Murder at the Pageant

The next moment he was peering through the open side window of the chair, the beam of light from his torch illuminating the inside. And there, seated, was Jasper Hurst in his black velvet cloak, the false moustache and beard torn off his face, and a dark dribble of blood trickling down one cheek from what appeared to be a wound on his temple. [...] Then Hurst’s mouth opened—the lower jaw fell—there was a deep sigh. Bristow tore aside the heavy cloak and thrust his hand under his clothing—there was no response. Jasper Hurst’s heart had ceased to beat now. He was dead! Strange—extraordinarily strange, all these happenings! But Captain Bristow, eminently alive to the importance of immediate action, and eminently cool in carrying out such action, did not pause to consider the strangeness of the circumstances. 'This story presents an interesting study of detective methods in solving the problem of a double crime, committed under particular circustances ; the crime in question being a tragic sequel to an historical pageant performed in the grounds of Frimley manor. An astute country police superintendant and a retired secret service agent are prominent characters in bringing about a denouement with a distinct thrill.' [extract from the original presentation] Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch (12 March 1868 – 25 May 1933) was a Church of England clergyman who wrote many novels on different themes, but is best known for his detective stories. This one being from 1930. Whitechurch’s stories were admired by Ellery Queen and Dorothy L. Sayers for their “immaculate plotting and factual accuracy: he was one of the first writers to submit his manuscripts to Scotland Yard for vetting as to police procedure.”