Thursday Murder Club, #1
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 90: Joyce
Overview
Joyce, still grieving Bernard, reports that Gemma Ventham has sold Coopers Chase Holdings to the mysterious Bramley Holdings. The name unsettles Joyce because it feels familiar, giving the club a new thread to investigate as uncertainty over Coopers Chase’s future deepens.
Joyce also begins a new role writing for Cut to the Chase, while the club prepares to question Gordon Playfair, one of the few people still around from the early 1970s. The chapter shifts attention from recent deaths toward ownership, memory, and buried history.
Summary
Unable to sleep at two in the morning, Joyce writes because Bernard’s death is weighing on her. She is already thinking about his funeral and hopes it will be held at Coopers Chase rather than in Vancouver.
Joyce then explains that, after Ian Ventham’s death, the residents have wondered who will take over Coopers Chase. Elizabeth engineers an encounter with Ian’s widow, Gemma Ventham, at a deli and extracts the news that Gemma has sold Coopers Chase Holdings to a company called Bramley Holdings.
The Thursday Murder Club tries to investigate Bramley Holdings, even involving Joanna and Cornelius, but no one can find useful information. Joyce is troubled because the name Bramley feels familiar in a way she cannot identify, and she suspects it may be important despite Elizabeth’s suggestion that it could be a generic company name.
Anne, editor of Cut to the Chase, visits Joyce after Bernard’s death and asks Joyce to write a column about life at Coopers Chase. Joyce accepts, and they settle on the title Joyce’s Choices.
Joyce closes by noting that the group plans to visit Gordon Playfair, the farmer at the top of the hill. Because Gordon was around in the early 1970s and is still nearby, the club hopes Gordon may remember something useful about the old events connected to their investigation, even though Gordon is not considered a suspect in Ian’s murder.
Who Appears
- JoyceNarrates sleeplessly, grieves Bernard, worries over Bramley Holdings, and accepts a newsletter column.
- ElizabethExtracts information from Gemma Ventham about the sale of Coopers Chase Holdings.
- Gemma VenthamIan’s widow; sells Coopers Chase Holdings to Bramley Holdings and appears to be moving on.
- AnneEditor of Cut to the Chase; invites Joyce to write a regular column.
- Gordon PlayfairLongtime local farmer the club plans to question about events from the early 1970s.
- JoannaHelps investigate Bramley Holdings but finds no useful information.
- CorneliusAssists with the Bramley Holdings search, though his patience is wearing thin.
- BernardRecently deceased friend whose memory keeps Joyce awake and prompts thoughts of his funeral.