“A Christmas Beginning” by Ann Perry
“A Christmas Beginning” by Ann Perry is the story of Runcorn, a senior superintendent of the Metropolitan Police in London, the busy, noisy city he loves.
But he’s decided to take time off and go to an island in Wales for a change. He’s successful but is he happy? On his first morning, he walks and runs into John Barclay, an old acquaintance from a case Runcorn had solved. He fondly recalled the man’s widowed sister, Melisande, and wondered if she was here too. He’s thought of her for a year. He enters a small church and meets the vicar and his wife, who is friendly. An attractive woman enters, and Barclay stares at her with longing and anger.
Runcorn watches people and learns more about them than from their answers to questions. The vicar introduces him to his sister, Olivia Costain. Author Perry adds to the cast of characters and suspects. Runcorn sees Melisande waiting for Barclay and knows he’s only a policeman to her, and she’ll never tell a secret. He hurries back to his rooming house for supper.
The next day he walks through the graveyard and comes upon the bloody body of Olivia Costain, who’d walked into the church the previous day. She’d been facing the killer, not running away. Runcorn goes to find the sexton and describes the scene to him. They go to fetch
Dr. Trimby, and he follows them to the scene of the dead Olivia. Runcorn asks the appropriate question: why was she here? Who was she meeting? The doctor says it’s Runcorn’s job to find this out.
Runcorn meets with Constable Warner and tells him the medical evidence. Warner is thankful for Runcorn’s help, but the Chief Constable is taking over tomorrow. Runcorn comes upon Barclay, and the Chief and Runcorn feel like servants to them. He doesn’t have enough polish or reassurance of a gentleman, and he has no grace, no elegance. Barclay tells him not to mention his past acquaintance with his sister Melisande as she and the chief constable are engaged. Barclay says these are not Runcorn’s people and not in his class. The next day he runs into Melisande, and she tells him she wants the truth. Runcorn tells her it was not a stranger who killed Olivia because she did not run away nor fight back as she was stabbed. Melisande asks Runcorn to help in the investigation, and he agrees, although he has no authority and no rights here.
The next day, early, he goes to Warner’s. The weather is freezing, as author Perry fits it to the fearful mood of the residents of this small Welsh town. Everyone assumes it was a madman who’s done the crime. Runcorn has breakfast with Warner the next day and wants to know everything about the victim, her family, who loves her, hates her, and all parts of her life. Runcorn must ask permission to help on the case, and he urges them to let him question everyone she knows.
First, in a private room, he questions the vicar and then the vicar’s wife, who says Olivia was not really happy and was impatient, restless, and looking for something. Runcorn walks to his lodging and smells the sea. The next day Newbridge says Olivia is childish and irresponsible. He tells Runcorn to look more closely at Barclay, although he doesn’t like him. He doesn’t want Melisande to suffer guilt by association. Barclay says Olivia was spoiled and a dreamer.
The Curate Thomas Kilsall visits the old and needy and addresses their problems. He says Olivia was a woman of deep feelings and that Mr. Newbridge didn’t love her, didn’t look, and didn’t listen to her. Runcorn considers Kilsall a friend and more observant. Mrs. Owen, his landlady, talks about people in the village, especially those involved in the case. When he next sees Kilsall he learns Olivia wanted the freedom to be different, to be herself. Melisande catches up with
Runcorn. Her hair is wild, and fear is in her eyes. He longs to comfort her. She asks if he likes his job, and answers that he gets rid of confusion and helplessness. She says Olivia was afraid of loneliness and failure.
When Runcorn sees Farady again, the idea of a woman being the killer arises, and he goes to Miss Mendiott’s house, and she tells him there was another man, a poet, an explorer who went to Africa. Runcorn goes to see Costain and his wife Naomi and thinks she’s lying because of an altered tone in her voice, and Faraday is angry that Runcorn has provoked her. Faraday is ashamed that he can’t deal with this crime, with the shame of defeat. Runcorn follows Olivia from a hotel to a church, to a hospital, and to a young doctor, Dr. Midway, and we wonder why. Was Naomi pregnant? Was Naomi there to protect Olivia? Whose baby was it?
Melisande tells Runcorn he’s the best policeman ever and she’d accept if he proposed to her. Does he tell Melisande he loves her? Does Runcorn solve this crime of who killed Olivia? Find out in this delightful pre-Christmas tale on the new mystery shelf of your local library. Anne Perry has written many holiday novels and others on the shelves. She lives in Scotland and knows about the wintry weather. Find them at your local library.