Past Tense — Catherine Aird

Josephine Short was a woman with a secret or two, some that she tried to carry to her grave. When her great-nephew's wife, Janet Wakefield, gets a call from the Berebury Nursing Home, she's somewhat taken aback. Not only is she surprised to hear that her husband's estranged great aunt has passed away, but she's stunned to learn that this great aunt, Josephine Short, had been living nearby for years without a word. But the surprises don't stop there. Sure that her husband Bill was the last of Josepine's close family, Janet is once again stunned when a handsome young man approaches her at the funeral and introduces himself as Josephine's grandson. She is particularly stunned since there has been no word in the family of a son, much less a grandson.

Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Sloan and his rather frequent sidekick Detective Constable Crosby find themselves assigned two rather puzzling cases. First, a young woman's body has been discovered in the river Alm. Second, there's the mysterious break-in at Berebury Nursing Home. To be precise, it's Josephine Short's room at the nursing home that's been entered--although nothing seems to be missing. It soon becomes clear to Sloan that the break-in and the murder are somehow related. Following the twisting trail of evidence, Sloan works to uncover the truth behind the life of Josephine Short, learn the family secrets, and uncover the murderer behind a young girl's death.