3183. The birthday card © Bruce Goodman 22 April 2025

Agnes and Ian were brother and sister. Over the years they had gone their separate ways. Ian was a successful city lawyer; Agnes lived a fairly isolated lifestyle existence in a rural wooded area. What got on Ian’s goat was that when their parents died Agnes got two thirds of the substantial family inheritance and he got just the one third. There was no explaining why. To let bygones be bygones – so he said – he sent his sister a birthday card. He had never sent her a birthday card in his whole life. After about a month when she hadn’t picked up her mail at the post office a search was made. Her body was found decomposed but clearly murdered on the kitchen floor. They reckoned she may have been dead for five to six weeks. As Ian said to the judge, “I didn’t do it, your Honour. I had no idea she was dead. If I knew that I would never have sent her a birthday card.” Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story