by Ruby Loren
I took a deep breath and kept walking, giving the property an even wider berth. There were some woods that looked like they might back on to the end of the field that led up to Sophia’s house, and it was through them that I’d decided to make my approach. Somewhere up in the trees wings fluttered and an owl screeched. I felt the hairs rise up on the back of my neck as the darkness and the knowledge that I was doing something dangerous rose up in me.
Then I heard a horse neigh - only to be answered by another one - and I felt fresh resolve to find the truth. There might be animals in trouble on her property and I couldn’t let that continue.
I crept to the edge of the trees and found myself at the back of a small stable block. After waiting, listening, and looking for any signs of roaming dogs, I deemed the coast to be clear and ducked under the fence.
A horse whickered when I tiptoed past and I looked into the stable, only to recognise Sophia’s dappled grey gelding. “I know you’re supposed to be here,” I told the horse in hushed tones, reaching out to stroke its nose. A second long nose appeared from the next stable, the white blaze on its forehead shining bright beneath the full moon. There was a distinctive swirl below its forelock, like milk mixing with coffee. “But you are not…” I finished, recognising Columbia, Harry Farley’s stolen horse. I’d seen enough of his face on the posters around town to know him anywhere.
I made a quick check of the other stables, but although they looked as though they smelled of horse, there were no other residents. Sophia evidently had this whole operation down to a tee. Whatever happened to the stolen animals, it wasn’t long coming. I had no doubt that within a few days or a week, Columbia would also be gone without a trace.
I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police to report the stolen horse. Right before I dialled, I hesitated, wondering for a moment how I was going to explain my presence here.
With hindsight, I should have wondered that before trespassing… because I was going to have to answer for myself sooner than I realised.
A torch lit up the night, blinding me. When I blinked to clear my vision, I was presented with a terrible sight. Sophia Blanky was standing at the entrance to the stables holding a rifle pointed in my direction.
“You’re on private property,” she began and then recognised me. “Madi? What are you doing here?”
“I took Rameses for a walk and he ran off. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to trespass, I just thought he might have come this way.” I tried to look suitably hopeless whilst praying that Columbia would keep his nose inside his stable.
“I’m afraid I haven’t seen or heard anything. My last dogs were gone years ago, so I don’t know if there would be anything around here to attract your dog. Was he off the lead?” she looked pointedly at my very empty hands.
I did my best not to blush. “Took it straight out of my hands when I was distracted for a second. I’m worried he’ll get it caught.” My eyes slipped past where the other woman was standing. I thought I could see the outline of a wire-mesh construction that looked suspiciously like a kennel block, illuminated by the light streaming from her French doors. Right on cue, I heard barking coming from down the garden.
I deliberately turned back to the woods, mindful of the gun aimed at me. “Did that come from the trees? He might be close. Sorry to disturb you. I’d better be going.” I managed a slightly strained smile, but before I could turn to leave the worst thing possible happened.
Columbia stuck his long nose out from the stable and whinnied.
Sophia and I both stared at the horse and then, with horrible finality, we made eye contact.
“Is that your other horse?” I asked, trying one last time to pretend that I hadn’t seen anything.
Sophia’s grip tightened on the rifle. I could almost see her brain working as she tried to plan my death the way she’d planned the others. How would she divert attention so it looked like she had absolutely nothing to do with the crime? I wasn’t sure what she was going to decide, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to wait around to find out.
Whilst Sophia was still looking at me with that thoughtful gleam in her eye, I took the initiative and threw myself to the left. Acting from years of hunting instinct, the gun went off, but I was already gone, landing in the hay and dirt as I bumped and rolled my way around the side of the stable.
I gave my head half a second to clear from my dizzying tumble and looked around, knowing that my next decision could save me or condemn me. There was a thick hedge not far away that looked as though it were entirely woven of brambles. I didn’t rate my chances of getting through there and having any skin left. That left me with two choices. Every instinct I had told me to run for the woods and the safety of darkness. It was with a great wrench that I ignored it and instead sprinted for the house and the hopefully still open French doors.
I was up against a woman with a lot of hunting experience. The woods at night were her realm, and I refused to be a fox running from a hound. If she wanted to kill me I was going to make darn sure that she’d find it hard to explain away. Even a planner like Sophia would have a tough time reasoning why she’d shot a person in her house. She could claim (correctly) that I’d been breaking and entering, but the police would see the kennels and the stables, and who knew what other incriminating evidence she might have left lying around that might tie her to the murders? I was willing to bet Sophia hadn’t considered it, as she’d known she wouldn’t even be a suspect. But all of that could change with me. I was betting everything on her realising it.
I felt my breath escape me in a big oomph when I made it inside the house without having two barrels hit me in the back. I thought I heard Sophia swear, but I was already gone, running through the house to find a place to hole up where I could call for help. The police would surely have to listen to me now!
I shook my head as I ran. I’d glanced to the left on my way into the house. The kennels Sophia had claimed didn’t exist had been full to the bursting with dogs. There’d been a few smaller faces there, too… but unfortunately I couldn’t afford to dwell on it.
