De n i s e B o a r d

A SUMMER MURDER
Copyright D e n i s e B o a r d
The right of Denise Board to be identified as author of
this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
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rese$b!ance to rea! persons, !i"ing or dead, is pure!y coincidenta!
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Chapter One
Saturday 5th July
Do you be!ie"e in C!air"oyants6
0ince & was a!ways on ti$e and near!y e"eryone e!se
in the wor!d, as far as & was concerned, ne"er was, &
wasn7t at a!! surprised when & arri"ed at $y destination
8C!ifton .anor7 an hour ear!ier than &7d p!anned
.y reason for being there was that & had booked a
sta!! for the second year running at their annua! su$$er
fete, each year the owners 'ord and 'ady Cast!eton
kind!y offered the use of their grounds in aid of charity9
the f!ower beds were we!! tended and !ast year had been a
riot of co!our The house itse!f was !o"e!y, not s1uare !ike
so$e, but ra$b!ing with !oads of character9 & particu!ar!y
!iked the gab!es
2ith a s$a!! topiary9 and a wa!!ed garden9 it $ade
an i$pressi"e sight
&t was situated about a $i!e fro$ the "i!!age of
C!ifton, and was surrounded tota!!y by wood!and as far as
the eye cou!d see, and in e"ery direction
A s$art !ooking e!der!y gent!e$an with snowy white
hair9 and a twink!e in his bright b!ue eyes, greeted $e
with a cheery s$i!e, as & dro"e s!ow!y through the
e!aborate wrought iron gates
:;e!!o young !ady, nice day for it,< he said as &
braked and wound down $y window, & agreed it was as
there wasn7t a c!oud in the sky
& !eaned forward eager!y trying to get a g!i$pse of
the proceedings and cou!d see that preparations were
a!ready we!! under way
:Do & park in there6< & asked pointing towards a
roped off area on $y !eft that bore a sign saying car park
;e shook his head, :#ot if you7re se!!ing,< he rep!ied
peering into the back of $y car
:Cards,< & to!d hi$, :;and$ade,< & added when he
didn7t !ook i$pressed
:Pretty and ta!ented,< he rep!ied, winking at $e
:2here do & go then6< & asked b!ushing a !itt!e at his
co$p!i$ent
;e pointed in the direction of a !arge c!u$p of trees,
:&f you keep to the !eft and fo!!ow the dirt track9 we!!9 see
that four by four up there6 Anywhere near that, you can
un!oad first, sa"e you carrying hea"y bo=es, &7d offer to
he!p but & ha"e to stay here<
:2e!! that7s "ery kind, thank you anyway, but &7$
sure &7!! $anage But wou!d you $ind if & !eft $y car
here whi!e & take a !ook around, &7$ ear!y you see6<
:>f course not $y dear, &7!! keep an eye on it, nice
cars these .ercedes,< he rep!ied chatti!y
Thanking hi$ again & $o"ed off, otherwise & wou!d
ha"e sti!! been chatting to hi$ at twe!"e thirty when the
gates opened
>nce parked & headed in the direction of the
$ar1uee, keeping to the !eft which took $e a!ong the
edge of the sweeping dri"eway up to the house & ad$ired
the array of different co!oured rose bushes as & went
a!ong9 stopping $o$entari!y to s$e!! a !arge red one, the
bou1uet was di"ine
A robust !ooking !ady wearing a thick woo!!en
tweed skirt despite the heat, with a crisp white b!ouse
was setting up the raff!e pri%es, there appeared to be
hundreds of the$, fro$ bott!es of wine to packets of
biscuits &n the $idd!e of the !awn four $en were busy
roping off the two separate show areas #ot !ooking at
where & was going & a!$ost co!!ided with a young $an
staggering a!ong weighed down by the two hea"y buckets
of water he was carrying9 s!opping their contents a!! the
way, before tipping what re$ained into a padd!ing poo!
for the 8;ook a duck7 sta!!
