The Butler Did It: Three

Henry Tremble, butler to Judge Johnes, has been dismissed for misconduct. Believing himself wronged, the butler has gone to remonstrate with his master, taking a gun with him. The Judge refuses to be intimidated, and Tremble loses his temper, pulling on the trigger...

It's all over very quickly. The Judge catches the full force of the blast. As Henry looks down at the bloodied body by his feet, there can be no doubt that he is dead. He won't be hiring Henry again. In fact, no-one will be hiring him. Only the hangman will want to see him. If the villagers do not slay him first, for the old judge was a popular man.

Then, suddenly, unbidden, a thought occurs to him. A mad, insane thought. If he can c.over up the death for a few days, long enough for him to get on a boat to American in Liverpool. Not that long ago, a poacher slew one of the gamekeepers at Trawsgoed, Lord Lisburne's mansion over the mountains, and he was able to get to Liverpool and escape.

But then he realises someone must have heard his shot. Someone will get to the Post Ofiice and send a telegram. Once a warrant's out for his arrest, he will be as good as dead. He has to cover up the evidence, has to stop them.

And that's when it comes to him. He may be able to get away with it if he kills all the people in the mansion. He laughs, re-loads and advances up the stairs, with cat-like tread. Turning on the landing, he throws open the door of Mrs. Cookham, the Judge's widowed daughter. She's changing for bed, her maid beside her. Tremble discharges one barrel at her, but the maid throws herself in front of her mistress. The second shot fells Mrs. Cookham, and Tremble moves on to the bedroom of Miss Johnes, the younger daughter.

Only to find it empty. In his state of mind, he realises he had forgotten that she had gone out to a dance with friends. She and they will be back, and one of them is bound to raise the alarm. The gallows return to his mind. As he feels to his cottage, he hears the barking of the house dogs. He shoots them, using up all but one of his bullets. That one he uses on himself.

When Miss Johnes returns from her dance, she finds the whole grisly tableau just as Tremble had left it, except for her sister, who proves weak but alive.

There can be no doubt about Tremble, however, he is very dead indeed.

Judge Johnes is buried in great state in Caio churchyard, mourned through all Wales. At the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham, the field is silent in his memory.

And what of Henry Tremble, the Bulter who did it? He, too, is laid in Caio cemetery. But not to rest. The night after his burial, his coffin is dug up and thrown into the roadway. It is buried again, and once more it is dug up. At last, it is laid in another churchyard, in secret, although at last it returns to Caio to lie undisturbed.

And Tremble? By he sought to gain his heart's desire by stepping into the shadows. He gained only death and infamy. He will remain forever in the shadows. His body may lie at rest at last, but what of his spirit?

The Cosmic Crime: Part Thirteen

Her side aching, tears stinging her eyes, Andrea was led down the long, half-deserted corridors of the base. It had the air of a battleship cleared for action. She could hear the hum of generators, the rattling of weapons, as black-robed men hurried down the base's corridors, sub-machine guns in their hands.

At last, she was brought to the great bronze doors of the control room, which swung open to reveal a vast screen, depicting the United States, concentric circles emanating from the marked fault lines, red lights all over it. Above this was a large LED display displaying a countdown. This stood at fifteen minutes. Andrea's heart leapt into her mouth.

Fifteen minutes for a miracle!

"Andrea!" Ms. Madison, looking very chilly in her swimsuit, cried out at the appearance of the redhead. Handcuffed to a computer bank, she strained on her bonds, despite the pain this caused her. "Where is he?"

"Stopped a bullet." Her tones were grim.

Ms. Madison said nothing, but Andrea saw the look of pain in the blonde's eyes. She turned to the man with the gold on his robes, anger in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"For enlightenment and to bless the world," the leader replied, his eyes burning with strange fire.

"After Cain killed Abel, he built the first city. It was his children who taught the world how to work iron, to make machines - to make war! When Judas betrayed Jesus, he brought salvation to the world! By destroying the United States, we shall make the world a better place!

"The United States is too powerful, the only superpower! If it is destroyed, the world will return to the striving of nations which produed the massive scientific development of the Nineteenth century!" His voice rose to a scream, the same scream that had once split the air at Nuremberg. "And the Order of Cain will guide that development!"

Andrea started towards the leader of the order, only to have the butt of a rifle smash into the back of her head. She fell to the ground, quite insensible. The leader of the Order laughed even harder.

"That was uncalled for!" Ms. Madison stared angrily at the leader of the Order. Above them, the clock turned to five minutes.

"Closing all hatches..." a technician announced. "Switching to internal air supply..."

The leader of the Order stepped back, looking at the map.

"The Green Man is dead!" the leader of the Order of Cain laughed, throwing back his head. "The Order of Cain will triumph!" His laugh rose to a scream of triumph, and his words echoed through the base:

"Nothing in the world can stop me now!"

