The Ten Commandments by Anthea Fraser Read Free Book Online Page A

searching – mainly on the part of my researcher, I hasten to add – we managed to find an example for each of them. I completed the chapter on number five just before leaving for Canada.'
    That dry smile again. 'Lizzie Borden was, I felt, a prime, if somewhat extreme, illustration of not honouring her father and mother.'
    Gregory Page leaned back in his chair. 'You've touched on some of the Commandments, Mr Mace. Can you remind us – what are the rest of them?'
    'The so-called "shalt nots". Murder is number six, and as well as being the ultimate crime, it frequently – to use the vernacular – begets murder. That is, it can lead to other, "revenge" killings – especially in the case of sectarian murders – thereby doubling as both crime and motive.
    'Next we have adultery, no longer illegal in itself, but responsible for crimes passionnels – as also, of course, is number ten, not coveting your neighbour's wife.'
    'Which we've all done at some time or another!' Page put in facetiously. 'Sorry – please go on.'
    ' Thou shalt not steal ,' Frederick continued, 'is, as I mentioned, one of the three still indictable, and has a pretty broad scope – white-collar crime, fraud, unlawful possession. It, too, can be both motive and crime.
    'Number nine. Bearing false witness, covers both perjury and, in today's parlance, "framing" someone, often causing grievances which result in violence; and the last part of the final Commandment, ordering us not to covet anything that belongs to someone else, embraces all the petty crimes which result from greed and envy.'
    He lifted his hands. 'Have I proved my point?'
    Page gave a laugh. 'I need notice of that question, but you've certainly given us plenty to think about. Let's get down to specifics, then: this latest murder we have here in Broadshire: was a broken Commandment behind that?'
    'My dear Mr Page, how could I know? I should have to study the case in detail before hazarding an opinion. No doubt the police have their theories, but I'm not privy to them.'
    'The press are comparing it with another murder some years ago. Would you therefore expect the motives to be the same?'
    'I admit I'm intrigued by the possibility; the more so, since I had the notion of including an unsolved crime among my ten, in the hope of discovering a new slant. By ironic chance, it was the murder of Trevor Philpott which I selected.'
    Page leaned forward excitedly. 'How about that? And what was the motive for that one?'
    'Oh, I've not started work on it yet. No, really –' He held his hands up as Page prepared to press him. 'I can't say any more about it at the moment.'
    The interviewer, hiding his disappointment, leaned back again. 'Well, Mr Mace, it's been very interesting to talk to you, and I'm sure we've all learned something. I confess my knowledge of the Commandments was limited to the story of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai and saying to the Israelites, "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"'
    He paused, as though expecting some reaction. Frederick merely waited.
    '"The good news,"' Page continued, "'is that I kept Him down to ten. The bad news is that adultery's in."'
    He laughed, and Frederick smiled politely. There was a final exchange of courtesies and the credits began to roll. Edwina pressed the remote control and the screen went blank.
    'Well, I must say you didn't seem reluctant to talk about it,' she remarked.
    'That's just the trouble; once I let myself start, I say too much and then regret it.'
    'I don't think you said too much,' she declared staunchly. 'I found it fascinating, and so, obviously, did Gregory Page. It will be interesting to read the reviews.'
    Frederick said irritably, 'Did you notice he said "Si-ni-ai"? Why have people started doing that? For donkey's years we've learned about Moses bringing down the tablets from Mount Sinai – pronounced exactly as it's spelt – and now, for some unknown reason, everyone puts in the