:2e7!! a!! want to get in that !ater,< & ?oked as & cou!d
fee! the heat of the sun catching $y back and shou!ders
a!ready ;e s$i!ed weak!y but didn7t co$$ent
At the opening to the $ar1uee & si$p!e stood and
watched for a $o$ent, it was a hi"e of acti"ity eight or
so peop!e busy with preparations, there were de!icious
!ooking ho$e$ade cakes, scones, buns, e"erything you
can i$agine A nice !ooking young wo$an !ooked up
en1uiring!y, & e=p!ained & was ?ust browsing, and so she
continued to fi!! the coo!er cabinet with tasty !ooking
ro!!s that were bursting with de!icious !ooking fi!!ings9
$y tu$$y ru$b!ed hungri!y, $aking $e regret bringing
$y own !unch
.o"ing on, & passed the wa!!ed garden & poked $y
nose in through the arched gateway and saw they were
setting up a few rides, the usua! $erry@go@round and a
coup!e of other s$a!!er ones & didn7t go inside, instead &
carried on and circ!ing back around where & noticed a
s$a!! wigwa$ sty!e tent, which boasted a sign reading
TAAA '33 C!air"oyant As & approached a young
wo$an appeared in its opening, dressed to suit the
occasion she was wearing a gipsy sty!e dress and sporting
a decorati"e head scarf with a go!d bandana
0he s$i!ed and asked if &7d !ike a Tarot card reading
for ?ust fi"e pounds
& !ifted a brow, & had to ad$it & was sceptica!, and so
s$i!ing po!ite!y & to!d her & didn7t, :>h go on,< she said
spotting $y re!uctance :&7!! do you three card readings
?ust to get the fee! before we open, for free of course,<
she added, when & sti!! !ooked doubtfu!
& g!anced brief!y at $y watch9 e!e"en twenty, & sti!!
had p!enty of ti$e so what the heck
>nce inside her tent she instructed $e to shuff!e the
pack of cards as & handed the$ back to her 0he asked $e
to pick three, which & did and s!ow!y she !aid the$ down
on her green bias card tab!e According to her the first
card was 8The king of 0words7 the essence of air such as
b!ue sky, she e=p!ained A $ature !eader of unwa"ering
ethics and indisputab!e authority, one who inspires not
!o"e or de"otion but abso!ute trust and !oya!ty 2e!!, that
did sound !ike $e, & a$ a "ery !oya! person and so & was
keeping an open $ind The second card was 8Ace of
cups7 this one apparent!y $ay represent an une=pected
$essage a chance $eeting or start of a friendship or
ro$ance That7s what they a!! say, & thought, taking it a!!
with a pinch of sa!t
The third card 80e"en of swords7 for so$e reason
$ade her frown as she to!d $e it $eant being trapped in
a hope!ess situation and unab!e to withdraw, a feat of
daring that is too $uch to hand!e, being caught in the
$idd!e of a desperate act of cunning or outright
deception
:That7s it,< she to!d $e bright!y ushering $e out of
her tent, she see$ed in a hurry to get rid of $e, which
$ade $e wonder if she7d seen so$ething $ore, but then
it was a!! $oney $aking rubbish wasn7t it6
& thanked her and $ade $y way back towards the car
park with the nigg!ing fee!ing that $aybe & shou!d ha"e
asked her so$e 1uestions !ike what kind of deception6
Te!!ing $yse!f to forget it, & stopped to ha"e a 1uick
!ook through the books on the bric@a@brac sta!!9 four for a
pound was good "a!ue After se!ecting a coup!e by $y
fa"ourite author, and two by so$eone ca!!ed Bessie ;o!$,
who$ &7d ne"er heard of, but !ooked good, & handed o"er
$y $oney and went in search of $y designated spot,
happy with $y purchases
& found $ine a !itt!e out of the way and part!y shaded
by a !arge oak tree, which was handy because & hadn7t
bought $y sun crea$ To the right of $e was a coconut
shy and to the !eft was the dirt track that !ed up to where &
was to park
& was wa!king back to co!!ect $y car when & was
approached by a young gir! dressed as a peasant9 carrying
a tray of drinks, she kind!y offered $e a free orange
?uice & accepted it gratefu!!y and asked her if & cou!d a!so
take one for the gent!e$an on the gate as & suspected that
he was probab!y getting hot and thirsty
As & drew c!oser to hi$ & saw he was busy opening
one of the gates to !et in a young wo$an & cou!dn7t he!p
but notice she was wearing a ?acket in this heat, she
