to the case, but we'll have to wait and see. Did either of you recognise the man? Have you seen him before at all anywhere in the village?"
His question was greeted with a shake of the head from both Sarah and their mother. Neither of them had ever seen him before.

Whoever could he be, and what was he doing, dead, in their garden?

Chapter 3 will be posted tomorrow. Follow me to make sure that you don't miss an episode.