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 Title: Tainted Fruit
First broadcast: 16th of June 2002

Cast:
Cully Barnaby...................Laura Howard
Joyce Barnaby..................Jane Wymark
Tom Barnaby....................John Nettles
Gavin Troy........................Daniel Casey

Location(s):
Midsomer Market

Summary:
The Midsomer Market's Reading Club is more than meets the eye: the five women are not reading books, but investing their money on the stockmarket. However, someone appears to bear a grudge towards the club: Marjorie Empson, the chairwoman, is found bludgeoned to death at the bottom of her stairs. Things take an even more bizarre twist when Ginny Sharp, another member of the club, is found drowned in her swimmingpool, after she had received a blow to her head with an ashtray taken from a local hotel. Barnaby and Troy must now rush to find the murderer, because a third body is found: Lady Lavinia Chetwood is found dead outside her house, after she was pushed down from the roof; someone is Midsomer Market wants something, and they want it badly...

Solution

The murderer is Sandra Bradshaw. She had been in love with Lord James Chetwood for years, and thought he felt the same. Meanwhile, she was doing the most work for the 'Reading Club', but Mrs. Empson was getting all the credit.

One the night of the murder, Sandra went to Marjorie's house to tell her she was resigning from the club. Simultaneously, Marjorie fell down her stairs - but survived - and called Sandra 'son of a bookie', something she had been teased with her entire life. Sandra then bludgeoned Marjorie to death for revenge.

Sandra was also married to the local doctor and worked as his secretary. However, she had meddled with the microphone in her husband's office, so it would always be turned on. This way she could hear all the patient's secrets. When James Chetwood went to see the doctor, Sandra heard him say he found Ginny Sharp an attractive woman.

That evening, in blind fury, Sandra threw some ashtrays into the pool to distract Ginny. When Ginny went to dive them up, Sandra told her she was in love with James and that Ginny shouldn't try to steal him from her. Ginny found this ridiculous, so Sandra bashed her head in and let her drown in the pool.

Finally, she had to get rid of James's wife Lavinia so she could marry James. She pushed Lavinia - who was admiring the new roof - off the house and killed her. Unfortunately for Sandra, James Chetwood had no feelings for her!