didn7t !ook at $e she ?ust hurried a!ong the dri"eway her
head he!d down
:0o$e ?uice for you,< & said bright!y reaching hi$
and passing hi$ the p!astic cup
:Thank you "ery $uch $y dear, "ery thoughtfu!,< he
said winking at $e again, or $aybe he had dust in his
eyeC
Before he had chance to c!ose the gate we were both
distracted and watched a!$ost $es$erised as an
e=traordinari!y dressed wo$an ca$e hurt!ing towards us
pedd!ing !ike $ad on an battered o!d bike 0he swer"ed9
narrow!y $issing the gate$an, with ob"ious!y no
intention of stopping & stepped back in surprise
As she continued up the dri"eway the gate$an
gasped, a shocked e=pression on his face
:2e!!, what do you think of that6<
& cou!dn7t he!p but !augh, :0he was certain!y in a
hurry,< & re$arked contro!!ing $y !aughter, when &
rea!ised he hadn7t thought it "ery funny
:Did you see those bu!ging pannier bags6< & asked
thinking to $yse!f how pecu!iar she had !ooked
;e nodded sti!! !ooking a !itt!e stunned, before
turning his ga%e on $e
:Did you see what she was wearing6 0o$e kind of
caftan thingy, that !ooked far too big for her, !ucky she
didn7t get it caught in the peda!s<
& was sti!! finding it difficu!t to contro! $y !aughter,
she had !ooked funny, and the outraged e=pression on his
face was a picture
:0he was supposed to stop,< he added b!unt!y
turning as the sound of another car approached
;e was sti!! $uttering to hi$se!f as & took the
opportunity to $ake $y escape
By twe!"e ten, & had arranged $y disp!ay and parked
up, & had p!enty of ti$e to spend a penny9 the ?uice
see$ed to ha"e gone straight through $e & set off across
the grass and nipped under the roped off area direct!y in
front of $y sta!!, and across the arena fo!!owing the signs
that indicated the toi!ets were down a we!!@trodden dirt
track to the right of the $anor house ;owe"er, $ore
te$pting!y, was the other path, the one that !ed around
the side of the house Certain that & $ust be ab!e to find a
way to cut back to the toi!ets & !et $y curiosity get the
better of $e, taking a brief !ook o"er $y shou!der to
$ake sure & wasn7t being obser"ed & 1uick!y hurried
across the gra"e! dri"e and onto the concrete path
& had a!ways been intrigued by these big o!d houses
and wou!d ha"e !o"ed a chance to be in"ited to !ook
around inside Despite knowing & was definite!y not
a!!owed, & gui!ti!y continued down it a !itt!e further, and
was ?ust deciding whether or not & shou!d turn back when
& saw an in"iting!y ha!f open door & cou!dn7t resist ?ust
ha"ing a sneaky !ook inside, there was no sign of anyone
as & c!i$bed the two steps and cautious!y poked $y head
around the door 2ow, & thought as $y eyes scanned the
$assi"e kitchen, that had pots and pans hanging fro$ the
cei!ing abo"e an enor$ous scrubbed wooden tab!e9 it
$ust ha"e been si= foot !ong and three foot wide at !east,
and !aden with an array of fresh fruit and "egetab!es &
sniffed appreciati"e!y at the de!icious aro$a of cooking,
co$ing fro$ an enor$ous range, rea!ising that ti$e was
getting on & was taking a !ast !ook around when & heard
the sounds of footsteps approaching fro$ the far right
hand corner of the roo$ where another door stood
s!ight!y a?ar & hasti!y began to back out of the doorway,
but not before & heard a $an7s "oice sayC
:Te!! $e where it is6 >r this knife won7t be used to
chop up "eg<
A fe$a!e "oice whi$pered so$ething in rep!y, but &
cou!dn7t catch the words, because & was a!ready outside
.y natura! instincts to!d $e to get out of there9 it
wou!d be so e$barrassing to be caught snooping &
$anaged to hasti!y c!a$ber through so$e rhododendron
bushes and e"entua!!y cut back around unti! & found the
right path
0afe!y inside one of the Porta !oos, & secure!y !ocked
the door and got $y breath back 2hat shou!d & do6
0hou!d & take the threat serious!y6 Ainsing $y hands in
the tiny sink, & decided that $aybe & shou!d take another
!ook on the way back9 ?ust in case6 At !east that was what
&7d intended unti! &7d !ooked at $y watch and rea!ised
ti$e was getting on, & had to get back to $y sta!!
