It Gets Worse

So there I was this afternoon, driving about 15 miles out of town with the car radio on. On came the local radio news, which informed me that the post-mortem had indeed confirmed that the victim was murdered. Not only that, but they had definite identification of her. Yes, you've guessed it - I knew her. She lived just a few houses round the corner, in fact right opposite where her body was found. I had mastered some old recordings of her husband (who was a great guitarist) just a few months before he died of cancer about 18 months ago. Not only that, but the radio announced that the police would like to hear from anyone who might have heard a disturbance at around 1:00 in the morning that day. Well that's confirmed then - I did indeed hear the killer shouting at her, either as a prelude to the murder or in the actual commission of it. I don't feel guilty because I can say with certainty that if I had heard a woman's voice I would have gone out to make sure she was OK. As I didn't, and as we get so many shouters around that time in the morning, I ignored it. I probably wouldn't do anything differently if it happened again, after all how many people who shout in the street actually murder someone, especially in a small town like this? All the same it is a tragedy. She had gone through so much watching her husband waste away and die over a long period of time. Then there she was, apparently making her way home from Wetherspoon's - something I happen to know she has been doing regularly for years without incident. Betty is permanently removed from dog-walking duties from now on. That could easily have been her, as she often walks our dog quite late at night, just around the block, but it is now a block where a woman has been murdered. My heart goes out to Sue's family and friends.