Description

The reason for the first Rutherford Arts Festival was as much a mystery to Detective Chief Inspector Steve Winwood as to everyone else. Rutherford had no claims to be the centre of the Arts. Steve did not like mysteries which was a strange thing for a detective to admit to. It did not get off to a good start when Edwin Searchfield a well respected music teacher was found dead under a painting of a naked female cellist on the evening of the VIP preview evening to launch the Festival. Then strange accidents began to befall members of the Art Society and those connected to it. Steve's superiors wanted him to concentrate on being the Police Liaison Officer for the Festival. This was not easy as the Festival Organiser John Charlesworth had never organised a festival before and accepted solo acts or group activities that somehow fitted the Festival remit of 'New Worlds'. Maggs Holdgate the reporter for the major sponsor, the Rutherford international News Group reviewed every act from the orchestra that couldn't play and the painting that appeared to be a blank canvas, or maybe not. After two more deaths amongst the Art Society in suspicious circumstances Steve believes the clue to the mayhem may be in the identity of the female naked cellist. Detective Sergeant Emma Porter solves that problem with a surprising result and the person behind all the strange accidents that have occurred. However the biggest mystery of all is who is behind the Government grant for a doomed to fail Arts Festival and why. The answer to that is close to home. The Chief Constable is quick to commend Steve but he is still unsure who the good guys are despite assurances that both they and himself are on the side of the angels.