by M A Comley
Feeling as if her world was closing in on her, she poured herself a glass of wine and took it outside to play ball with Ben. She pulled out a chair on the patio and sat, staring at her glass, unaware of Ben dropping the ball at her feet until he pawed her leg and whimpered. “Sorry, boy. Here, go fetch.”
Her devoted companion happily ran back and forth dozens of times until exhaustion took over and he flopped down beside her.
James came out of the back door moments later. He kissed her forehead and placed his can of beer on the table. “What a day, eh, love? No one could have predicted it would have ended this way.”
“Too right. I want to support Geraldine all I can, you know I do, but I’ve been sitting here pondering how the heck I’m going to do that. Where do I even begin?”
James, who was a constable at the local police station, shook his head. “I think you’re too close to this one. Why don’t you give it a miss and let Inspector Littlejohn deal with it?”
“For one thing, I’ve promised Geraldine after her pleading with me to take the case on, and for another, I can’t have Janice Littlejohn getting one over on me.”
“You’re an idiot at times. Adorable, but still an idiot. She’s going to have information to hand that will be valuable in solving the case. I’ll never understand why you two don’t get along.”
“Because she’s a pain in the rear. Has been from the first time I met her.”
“That’s a bit harsh. I think you’re exaggerating a touch there.”
“Maybe just a soupçon. It’s true in most cases, though. I’ve usually got a suspect in mind within a few days because I’m tenacious and determined. She’s just downright obnoxious. No one ever wants to confide in her, so she has to do things the hard way.”
“That’s exactly my point. The reason people in this town open up to you is because you’ve lived here all your life. She’s been here, what? Three years, if that?”
“And that’s my problem, how?”
He sighed. “All I’m saying is, that the townsfolk are more likely to open up to you than they are to a complete stranger. Anyway, her reputation down at the station is a pretty good one. She’s impressed a lot of people in her time on the force.”
“Doing what? No, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know whose bedpost she’s put a notch in since her arrival.” Ruth shuddered at the image she’d managed to conjure up.
“Now you’re just being plain ridiculous. As far as I can tell, she works hard and always has since she joined, often being overlooked when promotions have been handed out.”
“There, that’s probably why she’s such a spiky character then.”
“Whatever. I’m going to fix myself a bacon sandwich. Do you want one?”
“You only ate a few hours ago. Do you have worms?”
“No. My energy is sapping because of what we’ve had to contend with up there. I didn’t think the dinner was up to much anyway, did you?”
“It was all right. Can’t say it will ever be a memorable wedding in that respect.”
He leaned forward as he stood, his face inches from hers. “No one can make a roast dinner like my sweetheart.”
Her anxiety leaked away. “You’re such a charmer. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You say the nicest things when you want to keep me onside.”
“And you wonder why I don’t dish out compliments that often.”
“Maybe it’s a case of me not being used to you dishing out compliments.”
“What utter tripe, and you know it.” He stormed off in a huff, but when he got to the door, he looked back and winked.
He was a good man. They were terrific together. Rarely ever fell out, which begged the question: why hadn’t she walked down the aisle with him yet? She was aware men like James were few and far between, especially nowadays when most men thought with the dangly bit between their legs. He was different. She just wasn’t ready to take the plunge and go the whole hog yet. He understood—at least she thought he did.
A sudden thought jumped into her mind. Her mother and father were on holiday. They had been gutted to miss the wedding, but they’d had another appointment they couldn’t get out of down in Cornwall and had decided to combine the trip with a few weeks travelling around the county in their campervan. Her mother would have her guts for garters if she didn’t ring her to tell her how the wedding had gone. She rushed inside and picked up the house phone and dialled her mother’s mobile number.
“Hello, Ruth. We were just talking about you. Are you having a wonderful time at the wedding? I bet Geraldine’s dress is a stunner. She has such an eye for fashion that girl, you could learn a lot from her.”
“Gee, thanks, Mum. I have something to tell you. Are you sitting down?”
“Oh my. Whatever is the matter? Wait a minute…are you at home? You sound so serious. Come on, tell me. I’m sitting down now. Has something happened to James? He hasn’t ditched you after all this time, has he? You know what raw emotions a wedding brings to the surface…”
“Mum, if you’ll take a breath and listen for a second, I’ll fill you in. And no, this has nothing to do with James, we’re as solid as granite.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m sorry to have to break this to you while you’re away but”—her mother’s gasp filled the line between them—“although the wedding took place as planned, afterwards tragedy struck.”
“What do you mean? What kind of tragedy? Oh no, Geraldine’s father didn’t have a stroke, did he?”
“No, Mum. Stop jumping to conclusions and listen.”
“I’m listening. Get on with it, then, child.” Her mother’s tone was full of scolding.
“After the wedding and the reception took place, sadly, the groom, Bradley, passed away.”
Her mother screamed. Ruth was too late in holding the phone away from her and shook her head when her inner ear rang uncomfortably.
“You could have warned me you were going to do that, Mum. You nearly deafened me.”