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The Cosmic Crime: Part Twelve

With the coming of dusk, the Green Man and Andrea (the latter now wrapped in the robe of a now departed member of the Order of Cain), made their way to an entrance of the underground fortress of the Order. Both were carrying guns. The Green Man took a moment to open the door, but did not enter, blocking the redhead from entering.

"That's going to set off an alarm," the Green Man told his associate. "There's an open ventilation shaft twenty minutes walk from here."

"And booby-traps?" Andrea looked worried

"There were." The Green Man confirmed. "I forced one of the Order of Cain to open it for me and run down the shaft. "There was a flame-thrower half way down. Now you just have to step over the charred corpse by the open panel. And another one of them found the device that cuts people in half."

They hurried over the rocks of the island. One of the Order of Cain saw them and turned, raising his sub-machine gun. The Green Man gunned him down with a silenced revolver. Away to the left, someone shouted. Clearly the guards were placed in such a way that his fellows could see if he went down.

For another that might have spelt the end. With the Green Man, it just spelt more dead guards. At last, they reached the open ventilator. Andrea ducked inside, while the Green Man closed it again. Drawing a pencil torch, he led the way down the passage, towards the heart of the complex.

"Are you sure about this?" Andrea whispered, her voice still echoing down the shaft.

"We can't afford doubt," the Green Man's reply was stoic. "Not with what's at stake. If we fail, millions of people will die."

"And Lynette?" Andrea sounded even more worried.

"She knows the stakes," the Green Man sighed. "She's always known them. As have you and I."

"It still doesn't make the thought of putting on a black dress to go to her funeral any more cheering," Andrea nodded soberly. "Still, for all we know she's still very much alive."

"She is," the Green Man confirmed. "As long as life goes on, Ms. Madison will go on. She's that sort of girl. A survivor."

Andrea smiled bravely, and carried on after the Green Man, grasping her gun tightly. As they approached closer to the humming core of the complex, they fell silent. As the shaft narrowed, they began to look for a way out. At last, they found a hatch. Opening it slowly, the Green Man checked the surroundings, before dropping into a loading bay. Andrea followed.

She was just about to ask the Green Man what their next move would be, when dozens of black robed figures leapt from the shadows. She and the Green Man opened fire. Soon the air was full of hot lead. Andrea doubled up, feeling a stabbing pain in her side. As she fell to the ground, she saw a gunshot spin the Green Man around. Slowly, he toppled into the dock.

The Butler Did it: Two

Henry Tremble, butler to Judge Johnes of Dolaucothi, has long cherished the idea of running the Dolaucothi Arms in Pumpsaint, Carmarthenshire. He believes that Judge Johnes has promised him the post. Then, one day in August, he is summoned into the Judge's study. There, the judge tells him that he is to be dismissed for misconduct.

As Tremble lies in bed that night, wide awake, his thoughts keep on returning to that conversation. He knows that he'd neglected his duties a bit of late, but it wasn't really that bad, was it? He convinces himself that these were just little indiscretions, nothing much....

Soon, Tremble has convinced himself that he has been wronged. He is a victim. The Judge attacked him, hated him after years of faithful service.

That hatred continues throughout the day, and all of the next night. It builds throughout the day, as Judge Johnes reminds Tremble that he has to be gone by the next morning. He even offers to put him up in the Dolaucothi Arms, but that only adds insult to injury.

That night, Tremble decides there is only one thing to be done. Judge Johnes has to be made to see sense.

He takes his shotgun down off the wall, and goes to the Judge's study to confront the man. He does not think of what he might do if the Judge refuses his request.

And that's just what old Judge Johnes does. He is not used to being threatened, and he refuses, telling Tremble not to be so stupid.

Tremble sees red. And he pulls the trigger.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Eleven

The Speedboat, Ms. Madison on board, powered towards the island fortress. As it neared a cliff, a hidden door opened, allowing the big white speedboat to slip inside. Before her was a long tunnel, its walls lined with concrete. On either side, doors led into a great humming core. Ahead, pipes snaked away into the distance. Men in the black robes of the Order of Cain waited for the speedboat, with fuel and other things. Others kept Ms. Madison covered with semi-automatic weapons, looking somewhat incongrous in their medieval garb

As the boat docked, a couple of these men hurried forward, looking angry and pointing their guns at the bathing-suited blonde. Her arms were seized, and she was dragged out of the boat.

"Careful!" she warned them, smiling, "you don't want pictures of this turning up in the papers later!"

One of the men thumped Ms. Madison for that spark of wit, so she resolved to try no more, as she was led deeper and deeper into the depths of the secret base. At last, she was led into what had to be the control room of the entire operation. She knew it had to be this, as it was massive, with a huge map of the United States on one wasll, red lights blinking at the points where the map had indicated earthquake hotspots.

And, there too, flanked by armed guards, was the leader of the Order of Cain. His hood was thrown back, revealing the face of a venerable old man, a face contorted by a look of unholy triumph.

