by Carrie Marsh
I can do some investigating while Judy is there. That had been her idea in inviting her – to ask some questions. She would like to find out if Judy had inherited all the wealth when her husband passed over, or if her brother-in-law had inherited any of it. That would at least give her some sense of a motive for murder. She knew nothing about the brother, except that he had apparently been in the right place at the right time to do the job – at least according to the note the policeman had passed her those days before. She had to try and find out more about it.
The day passed smoothly in a haze of memory, and, before Laura knew it, she was cleaning up at the end of dinner. When she walked past the front desk on her way out, Janet was sitting there by herself.
“Laura!” she called out.
“Hey, Janet!” Laura smiled. “I feel like you and I haven't seen each other much recently.”
“I know,” Janet agreed with feeling. “How about meeting for a drink tomorrow after work? It's your half-day, and I could do with a break and a chance to talk! I have so much to talk about...” her voice trailed off and she was clearly excited about something. Laura smiled.
“Okay. At the Saddler at eight o' clock?”
“I'll try and make it,” Janet agreed. “Though eight-thirty might be more reasonable! We're run off our feet in here...it's all this murder stuff. Being in the news is making good business!”
Laura nodded, and said farewell, wondering idly as she walked down the front steps if anyone might have committed murder simply to put the village on the map. She chuckled.
“Laura, you are being silly,” she told herself as she put her foot on the gas and drove away back home.
At home, she opened the door briskly.
“Monty?” she sang out. He was not where he usually was, and she supposed he was in the bedroom. Probably still feeling groggy, she thought affectionately. As she stepped in over the threshold in her high-heels, and took them off in the doorway, she heard a noise in the kitchen. Something stepped lightly over the lino and Monty appeared in the door.
Hello, he said mildly. I would like a spot of supper, if you could..?
“Monty!” Laura shouted with delight, and, bending down, squashed him against her chest in a firm embrace.
I said I was hungry, not that you should crush me to death, Monty grumbled, though she could hear that he was laughing. It's good to see you too.
“Monty! I am so glad you're well,” Laura said, lifting him gently and kissing his head.
I'm glad too. Now, about this supper..?
Laura chuckled delightedly and stepped lightly over the threshold to the kitchen. She opened a tin of tuna she had bought and spooned it all into Monty's dish.
Well, he said, and she could hear him smiling, I should be ill more often.
Laura laughed, elated. “Don't you dare! I was so worried! I'm so glad you're well...” her voice trailed off and she hugged herself, feeling delighted with life in general.
Last time I eat rats there, Monty grumbled, tucking into the tuna with obvious pleasure.
“Where?” Laura asked, curious, as she gathered some things to make her own supper – a dish of pasta.
At the farms. There's one that's badly run-down. It has so many rats! Big ones. I catch them there sometimes, but not often – it's quite far.
“Oh?” Laura brushed a stray curl out of her eyes and bent to where she was chopping celery stalks. “I didn't know there were any badly-neglected farms anywhere here?”
It's quite far from Keillor's place, Monty explained. If you go to Noelle's and then go past quite far, it's there. The next-to-last barns on your left. Great rats. Can't miss them.
Laura chuckled to herself, and thought about the place he was describing. Noelle was her friend, the wife of Farmer Hogarth, and they lived relatively close to the village. The North exit road of the village basically started and then stopped outside their gate, carrying on over the hills through rolling farmland, all the way to Canterbury if you followed it long enough.
“I think I'll go there tomorrow,” Laura said as she made tea for herself. Often places Monty pointed out to her had proved important. It was worth investigating this place.
And perhaps Howard could visit as well.
Sitting down to drink her tea at the kitchen table, listening to Monty crunching happily, the light reflecting in the darkened windows, Laura could not stop smiling.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GETTING CLARITY
GETTING CLARITY
“And a hay-derry-derry...” Laura sang as she drove along the winding country road.