“Nonsense. It would take more than a little squeal from me to do that.”
Ruth might have known her mother, an ex-doctor, would come back with a sharp retort along those lines.
“How did he pass away? Was it because of the stress?”
“No. Unfortunately the police think he was murdered.” Ruth held the phone away from her ear as a precaution this time. Good job, too, as her mother did indeed let out another high-pitched scream.
When she’d calmed down, her voice appeared a little strained. “Murdered? How?”
“Seems someone pushed him from the turret at Carmel Cove Hall. I was one of the first to attend the scene. His neck was broken. Mum, it was awful.” She didn’t know why she had trouble holding back the tears.
“There, there, dear. Oh my, it must have been awful for you. Poor Geraldine, newly married and already a widow. Whatever will she do now?”
“I’ll offer her as much support as she needs, Mum. I won’t leave her high and dry. It’s devastating to think the happiest day of her life has turned into one of the saddest a few hours later.”
“Will you be investigating the crime for her?”
“That’s the plan. I tried to get up to the turret, but the police blocked my path. That Inspector Littlejohn is in charge of the case. You know how much we rub each other up the wrong way.”
“I do. Maybe you should have a word with her, impress upon her how important it is that Geraldine receives the answers to her questions quickly.”
“Fat chance of that happening, Mum, she’s always treated me as a second-class citizen. I reckon she’s going to dig her heels in more on this investigation because I’m personally involved with the victim’s family.”
“You think so? Are you sure about that?”
“That’s my perception. She questioned me at the reception and then warned me to stay out of her way. The trouble is, Geraldine has said that she wants to employ me to find out how Bradley died. I’ve sai
d I would and that I wouldn’t charge her a fee, but I’m not sure how I’m going to find out what I need to know with that woman on the damn case. I’m between a rock and a hard place on this one.”
“Hush now. You’ll figure it all out. I have faith in you, your father has, too. He sends his love by the way. We’re parked up by a beautiful lake at the moment, and he’s out there feeding the ducks with some leftover bread we had from yesterday. We’ve been buying fresh bread daily and fresh cream cakes. I fear I’m going to be the size of our bungalow when I get back.”
Her mother infuriated her at times. She’d always been a slender size eight to ten but had been on a constant diet throughout her whole life. “Mum, you’re on holiday. Enjoy yourself and the food you eat and worry about the consequences when you get home.”
“I will. Sorry, I branched off the subject. Do you want us to come home? We don’t mind in the slightest.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing you can do around here anyway. The investigation will have to run its course. You stay there and have some fun.”
“I’m going to be riddled with guilt if I do that, dear. What about the funeral? We should come home for that.”
“No idea when that is likely to be held as yet. The man died barely a few hours ago. I suppose we’re not likely to know when the funeral will take place until the PM has been carried out. They won’t release his body until then.”
“I suppose you’re right. Give us a ring when you hear anything else. We’ll drop everything and come back to show our respects. Thank heavens his mother and father aren’t still alive. No doubt they’ll be turning in their graves until his murder is solved. You will do your best for them, won’t you, dear? I know you haven’t had the best of relationships with Bradley in the past, but you’ll be able to overcome any prejudices you had against the man, yes?”
“We’ve had a few heated arguments and disagreements in the past, Mum, that’s all. Nothing that I would class as major. Hey, there wasn’t anything underlying in that statement, was there?”
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Would you care to enlighten me?”
“You know damn well what I’m saying. I would never—I could never—cause another human being harm in that way. To think that you’d have the affront to suggest such a thing abhors me, quite frankly.”
“Now wait just a minute. I did not—and I would never—suggest such a thing. Climb down off your high horse, young lady, and think about what you’ve just accused me of.”
Ruth cringed. She was feeling sensitive for a number of reasons right now and had dropped her guard to her mother. “Sorry. Let’s forget either of us said anything.”
“Very well, but I wasn’t casting aspersions, I promise you. I’m hurt that you should think that of me.”
“I’ve already apologised, Mum. It’s been a very long day, and it isn’t over yet. I’m going to hang up now before either of us says something else we might regret. Enjoy the rest of your holiday and send my love to Dad.”
“I will. Ruth, before you go, I might not say this that often, but I do love you, dear. More than you’ve given me credit for over the years.”
“I know, Mum. I love you, too.”
Ruth replaced the phone in its docking station and looked up to see James leaning against the doorframe stuffing his face with a bacon sandwich, ketchup oozing out the side and running down his chin. She laughed. “I’d suggest grabbing a serviette out of the drawer.”
“Oops, I do it every time.” He went back into the kitchen and called out, “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Just mum being mum. Saying one thing and meaning another. One of these days, she’ll think before she opens her mouth.”
“What did she say?” He reappeared in the doorway and tilted his head then took another bite of his doorstep of a sandwich, which consisted of equal quantities of bread and bacon from what she could see.
“Nothing, it’s not worth discussing. I’m going upstairs to get out of my suit, then I think I’ll take Ben out for a walk to clear my head.”