"Ah," he turned to face the blond. "if it isn't the Green Man's lady companion. Welcome to the end of the world as you know it."

"Oh, I don't know," Ms. Madison yawned, stretching. "As long as there's a Savoy and a Selfridges, my life will be quite unchanged."

"The world will be plunged into darkness for months!" the leader went on.

"More time for dancing," Ms. Madison remained unconcerned. "How long has it got?"

Until the bombs explode?" the leader pointed at the countdown. "In just over five hours time, there will be a small earthquake in the Midwest. At that time, my bombs will explode. The United States will be literally torn apart. Not a building will be left standing, and the few pitiful survivors reduced to the level of stone-age savages. The most advanced nation on the planet will cease to exist."

*********

As Ms. Madison was forced to listen to the leader's rant, so Andrea made her own landfall, on the other side of the island, quite undetected. She hid her equipment and quickly made her way inland. Soon, she saw the first armed guard. Clad in the black robe of the order of Cain, he was clear proof that something was going on.

Andrea dropped to the ground and crept up on him. A little way from him, close enough to be able to touch him, she rose to her feet.

"Well, hiya!" She declared in an exaggerated drawl, ""fancy getting out of the habit?"

"In time, my dear." The man turned, and Andrea saw the mask of the Green Man beneath the cowl.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Ten

The little island showed up very grey against the deep blue of the Pacific. A largish speedboat patrolled the approach slowly, kicking up a lazy wake behind it. The whole atmosphere was lazy and warm. If it had not been for the air of impending doom that hovered over America, it would have been a perfect day.

On a smaller island, a little way from the old fortress island, Ms. Madison was in the process of concealing a rowing boat, while Andrea prepared a couple of sets of oxygen gear. Both girls wore bathing suits, in an effort to appear only tourists tresspassing. In all probability it was a silly idea, but the girls though it at least worth a try.

"It's a great day for a swim," Ms. Madison returned to the beach, having hidden the boat.

"I still don't like it," Andrea shook her head. "I mean, going in like this, without weapons or anything like that..."


"If we got caught with weapons," Ms. Madison replied pluckily, "we'd be goners for sure. If the Green Man's right, then that island" -she indicated the tower on the island- "is swarming with men from the Oder of Cain. "Even if we took all the guns we could carry, we'd probably be overpowered. If we're going to beat the Order of Cain, then it won't be by brute force, but guile."

"I still don't like it." Andrea shook her head. "I mean, so much could go wrong..."

"Probably," the blonde smiled, starting to pack her golden curls into her swimming-cap. "But the Green Man's plans always count on a few things going wrong from time to time. This time there's a Plan B that more-or-less depends on one of us getting caught."

"On you getting caught," Andrea gave the blonde a hard look. "Now, put on your diving kit and get on with it."

Ten minutes later, the patrol boat picked up a blonde in a bikini and oxygen tank. She was hurried back to the island, and into custody.

Sunday Supplement: Might and Maim

Ms. Madison here. It's my turn to do the Sunday Supplement again, and I promise it'll be better than my last one, which almost got me fired.

This Sunday, I attended Mainstone Old Meeting Baptist Church, an ancient church close by Mainstone Hall, Suffolk, where my old friend Lord Ambrose Vaughan lives. I go there whenever I want to make Mike - Mr. Rake - jealous. Lord Ambrose has tons of money and is unmarried. His family have been baptists for many years.

The chapel is ancient, as the picture shows, and is a prestigious place. The old minister retired some months ago, and has recently been replaced by a younger man.

Dr. Robert Gable was a very well known man, and his sermons reached a very wide public. His replacement, only five years out of theological college, in which time he pastored a small rural church in Somerset, is somewhat awed by the congregation, as he once attended the church. Accordingly, the young man, the Rev. Wayne Heap, tries to fill the older man's shoes.

His children's talks have been variable. The last one, according to Lord Ambrose, involved different brands of shaving foam, which precisely no child understood.

This time, the young minister had a new idea. He produced a rocket from the high pulpit and asked what it was. This time, every child was able to identify it. The Minister said he was going to lauch it, and threw it into the chapel. It sailed along for a bit, before landing on the head of one of the deacons. He laughed, treating it as an immense joke, while his wife tried to staunch the bleeding from his wounded head.

The Minister then stated the obvious. The rocket had not gone far because it was only projected by man's power. This, he declared, was like the gospel preached in the power of man. It didn't go very far. What was needed was power. At this point he produced a second rocket. We all hoped he wasn't going to demonstrate.

When he produced a firelighter, however, the elders ran for the pulpit. They were too late, for the firework started to fizz. It flew into the congregation and detonated against the back gallery.

I still haven't got the gunpowder stains out of my white dress.

The Butler Did It: One

'The butler did it.' A cliché of the poorer sort of detective fiction. And yet, one day, long ago, the butler of a great house did do it. He stepped into the shadows. The shadows from which no man can emerge.