Taking the correct path this ti$e & was ?ust about to
step out onto the !awn when a guy wearing a b!ack
tracksuit and trainers ca$e pe!ting a!ong and a!$ost
knocked $e o"er, without so $uch as an apo!ogy he ?ust
carried on running, !ike & was in"isib!e & stood a !itt!e
shaken and watched as he disappeared into the woods on
the far side of the wa!!ed garden 0o far this had been an
e"entfu! day & thought as & reached the safety of $y tab!e,
and it had bare!y begun
Budging by the a$ount of cars that were arri"ing it
was going to be a "ery busy day ;owe"er, and
unfortunate!y for $e, & soon disco"ered that & didn7t ha"e
the best spot tucked away here under this oak tree, which
was why & was gratefu! when so$e ha!f@hour !ater an ice
crea$ "an parked up on the dirt track ne=t to $e, which
attracted peop!e to buy and browse whi!st waiting in its
1ueue
2hen a crack!y "oice announced o"er the tannoy the
start of the 5y$nastics disp!ay, the 1ueue began to
dwind!e away &t was during one of those 1uiet $o$ents
that & noticed the b!ack Porsche appear fro$ behind the
$anor house and dri"e sedate!y down the winding dri"e
and out through the now open gates #ice car & thought to
$yse!f, as & poured $yse!f so$e coffee fro$ $y trusty
f!ask and unwrapped $y sandwiches
& had ?ust taken a sip when an a$bu!ance and po!ice
car arri"ed At first & thought that they were going to ?oin
the fire engine, which had been here since opening ti$e,
$uch to the kids7 a$use$ent9 as they had been a!!owed
to try the horn and test the siren at regu!ar inter"a!s
.unching on $y ha$ sandwich & watched with
interest as they fo!!owed the sweeping dri"e around and
pu!!ed up outside the $anor house Two unifor$ed
po!ice officers got out, fo!!owed by two para$edics fro$
the a$bu!ance9 they a!! disappeared inside
(ro$ $y position & had a pretty good "iew e"en if &
was so$e way off, & opened $y packet of crisps and
waited to see what wou!d happen ne=t & did ha"e a
nigg!ing fee!ing that a!! was not we!!, and wondered if it
had anything to do with what &7d heard, but co$$on
sense to!d $e that was ?ust $y o"er acti"e i$agination
The $usic sudden!y stopped and the sa$e crack!y
"oice announced the end of the gy$nastics and the start
of the dog show .ore peop!e began to gather around the
roped off area, direct!y in front of $e, thereby obscuring
$y "ision & cou!dn7t see the contestants or their owners
for the $ass of peop!e but & cou!d hear the$ being
introduced
About ha!fway through the contest another car
arri"ed9 a s$art $eta!!ic b!ue9 top of the range .ercedes,
a newer and $uch $ore e=pensi"e $ode! than $ine
&t appeared to be parking ne=t to the a$bu!ance &
?ust caught sight of the brake !ights, through a gap in the
crowd
:;a"e you a 5o!den wedding card dear6<
Di"erting $y attention back to $y custo$er & s$i!ed
at the e!der!y !ady, finding $yse!f staring at her hat &t
was wide bri$$ed and a de!icate shade of pink, a!$ost
e=act!y the sa$e as the one that strange wo$an on the
bike had been wearing A"erting $y ga%e & s$i!ed and
sifted through the anni"ersary cards before producing a
few for her to !ook at, e"entua!!y with her chosen one
bagged and the $oney taken, a !oud cheer went up to
announce the winner of the dog show
0!ow!y the crowds dispersed and & saw a b!ack
shaggy $utt with !arge f!oppy ears proud!y disp!aying a
red rosette9 so cute
&t was then that & !ooked up and across towards the
$anor house and saw the para$edics bring out a body on
a stretcher and stow it safe!y into the back of the
a$bu!ance
The person was ob"ious!y dead, after a!!, they don7t
use a body bag for sick peop!e & nibb!ed $y !ip
thoughtfu!!y, shou!d & report what &7d heard6 &t $ight be
usefu!, oh goodness, now the two officers were cordoning
off the front of the house with tape 0ure!y9 & sur$ised it
was indeed a cri$e scene, &7d watched .idsu$$er
$urders and such !ike9 & !iked to think & was an e=pert in
such $attersC
>b"ious!y we were not going to be inter"iewed &
thought to $yse!f when at a 1uarter past four, peop!e
began to drift away and no one see$ed to be stopping
the$ & decided to start packing up, it hadn7t been too bad
a day &7d so!d twenty or so cards, and taken a few orders9
inc!uding one for one hundred wedding in"itations, that
wou!d keep $e busy for a whi!e
&7d ?ust stowed a coup!e of bo=es into $y car, when
a $an approached $e wearing a na"y b!ue suit & guessed
he was about forty years of age, he was c!ean sha"en and
his b!onde hair was neat!y cut .y instincts to!d $e he
was a po!ice$an, e"en before he introduced hi$se!f as
Detecti"e &nspector Cro$we!!
0$i!ing p!easant!y at $e, he asked if &7d seen anyone
entering the .anor house at around $idday6 & to!d hi$ &
hadn7t seen anyone but fe!t ob!iged to e=p!ain about what
&7d heard9 his face took on an e=pression of interest as he
got out his notebook and began to take notes
:#a$e6<
:.rs A$e!ia .assey,< & answered gi"ing hi$ $y
address and te!ephone nu$ber as we!!
