BRISTOL MURDER

BY PHILIP PROWSE

PHILIP PROWSE

Philip Prowse began his ELT career as a British Council

Officer for eleven years, working in Egypt, Portugal, Greece
and Poland mainly in teacher education. On returning to the
UK he was Director of Studies and then Principal of Bell
College, Saffron Walden. Since 1993 he has been a full-time
writer and freelance trainer, directing a wide range of
teachers courses overseas and in Cambridge where he
lives. He has been a plenary speaker at key EFL
conferences in many countries including Argentina, Brazil,
Mexico, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. He has
written a dozen highly successful guided readers and coauthored a number of coursebooks. He is Series Editor on
the best-selling short course Accelerate and of Skilful, a
newly-published skills series (both for Macmillan).
Carti publicate: Bristol Murder, Death of a Soldier,
Death of a Soldier, Rich Man-Poor Man, L. A. Detective,
L. A. Movie, L. A. Raid, L. A. Winners, Shine, The Sign of
Four, Dracula, The Speckled Band & Other Stories, The
Woman who Disappeared, This is London, This is London,
This is New York

THE PEOPLE IN THIS

STORY

NAME: Peter Jones

AGE: 22
ADRESS: 103 Mil road , Bridgwater
DESCRIPTION: Tall, thin, dark hair, brown eyes
LIFE: Peter Jones was fifteen when his father died. Peters mother was very
very poor and needed money, so Peter got a job. Peter gave all the money he
earned to his mother to help pay for the house where they lived. Their house
was very small and old but it was cheap. When he was seventeen, Peter
changed his job and started to work for a company called Universal
Transport Limited. This company had a lot of lorries. As soon as he was old
enough, Peter learnt to drive. When he was twenty-one , he passed a driving
test which allowed him to drive big lorries on his own. Now he drives lorries
with goods from Bridgwater to Bristol, London, Birmingham and Manchester.

NAME: John Stevens

AGE: 16
ADRESS:24 Devonshire Road, Bristol
DESCRIPTION: Medium height, thin, brown hair, brown eyes.
LIFE.John Stevens mother and father are dead. He lives with his
uncle. His uncle, Robert Stevens, is a school teacher. John is still at
school but he doesnt enjoy it and he wants to leave.

NAME.: Jeff Beck

AGE: 24

ADRESS: Cabaret Club, 12 Victoria Street, Manchester

DESCRIPTION: Medium height, quite fat, long dark hair,blue eyes.
LIFE: Jeff Beck left school at fifteen. He was soon in trouble with the

police. When he was eighteen, he was sent to prison for three months
for stealing cars. After he left prison, he continued stealing and was
caught again. He is now twenty-four and has been in prison three
times. He is the owner of a night club.

NAME: Bob Steel

AGE: 42
ADRESS:12 river Street, Bristol
DESCRIPTION: short, average weight, red hair, small red beard, green
eyes.

LIFE: Nothing is known about his childhood. He has no job. He sells

information to the police about robberies and people who steal.

NAME: Tommy Logan

he was about sixteen with dark hair and a thin face, wearing a a leather
jacket and he had a motorbike. He seemed nervous and his eyes were
moving all the time.

NAME: Mr. Robert Stevens

Mr. Stevens is Johns uncle. He lives with John. He is a teacher and an

authoritarian man. He is always angry and he hits his pupils.

SUMMARY
The story is about an event that Peter Johnes, a lorry driver, experiences. Peter Jones goes
to Universal Transport Ltd. ,where he works, in order to get the address to which he will
transport the load. This time his job is to transport a load of biscuits to Brigwater Manchester.
After taking the address and the load, he sets off.
England is cold and rainy ,since there is nobody outside, Brigwater is very silent when Peter
reaches to Bristol from Brigwater , the rain gets heavy. While he is driving very difficultly, he
comes across a child who is hitch-hiking. It is difficult to see in the rain but the boy is about
sixteen and he is wearing a red jersey and jeans. He seems frightened and nervous. Peter gets
him in the lorry and they go on their journey together. After a few minutes, they start to chat.
The kids name is John. Since his parents are dead, he lives with his uncle . But he has some
problems with his uncle. Therefore, he has fought with his uncle and run away from home.
Now, he doesnt know where to go. Peter stops at the cafe to drink tea and have a rest. While
the kid is taking the tea, Peter gets a newspaper and startS to read. While reading a
newspaper, he sees an interesting title; MAN FOUND DEAD The body of Mr. Robert
Stevens, 44, was found in his home at 24 Devanshine Road, Bristol last night. There must
have been a fight because a lot of the furniture was broken. Nothing has been stolen
Now the most important sentence comes. police are looking for Mr. Stevens nephew, John
Stevens, aged 16, who lived with him. Peter gets very surprised but he doesnt say anything
to the child. After drinking their tea they go on their journey. It has stopped raining and the
sun is shining. Peter sends John into the back of the lorry in order for him to sleep. He thinks
if John is a murderer or not . At this time he sees a police car