On the road between Lampeter and Llandovery, there is a wood. The driver who takes their eyes from the road can see that this is a belt of trees. Inside there is a field, a low wall and a little white farmhouse. Despite that house's existence, it seems that something is missing from the landscape. The stables hard by the farmhouse are too big for it.

Were we to step back a century, we would know why. There is something missing. A great house, Dolaucothi, home of the ancient Johnes family.

But it is not to 1906 we return. No, we travel back another thirty years, to 1876. The house is owned by John Johnes, County Court Judge and Recorder of Carmarthen. He lives there with his two daughters, Miss Bertha Johnes, and his widowed elder daughter, Mrs Cookman. The house has a full staff, having been recently rebuilt to accomodate them. Among these is the butler, an Irishman by the name of Henry Tremble.

Henry is a good butler, but his mind is on other things. He does not intend to remain a butler forever. No, his eye is on the pub in the nearby village of Pumpsaint. He intends to retire and become landlord of that local hostelry. And, he believes, the Judge has promised this to him.

One day henry is summoned to the library of the mansion. The Judge tells Henry that he knows the butler has been neglecting his duties, that he has been drinking too much. He's sorry, but Henry has to go. He has a day to pack his things, and the Judge will ensure he doesn't starve.

As he returns to his room, Henry Tremble is numb. His world lies in ruins around him. What is he to do?

The Cosmic Crime: Part Nine

Standing inside the now deserted Mission, the map they had found there spread out on a table, the Green Man and his two female associates looked down on the picture before them. The atmosphere was charged with an air of deep foreboding.

It was a map of the United States, ommitting the Western seaboard, with little coloued squares on it, a great many clustered around the meeting point of Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. There was a similar, if lesser cluster of squares along the border between Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. There was a massive concentration just off the map, and others in New England, which had also been missed off (in other words, this was the America George W. Bush sees when he gets up in the morning).

"That map," Ms. Madison explained earnestly, "is a map showing recent earthquakes in the United States. The San Andreas fault, the best known of the earthquake hotspots, has been missed off, presumably to make this map look more serious than it would otherwise.

"Now, we know the Order of Cain own land on the San Andreas fault, and I suspect a search of the land resistry throughout the USA would turn up cases of land owned at these hotspots."

"So?" Andrea looked confused. "What can they do with them?"

"Too much." Ms. Madison sounded worried. "If the Order of Cain should explode a number of atomic bombs in those spots, they could open up long-dormant fault lines and tear the United States into fragments."

"Not only would they destroy the most powerful country in the world," the Green Man cut in, but it would change the map of the world for all time. The dust thrown up by the explosions would plunge the world into a new Ice Age. Millions would die, not only in the United States, but in massive Tsunamis. Cuba would be totally swamped, for example."

"So Castro wouldn't be able to gloat," Ms. Madison cracked.

"You've got it," Andrea smiled. "So, where do we go from here?"

"To the other possible location for the Order's base." The Green Man looked towards the door. "The fortress off the coast."

"Goody," Ms. Madison laughed. "I get to top up my suntan."

"Afterwards."

The Green Man looked upwards to an old monument. There, looking blankly down on them, was an alabaster skull. A reminder of the millions who would die if the Order of Cain was not stopped.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Eight

Andrea knew that tough girls were not supposed to scream, but when the ground opened up beneath her, she couldn't help herself. And who could blame her? After all, for all she knew, she was facing death, swift and terrible. Or maybe worse. Perhaps she would break her back or legs and starve to death, eaten by cave creatures while she was still alive.

A strong hand grabbed her wrist. Although the jolt brought tears to her eyes, she was stopped. Looking up, she saw the Green Man, holding firm to an outcrop.

"Climb up my arm!" he told the redhead through gritted teeth. "There's a ledge here!"

"What about you?" she yelled back.

"I can't climb and hold onto you!" he replied bravely. "And I am not letting go!"

Andrea didn't argue any more, but, reaching up with her free hand, she took a hold of the Green Man's arm and began to climb. Soon, she was kneeling on a narrow, cold ledge, looking up at the sky and trees above. She had dropped her gun, and expected to be shot from above by the wicked robed figures of the Order.

But no shots came. Apparently, they were so confident of their chasm that they had not thought to check. By the time the Green Man joined her, Andrea had recovered a little of her poise, although her breathing was still a little laboured. She was not surprised to see that the Green Man was hardly affected.

"And now we depart." The Green Man drew a folding grappling hook from beneath his coat. "I shall go first, to make sure that it's safe."

"Sure," Andrea was in no mood to argue.

The Green Man threw the hook. It caught the side of the chasm. Again, they waited, to see if the Order would try anything. Andrea took hold of the Green Man's spare gun, covering the spot by the grapple. Yet again, nothing happened. Half-way up, a massive explosion rent the air. The Green Man kept on climbing, however, unaffected.

The result of this was that Andrea was seized with a burning curiosity to know what had happened above. She was only too glad to have the Green Man help her progress by hauling her up.