;is c!ear b!ue eyes see$ed to bore into $ine as he
asked $e why & hadn7t thought to report the incident
ear!ier
(ee!ing s!ight!y unco$fortab!e under his scrutiny,
and $ore than a !itt!e gui!ty about not saying so$ething,
$ade $e answer a !itt!e $ore abrupt!y than necessary
:&7"e actua!!y had a sta!! to run,< & to!d hi$ tart!y,
adding for good $easure that in fact &7d thought no $ore
about it, which wasn7t strict!y true
:Did you not see the po!ice arri"e6< he asked in
surprise
:0ure!y you $ust ha"e rea!ised then that so$ething
was a$iss6< he suggested when & hadn7t rep!ied
& was forced to nod in agree$ent, but to!d hi$ that
a!though & had seen the$ arri"e, & hadn7t rea!ised it had
anything to do with what &7d heard 2hich again wasn7t
1uite the truth
:2hat has actua!!y happened6< & asked trying to
co"er $y e$barrass$ent
:2e7re in"estigating a $urder, and we wi!!
definite!y want to speak to you further,< he added,
continuing to !ook $e up and down
:That7s fine,< & to!d hi$ s1uir$ing under his ga%e
:Thank you for your ti$e, we7!! be in touch,< he
added, his e=pression now shuttered
2ith a brief nod of his head, he strode on to the ne=t
sta!!
& $ust say, & found it hard to be!ie"e that so$eone
had actua!!y been $urdered, and what &7d o"erheard
$ight be connected &t $ight e"en ha"e been the ki!!er7s
"oice, & thought with a shudder, trying desperate!y to
re$e$ber what it had sounded !ike, upset9 threatening,
yes definite!y threatening
& carried on packing up, ha!f wishing &7d had the
ti$e to in"estigate further, and ha!f g!ad that & hadn7t as &
cou!d ha"e been $urdered as we!! & fina!!y stowed the
!ast bo= into $y boot and !ocked $y car
& had a thirty@fi"e $inute ?ourney ho$e, and didn7t
want to stop so$ewhere on the way, so & headed off in
the direction of the toi!ets again & suppose & cou!d ha"e
waited but & had to ad$it & was curious That7s what got
you into troub!e before, a !itt!e "oice in $y head
re$inded $e, as & approached the taped off area
& s$i!ed at the officer that stood on guard duty,
nibb!ing $y !ower !ip an=ious!y, pausing on!y brief!y &
noticed that they had a!so sea!ed off the pathway & had
taken ;asti!y turning away Tara 'ee7s words ca$e back
to $e, & shuddered again and tried to con"ince $yse!f it
was a!! a !oad of nonsense
Two $en were wa!king towards $e & recognised
one as &nspector Cro$we!!, the other & noticed as they
a!$ost reached $e, was de"astating!y handso$e, with
dark wa"y hair, a s1uare chin, and such broad shou!ders
encased in an e=pensi"e !ooking b!ack charcoa! suit &
cou!d bare!y take $y eyes off hi$9 & sidestepped to a"oid
a co!!ision on the narrow pathway, but not before
noticing the way he7d !ooked back at $e
(rowning & s!id the bo!t, why wou!d a stranger !ook
at $e with such distaste6
.y sto$ach f!uttered, he !ooked so powerfu! with an
air of $oney about hi$ he $ust sure!y be the owner of
the $anor, but that !ook
>utside &nspector Cro$we!! said, :That was .rs
.assey 0ir<
Detecti"e Chief &nspector 0inc!air raised a neat b!ack
brow interesting!y, :Aea!!y, Pau!9 we7!! wait<
Te$pted, but deter$ined not to !ook for hi$ on $y
return, & was purpose!y !ooking straight ahead when a
deep se=ua! "oice spoke $y na$e
& turned $y head as he approached $e, oh lord I was
going to be in trouble for trespassing, this was going to
be so embarrassing.
:3=cuse $e, .rs .assey, & wonder if & cou!d ha"e a
$o$ent of your ti$e6< he asked
Barring $y way
:DC& 0inc!air,< he introduced hi$se!f before
continuing :.y &nspector te!!s $e you $ay ha"e so$e
infor$ation that $ight he!p with our en1uiries6<
;is dark handso$e ga%e raked $y face for an
answer
0peak, & thought stupid!y, but for a $o$ent & cou!d
think of nothing to say and & was Thinking hes a
policeman, not the owner.
