Condemned, R.C. Bridgestock [most romantic novels TXT] 📗

other than what Lily and Josie tell us. We don’t know if Catherine went on to have any children, who would presumably now live on the other side of the world, and we don’t know officially if Lucinda was pregnant by Seth, and if she went on to give birth to a child, or if he or she is still living. Is it worth DNA-testing Lily, which would tell us if the corpse was Agnes, and therefore narrowing our suspects down?’

The CID door slammed into the metal filing cabinet twice, and all three lifted their heads to see through Charley’s office window who had made such an entrance.

Charley took a deep breath as she watched Ricky-Lee slump into his chair, head in his hands. ‘Go tell ’em to come in will you, Wilkie. I think we need to put our heads together, and now seems like as good a time as any.’ Charley spoke through clenched teeth. ‘I’m just in the mood to see what everyone can contribute.’

Chapter 24

Annie had put the last of the church papers back in the box and closed the lid. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, lowered her forehead onto her desk, and groaned. To her annoyance she felt the tears of disappointment burning behind her eyelids. She hated it too when Wilkie Connor was right.

Returning from their enquiries, the others filtered into the office, sharing raucous banter. Demoralised, Annie prayed that they had had more success than her. She looked up at the clock, then back at the cardboard box. How many hours had she lost sifting through the grubby documents, without any information forthcoming to move the enquiry forward? She felt sick.

Charley entered the CID office, her voice raised. ‘Anything of interest?’ she said to everyone and anyone in the room. ‘Together for a debrief now, please!’

Annie picked up the piece of paper in front of her that contained her notes she had collated throughout the day. When it was her turn to speak, she tried to sound more upbeat than she felt. ‘Just bits and bobs that confirm the Alderman family history from the church registers, but other than that there was nothing in the church records.’

Wilkie rolled his eyes. ‘Well, what a surprise?’ he said under his breath, in an I-told-you-so fashion.

The young detective’s tears which were buried deep inside, began to surface, only to be quickly brought under control. Instead, Annie let out a deep sigh, and gave him a sideways glance of exasperation.

There was a pause. Charley turned towards Annie. ‘Tell me more,’ she said.

‘The marriage of Jeremiah Alderman to Roselyn is registered. Michael O’Doherty performed the ceremony and their children’s births and baptisms are also recorded. The church was, as we were told by Lily, the beneficiary of Jeremiah’s great wealth at the time, which continued after he died, under Felix and Seth Alderman hence I guess the pot of gold that Lily refers to. Adam, Felix and Mary Shires’ illegitimate son, was baptised at St Anne’s, but not until he was a year old, which is when he was presumably brought into the Alderman fold. This can be authenticated by the date Mary Shire’s death was registered, and the date that Felix was buried in the churchyard after he was hanged by his neck on the gallows, as we know he was supposedly responsible for murdering Mary.

‘Adam was christened by the deacon of the parish at the time who was Walter Pritchard, Agnes’s husband, and Lily’s father. However, Adam’s confirmation ceremony was conducted by the priest, Connor O’Doherty, some years later. There isn’t a reason given for this.’

‘I thought that a confirmation had to be administered by a bishop?’ said Tattie, settling the tray of warm drinks down in the centre of the conference table. She sat. No one moved. She looked around at the other, and raised her eyebrows at their apathy. ‘I’ll be mother, shall I?’ she said, standing, with a tut upon her lips.

Annie continued, ‘It is normally. However, a priest, in this case Connor O’Doherty, would be legally able to perform the ceremony with the authority of the bishop, if my memory serves me right,’ said Annie.

Wilkie eyed the young detective with surprise. ‘How’d you know stuff like that?’

‘It’s surprising the stuff you pick up when you’re schooled by nuns.’

‘Not that it really matters to the enquiry, but is there anything that would lead us to believe that Connor was granted that authority?’ asked Charley.

Annie shook her head again. ‘Nope! Nothing to suggest or confirm that the authority was requested or given. Neither Lucinda’s marriage to Seth, nor their child’s birth, is registered. In fact, the registers are pretty scant after Father Michael O’Doherty died, so throughout Connor O’Doherty’s term of office.’

‘Well, what did you expect? We know that Connor was a bit of a would-be loose cannon. Pardon the pun.’ Wilkie sniggered at his own joke which, by the look on the faces of those present, fell on deaf ears.

‘We know from our enquiries that Lucinda was a pagan, so I wouldn’t expect any record by association at the church, would you?’ said Mike.

‘The more I have read about Connor O’Doherty, the more I don’t like the man. He appears to be nothing like his uncle, whose reputation and records appear to be all in order, and I do wonder if Walter Pritchard was a little afraid of him, for him to allow the priest to use Agnes for his own pleasure?’ she said.

‘Maybe the priest pulled rank,’ suggested Ricky-Lee, ‘because, after Rev Pritchard took the decision to marry Agnes, allegedly to save the young girl from the workhouse, Connor would know that Walter could never achieve more than the rank of a deacon, giving him a direct line to the job of looking after the parish when his uncle Michael O’Doherty died.’

‘Maybe Walter Pritchard never was er…’ Wilkie looked as if he was considering his choice of words, ‘interested in the fairer sex?’

‘Yet he is Lily’s father,’ said Annie.

‘Is