Murder Before Evensong’s ending was centered around the confession of the killer responsible for dropping dead bodies in the close-knit community of Champton. [Spoiler Alert] It was the old lady, Kath Sharman, who had killed Anthony Bowness, Ned Thwaite, and Stella Harper because she didn’t want anyone in town to find out the truth about Captain Philip Kerling. During the Second World War, in 1944 to be precise, Kath and her sister, Dora, were members of the Special Duties Signals Unit, whose job was to keep an eye on any unusual sightings and report them to the authorities. During her time in the unit, Kath met Herve Gauchet, a soldier of the Free French Army who had escaped France and joined the SOE. The moment she saw Herve, she fell in love with him; however, their romance didn’t last long. Through a source, Herve found out that there was a traitor high up in the SOE at Champton, and he was going to meet this informant in France. But as soon as he took flight, his plane crashed, killing him in the blast. Anthony’s brother, Bernard, who worked as an observer for the SOE, had seen Kerling skulking around the plane and was certain he was the one who had sabotaged Herve’s flight. Bernard tipped Kath off that Kerling could be the German spy that they had been looking for. To investigate the death of her lover, Kath sneaked into Kerling’s room, where she found out about the radio through which he had been leaking information; however, before she could report him, Kerling pointed a gun at her and tried to kill her, when suddenly Dora knocked him out with a lamp and killed him on the spot.
For some inexplicable reason, the sisters didn’t report the matter to the authorities. I mean, why? He was a German spy. He was a traitor. An enemy of the state, and you killed him to save your own life. It’s not even a murder during wartime, but Kath and Dora presumed that they would be arrested. Kath was pregnant with Herve’s child, and she wanted to stay out of prison. I still can’t believe that someone would have arrested them for killing an enemy spy, but whatever they thought, they hid Kerling’s body in Scallywags’ bunker under the church, which was already set to be decommissioned. They believed no one would ever find out about the crime.
Meanwhile, Kath forged some documents and added Kerling’s name to the flight log and reported him to her seniors. The authorities found the radio in his room, and even though they were certain that he was the spy they had been looking for, they couldn’t arrest him because, as per the flight records, he had already escaped. Only Kath and Dora knew the truth, and they would have taken it to their graves if Anthony Bowness and Ned Thwaite hadn’t started digging into it. Kath killed them all to hide her secret, but she couldn’t outsmart Canon Daniel Clement. The rector saw the flaws in Kath and Dora’s perfect plan and eventually figured out that Kath was hiding something from the rest of town. He had found Kerling’s body in the bunker and therefore set a trap to catch the murderer red-handed. When Kath entered the bunker to remove Kerling’s corpse, Daniel was waiting there for her to confess her sins.
Kath and Dora Are Dead
Would Kath have killed Daniel too? Well, actually, she wanted to, but Daniel told her that he had left behind enough evidence for people to find out that she was the killer on the loose. I think Daniel was bluffing, but nevertheless, Kath believed the rector’s words and told him that she would surrender herself to the police, but before doing so, she wanted to meet Dora one last time. Okay, one more lie Kath had told Daniel. She didn’t reveal Dora’s involvement in Kerling’s murder. Daniel knew something was amiss in her confession, but he couldn’t solve it until it was too late. So Kath told Daniel that she’d killed all these people because she wanted to stay out of prison and look after Dora, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. The sister duo were even planning to move to France, leaving this town behind, but unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening. Kath didn’t kill to take care of Dora, but actually she was protecting her, and it was Dora who had killed Kerling to save Kath’s life. In the end, Kath convinced Daniel to let her see her sister, and Daniel agreed. However, as soon as Daniel and Kath reached the house, Kath signalled Dora that Daniel knew everything. Dora understood what needed to be done. She knew she wouldn’t be able to run away any longer and therefore made tea mixed with Nerium oleander, a poisonous shrub that had also been used to kill Stella Harper. Also, Kath killed Stella because she was going to tell the police that Dora was with her on the night of Anthony’s murder, which would have gotten Dora caught, as she’d informed the detectives that she was with Kath on the tragic night. So, in the end, Kath and Dora poisoned themselves, while Daniel eventually solved the mystery that Kath and Dora had been partners-in-crime and were protecting each other. DS Neil Vanloo and the police arrived at Dora’s house, but it was too late. The culprits were already dead.
Now, just entertain a possibility: what if Kath and Dora had enough money to leave town instead of killing these 3 people? Because you see, even if Anthony Bowness had found the bunker, it would have taken him some time to locate the body, because Kath had hidden it behind a wooden wall. I think Kath just got a bit paranoid when she saw Anthony in the church and killed him in the heat of the moment. I still feel bad for these two old women because, in my opinion, they hadn’t done anything wrong by killing Kerling, but what they did next was actually immoral.
A Happy Ending for Everyone Else
There were a bunch of other characters who found their closure in Murder Before Evensong’s ending. Like Bernard’s son, Alexander, or Alex, who was struggling with his sexual identity, finally came out to his father. Since the beginning of the show, Bernard had been trying to get him married, but he eventually accepted his son’s identity and recognized his true talent. He asked him to finish Anthony’s painting so he could put it in his study to remember his dead brother. I guess father-son will be okay from here. Also, nothing much happened with Bernard’s daughter, Honor, but I think she really likes the town’s rector, though I can be utterly wrong here. Meanwhile, Alex’s lover, Nathan Liversedge, left town because he was being charged for Ned Thwaite’s murder, but Alex gave him an alibi, telling the police that Nathan was with him the whole time on the night of the murder. However, Nathan didn’t have the strength to face the people in town and was too embarrassed about his sexual preference. He left town, hopefully never to return again. I am not sure what happened to his grandfather, Edgy, but the police had dropped all charges against him. It depends on Edgy if he wants to stay on in Champton or leave with his grandson.
Speaking of Harry Cobbe, the chap lost his adoptive father at the beginning of the show, and since then had been trying to find his biological parents. It turned out Kath was Harry’s mother, while his father had died in the war. Kath told Harry the truth, but I think he would get another shock of his life when he would find out that his biological mother was a murderer. But in the end, he and his wife would be okay. He had already built a family of his own and the past didn’t concern him anymore. And last but not least, Rector Daniel got a promotion. I know promotion isn’t the correct word, but let’s just say that Bishop Creggan understood his passion for doing the right thing and therefore vested upon him more responsibilities and greater opportunities so he could do more good in God’s name. Also, Daniel mended his relationship with his mother, Audrey, so I think that’s a win for him, for sure.
In Murder Before Evensong’s ending scene, Daniel discussed his dilemma with his mother, telling her how he wanted to punish Kath for her crimes, but then, being a rector himself, he couldn’t bear ill feelings against anyone because it was not his job to give or wish for punishment for any of God’s children. Kath had committed a mistake. She was misled by evil, and being a rector, it was Daniel’s duty to pray to God for her and ask for forgiveness so he could show her the right path moving forward. In short, even our rector is a human being, and he still has a lot to learn on his journey. So will we see Daniel again? I mean, why not? The rector of Champton has a knack for details, so if he’s going places, then we can expect him to return to the screen to solve another mystery, maybe in a different town.
