The Solace Farm Killings: A Snowdonia Murder Mystery (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Book 7)

by Simon McCleave

  ‘We’re so sorry for your loss, Miss McEwan. Okay if we sit down for a minute?’ Ruth asked in a soft voice.

  ‘Yeah, yeah. Help yourself. It’s Sam. None of this Miss McEwan nonsense,’ Sam said in a croaky voice as she slumped into a tatty armchair.

  ‘We’d like to ask you a couple of questions about Callum if that’s okay?’ Ruth asked.

  Sam nodded but looked tearful. ‘I told the blokes last night everything I know.’

  ‘It won’t take long. Promise. I know this is very difficult for you,’ Ruth said quietly.

  Nick had taken out his notebook and pen as he looked over. ‘Callum didn’t live with you, is that right Sam?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, no. He lived at that farm out near Ffestiniog.’

  ‘How long had he lived there for?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘’Bout a year and a half.’

  ‘And before that?’ Nick asked.

  ‘He lived with my brother Eryl. I was using a lot and Callum was getting himself into plenty of trouble.’

  ‘How did Callum end up living at Solace Farm?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Eryl moved up there. After he got clean, he started to get all religious. He got in with a few people up there and they asked him to move in. At first, I didn’t mind as long as it kept Callum out of trouble, you know ...?’ Sam explained and then stopped.

  There’s a ‘but’ coming, Ruth thought.

  ‘Go on,’ Ruth prompted gently.

  ‘Then stuff got bloody weird. Callum came back and showed me a tattoo he had of the name Thomas. He said that he had been christened again as part of The Family and had a new name from the Bible or something. I wasn’t happy about that. I mean, Callum was my Dad’s name. That’s why I gave it to him.’ Sam started to get tearful. ‘It was like they was brain-washing him or something.’

  Ruth nodded at her. ‘Anything else?’

  ‘Then there were the scars on his hands. Bloody weirdos. I wanted to get him out of there, you know,’ Sam said as she sniffed. ‘That fucking woman ...’

  Ruth and Nick exchanged a look – What woman?

  ‘Sorry, what woman are you talking about?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Rachel. Thinks she’s Jesus bloody Christ. Claims she’s a prophet. Callum was banging on about her. Rachel this, Rachel bloody that. Woman’s old enough to be his grandmother!’

  ‘You’ve met this Rachel?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘No. My brother told me all about her,’ Sam said. ‘She seems to have some kind of spell over all them up there.’

  ‘Is your brother still living on Solace Farm?’ Nick asked.

  ‘No. He’d had a few run ins with this Rachel so he left.’

  ‘But Callum stayed?’ Nick asked.

  ‘He didn’t want to leave. He said he liked it there.’

  ‘What about your brother? Where did he go?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘I dunno. I haven’t heard from him since he left.’

  Nick looked up from his notepad. ‘When was the last time you heard from Callum?’

  ‘Two days ago.’

  ‘The day of the accident?’ Ruth asked, trying to clarify.

  ‘Yeah ... I,’ Sam said, but began to cry as she recalled the last time they had spoken.

  ‘It’s all right. Take your time,’ Ruth said softly.

  ‘He rang me secretly. He said there had been a bit of trouble.’

  ‘Did he say what kind of trouble?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Not really. Callum was always up to something, even up on that farm. He said he was going to leave and asked if he could come and stay with me for a bit.’

  ‘What time was that?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘Must have been about four in the afternoon ’cos I was watching that ‘Tipping Point’ on the telly.’ Sam’s shoulders shuddered as she wept. ‘See, the thing is, I told him that it probably wasn’t a good idea ’cos he’d have to sleep on this horrible old sofa. He said he’d find somewhere else to stay.’

  ‘Did he say anything else?’ Ruth asked.

  Sam shook her head. ‘Just said he wanted to leave. That was it ... I think if I’d said yes, he would still be alive. He would be here now. I should have said yes. He was just my little boy.’

  Sian and French sat in a small interview room in Ffestiniog Police Station. Sergeant Peters, late 50s, was sitting opposite them drinking a cup of tea. He was already getting up Sian’s nose.

  ‘And you’ve had no reason to have any suspicions about what goes on at Solace Farm?’ Sian asked.