“Madi, come out, we need to talk about this,” Sophia said as soon as she walked into her house. I stayed where I was, pressed against the wall of the hall that was on the other side of the lounge I’d entered. I had a large vase in my hand that had an expensive feel to it, but I wasn’t too worried about damage to property right now - just damage to me.
“I think there’s been some sort of mistake here. I know what you think you saw, but I’m the one who found Columbia. She was wandering in the woods - just like I bet your dog is right now,” she said, reaching to try to relate to me by showing she was willing to believe my lies if I was willing to believe hers. “How about we have a cup of tea and forget the whole thing? I was about to call up Felicity when my motion detector went off letting me know someone was near the stables. With a thief around, you can’t be too careful.” Her tone was so reasonable I wanted to believe her. It was with cold certainty that I realised how Josh Finnigan must have felt… right before Sophia had betrayed his trust and his feelings.
“Did you find the dogs, too?” I said dryly, having run past a kennel that was full to the bursting. I was willing to bet that if I’d stayed to look, I’d have recognised them.
“I run a kennels here. To tell you the truth, I forgot in the rush of seeing you out there that I have tenants at the moment. They all have loving owners who’ve given me their permission to look after them. I have the paperwork, if you’ll just let me show you…”
It all sounded so plausible. I regretted ever having thought that Josh Finnigan was a dim bulb for keeping Harry Farley’s killer’s identity a secret. This woman was a professional saleswoman, and she was selling me hard that she was innocent.
I raised my gaze and happened to see the framed piece of art on the wall across from the stairs. It was a display case featuring Celtic knots tied in fancy gold string. It was all I needed to know that I shouldn’t listen to a word she was saying. I
t was time to end our foolish game.
“Why did you kill Harry? Was it because he found out about your animal stealing racket and decided to blackmail you over it?” I asked.
There was a stony silence before Sophia spoke again. This time, she didn’t use her ‘let’s be friends’ voice. “You’re darn close to the truth. Harry popped round uninvited one time on his horse. I just so happened to have turned my back on one of the dogs for a second and the silly animal got loose and ran right up to Harry. Harry Farley may have been a fool, but he recognised the dog right away. I claimed that he must have been running in the woods, lost by whoever took him and possibly looking for his way back home, but the fool dog then ran right back into his kennel.” I heard her sigh. “To be honest, I thought I was done for when that happened. My whole life, career, and reputation - everything I’d ever worked for, was about to go up in smoke. But Harry had another idea. He’d been trying to persuade me to let him into my bedroom for years - even though I used to be his teacher!” She cleared her throat. “He wasn’t even my favourite student back then, and I really don’t condone that kind of behaviour of course…” I privately thought it was faintly ridiculous that she was trying to convince me of her morals when she’d A: killed two people and B: had asked Auryn (another student of hers who was even younger than Harry had been) to go with her as her date tonight.
“I went along with it for a bit, but then Harry got demanding. I knew it wouldn’t be long before he started making requests that I couldn’t meet and who knows? Asking for the world even! As soon as he started asking for money I knew it had to stop. Lord knows I don’t have much money of my own to start with. Why did he think I’d resorted to the measures I had? I needed the cash because houses aren’t bringing in what they used to.”
I raised my eyebrows behind the wall. That was news to me, but now that I thought about it, I realised she probably wasn’t lying. I’d been surprised by the lengths Tristan Herriot’s company had gone to find Tiff the perfect house and net themselves that commission. Perhaps I was only now finding out the reason why. A stagnant housing market meant suffering estate agents… Tristan Herriot and his gang just hadn’t wanted to admit that their business was suffering.
“I planned a fitting end for him and that was that. Or so I thought… Josh was never supposed to be involved.” She sounded tired when she said it. “He was a sweet boy and I really did like him very much. If he hadn’t dropped those files over at Farley and Sons that night before meeting me to get the keys, as I’d arranged, Felicity Farley would never have known he’d been nearby, and she wouldn’t have ever thought to put pressure on him. Not that Josh was ever supposed to have even an inkling. I mean - when has that stupid old house ever been so popular? I couldn’t believe how unlucky I was.”
“Harry Farley and Josh Finnigan were unluckier,” I pointed out, not buying Sophia’s blatant plea for some sympathy and understanding. I understood that she’d acted out of ice-cold self-preservation, but sometimes you had to accept that you’d done wrong and take the fall. Instead, she’d decided to silence the problem. Permanently.
“What made you suspect by the way?” I noticed that Sophia’s voice had crept closer. I edged sideways towards the opening by the wall, knowing the time to use my vase could come at any second. I didn’t for a moment think Sophia was going to throw in the towel and come quietly.
“At the meeting tonight I saw you tie a knot in the placeholder string. It was the same knot you used to tie Harry Farley up.”
“Was that it?” Sophia sounded amused. “I never imagined my little hobby would get me into trouble. It’s very good for stress relief you know,” she said, placatingly.
I was already swinging the vase when she stepped round the corner with the gun. Both of us hadn't predicted quite how close the other was. The rim of the vase made contact with Sophia’s head at the same time the barrel hit mine. Both of our heads then bounced off the wall and weapons were dropped. I was still reeling from the dual impacts when Sophia launched herself at me.