in his way and he stops. The police tell him briefly about Brigwater murder and say
that they are looking for the child, called John Stevens. Peter believes that
everything has finished. They will find the child and arrest him, too, because of
hiding a murderer. While Peter is thinking about them nervously. The policeman
says that he has finished the search so Peter can go his way. Peter isvery suprised
gets on the lorry and after driving for some time he stops it. And looks for John at
the back of the lorry. John is sleeping under an old coat. It is very difficult to see
him. Peter thinks that it is a chance for John and he wakes John up. When he
wakes up, he is unaware of everything. Peter tells the boy everything and wants
him to tell only the truth. He says that he has fought with his uncle and he has
beaten him. But he swears that he hasnt killed him. Peter believes John and
thinks that they should find the murderer who has killed his uncle in order to solve
this problem. They dont talk until they arrive IN Manchester. John says that he
has to go but Peter doesnt give permission to him. Peter promises him to find
the real murderer and save him. This time, it is turn for John to get suprised. Peter
tells him that when he was young, he used to steal cars for fun with his friends and
after driving for some time they left the car. Peter stopped this job when he grew
up. But his friends went on doing this and becAme criminals so Peter decides to
get help from them. When they arrive AT the place where they will deliver the
load, John wants to wonder while Peter visits his friends to get information. After
delivering the load, Peter visits his old friend, Jeff who has just got out of prison
and has his own night club. Jeff gives Peter the name of a man called Bob Shell.

Bob has more information about every event in Brigwater than the police. Peter
gets Bobs adress and says goodbye. Now, it is time for them to turn back to
Bringham. On the way, Peter tells John about Bob Shell. He says that only Bob
can help them. All the way, they only talk about Bob. When they reach Bringham.
They go to Bobs house. He lives in an old house near a river. When you look at
the house, it seems nobody lives there. Peter asks for information but Bob wants
money on exchange for the information but neither Peter nor John has enough
money to give so Bob gives them some information. John gets angry and says
that Bob doesnt know anything. Bob tells them to find the money and come to
the train station. Peter and John leave. While Peter tries to find the money, John
waits for the time they will meet. When they are gone, Bob calls the police and
reports he will meet John. When the meeting time comes neither Bob nor Peter
arrives. John starts to get nervous. Then he sees two men coming towards
him and he sees they are policemen. John is arrested and taken to the police
station , when Peter comes to the station, he sees John in the police car and
cant understand what is happening. Only he and Bob know where John has
been. He goes to Bobs but he isnt there. He decides to wait in a cafe near his
house. It starts to get dark but Bob hasnt arrived yet. Suddenly he sees that a
man who looks like Bob is talking to a boy. When he looks carefully he
understands that it is Bob and he starts to chase them. They enter a dark street
and start to talk very excitedly and agrily.

Peter has difficulty to understand what they talk then he hears the words station, police
and John so he understands everything. When Bob and the boy notice Peter, they start to
run away. Peter chases them and catches Bob. Then they go to Bobs house. Peter asks him
why he has reported John and who the real murderer is. Bob doesnt talk, he only tells
Peter to go to the school in order to get information. Peter ties him to a chair and goes to
John's school. Johns uncle is a teacher there . When Peter arrives there is nobody . Only the
cleaner is there. He asks the cleaner questions about John and his uncle.The cleaner gives
him the name of the cafe where the students usually go. Peter goes there with the hope that
he can find something. He speaks to Johns friends. They tell him that there is a boy called
Tommy at school and he has some problems with Johns uncle. Peter realizes that Tommy is
the boy who Bob has talked about. Tommy goes away on his with motorbike he is going to
Bobs. Peter also goes Bobs . When Peter arrives there, he finds them talking. Then they see
Peter they start to run away. Their stop when the police arrest them. They go to police station
all together. First Bob tells that the murder of Mr. Steven is not John but Tommy Logan.
After that, Tommy starts to explain everything. The reason for him to go to Mr. Stevens
house was to say that the punishment Stevens has given him is unfair. He found him lying on
the floor. As Mr. Stevens was angry, they started to quarrel immediately.

