AllFreeNovel
Share Us
During his one-year residency in Bedford, from 2017 to 2018, the Church had received a formal complaint that Father Markinson had flatly refused entry to his church to a same-sex male couple. The young professionals had gone to the press about his conduct.
She went back further, to Norfolk, where he worked from 2009 to 2010. This one was easier to find. A choirboy in his late teens had been discovered molesting his younger sister. It came out that Markinson had received two complaints from younger members of the choir about inappropriate touching, and he had failed to act.
Stacey was aghast at his failures of safeguarding, but she continued to search. Next was Gloucester between the years of 2006 and 2007. This one was harder but Stacey was convinced there was something to be found.
She was right. The article she discovered wasn’t about him but his name was mentioned. A fifteen-year-old boy struggling with his gender identity had sought private counsel with the clergyman. After two sessions, the boy had taken his own life with an overdose of paracetamol. That was bad enough – Stacey could only imagine what advice he’d given during those sessions – but most chilling was Father George’s statement on hearing the news of the boy’s suicide, which had been: ‘the boy’s fate was God’s will and now he’s at peace in God’s loving arms’.
‘Bastard,’ Stacey said as she realised that such a bigoted, narrow-minded, intolerant person had no place in the Church. He was a bloody liability.
A thought occurred to her. She searched the incident log and found the number she was after.
Will Deakin answered on the second ring.
‘Mr Deakin, it’s DC Wood from Halesowen CID. I’m sorry to disturb you at this painful time but we’re just trying to tie something up.’
‘Of course, Constable. Anything I can do to help.’
‘Thank you. Did your wife have any dealings with Father George Markinson at St John’s?’
‘Unfortunately, yes.’
‘Why unfortunately?’
‘I’m afraid to say they didn’t get along very well. He objected to my wife’s gift and labelled her a blasphemer.’
‘And they had words about this?’
‘Oh, many times, until he took action.’
‘What kind of action?’
‘He banned her from St John’s. He told her that if she ever set foot in the church, he would physically remove her himself.’
TWENTY-THREE
Kim hadn’t expected to be visiting the Oldswinford home of Rose Foster after their conversation at Emily’s shop, but she was intrigued to know why the woman hadn’t told them the truth about her son’s death.
The woman opened the door wearing joggers and a T-shirt. Her brown hair was wet after a recent shower.
‘Come in – I’ve been expecting you.’
‘Don’t tell me, Catherine posted in the WhatsApp.’
‘Not specifically,’ Rose said, guiding them into the lounge. ‘She just posted that we were all a bunch of bitches for pointing the finger at her and making her look bad. She’s finding another yoga class and she’s left the group.’
Rose didn’t seem particularly heartbroken about it.
‘May we?’ Kim asked, pointing to the sofa.
‘Of course. I’m not due at work for a couple of hours and I’m happy to answer whatever you want to know.’
‘Why did you lie?’
‘I didn’t,’ Rose said, sitting on the sofa but at the edge of the cushion.
Kim found herself doing the same thing. This wasn’t going to be a long visit.
Rose folded her hands together and placed them in her lap. ‘I just didn’t tell you the whole truth. I would like to find someone to share my life with. Yes, my son was kidnapped and murdered ten years ago. Did a part of me wonder if there was something in it?’ She shrugged. ‘Maybe. But I wasn’t overly surprised that she gave me a reading I could get from a decent horoscope.’