She found a dead man, and three other robed figures, stood at bay, kept back by the gun of the Green Man, and a rifle, the latter item beong ably hefted by Ms. Madison.

"I thought you might need help," she explained, "so here I am."

"And not a moment too soon," the Green Man declared approvingly. "Andrea, search them."

The redhead obeyed, disarming the three men swiftly. The Green Man and Ms. Madison helped tie them up. After which the church was searched. Apart from a terrified tourist, it was empty of people.

But they found a map. A map with a number of cooloured squares marked on it, apparently dropped by someone in their haste. The moment Ms. Madison saw it, she gasped in horror.

The Shared Grave: Three

Eric Abbs, Norfolk Builder, has murdered his wife in a fierce argument and buried her corpse in a recent grave. Shortly after this cime, he moved to Australia.

It is now twenty years later, and Abbs has prospered. Now the managing director of a successful construction company, he has a good house and is admired in the community. He's almost forgotten about Dora, although it took him a long term to be wholly satisfied about wielding a hammer.

Of course, he isn't Abbs any more, but Bryant. And, twenty years after that moment of murder, he has begun to think of marriage again.

Philippa is tanned, tall and beautiful, twenty years younger than Eric. She looks great in a bathing-suit and is quiet, except when Eric shows he wants to hear her. He wonders why he didn't go for that type the first time. For a little while, nothing can mar his joy.

Then the dreams come. He dreams of that time in the garage when he slew Dora. But this time, the skull that cracks before his ruthlessly wielded claw hammer is Phillipa's. Each time, he wakes in a cold sweat. As his wedding date comes close, so the nightmares increase. Soon, he has killed Phillipa a thousand times. Then ten thousand.

But he goes ahead with the wedding plans. He cancels his stag party, while Phillipa goes out with her pals. Eric is left behind on his own. To consider the future. But all he can think of is the past. He and Phillipa have been living together for a while, so, to remind himself she's still alive, he has a look through her clothes.


And that's when he finds it. A claw-hammer. His claw hammer from all those years ago. Suddenly it hits him. Somehow, Phillipa, his dumb, adoring Fiancée, knows!

He runs to the window and sees a Police car parked outside. A Policewoman approaching his door. Suddenly, Eric finds himself staring justice in the face. He runs to his underwear drawer and pulls a handgun from it. The gun he bought when the firm payroll was threatened. He applies it to his temple and, trembling, pulls the trigger.

His friends, waiting in the bushes outside, while the stripper rings the doorbell. After he doesn't answer, they begin to worry. The door is broken down, and they find his body. Phillipa is distraught. Everyone wonders why Eric Bryant killed himself the night before his marriage.

And, two years later, the gravediggers find Dora's body. They never discover her identity, and Eric has got away with murder. For all the good it did him.

So, beware before you step into the shadows... You do not know where your steps will lead.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Seven

Ms. Madison stood on the steps of the hotel, looking up at the flaming hills around the city, shielding her eyes against the sun. Above, firefighting helicopters circled, dumping great quantities of water on the flames. Her mobile 'phone was held to her ear, as she talked to the Green Man.

"It looks like the whole forest's on fire from here," she told the Green Man, "but one of the doormen told me he's seen it this way before."

"He's right." The Green Man declared. "This is no cosmic crime. This is a distraction. While the emergency services are fighting this fire, the Order of Cain are going to carry out their evil plan. This almost certainly involves the use of the fault lines that the Order owns property on."

"Quite." Ms. Madison concurred. "But isn't that a bit like Lex Luthor in the Superman film?"

"Or the bad guy from Roger Moore's last Bond film." The Green Man concurred. "Which is hardly a cosmic crime. It has to be more than that. And that worries me. When I know evil is afoot and I don't know what it is, that concerns me. Is there anything more you can tell me?"

"There are two promising locations for a base for the Order of Cain," Ms. Madison told her boss. "A big old Mission out in the desert, and an old coastal fort. I think we should take the Mission first."

"I agree." The Green Man spoke decisively. "The Order of Cain seems to need consecrated buildings for their evil ceremonies."

"I'll be there in a jiffy," the blonde declared brightly. "See you there!"

She rang off and headed for her sports car.

The Green Man and Andrea arrived at the Mission first. They parked sufficiently far away from the Mission to escape detection if the Order of Cain was using the buildings. Silently and carefully, the two figures hurried towards the huge, powerful building of the mission church. No-one was to be seen, but there was organ music coming from the church.

The two adventurers paused beneath the great walls, by a side door. Applying a doctor's stethoscope to the door, the Green Man listened. What he heard was proof of his sound judgement. He could hear the same strange chanting as he'd heard in the church at Ringstead. And the fightened tones of a young woman.

"We shall have blood this time."

It was the voice of the leader of the Secret Order of Cain. The Order of Doom! Apparently they intended to see someone die before they did their evil. The girl whimpered, and soon the Green Man could stand it no longer.

