Stephan M Arleaux

Suspected Stephan M Arleaux

Forward Through the open door of a library, Denise Partridge overhears an argument that changes her life forever. Between her father, Albert Partridge and Rick Spector, a neighbor, in which the latter accuses the former of misappropriation of funds and threatens him with prison then offers to save him in exchange for Denise's hand in marriage. Although Partridge angrily turns Spector from his house, defying him to do his worst, Denise's terror for her father leads her to offer herself to Spector in exchange for an understanding that there will be no danger of imprisonment. On this basis, a marriage is secretly solemnised. However, no sooner have the newlyweds returned to Spector's house than a furious Albert Partridge arrives. Denise hears first a violent quarrel and then the sound of a heavy body falling. She enters the room to find her father lying dead, a trickle of blood at one temple, and Spector standing over him, Partridge's own silverheaded stick clutched in one hand. Denise Partridge's Confession. Set in 1958, it is told in the first person, and follows Denise Partridge not only through her involvement in the story's mystery which is not the death of her father but also through her move to London, her efforts to support herself, the new friendships she makes, and her resumption of a brief, early relationship with law student turned architect, Jason Robards. The rapid development of the latter poses a serious problem for both Denise and Jason, to whom she has explained the circumstances of her marriage and her inability to secure an annulment. After an abortive attempt to separate, the two seriously contemplate living together "marrying," as Jason insists upon calling it, they are about to take the decisive step when they learn that Rick Spector has been found dead, hanged, an apparent suicide; an act committed, it seems, only minutes after Denise's visit to his rooms When Rick Spector is found dead exactly as she envisaged it, a terrible sense of guilt envelopes her one so great that she comes to believe herself responsible for her husband's death. With the coroner's inquest, however, the question of Denise's guilt becomes a far more concrete matter. When Denise learns that Dr. Luis Guzman, the famous medical jurist, has been asked by the Home Office to inquire into the deaths of both Partridge and Spector, it seems to her that she is a a good as convicted What transpires is a captivating tale of blackmail, fraud and death. Dr Guzman is left to piece together the clues in this enticing mystery.