The Redeemed by M.R. Hall

friendly with Miss Donaldson?' Jenny asked.
    'In as much as we all try to be friends here,' Nelson said.
'I wouldn't say we were close.' He tapped on the keyboard and strolled over to
a printer, which was already whirring into life.
    Jenny ran her eyes over the polished solid-wood shelving that
lined the wall behind him and noticed a section of box files marked 'Decency'.
    'Does Decency have separate offices,' Jenny asked, 'or does
it operate from here?'
    Nelson glanced back at her, then at the shelves, working out
how she'd made the connection. 'They have a small part-time staff here,' he
said, 'but the main office is in London.'
    Jenny was about to ask if he could provide a list of their
employees too when Bobby DeMont, Michael Turnbull and Lennox Strong came
through the door, buzzing with excitement. Wiping his perspiring neck with a
towel, Bobby was saying, 'You think we couldn't be any more blessed, then we
have a night like tonight.'
    'You were great,' Lennox said. 'The energy, man.'
    It was Turnbull who noticed Jenny first, catching Nelson's
glance before turning to greet her with a warm hello.
    'This is Mrs Jenny Cooper,' Nelson said. 'She's the coroner
looking into Eva Donaldson's death.'
    'Ah, yes. I'd forgotten about that part of the procedure.'
Turnbull reached out a hand. 'Michael Turnbull.'
    Bobby stepped forward unprompted. 'Bobby DeMont. Pleased to
meet you, ma'am.' He enclosed her palm with a hot, strong handshake. 'What a
terrible tragedy. Each time I met that woman I came away in awe. One of life's
fighters. A real inspiration.'
    'Mrs Cooper would like to take statements from people who
knew her,' Nelson said.
    'Didn't we already do that with the police?' Turnbull asked.
    Jenny said, 'Don't worry, there's no fanfare or publicity. I
just have to make sure that cause of death is ascertained correctly.'
    'I don't understand,' Lennox said. 'We've just had the court
case. There's more?'
    'An inquest may only be a formality,' Jenny said, 'but
there's always the chance there were areas the police didn't look at too
closely.'
    'Oh. Such as?' Lennox asked.
    Bobby pressed a hand to Lennox's back. 'You're guaranteed
our full cooperation, ma'am. The church will help in whatever way it can.'
    'Of course,' Turnbull said. 'When can we expect this to
happen?'
    Jenny said, 'I appreciate the timing isn't great for you—'
    'Can't it at least wait until the Decency Bill has had its
first reading?'
    Reacting to Turnbull's anxiety, Bobby interjected, 'Hey, you
don't have to worry about that, Mike. A man's been convicted. This is just a
technicality.'
    With a forced smile, Turnbull said, 'I do hope so.'
    'There's really nothing to worry about,' Jenny replied. 'This
is perfectly standard procedure.'
    'You'll forgive my concern when a bill threatening a
multi-billion-pound industry is about to be debated.'
    'Calm down, buddy,' Bobby said, throwing Jenny a tense smile.
'It'll be fine.'
    'Who knows, if everybody's helpful we might get it done
before then,' she replied.
    Nelson took two sheets from the printer and handed them to
her. Jenny said a polite goodbye and promised to be in touch. As the reception
door closed shut behind her, she could have sworn she heard Bobby DeMont
mutter, 'Sonofabitch!'

Chapter 5
     
    Jenny carried
her coffee out to the table on the lawn to catch the first rays of sun. The
house martins were already darting out from their nests under the eaves and
swooping for the insects rising up from the unkempt meadow on the far side of
the garden wall. The air was filled with the hum of bees and the raucous chorus
of songbirds: she envied the creatures their simple, unquestioning sense of
purpose. She was loath to admit it, but her visit to the Mission Church of God
had left her shaken. It wasn't the frenzy of the crowd or the sight of
otherwise sane and ordinary people reduced to convulsions which had played over
and over in her listless dreams, but Lennox Strong's testimony. It was only a
modern retelling of the