Thursday Murder Club, #1
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 69
Overview
Donna’s background work exposes that “Father” Matthew Mackie is not a priest at all but a retired doctor. This revelation reframes Ian Ventham’s death, because the supposed clergyman involved in the graveyard confrontation now appears to be a medical professional with a concealed identity.
Mackie refuses to explain his deception unless arrested, leaving Chris and Donna with a newly suspicious figure and an unanswered motive for protecting the graveyard.
Summary
Donna and Chris question Matthew Mackie in Interview Suite B at Fairhaven Police Station. Donna has made the breakthrough after background checks on “Father Matthew Mackie” produced nothing, prompting her to investigate further and bring the findings to Chris.
Chris presses Mackie on his repeated use of the title “Father,” his dog collar, and his priestly clothing. Mackie admits there may have been a “misapprehension,” but Chris lays out the facts: Mackie is not a Catholic priest, does not work for any church, and is actually Doctor Michael Matthew Noel Mackie, a retired GP living in Bexhill.
Chris explains why the deception matters to the murder inquiry. When Ian Ventham died, Chris believed he had seen a developer pushing a Catholic priest defending a Catholic graveyard; now the scene looks different because Ventham had scuffled with a man impersonating a priest, who also has medical training and could plausibly know about lethal injections.
Mackie insists he is not a conman and refuses to remove the dog collar unless he is arrested. He claims he once was a priest and that wearing the collar is his right, but Chris says police and Church records prove Mackie has never been a priest.
Chris urges Mackie to stop lying and explain himself because the case involves a dead body and a murderer. Mackie refuses to say more unless arrested, politely asks to go home, crosses himself, and leaves after Donna opens the door.
Who Appears
- Donna De FreitasPolice constable whose background checks expose Mackie’s false identity.
- Chris HudsonDetective questioning Mackie and linking his deception to Ventham’s suspicious death.
- Matthew MackieImpostor priest revealed as retired doctor Michael Mackie; refuses to explain himself.
- Ian VenthamDead developer whose fatal collapse is reconsidered in light of Mackie’s medical background.