Mystery at Oakfield Hall

by Irena Nieslony

  They all started to go up the stairs, another two police officers having arrived by this time. When they got to the upstairs hallway, the man was sitting up.

  “Don’t move,” Taylor spoke and then read him his rights.

  The man said nothing during this and then the detective asked one of the other officers to take off his balaclava. Rachel started shaking. Now she would know who hated her so much that he wanted her dead.

  The officer walked over to the man and pulled off his balaclava quickly. Rachel gasped and then collapsed on the floor in tears. Nobody felt able to say anything.

  “James,” Rachel mumbled a few moments later. “How could you do this? Weren’t we in a great relationship? I thought you liked me, possibly more than liked me. You told me you were in New York.”

  “Like you Rachel? How could I like you? Yes, you’re very beautiful; you’re famous, rich and intelligent, so it wasn’t difficult to pretend to be your boyfriend. However, you’ve got what should be mine.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oakfield of course. George used to say Oakfield would be mine one day; then what did he do? He left it to you. I wasn’t having that.”

  “But we were getting on so well. We might even have got married and then you would have been part owner of Oakfield.”

  “That’s not what I wanted. I wanted George to leave it to me like he said, like he promised. He was the nearest thing I ever had to a father, but when he didn’t leave it to me, my love for him turned to hate. I had to get rid of you and then Oakfield. When I set it on fire, I wanted the whole place to burn down and that’s what I was going to do tonight after I had killed you; burn it down, burn down George’s precious house. He always loved you more than me, always. It wasn’t fair.”

  Rachel still had tears streaming down her face. How could she have been fooled by James? Every word he had said had been a lie. He had pretended to like her. He had even pretended to go to New York to give himself an alibi.

  Inspector Taylor turned to look at Rachel and not surprisingly, realized she was taking it very badly. He wished more than anything to put his arms around her again, but it wouldn’t be appropriate. Instead he told the officers to cuff James, untie his feet and take him to the car.

  “Will you be alright, Ms. Fisher?" Taylor asked, longing to do or say something to stop her tears from falling.

  “Not for a while, but I’ll get over it," Rachel said, trying to smile.

  “You’ll be with her tonight, won’t you, Miss Robertson?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “We’ll be off then. I’ll come over and take a statement tomorrow if that’s alright.”

  Rachel nodded and once he had gone, fell into Sarah’s arms, crying.

  Chapter 19

  “I can’t believe it was James,” Mary said the following morning. “You know I don’t like him, but I didn’t put him down as a potential murderer. I’m so sorry. Rachel.”

  “Thank you, Mary,” Rachel said, her voice shaking a little. “I’m sure I’ll get over it eventually. It was such a shock you see. I didn’t think for one minute that it could have been him, though perhaps I should have guessed. He was very romantic most of the time, but there were little things he would do or say occasionally which did annoy me. I kept putting them to the back of my mind when I should have taken them more seriously.”

  Both girls were silent for a moment before Rachel carried on. Mary thought it best that Rachel got everything off her chest.

  “No, my relationship with James wasn't perfect, Mary, but I did like him; I liked him a lot. Actually, I think I was even falling in love with him.”

  She paused again and looked wistful.

  “I think he was in the wrong profession. He would have made an excellent actor you know. He played the part of a loving boyfriend so well.”

  Rachel’s eyes filled up with tears.

  “I guess it’s going to take me a while to get over him.”

  Mary moved over and put her arm around Rachel.

  “It only happened yesterday, so it’s going to take a bit longer than this to feel yourself, Rachel. Give it time.”

  “I will. I was so glad Inspector Taylor was on duty last night. It was good to have the person who knew all about the case come to take James away.”

  “He was actually at the same pub where I was last night when a call came through. It must have been for you.”

  “No, I don’t think so. I believe he went to an armed robbery first.”

  “Wow, busy man. Oh, guess what, he came and asked me out to dinner.”

  “He did?” Rachel tried to sound upbeat even though her heart sank.

  She had tried to initiate a relationship between the detective and her best friend, but now she was disappointed.

  “That’s wonderful, Mary,” Rachel said, pretending to be happy for her. “When are you going?”

  “Tonight. Hopefully he won’t get called out to any more crimes.”