He gulped down the mouthful he was chewing and with puppy-dog eyes said, “Do you want me to join you? I could do with blowing the cobwebs out of my head with a stroll along the coastal path. We haven’t ventured up there together in a while.”
Ruth nodded. “That would be lovely. Give me ten minutes.”
“That’ll give me time to finish this off and get changed myself.”
Fifteen minutes later, they set off in the car along with the super excited Ben who constantly paced the back seat, as far as his safety harness would allow anyway.
They reached the car park, paid the fee and began their brisk walk across the hill and along the coastal path. In total, the path ran along the rugged clifftops for five miles. The route was circular in nature, coming back across the various fields that took them away from the breathtaking views that were always accompanied by a sea breeze, no matter how fine the weather was. It was an ideal evening for stretching one’s legs after the trauma of the day. Neither of them spoke about what had taken place earlier. Instead, they focused on keeping Ben away from the edge, having to put him back on his lead at certain points where the path was narrow and had a severe drop into the sea; however, most of the time he was off-leash, content to stick close beside them. It was a different matter entirely once the route diverted into the fields. There, the little rascal took off once he picked up the scent of a bunny Ruth and James had spotted in the distance.
“His nose never fails him,” Ruth said, smiling at her adorable dog’s antics.
“He’s a little tyke when he puts his mind to it. Stubborn as a mule when you call him back, too, once he’s picked up a scent.”
“They always manage to outrun him, though. Dread to think what he might do to one if he ever came face to face with it.”
“My guess is that he’d run a mile. I think most dogs would. It’s nice to get out together. We should do this more often. We both work too damn hard, especially you.”
“It’s hard. I’m still trying to build the business. It could take years to get established. You knew that when I first set it up.”
He stopped and reached for her, placing her hands in his. “Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t complaining. You have a right to run your own business the way you see fit, Ruth, even if it does encroach on the time we should be spending together.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump, if that’s the way it came across. I don’t know what’s got into me today.”
“Seeing a dead body, the corpse of your best friend’s husband, would be the likely cause of that, love. I understand you’re feeling fragile at the moment. You’ll get over it. So will Geraldine, eventually.”
She squeezed his hands. “I hope she will. I’m not sure I would if anything like that ever happened to you. I’d be devastated beyond words.”
They shared a long kiss, and then he pushed her away from him. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise you’ll never be put in that position.”
“Glad to hear it. I’d be lost without you by my side or sharing my bed with me at night.”
Chapter 5
Ruth woke up the following day when the warmth of the sun slipped through the curtains and touched her face. She stretched—the bed next to her was empty. James was on earlies that week, starting work at six. A sudden feeling of desertion washed over her. She knew she was being silly because he’d be back at three-thirty that afternoon. She stretched the knots out of her body and reprimanded herself. At least James will be home later, unlike Bradley.
Throwing back the quilt, she hoisted herself out of her warm bed and padded barefoot across the carpet and into the compact but beautiful en suite they’d paid to have installed the previous year. She was tempted to run and luxuriate for a while in the claw-footed bath she had sourced. An expert in town had touched up the enamel. She decided against having a soak. Her priority was to visit Geraldine, see what sort of night she’d had.
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nbsp; She opted to take a quick shower in the main bathroom instead and had dried her long red hair and slipped on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt within minutes. Ben must have heard her walking around because he appeared in the doorway, panting eagerly to be let out into the garden or more likely to be taken on a long walk down by the river.
Ruth patted her thighs to beckon him. “Come here, boy.”
He bounded across the six feet between them in seconds and rubbed his head against her leg. She kissed him above the eye. He moaned loudly, the way he always did when she openly showed him any form of affection.
“I’ll have to delay our walk this morning, boy. I need to go and check on Geraldine first. You understand, don’t you?”
He sat in front of her and twisted his head from side to side as she spoke then gave her his paw.
“You’re a sweetheart. I’ll make it up to you later, I promise.”
She ventured downstairs and dropped a piece of granary bread in the toaster and filled the kettle. While she waited for it to boil, she opened the three envelopes she’d picked up from the doormat on her way into the kitchen. The first was a reminder that her car tax was due. The second, a letter seeking a donation for breast cancer that she put aside to make a worthwhile contribution later when she had more time. And the final letter was a handwritten thank-you message from one of her clients. She read the note with a smile pulling at her lips. The woman had literally taken her cheating husband to the cleaners. He was a successful businessman in Bristol and had been cheating on her for years. Thanks to Ruth’s tenacious digging, she’d found out that he’d not only had numerous affairs with a bagful of women but even had a woman tucked up in a flat who he was ‘servicing’ a couple of times a week. The outcome had seen the couple in the divorce courts—her investigation notes had proven pivotal in achieving what the wife needed to bring up their two young kids. The female judge had shown the husband nothing but contempt, and she’d ensured the woman had full time use of the family home, which was a huge mansion in the sticks, until the children were eighteen and had left school. The rest of their funds and possessions were split fifty-fifty, much to the husband’s disgust. He’d shouted in response, sarcastically urging the judge to consider taking the shirt off his back as well.