Words required:

stomach, lamb, knee , daughter , knuckle, knight , doubt , write , muscle, island, plumber , psychology , knife , solemn , wrist, knock ,fascinated , thistle isle,

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alice turned the little silver knight over in her hand. She was fascinated as to how it could have got into the man's stomach. Her surgical knife had clashed against it when she had opened up the organ alerting her to the possible reason for his demise, or at least a pointer to it.

She and Lucien had examined the body, finding a bruise on his left knee and a grazed knuckle, as if he had been dragged over some rough ground, this had also resulted in the dislocation of his wrist and muscle damage to the limb. There was no doubt the man had been roughed over before he had died, a solemn thought and Alice wondered at the psychology of one who could subject another human being to such an attack. Other distinguishing marks were tattoos, one of a thistle and another of an island, both on his forearms.

A knock at the door made her turn round from the sink where she was washing the little object.

'Dr Harvey,' it was Matthew with a young woman. She covered the body quickly, an open cadaver was not a sight for someone out of the profession to see.

'This is Jane Hobson,' Matthew continued, 'she recognised the photograph Davies took round, as that of her father.' He ushered the man's daughter into the room, and she looked shyly at the doctor.

'Please, come in.' Alice said softly.

Jane looked at the face of her father, he seemed to her as if he was sleeping.

'That's dad.' Tears filled her eyes, 'where was he found?'

'Outside the back of the theatre.' Matthew said, coming over to her side, 'do you know what he would be doing there?'

'He was a plumber, he was seeing to some blockages in the dressing room pipes. The water was slow coming through the taps.' She said.

'What were his tattoos for?' Alice asked, in case it had any relevance to the reason for the man's murder.

'Dad was from Scotland, the thistle is the emblem and the island is Mull, where he lived as a boy.' Jane smiled, 'he said he'd take me one day, to see the isle and some of the others too.'

'I'm sorry, Miss Hobson.' Alice touched her arm.

'Thank you.' Matthew and the young lady left Alice to finish up.

Alice looked at the x ray of Mr Hobson's skull, it showed a depression at the back of the head, the cause of death, no doubt. Back at the body she looked at the wound and determined it was probably the result of a large object being slammed into the back of his head.

Lucien barged in, waving something.

'Think I've got it, Alice,' he went over to the head and turned it so he could get a better look at the wound. The object he had was a large wrench and it fitted nicely into the wound. 'Well this is the murder weapon.'

'You sure?' She asked looking closely.

'Yep.' He looked smug, 'I got the same indentation when I tried it on a leg of lamb in the butchers.'

'You did what?!' Alice looked up in surprise, 'do you always practice on joints of meat?'

'Well I can't really on a person, can I?' He looked at her as if it was the most natural thing in the world to use a piece of meat to simulate a beating with a blunt instrument. 'At least this one wasn't our dinner.' He grinned.

'And how did the butcher feel about you abusing his produce?'

'Oh he didn't mind, I did pay for it.' Lucien grinned. 'Now who wielded it?' He scratched his head.

'Well, I'll write up the report and leave it to Matthew to work that one out.' She turned, 'but what has this little knight to do with it?'

'Dunno.' He mused, 'better ask the daughter.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane declared she had never seen the silver piece before. They had nothing like that at home. Perhaps it belonged to someone at the theatre.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Matthew, Charlie and Bill interviewed all the theatre staff about Hobson, did they know him? Had they ever seen the silver knight before? The manager was cagey so he was brought in for further questioning.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The little statue stood on the table, Alice had cleaned it up nicely, it was a nice piece, part of a chess set, they thought. A rather expensive chess set. Nobody had registered a theft lately, not of a silver chess set, anyway.

'Do you know where this came from?' Matthew asked the manager.

'Hobson found it under the sink.' He replied, 'that's all I know.'

'So how did it get inside his stomach?' Lucien picked it up and turned it round in his hand, admiring the work. 'There was no sign of force, it's small enough to be swallowed.' He paused and paced round the room, 'I wonder...would he have tried to test it by biting it, you know some people do? Then, he was hit with the wrench and, gulp, it goes down, by accident. He didn't mean to swallow it.'

'A fight, doc?' Matthew suggested. 'the other bloke wanted it, but Hobson wouldn't give it up so he bludgeoned him with the wrench, first thing that came to hand and, as you say...then the body was dragged out to be left for the garbage truck'

'So who hit him?' Lucien looked at the manager, now looking down at his hands.

'Silly bugger.' He grunted, 'it wasn't a big thing, not worth much.'

'But it would have helped with him saving to take his daughter on a trip to Scotland, for her the trip of a lifetime.' Matthew stood up and opened the interview room door, 'Bill!'

Hobart appeared, 'Boss?'

'Charge him, lock him in the cells.' Matthew picked up the file with the autopsy report in, 'some people.' He shook his head as he and Lucien walked out of the room.

'Rum old world, Matthew, rum old world.' Lucien clapped his friend on the shoulder. 'coming for dinner tonight, Jean's doing roast pork? Alice is joining us.'

'Y'know Blake, that's the best bit of news I've had all day.'

Lucien wasn't sure whether he meant he'd see Alice that night, or that Jean was doing roast pork, but he didn't ask. It would just be nice to have his friends join him and his wife for dinner.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yeah, I know, an easy confession, but it's only a little story, for a spelling challenge.