  ‘No, love. They keep themselves to themselves, and that’s fine by me. I don’t care what they believe. Live and let live, eh?’ Sergeant Peters said, slurping his tea noisily.

  Call me love again and I’ll kick you.

  He was irritating Sian. But then again, she was emotionally all over the place after what had happened with Ruth the previous night. She didn’t know how to process it, so she was avoiding giving it any meaningful thought.

  French slid over his phone that had a photo of Callum on it. ‘Have you ever seen this boy before?’

  ‘Is this the boy that was killed in that accident on the A5?’ Sergeant Peters asked while taking out his reading glasses.

  ‘Yes,’ French answered.

  ‘I’ve seen him somewhere before. Maybe it was up on the farm?’

  ‘Who is your contact at the farm?’ Sian asked.

  ‘Woman called Rachel. I forget her surname. Irish. You’d know her when you saw her. Silver hair, pretty,’ Sergeant Peters said. ‘Wonderful woman. She does so much good work with those people.’

  Sergeant Dickhead clearly has a bit of a thing for Rachel.

  ‘Can you tell us the last time you went up to Solace Farm?’ Nick asked.

  Sergeant Peters thought for a moment. ‘Erm ... must have been the last time we renewed their firearms licence,’ he said.

  Nick raised an eyebrow. ‘They’ve got firearms up there?’

  ‘It’s a farm. I guess they need them to get rid of the crows, rabbits, stuff like that.’

  ‘How many firearms have they got?’ Sian asked getting irritated at his slapdash, pompous manner.

  ‘Few shotguns. Probably about six. Couple of old .303 rifles.’ Sergeant Peters looked at them with a cheery shrug. ‘They’re all happy clappy up there. It’s not as if they’re going to go around shooting people, is it?’

  NICK AND RUTH TURNED off the main road and headed down the track to Solace Farm. Ruth gazed out at the fields that stretched away either side of the bumpy road. In the distance to her left, she could just make out the edges of a lake, Llyn Morwynion, close to where the landscape undulated and then rose to the lower mountains of Snowdonia. Welsh legend told how Blodeuedd led her maidens to drown themselves in the lake while escaping from the wizard Gwydion and the men of Gwynedd. The wizard Gwydion told Blodeuedd that he would impose on her a fate worse than death. He transformed her into an owl. From then on, the Welsh word Blodeuedd became Blodeuwedd, translated as flower face, and is the name given to an owl in Wales.

  As Ruth looked up, there was a large wooden sign featuring Jesus with his arms outstretched and the words Welcome To Solace Farm. As she looked over at the main farm buildings, she could see half a dozen or so children playing outside. Further to the left, around ten old cars parked in a line. A couple of men had the bonnet up on one of the cars and it looked as if they were working on it.

  Nick parked up in the main yard. Ruth watched two women hanging out washing in the distance. Their clothes were plain and old-fashioned. Getting out of the car, she felt a little uneasy. She didn’t know why that was. It seemed as if they had entered a slightly different world or time. The clothes that the children and women wore, the cars ... something felt ‘off’ about Solace Farm. It wasn’t just that it was anachronistic.

  Nick closed his door and glanced over at her. ‘It’s a bit like that film with Harrison Ford where he builds a barn.’

  ‘Witness?’ Ruth asked, fairly certain that’s what he meant.


  ‘Quakers, weren’t they?’ Nick said.

  ‘Amish,’ Ruth corrected him.

  Nick gestured to three men who were walking towards them. ‘No funny beards.’

  ‘You do know they’re not Amish here?’ Ruth said, rolling her eyes.

  ‘Yes, boss. I’m just messing about.’

  A moment later the middle-aged men approached with smiles and friendly gestures.

  ‘Afternoon. Can we help?’ one asked in a cheery voice.

  They were all dressed in sober, timeless clothes – plain shirts, black trousers, lace-up shoes.

  Ruth got out her warrant card. ‘DI Hunter and DS Evans from Llancastell CID. We were hoping to speak to someone about a person who used to live here.’

  ‘It’s best you talk to Rachel. She runs things around here,’ the man said cheerfully. ‘Come on, I’ll show you.’

  Rachel? ... That was the woman that Sam McEwan, Callum’s mum, had mentioned earlier.

