Ashes in the Grate

No, we don't find out what was burned in the fire grate of murder victim Nathan Oliver. It appears that it was paper -- but what was written on that paper?

Oliver's daughter, in a high and unconvincing voice: Oh someone slipped into the cottage and took both gallery copies of the novel from his desk and burned them.

Not bloody likely, lassie.

She should feel lucky that the investigators did not bore into that story like an electric drill into rotting wood. Not enough manpower to waste on that obviously contrived story.

I should say now, if you are ever interviewed in the course of an investigation, don't expect a lucky break like Miranda Oliver got. Police hate being lied to and if they have the manpower, you will be humiliated and then charged with some count of obstructing justice (if innocent of the crime) and/or pursued hotly as a suspect. But think: Major Humiliation and Exposed as a Fraud as the banner headline in your local paper.

But I get ahead of myself.

So this whole section is devoted to the investigators and the suspects. Some suspect stories we know to be false. Some we have to sift through. The investigators have been torn from the fabirc of their everyday life and we are following their thoughts on life as well.

During the first section, I found myself liking Emily Holcombe. I don't like her as well in this section. She's hiding something. And since I'm siding with the investigaors, I don't like for people to withhold information.

Who is Adrian Boyde? Weak, guilt burdened, alcoholic. A victim of Oliver's evil ruthlessness.

Who else is a victim of Oliver? Dan, Miranda, Dennis. He exerts power over them because he is in a position to do so without the chance of a direct reprimand. When he abused Adrian, Adrian's friends and people who cared about him were outraged. It is similar to your evil neighbor yelling at his own dog or the dog of another neighbor; you don't feel you have the stnding to intervene even though you have a definite opinion of the morality involved. But when evil neighbor abuses your dog, watch out.