0econds ticked by as he watched $e with
professiona! interest sti!! waiting for an answer
0trugg!ing to put together a coherent sentence &
!ooked into his eyes9 they were $es$erising
#ot that he $inded waiting, he was ad$iring her
pa!e skin9 crea$y9 f!aw!ess as his ga%e tra"e!!ed s!ow!y
o"er her, studying her e!egant features and $ass of dark
hair that hung in !oose wa"es o"er her shou!ders
A fresh pink co!our rose in $y cheekbones9 ne"er
before had & fe!t soCscrutinised, as we stood staring at
each other
:Des,< was a!! & cou!d fina!!y $anage to utter6
;is $outh cur"ed s!ight!y as he waited for $e to
continue & watched in fascination, wondering what his
!ips wou!d fee! !ike pressed against $ine &7d gone $ad
ob"ious!y what was the $atter with $e6 & shuddered had
& !ost a!! $y senses co$p!ete!y & tore $y ga%e away
;is ner"es ?ang!ed as he waited for a response,
i$patient!y he fe!t annoyed with hi$se!f, true she was
"ery attracti"e, with an air of "u!nerabi!ity about her, but
he ne"er !et wo$en affect hi$
:&C& to!d &nspector Cro$we!! a!! & knew,< &
sta$$ered
:Des, yes & a!ready know what you to!d $y
inspector,< he interrupted i$patient!y, :but did you see
anything6<
0hocked by his abruptness & shook $y head
:& didn7t want to be seenC & $ean & shou!dn7t ha"e
been there,< & $u$b!ed fee!ing e$barrassed and s!ight!y
gui!ty a!! o"er again
:But you were there, .rs .assey, now think, did
you see or hear anything e!se6< ;is "oice was patient
now9 si!ki!y s$ooth as if he were ta!king to a chi!d
Think, i$possib!e & was ha"ing enough troub!e
breathing9 & $ade the $istake of !ooking back at hi$
again and was once $ore captured in his snare9 trapped in
a spider7s web with no chance of escape & needed to tear
$y eyes away fro$ his, e"en if they were beautifu! & had
to9 & $ust do because he was ho!ding $e under so$e
kind of $agic spe!!
&t took a!! $y strength to !ook away9 but i$$ediate!y
& fe!t free, pu!!ing $yse!f together & decided & hadn7t !iked
his tone especia!!y when, in $y defence, none of this had
anything to do with $e & stared deter$ined!y at the
ground
:2e!!6< he de$anded his hand reaching out to take
ho!d of her and shake $e
& stepped back to a"oid contact
:&7"e to!d you a!! & know, now if you7!! e=cuse $e,< &
rep!ied9 turning and wa!king away as sedate!y as
possib!e, when actua!!y a!! & wanted to do was pick up $y
skirts and run as fast as possib!e
& cou!dn7t be!ie"e he had spoken to $e !ike that9
arrogant pig, & forced $yse!f not to get upset, ?ust
because he was that good !ooking didn7t $ean he cou!d
speak to $e in that tone, as if & were a chi!d or worseC
stupid
& reached $y car fee!ing drained 2hate"er was the
$atter with $e6 & was acting !ike a teenager a!! tongue@
tied and b!ushing, At thirty@two years o!d & rea!!y shou!d
be ab!e to contro! $y fee!ings better than that, & fe!t
asha$ed of $yse!f
3"er since $y husband had died two and a ha!f years
ago, $y gir!friend Dianne had tried $atch$aking $e
with "arious different work co!!eagues in"iting us for
cosy 0aturday e"ening dinners & cou!d a!$ost hear her
"oice on the phone now
:This one is on!y thirty, a"ai!ab!e and reasonab!y
good !ooking too9 you $ust co$e se"en thirty sharp,
we7!! ha"e you sorted in no ti$e<
0he wou!dn7t ha"e be!ie"ed the way & had ?ust
reacted9 especia!!y when & $anaged to gi"e a!! her friends
the co!d shou!der (ortunate!y for $e she had run out of
a"ai!ab!e $en9 besides & had to!d her enough was enough,
& wasn7t interested
Bust because & worked fro$ ho$e, she see$ed to
think & needed to get out $ore
C!i$bing into $y car, & pu!!ed $yse!f together why
was & e"en sti!! thinking about hi$, it had a!! been one
sided & $ay ha"e !iked the !ook of hi$9 but he had been
nothing but abrupt9 rude in fact, & started the engine
fee!ing !ike an idiot
& had been so in !o"e with $y husband Back, & had
ne"er e"en !ooked at another $an, so what had happened
there then6 & needed to get a grip
Enfortunate!y e"en when & was safe!y inside $y own
ho$e & sti!! kept thinking about hi$9 such incredib!e
eyes9 o!i"e green fringed with !ong dark !ashes that
wou!d be the en"y of any wo$an, and so intense >f
course he wou!d be $arried, he $ust be in his !ate thirties
and $en !ike that weren7t a"ai!ab!e Besides it was
ob"ious he wasn7t interested in $e 5od what was &
thinking & was sti!! in $ourning9 Back wou!d want you to
be happy9 $eet so$eone e!se, a "oice to!d $e9 & knew
that, hadn7t $y friends to!d $e often enough, but & had
ne"er considered it beforeC
.y brain was working o"erti$e as & prepared $y
dinner and poured a g!ass of wine &7d been drinking too
$uch since Back had died but what the he!! it he!ped,
better than those nasty tab!ets &7d been prescribed that
had $ade $e fee! do%y $ost of the ti$e & !it one of $y
rare cigarettes9 another bad "ice, & thought, puffing
happi!y
.y cat Tosca appeared through the cat f!ap,
:Awoow< he said
:;e!!o big fe!!ow,< & rep!ied :2ant your dinner6< &
asked a!ready getting up to open a packet of cat food ;is
answer was to rub hi$se!f around $y !egs e=cited!y
That was the other thing & thought as & patted his
head and put the bow! on his $at, $y friends9 we!!