  As they made their way from the yard to the main farmhouse, Ruth got the distinct impression that they were being watched from every direction. The children stopped playing, stared at them, and then disappeared inside. The men over by the car and the women hanging out the washing had stopped to watch them too.

  ‘We don’t get many outsiders,’ the man chortled as a way of an explanation.

  ‘You really are in the middle of nowhere here, aren’t you?’ Ruth said with a smile.

  ‘Aye. That’s the way we like it,’ he replied.

  Glancing up at the huge, dark, stone farmhouse, Ruth could see a few faces at the windows of the first floor peering down at them.

  Our visit really is creating a lot of attention.

  The men went inside and closed the door behind them. Ruth and Nick weren’t invited in.

  ‘Is it me, or is this a bit creepy?’ Nick said quietly.

  ‘Nope, it’s definitely creepy,’ Ruth whispered.

  The main door opened and a woman appeared. She had shoulder-length silver hair and piercing green eyes. With her high cheek bones and full red lips, Ruth was struck by how attractive she was – like a Hollywood actress from the 40s.

  ‘Hi there. I’m Rachel. I understand I might be able to help with something?’ she said confidently.

  ‘Hopefully. Just a few questions for an ongoing investigation,’ Nick said.

  Ruth watched as Rachel gave Nick a look that verged on flirtatious. ‘Always happy to help the police. We have nothing to hide here.’

  Strange thing to say? We didn’t suggest that she did.

  Rachel gestured for them to go and sit down at a long wooden picnic table and benches.

  ‘Is this okay? It can be a little noisy inside,’ Rachel said, gesturing to the farmhouse. Faces still seemed to be peering out at them.

  It’s a bit cold, but okay then.

  As they sat, Ruth took out her phone, tapped, and got a photo of Callum.

  ‘Do you know this boy?’ Ruth asked, showing her the photo.

  Rachel nodded. ‘Yes, that’s Thomas. Though you would know him as Callum.’

  She seems very calm and unflustered by the question.

  ‘Can you tell us the last time you saw Callum?’ Ruth asked.

  Rachel reached up to a distinctive cross necklace around her pale neck as she thought for a moment. ‘A few weeks ago at a guess.’

  Nick shot Ruth an innocuous look – that didn’t fit in with what his mother Sam had told them about the phone call.

  ‘But Callum did live with you on the farm?’ Nick asked, now writing in his notebook.

  ‘Yes. Sorry, it’s a little strange to hear him referred to as Callum. When members of the lost flock arrive here, I give them biblical names as part of their new life in The Family,’ Rachel explained.

  ‘And a tattoo?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘That was Thomas’ idea. I didn’t approve but that was Thomas for you,’ Rachel said with a smile.

  ‘So the last time you saw “Thomas” was a few weeks ago? Why wasn’t he living here anymore?’ Nick asked.

  ‘I don’t know. He packed his things and said he was leaving. We were all very disappointed, but we couldn’t stop him, could we?’ Rachel said.

  ‘And you’re certain that was the last time you saw him?’ Ruth clarified.

  ‘Yes. Why? Has something happened to him?’ Rachel asked, sounding concerned.

  ‘I’m afraid “Thomas” was involved in a fatal road accident two days ago. He died from his injuries at the University Hospital,’ Ruth said gently.

  ‘Oh no,’ Rachel said, putting her hand to her mouth and looking distraught. ‘That’s so terrible. Poor, poor Thomas.’

  She seems genuinely upset, Ruth thought.

  ‘Do you know where Thomas went when he left here?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘I assumed he had gone to his mother’s. She must be so upset. Poor woman.’

  ‘Yes, she is. We spoke to her a few hours ago. She received a phone call from Thomas at around four o’clock. That was about an hour and a half before the accident. She seemed to think he had phoned her from here?’ Ruth said.

  Rachel raised an eyebrow and then shook her head. ‘No, sorry. That’s impossible. We don’t allow phones and Thomas wasn’t here.’

  Something here doesn’t add up.

  Ruth turned and pointed across the fields. ‘Thomas was hit by a van on the A5 over there. How far away is that?’

  ‘Erm ... A few miles I think,’ Rachel said.

  ‘Does that seem to be a strange coincidence to you?’ Nick asked bluntly.