He broke through the door, drawing his gun. Andrea, entering beside him, drew her heavy automatic.

"End this!" he commanded, shooting a couple of the members of the order.

"So," the leader turned to the Green Man. "We meet again. But this time, the ground opens under your feet!"

Andrea screamed, as she felt herself falling through space.

The Shared Grave: Two

This ordinary little bungalow in the county of Norfolk is so very typical of that county. Just another family home, divided into large rooms. Plebian? Perhaps. Ugly? Definitely, but in its little close, built hard by the site of the orchard which gave the close its name, it is like so many other bungalows, a testimony to mediocrity.

And it is the home of Mr. Eric Abbs and his wife, Dora. Eric is a builder, self-employed now, although once he was a day-labourer, travelling around the county, building homes a lot like the one he lives in. He's come a long way since dropping out of school at sixteen. And he ought to be content.

In fact, he would be content if it wasn't for what he now believes was a mistake. His marriage, five years ago, to Dora. College-educated Dora, who gave up a great career because of her love for him - a fact she never tires of making known. In spite of Abbs' rise from the bottom, she's not satisfied. She could have lived in a big house in the suburbs, she tells him, adding that she's a cut above the trashy young wives of Abbs' friends.

Once a trophy, now she has become an albatross.

And, when Eric's business begins to fail, she becomes insufferable, telling him that she's wasted her life on him, and how she's got half a mind to divorce him -to get some money out of him while she can. She will break him. Now the arguments become prolonged, even violent.

One day - or rather night - it happens. Dora wants him to clear the bathroom. She comes out to the garage, where Abbs is working. Soon, she's screaming at him, telling him she'll definitely leave him. At last Eric can stand it no longer. He lashes out at her.

With a heavy claw-hammer.

Dora's skull cracks like an eggshell. She's dead by the time Eric gets round to checking her pulse.

After one in the morning, a man carring a bundle wrapped in black plastic hurries out to the churchyard. Eric finds the grave, freshly filled. He hurries back home and gets a shovel, along with more bin bags. By the time the sun rises, the grave is fuller than before. And no trace remains of the murder.

Except in the mind of Eric Abbs. Soon afterwards, Eric's business fails and he leaves the country for Australia. Dora remains where she is,. And there she will stay for twenty years.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Six

The Police arrived at the mansion as dawn was breaking through. The Green Man and Andrea watched from a safe distance, Ms. Madison having left a while back, pleading the need for sleep. Not unsurprisingly, no ambulance was called for a long time. Mr. Line had been so very dead, his throat slit from ear to ear, lying amid a pile of half-packed cases. They had been fully packed, but a search by the two girls had ended that. And would probably mislead the police. Not that they would hav minded, had they but known what terrible justice would be visited on the killers.

"Why do you think they killed him?" Andrea had to ask the 'feed' question, as no-one else was around to do it.

"He was afraid of something," the Green Man replied. "Afraid of something that was going to seriously affect the economy of the United States. He'd converted his assets into gold, and was headed for Switzerland this morning. The Order realised that someone - likely us - was going to get suspicious and start asking awkward questions."

"So they killed him because he was a weak link." Andrea shook her head. "Even though he'd given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Order?"

"Even though." The Green Man drew a mobile 'phone from his pocket. "I'll call Ms. Madison, she ought to be back at the hotel by now, and should be able to check some more of the inormation about the late Mr. Line."

Ms. Madison picked up at once. Her voice was fresh and lively, as she greeted the Green Man and asked what he wanted. A few moments later, she was able to report the situation regarding Mr. Line.

"He gave three million dollars to the Order in the last five years, and was going to remmber them in his will, over his last two wives," Ms. Madison reported. "Which is especially mean when you consider what they did to him. And he gave them several thousand acres of rugged landscape straddling the San Andeas Fault."

"Interesting." The Green Man sounded quietly satisfied.

"Very interesting." Ms. Madison agreed. "Apparently, the Order also owns property on a couple of other fault lines in the United States, as well as thousands of acres of Amazon Rainforest, which they hold through a phony conservation charity."

"All the ingredients of the worst environmental disaster the world has ever known - or could know - if deployed properly." The Green Man's fascination grew. "Anything else?"

Ms. Madison tapped a few more times on her keyboard, then gasped.

"Acres of forest here in California!" she exclaimed. "And the news wire reports a massive forest fire starting there!"

"It's started." The Green Man's voice was grim.

The Shared Grave: One

A shared grave. Husband and wife lying side by side forever. A tender and touching symbol of the love that transcends the grave. One headstone, one hole, and two people. Fit to bring a tear to the eye. Of course, it does mean trouble for the gravediggers, who normally have to re-open a grave when the surviving member of the party dies. But what can they find when the grave is re-opened? What do we see when hidden things are revealed?