Her window was open and she was heading up the North exit road towards the farm. She wanted to see if she could find the place Monty had described. If nothing else, she could tell them what had happened. They shouldn't use rat poison – they might kill a cat! If they had to get rid of their rats, the best thing to do would be invest in a really good rat-catching cat.
“There's Noelle's,” she said to herself, driving past Noelle's farm – or what she could see of it from her vantage-point here. She carried on going as Monty had told her.
It was her half-day, and she had plenty of time. Her next engagement was at eight o' clock, when she was meeting Janet. She was rather looking forward to that. If Janet had news it was bound to be interesting. Her own news was rather interesting too, she mused. But she wasn't sure she wanted to tell Janet. Not until she was okay with other people knowing.
Janet is bound to tell someone, and then the whole village will know. It wasn't that Janet would mean it. She just loved sharing news like she enjoyed sharing everything else.
“I wonder if that's it?” Laura asked aloud, nearing some ramshackle barns. She had driven about two kilometers along the road, going very slowly. A cat probably couldn't walk much further in a day.
Narrowing her eyes, Laura pulled over and studied the place. A collection of wooden outbuildings nestled against the hill, a path leading up to a farmhouse that was obscured by trees and shrubbery.
As she watched, Laura saw someone walking to the door. No-one seemed to go into or out of the barns, and Laura took a guess that they were not often used. The place projected an air of dilapidation.
That must be it.
Starting the car, Laura drove towards the dirt trackway that led to the front of the house. It was worth asking.
She pulled up under green leafy trees and walked a few paces to the front door. The whole place seemed neglected, she noted, glancing at the unkempt bushes, the walls peeling and stained.
“Miss?” A man with a thickset face and a pugnacious air opened the door and squinted at her. He was looking up, being a little shorter than her, and he projected a hostile, suspicious air.
“Hello?” Laura asked, feeling on her guard. She was not sure she wanted to complain to this man – he seemed unlikely to take it well. She drew in a breath. “I'm Laura Howcroft. I have a question for you, if you don't mind?”
The man glared up suspiciously. “Depends on the question,” he said thoughtfully. “What're you wanting to ask about?”
“I, well...” Laura drew a deep breath. “Do you have rats here?”
The man laughed. It was not a pleasant sound, and Laura felt her insides crawl, at least partly due to being acutely embarrassed.
“Rats? Sure we do!” he was still chuckling, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve before looking up at her again. “Every farm has rats, Miss! What a silly question.”
Laura bridled. “I know it seems a silly question,” she said, trying to stay patient, “but my cat was up here a few days ago, and he got sick. I think he was poisoned with rat poison, and I wanted...” she trailed off.
“If your cat died it ain't my doing,” the man said baldly. Laura blinked.
“He isn't dead,” she said curtly. “Though if he was I would be really hurt by how you just said that. I just wanted you to know you shouldn't poison the rats. Get a cat – he'll kill them for you and you won't kill any other cats.” She
sniffed and stepped back, wanting to leave him.
“You tryin' to tell me how to run this place?” he laughed harshly. “Just 'cos my crops aren't selling like they should, and my top field's sour doesn't mean I need some city lass lecturing me. Now I've a mind to tell you to take yourself off and mind your own business before I take offense.”
Laura stared. “I beg your pardon?” she said in a small voice. “Are you throwing me out?”
“You could say it like that,” he shrugged.
“I...” Laura's voice died mid-sentence. She shook her head. “I'm going,” she shrugged. She walked down the path, hearing him scuff his feet. He stayed in the doorway watching her until she had climbed into her car and reversed, heading back home.
When she entered the main road, she found she was shaking.
“What a rude, offensive person!”
Acknowledging that didn't really help – she still felt hurt. She hated rudeness at the best of times and was always polite herself, at least until someone else broke her code of manners first. She sighed. She hoped seeing Janet later would cheer her up a bit.