  “I hope you have a lovely time.”

  Rachel couldn’t understand why she felt so down about this. She had just had her heart broken by the man she was falling in love with and couldn’t have feelings for anyone else, especially not the Chief Inspector, could she? She needed time to heal after James, not to mention the fact that she had nothing in common with Inspector Taylor. He had children for a start and she didn’t want any, least of all a ready-made family. Mary was much more suited as she loved kids. He was also far too serious for her. Rachel was spontaneous and had a busy social life when her hectic work schedule allowed it. Still, when she’d thrown her arms around him the previous night and he’d put his arms around her, she had felt a shiver run down her spine. It had come as a surprise and she now couldn’t deny that she was attracted to the detective. However, she’d set things in motion between him and her best friend and it was better left like that. Rachel knew she would be ready for a relationship again one day, but now she needed time for her broken heart to mend.

  * * *

  The following day at work, Mary was going into the canteen when she bumped into a man just leaving.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry... Doctor Maynard, what are you doing here?” she asked, sounding very surprised.

  “I think you can still call me Geoff, don’t you? After all, we did go out for three months.”

  “Ok, Geoff. What are you doing back in Slough? Is it a flying visit?”

  Mary and Geoff had dated when Mary first split up with her second husband, but then Geoff went to work in a hospital in Newcastle and their relationship fizzled out, mainly because their long and differing work hours made it nearly impossible for them to maintain a long distance relationship. Mary had been very upset as she had been more than a little keen on Geoff Maynard.

  “No, I’m back here permanently,” Geoff said, grinning.

  “Oh,” was all Mary could muster up, her heart missing a beat. That smile of his always did it for her. However, he did almost break her heart by leaving so suddenly.

  “Listen, Mary,” Geoff continued. “I’m really busy today, but perhaps we could go for a drink or a meal very soon and have a chat.”

  “I don’t know. I am a bit busy at the moment,” Mary replied.

  “It doesn’t surprise me. I couldn’t have expected a girl like you to sit around waiting. If you do have time, let me know. It would be good to catch up,” Geoff, said giving her a peck on the cheek.

  Mary touched her face where Geoff had kissed it. It felt like it had been set on fire. Watching him walk away, she found she was also trembling.

  * * *

  Peter Taylor and Mary sat in an up-market Italian restaurant having dinner that evening. They had talked about their children and Mary’s ex-husbands. Mary had avoided mentioning Peter’s wife, waiting for him to bring her up, but he hadn’t, so she decided he was still too fragile to talk about her.

  “You certainly have been through the wars with those two men, Mary,” Peter commented. “I’m amazed
you’ve stayed so positive.”

  “Well, I’m not letting them ruin my life. I’m certain there’s a nice guy out there somewhere waiting for me.”

  Mary grinned and Peter tried to smile back. Mary was a lovely woman. She was both fun and interesting to talk to and he was enjoying himself. However, there was something missing and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

  Mary took a sip of wine and wondered if she should go out for a drink with Geoff; just to catch up of course. However, she immediately felt guilty. Here she was with a very handsome detective, but her mind kept drifting away. Why did Geoff Maynard have to move back and turn her world upside down? She had thought she was over him, but evidently she was wrong. However, would they be able to resume their relationship where they had left off?

  I don’t know what to do. Geoff just upped and left. Who’s to say he won’t do it again. He’s not reliable, but I still have feelings for him. Peter is nice, but am I leading him on? However, I do like him, so I won’t say anything for now and see what happens.

  Little did Mary know, but Peter was also having doubts about the date.

  Why did Rachel throw her arms around me last night? It was probably just relief at seeing the police. I doubt if she thinks of me as anything special, so why can’t I stop thinking about her? I’m here with a lovely woman who suits me down to the ground, but all I can think of is Rachel. However, it would never work. I have to stop dreaming about her and concentrate on what I have, otherwise I’ll have nothing.

  “Earth to Peter,” Mary said. “You seem to have drifted off.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Too many big cases at the moment.” Peter lied. “I should leave them at work.”

  “But it’s difficult, I know. I often feel like that when I have complicated pregnancies.”

  Peter felt even guiltier. Mary was so understanding. That was it; Rachel had to be put out of his mind forever.