In one English country churchyard, not so long ago, such a grave was opened. Three feet down, amid the disturbed earth of the grave, the gravediggers found something they had not expected. A black plasic bin-liner. The bin-liner was wrapped around something, something heavy. They called over the curate and opened the bag.

It contained something that is normally found in graves. A dead body. Badly decomposed, it had clearly been placed there shortly after the first burial. It was never identified.

Apparently a killer had escaped justice. But killers never escape justice. As our tale will prove...

The Cosmic Crime: Part Five

The girls arrived at the gates to the estate just as the sun was sinking low in the sky. Bare trees stood proudly on the horizon, as the clouds seemed to fly away, as they will one day, when things hidden are revealed, and when all justice will be delivered. A terrible and righteous justice.

They stopped the car beyond the walls, and waited a while before climbing them. Ms. Madison was glad that she'd decided to wear jeans for a change. However elegant a burglar may look in a dress, that elegance is not improved by the effects of climbing over a wall and making one's way through undergrowth. Ms. Madison flicked on her torch briefly, making a scan of her surroundings, before hurrying on towards the house. Andrea followed in her steps, gun in one hand.

"Why are we here?" she not unnaturally enquired.

"The Green Man knows," Ms. Madison replied, confident. "The man who lives here, Jameson Line, is a supporter of the Order of Cain, and the Green Man believes he might know a little of the Order's plans."

"Even if he's a mug who they're just using?" the armed redhead spoke softly.

"Even if, my dear Andrea." The familiar deep voice of the Green Man caused both girls to start.

"The Green Man!" the two girls looked up at the tall figure who stood in the gloom.

"In one," the Green Man chuckled. "I've just come from the mansion, and it would seem that Mr. Line knew something about the Order's plans."

"Knew?" Ms. Madison's voice was filled with foreboding.

"He was packing, ready to leave America for Switzerland," the masked figure replied, looking towards the darkened mansion. "But he'll never make it. In fact, he'll never go anywhere again. He's dead."

The Cosmic Crime: Part Four

Andrea winced at the gunshot. And, yes, she did feel genuine regret at the apparent passing of Ms. Madison. Maybe she hadn't known the blonde well, but she had known her well enough to know that she was a brave young woman. But she also knew that the Green Man did not take the murder of his employees at all well. The Order of Cain would not only be smashed, but even those already in the custody of the Police would perish quite miserably. And yet to live and see justice done would be better.

"Your turn next," the apparent leader of this Cainite death-squad spoke harshly. "Turn around."

"No." Andrea was insolent. "Besides, what are you going to do if I don't?"

"There's more than one way to kill someone," the man replied.
"And?" Andrea smiled. "If you think I'll do as you say just because you threaten to shoot me so that I die slowly, then you're a bigger fool than you look. You see, if you do anything other than shoot me through the head, you and one of your men are going ahead of me. And to the other place."

The man cocked his gun, but Andrea's defiant words had bought more than just a pause. A couple of gunshots split the air. Two men fell at once, while the remainder turned, ready to engage the foe at their backs. As they turned, two more of them fell, and Andrea took out another couple. The others were diced in a lethal cross-fire.

"That should teach them." Much to Andrea's amazement, it was Ms. Madison who strode into the room, wrapped in a towel. "Don't they know that girls like us always take a pocket pistol into the shower?"

"The girl with the waterproofed Derringer?" Andrea smiled.

"Got it in one," Ms. Madison grinned. "The Green Man gave it to me a long time ago, and it's saved my life a lot of times since then." She laid down the revolver she held in her other hand, answering all questions as to just how she'd been able to shoot so many people. "And once you kill one gunman there's always a spare gun."

"True." Andrea started disarming and trying to identify the dead men. They'd have to leave the mission at any rate, but she was sure the wicked Order of Cain would not try to frame them as ruthless killers. It was too obviously a shoot-out. Ms. Madison left to get changed.

*********************

It was after Ms. Madison had put on some clothes and had finished helping bury the bodies that the 'phone rang. She snatched it up at once.

"You've arrived." The Green Man spoke without asking who was on the other end. "And the Order of Cain have made an attempt to kill you."

"Two," Ms. Madison corrected him. "But you're essentially right. Where do we go from here?"

"An estate a few miles outside Los Angeles," the Green Man replied. "Owned by Jameson Line, the actor. He's a supporter of the Order of Cain, so you should be able to find a few clues as to their plans."

"Tonight," Ms. Madison agreed. "And we'll take the burglary kit."

Sunday Supplement: Among the Will-Worshippers

Sir Richard Arcos writes: This morning I travelled but a short distance, to the ancient church of St. Barabbas, home of the noted free-will preacher the Rev. Eddie Dantes. The Church was ill attended, although a few extra people were there as the result of a mission. I was treated with great solicitude by the congregation, who had no idea who I was. I suppose a rather distinguished looking gentleman in his eighties is not the normal sort of visitor to this church. The banners attached to the pillars are sewn in gold and silver, being purple. They bear messages like: 'Salvation is of The LORD!' and 'Come to Jesus!' The music is a mix of choruses and hymns altered to fit the modern idiom.



