“Sit down” she said and so they sat on the settee.

“Is there anything you can tell us about Ifor which might not be in his police personal file?” Was Jack’s initial question.

“Like what?” she asked

“Anything unusual, did he say anything to you to indicate that he may have been involved in any crime where someone would wish to take revenge on him. If he had been involved with or in contact with anything or anyone were toxic items may have been involved for instance, say at work?”

“Not a bloody thing butt”, she replied.

“To tell you the truth I didn’t know all that much about him. We hadn’t known each other very long”.

 “We met at the end of a Wrexham football match, I was clouted by some Cardiff supporters and he came and arrested the bastard that hit me and after that we got together and bobs is your uncle so to speak”.

“I see” replied Jack, “so as far as you were concerned, during your brief relationship, Ifor was a beat bobby going to work every day on mundane duties, nothing happened of any suspicious nature until his untimely death when he was found sitting in the church”

“That’s it Butt you have it, oh there was a kafuffle over him dying there look you. He sat on a pew at the back it had just been varnished the day before and they were worried as the new lady vicar was coming he may have damaged the finish. Bloody loonies. I haven’t been back there since the funeral”.

“What of the house, is it a police house?” Asked Doris

“Oh hi, but the cops say as there is no recruiting they don’t need the house so they have let me stay. It has been rent free but now I am having to pay but it’s not too bad I do have Ifor’s pension and the housing benefit see, I am thinking of getting a bloody job so I should be Ok”.

“Well thank you” said Doris

They arose from their seats and Jack shook her hand, and said, “I am sorry for your loss, if you recall anything please let me know, here is my card”.

“Thank you” she replied

“Oh” he said, “Is the photograph here that of Ifor?”

He looks rather older than I would have thought”.

Jack had seen Ifor’s photo in his personal file and knew it was not the same man.

“Ah well no, replied Ceinwen “I have another partner see, Sid from next door as was, his wife kicked him out so he has moved in yer.”

“Before you say anything I know its close to Ifor’s` death but he was also spreading it around I suspect".

“Oh he was” asked Doris, “What makes you think that?”

“Well some bloody woman came yer just before he died, knocking on the bloody door for all to see stating she had something confidential to discuss with Ifor.”

“They went outside and spoke for a while, he came back in white faced he was”.

“I bloody got onto to him but the bugger wouldn’t say a word.  I wondered if she was up the stick but she never come back yer so heard nothing of it.”

“Two can play at that game so when Sid was stuck I let him move in, saves being lonely you know.”

“Oh, she went on, “please don’t tell the cops they may kick me out”.

“Is there anything else you can tell us about this woman, her name what she looked like?” asked Jack with a now interested tone.

“I don’t know her name but she looked in her mid thirties she didn’t look English but was not a black or an Indian, or a half cast you know the type. If I had, to guess she looked well sort of Mediterranean well tanned but she was a very good looking girl.

“Thank you Ceinwen” replied Jack “you have been very helpful indeed”

“Really” she replied, “I can’t see how, oh remember don’t tell the cops about Sid".

“I won’t”, he assured her and they were gone.

“Call at the Parish church I would like to see the scene, the church is yonder,” he said pointing directly in front at the tall steeple.

They arrived about five minutes later and were soon parked and inside the church.

It was typical of churches of the Church of England or here Wales the Welsh type of the same faith with a different name.

Inside there were rows of flags of every nation, the stained glass windows were of the highest quality and from within there was a fine display of which the believers and hearers or possibly both could enjoy whilst seated either waiting or during any ceremony.

“Can I help?” Came a voice

On turning it was the church clerk and arrayed in full holy orders presumably, some ceremony was imminent.

“Ah yes I am Inspector Scott-Ling and this is Mr Jack Richards, we are making a few enquiries into the death of Police Constable Ifor Evans, tragically found dead in this church”.

“Yes it was sad”. “My first day here you see”.

“The poor officer still in full uniform was seated right where you are, in the rear pew”.

“I see,” said Jack “right here. I say did you know the officer vicar?”

“I am sorry Mr Richards but I didn’t, nor his wife, though I believe they did attend this church occasionally, since Ifor’s death however Ceinwen, I believe that is her name, has not returned, some silly comment about the church decoration or something or rather a nothing”.

“Well vicar thank you very much, I may need to visit again,” replied Jack”.

“This door is open from 8am to 8pm daily. Feel free to visit any time”, she replied.

“Thank you, now we must leave” replied Jack, he thought, “She looked like a man”.

They left and were seated in the car once again faced with the joy of receiving a parking ticket.

“Well Inspector now this will be a test of international relations can you get the ticket cancelled?” he said with a smirk.

“I wouldn’t try”, she answered, “that Striker would make a meal of it and so I will pay the damn thing”.

As they drove along the street, they saw the warden who obviously recalled the car and issuing the ticket even though it had a “police on duty sticker on the windscreen”, for he saluted.

Seeing this, Doris stopped, wound down her window and said “Warden, ever do any shopping in Chester?”

“Ah, not much Inspector” he replied.

She smiled and said, “I do and I work there every day including Saturday and I am also in charge of the parking wardens, I will hope to see you again, have a good day”.

The smile dropped from his face as she drove off”.

“She looked at Jack and said, “The bastard he must have seen the sticker “on police business”.

“Now, now Inspector that is not the attitude. Don’t lose your temper, remember don’t get nasty, get your own back.”

“If you check the ticket he has the wrong date, and part of the car number is wrong.”

“I should just give the station sergeant a ring; pass on a whisper about the stickers then the mistakes on the ticket.”

“I suspect you won’t hear anything further of it nor from Striker. The taffies won’t want the error known.”

“Well I don’t think the day was a complete waste of time,” said Doris as they drove away,

“It is never a waste of time” he replied, “Now we will get back to the office, make up the notes and see where we go next”.

“By the way the photograph of the man in the widows house, that was a nice one”, said Doris”

Jack smiled and said, “I had a feeling when we arrived she was not alone, there was a shuffling, a door banged obviously at the rear as it wasn’t our door.”

“There was a cigarette still burning in the ashtray on the chair by the fire, I looked at her fingers there were no nicotine stains”.

“She had smudged lipstick, a quick peck before the giver of the peck scrambled outside and out of sight, so I guessed there was another man in the house who didn’t wish to be seen”.

“You don’t think he knows anything,” asked Doris

“Well I will bear it in mind.”

 “Now Inspector back to base please”.

+

Arriving back in the office, Jack took off his hat and away it went landing right on target, on the hat stand.