Dianne $ost!y, kept re$inding $e that & didn7t ha"e too
$any chi!d bearing years !eft & think they thought & got
Tosca to rep!ace a chi!d9 char$ing, &7d thought when
they7d $entioned it, but & suppose they7re right Back and
& had ne"er got around to it9 we7d had our careers, and
our fantastic ho!idays9 we7d !o"ed to tra"e! whene"er
possib!e, & sore!y $issed that9 $issed hi$
Brandon 0inc!air was back in his office at the
station ;e raked a hand through his dark wa"y hair and
s!u$ped back into his battered o!d b!ack !eather chair
2hat were they dea!ing with6 ;e had the fi!e in
front of hi$ and read the first page .o!!y Tra"is aged
nineteen9 worked as a kitchen $aid at C!ifton .anor, and
had done for the past eighteen $onths ;er father had
apparent!y !eft when she was ?ust a s$a!! chi!d9
whereabouts Enknown
Cause of death9 stabbed in the chest9 sing!e wound
The ti$e of death, between twe!"e and twe!"e thirty
Pouring hi$se!f a coffee fro$ the $achine in the
corner of his office, he sat back down and continued
reading
&t hadn7t been a fren%ied attack but co!d and
ca!cu!ated ;e hated these cases, such a waste he thought9
she7d been such a pretty !itt!e thing, with her who!e !ife
ahead of her
The $urder weapon9 a knife9 was sti!! $issing,
despite his $en doing a thorough search of the property
and were now working on the surrounding area, he knew
that cou!d take weeks to find, if e"er
Pau! Cro$we!! tapped at his door, Brandon
beckoned hi$ in and offered coffee :Top $ine up too
can you6< he asked handing hi$ his $ug
'ooking back down he began to read 'ord 2i!!ia$
Ba$es Casterton7s state$ent
:0o no security ca$eras then6< he said !ooking up
and taking the coffee Pau! was passing to hi$
:#o 0ir, apparent!y because they don7t nor$a!!y
open to the pub!ic they ha"e no need for the$<
;e sat down opposite and crossed his !egs
:And he says he and 'ady 3!eanor were at ho$e a!!
$orning, doing what6<
Pau! grinned, :That7s what & asked and was to!d
tart!y that fete7s didn7t organi%e the$se!"es, she put $e
in $y p!ace, bit of a tartar that one<
:2hat about 'ord Casterton6<
:2e!!, fro$ what & can gather, the pair of the$ were
pretty busy super"ising e"erything, they were e"en
supposed to draw the $ain raff!e at three o7c!ock and
$ake a s$a!! speech thanking e"eryone etc, but due to
the circu$stances they cance!!ed that They weren7t "ery
happy about a!! the disruption9 the kitchen was c!osed for
forensics, which $eant they had no !unch 'ord Casterton
took u$brage and said he was forced to go outside and
buy a coup!e of ro!!s fro$ the $ar1uee >h dear $e &
thought when he to!d $e9 po$pous shit, but persona!!y &
don7t think they were in"o!"ed<
Brandon !eaned back in his chair s$i!ing, he
respected his intuitions he was a good officer
:And what about the son Ba$es6<
:;e wasn7t there,< Pau! answered, uncrossing his
!egs and !eaning forward to take a sip of his coffee9 that
was too hot
:Apparent!y,< he continued, b!owing it to coo! it
down, :when he found out there was going to be no !unch
he took off, they think he dro"e to 'ondon to stay with
friends<
:0o he was there ear!ier when .o!!y was
$urdered6<
:& be!ie"e so<
:5et ho!d of hi$9 we wi!! need to speak to hi$,<
Pau! $ade a note as he swa!!owed a $outhfu! of his
coffee
:2hat about prints6<
:;undreds, it see$s the gardeners go in for their
breaks, then there is the de!i"ery $en, .rs brooks the
housekeeper9 natura!!y, we!! basica!!y e"eryone They are
sti!! working on it, but it7s not too hopefu!<
:Ta!king of .rs Brooks she found the body, right6<
:Des 0ir, she was pretty shaken up<
Brandon took a gu!p of his coffee, he knew he drank
too $uch of the stuff, but it was his on!y addiction
:>kay Pau!,< he said p!acing his $ug back on the
desk :(ind out when the son is co$ing back9 in fact,
insist he7s back by to$orrow !unchti$e wi!! you6 & want
to inter"iew e"eryone persona!!y< Pau! downed the !ast
of his coffee and got up to !ea"e
:'et $e know A0AP can you6 And c!ose the door
on your way out<
Brief!y going o"er the state$ents again Brandon