  * * *

  “I had a lovely evening, Mary,” Peter said when he dropped her off at home later that evening.

  “So did I, Peter. Perhaps we can see each other again?” Mary asked.

  She didn’t know why she had suggested another date. She had spent half the evening thinking about Geoff. However, she thought that Peter was a nice guy and she didn’t want to burn all her bridges with him just yet. Geoff was unreliable and she didn’t know if she could ever trust him again.

  “Yes, that would be lovely,” Peter replied. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

  He bent over and kissed her softly. Neither felt a great spark of passion, but they smiled at each other before Mary left the car.

  Just as she reached the front door, her mobile rang.

  “Mary, it’s Geoff. I can’t wait any longer. I have to tell you that I love you and I’ll do anything it takes to get you back.”

  Mary was stunned. She had wanted him to say he loved her many times before, but he never had.

  “Geoff, you hurt me terribly by leaving. Do you expect me to feel the same about you now as I did before?”

  “I don’t know, I’m sorry, Mary. Please, can we try again?”

  Mary was quiet for a moment. Yes, Geoff wasn’t dependable, but she knew she was still attracted to him.

  “Are you free tomorrow night?” she finally asked.

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll meet for a drink then.”

  When the call ended, Geoff felt he was floating on air. Mary, however, didn’t know what she felt. She’d had a date with a charming and polite man that evening who had treated her very well, but she knew deep down that when he phoned the next day, she would tell him that she couldn’t see him again. The truth was that she was still hopelessly in love with Geoff Maynard, not that she would tell him yet. She was going to take it slowly this time, just to be sure.

  * * *

  Rachel was still working at ten o’clock that evening. Now that James was in custody, she finally felt safe at Oakfield and it was all systems go with the hotel. She didn’t have long before she started filming her next T.V. series, so she wanted to get as much done as possible before then. There were also some outside contractors coming in within the next couple of weeks to do work which she couldn’t do herself and she was hopeful of meeting her deadline.

  She was alone in the house as Sarah had gone to spend the evening with her father. Sarah was hoping he’d get a lighter sentence now that James had been arrested for the other crimes. .

  Rachel tried to keep her mind on the hotel while she was working, but occasionally a tear would fall for James and then Inspector Taylor would drift into her thoughts. She wondered how he and Mary were getting on that evening and she tried to stop herself hoping it would be a failure.

  Peter and I lead such different lives and a relationship between us wouldn’t work. I would be a terrible replacement mother for his children, so it’s best to put him out of my mind right now.

  Rachel stopped work and looked around the room.

  “A fine job, if I say so myself,” she said out loud. “And you’re going to be fine, Rachel Fisher, in fact you’re going to be more than fine. Most people would be envious of what you’ve got. A successful television career and now a brand new hotel. You just need to forget about both James Parker and Peter Taylor. You don’t need a man for the time being; work will be enough. Once you’ve healed, somebody gorgeous, somebody who makes your heart miss a beat and your legs turn to jelly, will come along and sweep you off your feet. You know he’ll be around the corner, waiting, just when you least expect it.”

  Rachel poured herself a glass of champagne and raised it in the air.

  “Here’s to you, George Robertson. Thank you for this house. I don’t care whether you wanted me to make a success of it or not, but it will be. People will flock to Oakfield Hall as they did in the old days.”

  Rachel took a sip of champagne and then lifted her glass in the air again.

  “And here’s to you, Mary and Peter. I hope your date is a success.”

  Rachel meant it as she said it. She wanted the best for her friend. However, a few tears came rolling down her cheeks. She told herself that this was due to the stress of the last few weeks, but deep down she knew that she carried a torch for the Inspector. She promised herself that she was going to put it out as soon as possible. Rachel Fisher had a hotel to open and her mind was going to be focused on that. There would be time for romance later. Perhaps when this time came, the road she would take might cross the one Peter Taylor was walking down. Who knew what the future held? However, one thing Rachel Fisher did know; she certainly was not a woman to give up on romance, however hard the going got.

  Copyright © 2015 by Irena Nieslony

  Originally published by My Weekly at DC Thompson [UK]

  Electronically published in 2016 by Belgrave House

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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  This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are

  fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is

  coincidental.