Thursday Murder Club, #1
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 74: Joyce
Overview
Sir Austin dates the hidden male body to the 1970s and identifies an old gunshot wound to the femur, making the graveyard mystery much older than the current murders. This revelation expands the case from recent killings to a possible decades-old crime that may connect to Coopers Chase’s past.
The Thursday Murder Club recognizes that Chris and Donna should be told what they have uncovered, while Elizabeth immediately follows another hunch toward a Brighton crematorium. Joyce, however, chooses a personal duty to Bernard over joining the next lead.
Summary
Joyce recounts going to Ibrahim’s flat, where Ibrahim has set up Skype so the group can speak with Sir Austin about the bones from the hidden grave. Joyce notices Ibrahim’s meticulous home and locked-away therapy files before the call begins.
Sir Austin reports that the buried body was male and shows the group a gunshot wound to the femur. Sir Austin says the wound probably did not kill the man and appears to have been a pre-existing injury, which suggests the bones carry a history that predates the burial.
Sir Austin explains his testing methods for dating bones and soil, though Joyce admits she cannot remember the technical details. After Elizabeth bluntly urges Sir Austin to stop delaying, Sir Austin gives his best estimate: the body was buried in the 1970s, probably toward the earlier part of the decade.
The discovery reframes the investigation by placing a possible murder roughly fifty years before Tony Curran’s and Ian Ventham’s deaths. Joyce concludes that the group now has two potential murders separated by decades and that it is probably time to tell Chris and Donna what the club has discovered.
Elizabeth invites Joyce to go with her to a crematorium in Brighton on a hunch, but Joyce declines because Joyce has promised to cook lunch for Bernard. Joyce ends by preparing steak and kidney for Bernard, hoping to help because he has been getting thin.
Who Appears
- JoyceNarrates the Skype call, interprets the discovery, and chooses to cook for Bernard.
- Sir AustinForensic expert who dates the buried male body to the 1970s.
- IbrahimHosts the group and sets up Skype for Sir Austin’s report.
- ElizabethPushes Sir Austin for a direct answer and follows a crematorium hunch.
- BernardJoyce’s lunch guest, whose declining weight keeps Joyce from joining Elizabeth.
- Chris HudsonPolice officer whom Joyce thinks should be told about the club’s findings.
- Donna De FreitasPolice officer whom Joyce thinks should hear about the decades-old body.