Alighting back at home, Laura went through to the kitchen to make tea. It was four o' clock. That left her plenty of time to tidy up and do shopping before heading to the Saddler to meet Janet. Perhaps she could even do some cooking.
Hello, Monty said from where he slept in the sun on the sofa. He opened one eye.
“Hello, Monty,” Laura said happily. “Do you feel better?”
Fine. Sleepy, but fine.
“I'm glad,” Laura said warmly. “Would you like custard?”
She felt the excited shiver that passed through Monty's body. Yes.
Laura smiled to herself, reaching for a saucepan, eggs and milk. It was a longstanding cure-all: whenever Monty was ill or in pain, Laura would make him custard. It was the one thing he invariably ate. It had saved his life on more than one occasion, when he could keep nothing else down.
“Come on, then,” she called, as the custard started to boil and thicken. “Almost done.”
She left him in the kitchen, licking a saucer, while she went through to drink her tea. She reached for her laptop, deciding to find out more about that farm. She at least wanted to know who the rude farmer was, so she could tell Janet about it when she saw her that night.
She did a search for Millerfield and found the farm. She zoomed in. Stopped. Lifted the machine and stared at the screen, not wanting to believe what she saw. The farm was called Hugh Place. When she looked at the website associated with it, she found out that the owner was Mr. Brandon Hugh.
Hugh Place: Farm-fresh vegetables. Owner, Brandon Hugh.
Brother of the deceased.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MORE INFORMATION
MORE INFORMATION
The Saddler's Arms was crowded as usual when Laura arrived to meet Janet. She scanned the room, feeling anxious, and was pleased to spy her at their usual table, two glasses with her.
“Laura!” Janet smiled expansively. “I ordered the usual – Groat's Pale Ale. Thirsty?”
“Absolutely,” Laura said, sitting down, feeling her spirits lift in the pleasant company.
“What's up?” Janet asked, scanning her friend's face. “You look worried.”
“I am,” Laura said, not wholly displeased Janet had noticed. It would be good to talk to someone. “I had a bad time with Monty being ill – I thought he'd eaten a rat. I went to a farm to go and talk to them about it. How well do you know Brandon Hugh?” she asked.
“Short guy, cross face?”
Laura smiled – just hearing the description made her feel better. “That's the guy. He's not exactly friendly, now is he?”
“No!” Janet said, washing down some beer. “I don't think I've seen him more than twice. He was at the hotel once to meet his brother. They argued and he left. Then the next day he came back claiming someone had short-changed him. I explained they must have assumed it was a tip. He was not pleased!” she chuckled at the memory.
“So a tough customer,” Laura mused, drinking her ale. “I feel a bit better for not getting much out of him.”
“Tell him you're in league with a lawyer and sue if the cat dies,” Janet said. “That'll get him.”
Laura looked shocked. “I don't even want to think about the cat dying,” she said, offended. “But yes, I can imagine that would get his attention.”
Janet laughed. “I don't want any harm to Monty either,” she said fondly. “He's a surly little chap himself, but I'm fond of him.”
Laura smiled. Monty was famously aloof from all her friends. The only one he had let touch him was Howard, actually. That's strange, she thought, smiling. I must say, he has good taste. She noticed Janet looking enquiringly at her, and brought her attention back to the present. “He is unfriendly,” Laura agreed. “But that guy today is something else! Hugh, I mean. What's up with him?” She hoped Janet would know some dirt about him. It could be useful – that would get her investigation underway nicely.
“He's jealous of everyone – his farm started failing a year or two back – mismanaged, probably: the Hugh family were never farmers – and he blames everyone for his financial problems. His brother was rich as anyone, though – or so I have heard. I think the argument they had must have been about that.” She shrugged. “Anyhow, miserable sod. No-one likes him much.”
“I can see why,” Laura mused. “So he and his brother used to argue about money?”
“I think so,” Janet confirmed. She stuck her hand in the air and flagged a waiter. “Billy! Hi. We'll have the salad again, and maybe the ham? Are you hungry, Laura?”
