Eight.

"She sounds barking sir," Scott observed dryly from the passenger seat as the jag crackled over the gravel drive and reversed back out into the road.

"Her husband has just been murdered Scott," Barnaby replied, peering carefully into the rear-view mirror in an effort to avoid the potted shrubs lining the driveway.

"Yeah, but she's not exactly acting like it is she?" his DS continued, "I mean, when you go sir, you hardly want to think of Mrs Barnaby popping the top off a bottle of industrial cleaner and dowsing your threads do you?"

Barnaby regarded his sergeant with an expression of mild amusement.

"No I don't."

"Well in that case then, Mrs Miller's hardly your typical widow sir."

Barnaby had to admit that Scott had a point. To say he'd been a little surprised by the actions of the bereaved woman would have been an understatement of a substantial size. But it was still early in the investigation and they only had one witness seen to, there was a long way to go yet. He smiled.

"So she's your suspect is she?"

Scott shrugged,

"At the moment maybe. She's certainly got a motive." He paused, "What about her alibi?"

"Ah," Barnaby sighed, "That might be a problem."

"How's that?"

"Because her only witness to having been in all night is a small girl."

"Ah."

"Precisely."

Maybe Scott had a point. Maybe some things never were simple in the country. Still, things were beautiful in the country at least, and the area around Midsomer was no exception. Dense copse and woodland areas of tall, old trees, rolling green fields of swaying grasses, cobble-stoned fords, babbling brooks and rivers and the scattered country hamlets and villages of old beamed buildings and thatched roofs, yes, beautiful was a very apt description.

As he caught sight of Scott's face in his mirror, Barnaby couldn't help but smile wider. Beautiful to some that was.

It was only a short drive into the village, and he pulled the car up alongside the newly trimmed green, anxiously awaiting the first cricket match of the season. They were there to see Bradford Shaw, wife to the unfaithful Abigail, and, naturally, one of their prime suspects.

The Shaws lived in one of the small-whitewashed cottages that flanked the roadside, bordered by a well-maintained garden. The doorbell was an old servant's bell hung up beside the porch and Barnaby jangled it cheerily, stepping back off the doorstep as Scott came to stand to one side.

They waited.

"Looks like no one's home," the sergeant offered helpfully. Barnaby sighed, gazing around the village for someone to assist them.

"No…" His eyes fell on a small post office nestled beside one of the larger houses, the front almost obscured by an over-grown wall-plant. Scott followed his boss' gaze, guessing what it was leading to.

"I'll go and ask shall I sir?"

"If you wouldn't mind sergeant."

Even if Scott had minded there would have been very little point in mentioning it. Barnaby was not a DCI for nothing, and if there was one reason he needed a DS then it was to take care of the more menial aspects of a case. He knew that much, and only because he himself used the same tactics with the DCs. Well, he was a sergeant after all.

The post office, though half-hidden, seemed crammed full of anything and everything that the village residents could ever have wished for, from food to nick-knacks, from magazines to toiletries. It took him a minute or two to even locate the postmaster amongst the bulging shelves, a little man with half-rimmed glasses and wild white hair.

"Excuse me?"

The beady little eyes snapped in his direction,

"Yis laddie, what can I do you for?"

"Some information please," Scott flipped out his badge, feeling a glow of pride as the man regarded him with new respect, "Bradford Shaw, do you know where he might be?"

"Hmmm…" the man paused, eyes glittering with interest, "Here to arrest him are you?"

"Why? What's he done?" Scott asked coolly. The man chuckled,

"You're telling me his wife's lover is murdered and you're not getting the cuffs out for him?"

The DS smiled back shrewdly,

"Well how can I if I don't know where he is?"

The response elicited another chuckle followed, finally, by something helpful,

"Pub. 'Cross the road, he'll be propping up the bar all right!"

Scott nodded,

"Thank you."

As he turned to go, he collided with someone standing behind them, sending a newspaper crashing to the floor.

"Sorr – " but Scott's apology stopped short as he recognised the woman stood before him, "Miss Saddler isn't it?"

She beamed brightly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, you err – well, came to my rescue last night."

"Of course. How are you feeling now?"

"Well," she blushed again, seemingly flustered by the attention, "I'll be fine, especially with all the police milling around the village at the moment."

Scott bent to collect her paper,

"Yeah well, that doesn't mean you can keep getting yourself into trouble now," he grinned cheekily and handed it back to her.

"Thank you sergeant Scott," she smiled shyly. He frowned,

"How did you – ?"

"Oh, you told me your name last night," suddenly it was her turn to frown, "Don't you remember?"

The brash Londoner laughed, shaking his head and running a hand across his face,

"No, but, then again it was a pretty long night."

"Oh yes, yes I'm sure it was."

A small silence settled between the pair and Scott took a breath, trying to work out the best way of politely extracting himself from the conversation.

"Well, I'd better get going. It was nice to meet you again."

"And you."

As he stepped towards the door she turned and called out to him again,

"Oh, sergeant!" he looked back towards her, "I was thinking about who could have attacked me last night, and I…I think I might know who it was."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. I think it could have been Mitch Cannaby, my…well, my ex-boyfriend. He's an usher at the theatre most weeks."

Scott nodded,

"Well, thank you Miss Saddler, we'll certainly look into it for you."

As he exited, Mary stared out after him nervously.

"Thank you."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ok, because I'm so good – and have nearly finished, I thought I'd just go and put a whole bunch of chapters up. So, here's the first. Enjoy!