But this is hardly to the point. As far as I'm aware there are so many sorts of churches that do this sort of thing, liberal, conservative, you name it. The sermon was the main point. This was delivered after the singing of several 'come to Jesus' songs, and was heavily laden with emotion. Its structure was something like this:



1. Jesus died to save you (you being the average wallah in the pew). This was a very upsetting thing for him, and for God.



2. If you say 'no' to Jesus, he will be upset.



3. You wouldn't want to upset Jesus, would you?



4. If you keep saying no, then you're a big meanie (this delivered in a choking voice, trying to hold back tears).



5. If you don't come then God'll cry (tears roll down cheek).



6. You must come to Jesus now (both cheeks).



7. Don't delay, or God'll be really upset (sobbing openly).



8. You have to come to Jesus or you'll break God's heart (blubbing like a girl).

After which the invitation is given and the organ plays softly, while the minister weeps and howls.

The Cosmic Crime: Part Three

Ms. Madison screamed, while Andrea struggled to control the car. The big coupé slammed into the car a second time. Ms. Madison took a pull at herself, reaching into her handbag.

"No," Andrea shook her head. "If you start a shoot-out we'll end up in gaol! I'll have to out-drive them!"

"How?" Ms. Madison's eyes were wild, as the car rammed them again. A tire blew, and the sports car swerved off the road. Ms. Madison was glad of her seatbelt, as the car struck a tree, the front buckling. Ms. Madison felt a jolt, her hair spilling across her face. This time she saw Andrea draw a gun from the glove compartment. This time, she knew, there was going to be trouble...

The buckled attacking car stopped, and three men in the sinister black robes of the Order of Cain stepped out, drawing guns from under their robes. Ms. Madison drew her handbag gun. If these men were going to shoot, they'd take a few injuries, at the very least. Then, as swiftly as they had stopped, they returned to the car. Looking behind them, Ms. Madison saw a police car.

"I never," she observed to Andrea, " thought I'd be glad to see a Police car."

"Glad or not," Andrea sighed, "do you have those forged licences?"

"And the Secret Service identifications," Ms. Madison laughed. "I don't know where the Green Man gets this stuff, but it's as good as the originals."

Whatever the origins of the identification, they were allowed to go, with looks of admiration from the policemen. Ms. Madison looked adorable, and they got an even better car at the garage. Soon, they were back on the road, heading out into the desert, towards the border between California and Mexico.

At last, Andrea parked the car outside a dilapidated old Mission. It looked very derelict indeed, but as they entered it they found it cool and refreshing. Ms. Madison went to get a shower, while Andrea crossed into the old chapel.

There, waiting for her, were ten black-robed figures. Andrea stopped dead, her heart in her mouth.

"You didn't honestly think we wouldn't find you, did you?." One of the figures in black spoke mockingly, a gun pointed at Andrea's heart. "We were just waiting for you to bring the blonde back here."

A shot rang out from the bathroom. One of the men in black laughed.

"And that's the end of her," he observed.

The Man Who Got Away with it: Three

William Sheward, who killed his wife, Martha, in 1851, has prospered. He is now a successful businessman and has married again. In 1868, he decides to take a trip to London with his new wife.

Imagine William's shock when he discovers where the hotel his wife had booked is. It is on the very square where he had first met Martha. His wife is worried about him, but cannot find exactly why her husband is so afraid. Worse, when he's left alone, William seems to see Martha, out of the corner of his eye.

Then, one day, as he looks out on the square, just after Christmas of 1868, William sees a woman, under the trees. His heart stops. For it is Martha!

He runs down to the square, but the woman is gone. This happens several times. Each time, William is sure that he has seen Martha. He feels that she's stalking him, dogging his every move. Soon, William is a wreck. He seems to see her everywhere.

At last, just after New Year, 1869, Sheward cracks. He hurries down to Walworth Police station and asks to see a policeman. They're surprised to see a successful businessman breaking down in tears, telling them in detail how he'd committed a crime almost two decades earlier. He is arrested and shipped back to Norwich to be tried.

In prison, William realises that his crime has caught up with him at last. He tries to retract his confession, saying that he had been depressed and drunk that day. As depressed and drunk as he had been when he had picked up that razor, back in Tabernacle Street

But it's too late for William. The deed has been done, Light has shone in on the shadows in William's heart. Despite the directions of the judge, the jury find him guilty. At last, the judge stands and pronounces sentence. The dread words he had heard in his mind on Mousehold Heath:

'You will be taken from here to a prison, from there you will be taken to a place of execution, there to be hanged by the neck until you are dead."

And, soon after the trial, in a little room at Norwich City Gaol, William Sheward, now fifty-three, is hanged. He has paid for his crime. While he was able to evade the police, he could not evade his own conscience.

Crime Does Not Pay. Those who step into the shadows do not control their own steps.