  ‘I don’t know ... Not really. It’s the main road out of Ffestiniog. Maybe he was staying with someone there?’ Rachel suggested. She still looked sad at the news they had given her.

  A woman in a wheelchair came out and manoeuvred a few yards down a wooden ramp to the ground.

  ‘Rachel, the children are waiting for their music practise,’ the woman said quietly.

  ‘I’ll only be a minute, Maria,’ Rachel said, and then turned to look directly at Ruth. Her stare was a little unnerving. ‘You might think we’re terribly old-fashioned here detective, but I helped build that ramp for Maria. How many farms in Snowdonia have wheelchair access? ... I’m so sorry to hear about Thomas but I do have to get on. Is there anything else I can help you with?’

  Ruth nodded. ‘We found some prescriptions on Thomas for painkillers and tranquilisers. The pharmacist seemed to think the medication was for people who lived here?’

  ‘A few members of our group have conditions that require that medication. The prescriptions are issued by the GP surgery in Ffestiniog if you want to check with them,’ Rachel said, now starting to sound annoyed.

  ‘Why did Thomas have the prescriptions?’ Nick asked.

  ‘One of his duties here was to go and pick them up. Sometimes I’d take him down there in my car. I’m sure they will confirm that at the pharmacy,’ Rachel said, but her manner had certainly cooled.

  Ruth looked over at Nick who nodded to confirm that he had asked everything they needed – for now at least.

  Fishing a contact card out of her pocket, Ruth handed it to Rachel. ‘If you do think of anything else, please give me a call.’

  ‘Of course. And we will be praying for young Thomas tonight,’ Rachel said, getting up from the bench. ‘It is such sad news. But we cannot save everyone who comes to us here.’

  Ruth couldn’t work out what it was, but the sentiment sounded hollow to her.

  ‘Yes. Thanks for your help,’ Ruth said as she and Nick turned and headed back to the car.

  After thirty seconds, when they were out of earshot, Ruth glanced over at Nick.

  ‘What did you think?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘My instinct is that she was hiding something,’ Nick said as they got to the car.

  ‘Snap. I couldn’t work out if her reaction to Callum’s death was genuine or not.

  Nick raised an eyebrow. ‘There’s something very odd about that woman.’

  They got into the
car and Nick started the engine.

  Ruth’s phone rang – it was Sian. Would this be a professional or personal call? After last night, she couldn’t be sure.

  ‘Boss,’ Sian said.

  Professional then.

  ‘Sian?’ Ruth said in her DI voice.

  ‘Dan and I have just had a slightly worrying chat with the local plod in Ffestiniog ...’ Sian explained.

  ‘Can it wait ’til we get back to base?’

  ‘I guess,’ Sian said.

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘On the road out of Ffestiniog,’ Sian replied.

  ‘We’re just leaving Solace Farm,’ Ruth explained.

  ‘We’ll be going past the farm exit in about a minute. Do you want us to stop there?’ asked Sian.

  ‘Yes, do that,’ Ruth replied, knowing that her answer was being influenced by her desire to have physical proximity to Sian. She glanced over at Nick. ‘We’re going to meet Sian and Dan at the end of this track.’

  ‘What did the local plod say?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good.’

  For a few seconds, they sat in silence. Ruth was processing what Rachel had told them about Callum. She knew that Nick was doing the same.

  ‘You think that Sam McEwan was confused by what Callum told her during the phone call on Wednesday afternoon?’ Nick said, breaking the silence.

  ‘I don’t know. Maybe. If she was off her head, I’m surprised she could remember anything,’ Ruth replied.

  The car bumped and jolted down the track until they turned the corner. Parked up by the wide exit from the main road were French and Sian. Nick pulled the car over, parked beside them and they got out.

  Ruth buttoned her coat up to her throat – it was getting cold. As Sian loomed into view, she couldn’t help feeling a little flicker of nerves.

  ‘How was Solace Farm?’ Sian asked.

  ‘It’s like the ‘Wicker Man’ up there,’ Nick quipped.

  French grimaced. ‘That bad?’

  Ruth looked at Sian. ‘What did PC Plum say?’

  Sian shook her head. ‘It appears that there are about eight firearms up at Solace Farm. Six shotguns and a couple of rifles.’