Tommy cant help beating Mr. Stevens with the chair and he dies. Now everything
has been discovered. The real murder is Tommy Logan .
John is free now. They get on the lorry and set off to go Peters house. On the
way they see a boy who is hitch-hiking. Peter stops the lorry and asks the child
where he goes. He says that he has ran away from his house and doesnt know
where to go. Peter and John look at the each other and start to laugh.

GLOSSARY IN THE BOOK

1. Pass a driving test (page 4) :to succeed in a test which allows you to drive a car or a

lorry on the road .In England a person cannot drive a lorry until he /she is twenty-one
2. goods (page 4) : things that are being carried from one place to another place.
3. load (page 8): the goods which the lorry is carrying
4. load (page 8) : to put the goods onto a lorry , car or train before it leaves
5. weather forecast (page 9) : this tells you what the weather will be if it is going to
rain or if the sun is going to shine
6. make a living (page 21): the way someone makes money
7. make yourself at home (page 30): to feel comfortable and happy in a new place
8. interval (page 31) :during along film at the cinema there is an interval. the film stops
and the lights in cinema are switched on the people in the cinema have about ten minutes
to talk off again and film continues.
9. mind your own business (page 35):to keep away from someones private matters
10. change your mind (page 37): to think you will do something and later decide not to
do it ,
11. under arrest (page 43): if a policeman asks you to go with him , you can refuse.But if
the policeman puts you under arrest , you must go with him
12. jump for your life (page 62): to jump or move in very quick and suprised way

VOCABULARY

CHAPTER 1

Cheerfully (adv) : happy and snowing this by your behaviour (neseyle)

Instructions (noun) : information or advice that tells you how to do or use something

(talimat)

Forecast (v) : to tell about something before it happens (tahmin etmek)

Hitch-hiking (v) : to travel by asking for free rides in other peoples car (otostop ekmek)
Inquire (v) : formal to ask someone for information (aratrmak)

CHAPTER 2

Interrupt (v) : to stop someone while they are speaking or doing something by suddenly

saying or doing sth yourself (szn kesmek)

Nod (v) : to move your head up down , especially to say yes or to show that you understand
something (ban sallamak)
Encourage (v) : to make someone feel confident and hopeful (cesaret vermek )
Hesitate (v) :to pause for a moment before doing or saying something (tereddt etmek)

CHAPTER 5

Squeeze (v) : to press something firmly (skmak)

CHAPTER 6

Grin (v) : to smile with a very wide smile (tebessm etmek)

Meanwhile (adv) : during this time (bu arada)
Interual (adv) : ara
Bump (v) :to knock something (arpmak)
Whisper (v) : to speak very softly (fsldamak)
Sheet (noun) : a board piece of cloth for a bed (arsaf)
Wrist (noun) :the part of your arm at the joint between hand forearm (bilek)
Liar (noun): a person who tells lies (yalanc)

CHAPTER 10

Rough (adj) :not smooth (kaba) roughly : (adv) using to much violence (kabaca)
Bang (v) : to make a loud noise , especially by hitting something aganist something hard
( arpmak)

CHAPTER 11

Pretend (v) : to behave as if something is true when you know it is not (rol yapmak)
Twist (v) :to bend or turn something into a particular shape , often it does not go in naturally ,

to be bent in this way (burkmak)

CHAPTER 12

Bit (noun) : slightly , a little /small piece , amount or part of sth (kirinti)
Ignore (v) : to pay no attention to sb/sth (grmemezlikten gelmek)
Tie (v) :to fasten sb/sth or fix sb/ sth in possition with rabe , string , etc:to make a knoct in sth
Rope (noun) :very thick , strong string that is used for bying or lifting heavy things , climbing up

(halat)

Lean (v) : to move the top part of your body and head forwards , backwards or to the side

CHAPTER 13

Temper (noun) : the way you are feeling at a particular time (keyif)
Pupil (noun) : a child in school (grenci)
Carebaker (noun) : a person whose job is to look after a large building (hademe)

CHAPTER 14

Shake (v) : to move from side to side or up and town with short , quick movements (alkalamak)
Roar (v) : to make a loud , deep sound (kkremek)
Gap (noun) : an empty space in sth or between two things (aralk)
Delay (v) : to make sb /sth slow or late (aksatmak)

Immediately(adv) :once; without delay (hemen)

CHAPTER 15

Immediately(adv) :once; without delay (hemen)

Sergeant (noun): an officer with a middle position in the police force (komiser muavini)
Waste (v) : to use on spend sth in a careless way or for that is not necessaary (arur

etmek)