Laura nodded. She had not eaten much that day and was quite famished. “I'm ravenous.”
“So am I!” Janet giggled. “Don't know why, but my appetite has soared recently.”
“Really?” Laura asked.
“Yes! Hope I'm not pregnant! That could be difficult.”
Laura stared at her. I hope I'm not, she thought. Suddenly her ravenous appetite seemed sinister. Don't be silly! You wouldn't be very far along anyway.
Looking down at her hands to avoid Janet's eye she resolved privately to get a home testing kit. It would be worth checking, just to put her mind at ease.
“Any news from the hotel?” She asked Janet, hoping to distract her, for she looked thoughtful.
“Lots!” Janet said. The plan to distract her worked, for her face transformed with excitement and she leaned forward across the table, only moving when Billy appeared with their plates of salad and cuts of cold meat.
“Yes?”
“I was talking to Imogen today!” Janet said excitedly. “She was telling me all about her time working on that set here in Canterbury. She said she'd take me to see it! She's really nice,” Janet added. “Of course, she's not my best friend...” she patted Laura's hand gently.
Laura laughed. “You silly! I'm not jealous or anything...I really don't mind you talking to her!”
Janet sighed. “Good. Anyway. So I was thinking of going with her this weekend. Maybe I could get to know some people in the film industry! But I was wondering what I should wear...”
Laura laughed again. “Oh, Janet. I am so glad to know you. You're always so excited about everything.”
Janet grinned. “Exciting things are worth being excited about,” she said sensibly. “So. If you're free tomorrow evening? Maybe you can visit and help me choose something.”
“Okay,” Laura said, then paused. “I might be free tomorrow.”
“Might be?” Janet's sharp ears missed nothing. She must have heard the wistful inflection for she looked instantly alerted. “Where else would you be?” she smiled, red-painted lips showing straight white teeth.
“I might be somewhere else...” Laura trailed off, smiling shyly.
“Oh!” Janet laughed. “Who is he?”
“Janet!” Laura was bright red, giggling despite herself. “How do you always come up with these ideas?”
“Easily. I can see it written all over you.”
Laura sighed. “I'll tell you more later,” she promised. “But for now, I want to hear more about this actress. What is she like? How long will she stay?”
Janet leaned back, taking another sip of her drink. “She's nice,” she said easily. “You'd think she'd be all arrogant and stuck-up, but she's not. She's really down to earth. I think she's here for another week. She seems to be avoiding town for some reason.”
“Oh?” Laura's sleuth-instinct was engaged despite her resolve to think otherwise.
“Yes,” Janet leaned forward conspiratorially. “I did ask her about it: like, “Why are you down here instead of in London at this time of year?” She looked around and then said she had reasons for wanting to be elsewhere. I don't know why I think so, but I think she's avoiding something legal.”
“Really?” Laura asked. “Why?”
“I don't know,” Janet confessed. “It's just that – well, a year or so ago I remember hearing her lawyer had given a statement that she had ‘no undeclared overseas assets’. It all disappeared, but she's here and it makes me wonder...” she paused, thinking.
“Wonder what?” Laura prompted.
“Well, you know. Wonder if the case ever went away. Maybe she's still on the run. So to speak.” She laughed. “What would I know, anyway? I'm just excited to go with her this weekend. You know – you can never know who you'll meet. Maybe Duncan Redman?”
Laura laughed. Duncan Redman was presumably the leading actor in whatever soap the actress had been in. “Is he good looking?”
Janet rolled her eyes. “Is the sky blue?”
Laura laughed. “Okay, so that's why I need to choose an outfit with you?”
Janet blushed. “Maybe...though really I just don't want that woman out-dressing me. She's so stunning. At the very least I can manage to look elegant.”
Laura smiled and patted her hand. “Janet, dear – between the two of us I think you're much prettier than her.”