noted that it had been at one fifteen, when .rs Brooks
had disco"ered the body ;e read on9 she7d to!d Pau! that
she had been upstairs and hadn7t heard anything, adding
that she7d wished she hadn7t been
'eaning forward he picked up his pen and began to
tap, before turning the page and opening .rs .assey7s
fi!e
0arah (ie!d, one of his constab!es, had typed up the
few short !ines, fi"e in a!!, and that was it ;e !eaned
back in his chair, she $ust ha"e so$e $ore infor$ation,
her face swa$ in front of his eyes9 attracti"e definite!y,
first i$pressions he7d thought she see$ed a !itt!e "ague9
c!ue!ess e"en And then a!! of a sudden!y she7d changed,
turning on hi$ and certain!y putting hi$ in his p!ace,
which had been a first for hi$ ;e had to ad$it that he7d
found it a$using, a!though he shou!dn7t ha"e !et her
effect hi$, especia!!y as she was $arried9 ob"ious!y
After his di"orce he7d sworn he wou!d be i$$une to
the opposite se= in future Theresa his e=@wife had taught
hi$ how se!fish and conni"ing wo$en were9 wanting
on!y one thingC$oney, and on a po!ice$an7s sa!ary he
hadn7t been ab!e to pro"ide it
Pity she hadn7t waited around because what with his
pro$otions, and an inheritance fro$ his father when he7d
passed away a coup!e of years ago, he was now so $uch
better off9 $ore than co$fortab!e in fact But she hadn7t
been prepared to wait around #either had she wanted
chi!dren9 he7d hoped for a fa$i!y9 a !arge one9 three or
four, but no, she had ?ust kept taking that da$n pi!!9
insisting that when they had a four@bedroo$ed house,
and they cou!d afford to hire a nanny she wou!d consider
it 2e!! she probab!y had a!! that now, with her new
co$pany director At first he7d been outraged to disco"er
she7d been ha"ing an affair, and had been te$pted to
check hi$ out, $aybe dig so$e dirt, but when it ca$e
down to it, he7d disco"ered he rea!!y cou!dn7t be
bothered 5ood riddance he was we!co$e to her, and
wo$en who !ooked !ikeC he !ooked at the notes in front
of hi$9 A$e!iaC nice na$e it suited her, was probab!y
tarred with sa$e brush they a!! were9 he a!$ost fe!t sorry
for her husband
;e !ooked up to see Pau! Cro$we!! co$ing back
0ticking his head around the door he said, :Ba$es
wi!! be back to$orrow, 0ir<
:Thanks Pau!, co$e and sit down &7"e ?ust been
reading .rs .assey7s state$ent, brief as it $aybe,< he
to!d hi$ as he watched Pau! $ake hi$se!f co$fortab!e in
the seat opposite :2hat do you think he $eant by 8Te!!
$e where it is or this knife won7t be used to chop up
"eg67< he asked, reading and thinking out !oud ;e then
added, :Te!! $e where what is6<
:&7"e no idea, 0ir, but $y guess is that we7!! disco"er
that .iss Tra"is had a ?ea!ous boyfriend9 and, or, she was
ha"ing an affair and then we wi!! find her ki!!er<
:Any news on the knife6<
:#egati"e, 0ir<
Brandon stretched his ar$s abo"e his head tired!y
and yawned, he had been there since se"en that $orning,
and it had been a busy week9 he7d e"en hoped he $ight
ha"e $anaged a weekend off9 his socia! !ife was
none=istent !ate!y
:2hat did you $ake of .rs .assey7s state$ent6<
:0he see$ed pretty certain of the wording, but not
$uch e!se,< Brandon changed his position and putting the
pen down c!osed the fi!e
:Des, she did,< he answered thoughtfu!!y
:And & do think there is a connection with .o!!y7s
death and what she heard it7s ?ust a pity she didn7t
actua!!y see anything<
:0he $ight re$e$ber so$ething e!se, peop!e often
do,< Pau! rep!ied hopefu!!y
:Deah you7re probab!y right, &7$ ready for a pint,<
he said g!ancing at his watch, :and so$e food,< he
decided, seeing that it was se"en ten9 :how about you6<
:The 0wan, 0ir6< suggested Pau!, he !iked it there
and the food was e=ce!!ent
:0ounds good, but what about 0u%y6 Don7t you
ha"e to get ho$e6<
:0he7s at her parents, so &7"e got a who!e weekend
free<
5rabbing his ?acket off the coat hook, he noticed
Pau!7s !opsided grin
:0orry to put a da$pener on your weekend, Pau!,
but & wi!! need you here to$orrow, 0unday or not,<
Brandon to!d hi$ wiping the s$i!e fro$ his face