I fought back like a demon, clawing and punching at anything that came within reach, but as so often was the case, I had a size disadvantage, and Sophia had legs that were made from iron due to her years of horse riding. I found myself pinned beneath her, helpless to watch as she wrenched one of the drawers of the hall table loose and pulled out a length of the same gold string that had been used to tie the decorative knots. I managed to free a hand and tried to push Sophia away as she brought the rope down towards my neck. I was already familiar with her preferred method of dispatch and it was with dawning horror that I came to the realisation that I might be about to meet the same fate as Josh and Harry.
There was a loud thump and the burning pressure on my neck ceased for a moment as Sophia turned to see what had made the noise. I pushed up and managed to wriggle out from beneath her thighs. The next second, the front door burst open and the police rushed in. I’d never thought I’d be glad to see Detective Alex Gregory, but tonight I certainly was.
“Sophia Blanky, you are under arrest for the murders of Harry Farley and Josh Finnigan and the attempted murder of Madigan Amos,” the detective said, marching towards Sophia, who was frozen with her mouth hanging open.
“You can add animal theft to those charges,” I said from my place on the floor.
Sophia Blanky turned back to face me, and in one final cruel moment, she smacked me so hard my head hit the floor and for a while, everything went black.
17
Happily Ever After
There was something soft patting my face. I opened my eyes and discovered I was looking straight into a bright green pair that were entirely too close to mine.
“Lucky?” I mumbled, confused as to why my cat was on top of me. It was only then that I began to realise it was daylight outside and I was in bed.
“You’re awake!” I shifted my gaze away from Lucky and discovered Auryn was sitting in the chair next to my bed. A better look at my surroundings informed me that I was apparently in hospital. “Nice job, Lucky,” Auryn said, addressing my cat. The black and white cat settled down on my chest, content to keep staring at me.
“They allowed him in?” I asked, confused by his presence.
Auryn cleared his throat. “I thought he might help you to feel better. To be honest, I wanted to bring Rameses in because he’s causing a fuss… poor dog. I think he’s worried you’re gone the same way his last owner did. But the hospital doesn't let dogs in… or other animals for that matter. Lucky was smuggled in my rucksack.”
“How long have I been in here for?” I asked, alarmed.
“Oh, only one night. You were brought in yesterday evening. Apparently you were regaining consciousness, but they sedated you because they wanted to be sure that your head injuries weren’t serious. They’re not, by the way.” Auryn tried to smile, but it looked wobbly.
“What about Sophia? Did they get her?” I couldn’t quite remember exactly how things had been left. The last clear memory I had was of Detective Gregory bursting in through the door, but even that seemed strange. Hadn’t he been dragged in for questioning himself?
“They got her and her accomplices - Drew James and Helen Greer. It turns out they were in on the thefts together. However, Sophia is claiming sole responsibility for the murders. Her employees allegedly only dealt with the litters born from the stolen dogs… passing them off as from their own dogs before selling them. That’s the downside of everyone owning the same breeds around here. Anyway, Detective Gregory saved the day. The way I heard it from Tiff, the Gigglesfield police force are feeling very sheepish indeed right now and Treesden has gone back into retirement.”
“I guess that guy who broke into Tiff’s house was a loony after all,” I said, but I wasn’t entirely convinced that there hadn’t been a few things of interest in amongst the raving.
“So it would seem, but I probably shouldn’t say anything more. The detective said he’d come by as soon as you woke up and gave me his
number. I texted him whilst you were still getting your bearings. I’m sure he’ll want to fill in all the blanks.” Auryn looked at me and I read the unhappiness in his expression.
“I’m sorry,” I said, immediately feeling bad. I often forgot that I wasn’t on my own any more. When I put myself at risk, I also risked hurting other people. “I tried to tell the detective what we’d figured out. I just didn’t want anyone else to lose their pets… or their lives,” I added.
“You could have been the one to lose it all!” Auryn said, none too happily. “You can’t just run off into these things. If I’d known, I would have come instead of spending the evening with men I don’t even like.” Auryn frowned.
“I should have kept my award on me. It would have made a good weapon,” I joked.
“It’s probably all it’s good for,” Auryn said, making me wonder if he was just as willing as I was to see The Lords of the Downs go down. I thought he might be.
The door to my hospital room opened. Detective Gregory walked in alone.
“How are you feeling?” he asked - albeit grudgingly.
“I’m fine. My head’s a bit sore, but I’ll be ready for your wedding in a couple of weeks,” I said with a friendly smile. I was willing to mention the wedding if it meant I’d be in less trouble for behaving the way I had.
My attempt to build bridges was answered with a scowl. So much for that then. “You were lucky,” Detective Gregory said. “If the rest of the police force hadn’t realised pretty fast that my questioning was a farce, and if I hadn’t realised that you were probably taking justice into your own hands, you might have been the next victim.” His look let me know that if Sophia Blanky was capable of killing two men, she was definitely capable of getting rid of the five foot nothing woman like me.