Death at Burwell Farm

by Betty Rowlands

  ‘Vera? What about her?’

  ‘She died very suddenly last Wednesday. Hadn’t you heard?’

  ‘No, we hadn’t.’ There appeared to be nothing simulated about Serena’s look of concern. ‘How dreadful – what happened?’

  ‘She had a heart attack. Her body was found in her car a few miles from here. Her family had no idea there was anything wrong with her and they think she might have had some kind of shock or upsetting experience that brought it on. From an entry in her diary it looks as if she was due here that day.’

  ‘Last Wednesday.’ Serena thought for a moment. ‘I’m not sure, I’d have to get Josie to check. I’m so sorry, she was a lovely lady and she was making splendid progress with us.’

  ‘Yes, I understand she was always very enthusiastic about RYCE and the happiness she found here.’ Sukey hesitated for a moment before saying casually, ‘I don’t suppose you or anyone else noticed anything unusual about her manner – or whether anything happened while she was here to trouble or upset her?’

  ‘I don’t think I spoke to her that day. I think it’s unlikely – everything that we do is quite the reverse of distressing. It’s all conducive to peace and tranquillity.’

  ‘The reason I’m asking is that last time I came, Jarvis happened to say he’d seen a lady who seemed a little agitated coming out of your “Rejuvenation” department. He only mentioned it in passing because he said it was so unusual to see anyone here looking anything but happy and peaceful.’

  Sukey had the impression that Serena was not altogether comfortable at the direction the conversation was taking. ‘We can’t be held responsible for any of our initiates’ health problems that we haven’t been told about,’ she said with a frown. ‘One thing I’m quite sure of is that none of the techniques we practise carries any risk of over-exertion.’ She paused for a moment, frowning. Then she said, ‘I’m really sorry about Vera, but I’m sure Freya or Xavier would have mentioned if she’d seemed in the least unwell while she was here. Our leaders,’ she explained in response to Sukey’s questioning look. ‘They direct all the stages of the initiates’ search for the Unlimited.’ A touch of reverence endowed the final words with a hint of mystery.

  ‘I’m sure you’re right. I believe,’ Sukey added, and this time she made a point of looking directly at Serena, ‘that she was quite upset about what happened to another of your initiates, Oliver Drew.’

  Serena drew her breath in sharply. Her expression became guarded and she hesitated before saying, in a noticeably altered tone, ‘His suicide, you mean? Yes, it was a great shock when we read about it in the paper.’ She gave a sigh that had a hint of the theatrical. ‘I’m afraid Oliver was one of our few failures. It occasionally happens that a person’s problems are so deep-rooted that even with our help they can never achieve the Unlimited.’

  ‘Vera said he’d been doing so well, but she happened to meet him shortly before he died and said he seemed very down – quite disturbed, in fact.’

  ‘Did she say why?’ A hint of anxiety lurked in the dark, glittering eyes.

  ‘Not that I know of, but I didn’t know her personally – her family are friends of my son. I could ask, if you like. It might help your leaders in dealing with initiates who have similar problems.’

  ‘Please do. I’m sure any information you can give us would be a great help. Now, if you’ll excuse me…’ Once more Serena’s hand strayed towards the telephone; there was no mistaking her wish to end the conversation.

  Sukey made a point of taking the hint. ‘Of course. I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your time. As a matter of fact,’ she added as if the thought had only just occurred to her, ‘I’m really impressed with this place. I might consider enrolling for a few sessions myself – I’m finding life pretty stressful at the moment.’

  ‘You will be very welcome and I can promise you untold benefits. We shall look forward to receiving your application.’ A certain lack of spontaneity in both the utterance and the smile that accompanied them suggested that it was a form of words learned by heart and used on many such occasions.

  Nevertheless, as Sukey said goodbye, she had the feeling that she had handled that rather well. She might, however, have felt a shade less confident had she seen the calculating expression in Serena’s eyes as she watched her return to her car and drive away, or been party to the thoughts running through that colourful young woman’s head.

  Eleven

  ‘I knew it! I told you there was something dodgy about that place, didn’t I, Cath?’

  ‘Yes, dear, several times.’ The gently indulgent tone in which Cath Masters responded to her husband’s question, and her resigned half-smile as she handed Sukey a cup of coffee and offered a plate of chocolate biscuits, indicated that she was still not prepared to treat the situation as seriously as he did.

  Adrian turned back to Sukey. His features, highly coloured and on the fleshy side, registered a mixture of triumph and determination as he said, ‘You agree, don’t you, that they need investigating?’

  ‘I’m inclined to think there’s something going on there that they’d rather people didn’t know about,’ Sukey replied cautiously, but it doesn’t have to be anything criminal. It’s possible that some of their practices might be challenged by the medical profession and bring bad publicity if they became generally known.’

  ‘But from what you said about the way this woman Serena reacted—’

  ‘Her shock and sadness when I told her of Vera’s death struck me as absolutely genuine. The fact that she seemed a little put out when I mentioned what the gardener said could simply have been because she didn’t like the idea of him gossiping to strangers.’ A pang of guilt struck her. ‘I hope I haven’t got him into trouble.’

  ‘Never mind the gardener,’ said Adrian. He took a gulp from his coffee cup and waved aside Cath’s offer of a biscuit. ‘I’m convinced that something sinister goes on in that building – the one they call Rehabilitation – and I believe it upset Vera so much that it brought on her heart attack.’

  ‘Rejuvenation,’ Sukey corrected. She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t see that there are any grounds for making that assumption. All Jarvis said is that he saw her coming out looking what he called “put out”, but it doesn’t mean that anything untoward happened in there. It could have been simply the onset of her illness that was affecting her.’

  Adrian glowered, but decided to abandon that line of argument for the time being. He drained his cup, declined Cath’s offer of a refill and demanded, ‘What about the other chap – the one called Ollie that she wrote about in her diary? It’s obvious those people had done something to turn him against them. And if they’ve got nothing to hide, why do you suppose Serena got so jumpy when you spoke about him?’

  ‘It’s true she reacted much more strongly then, but it doesn’t prove that RYCE was in any way involved in his death. As I said before, it could be that they’re particularly sensitive on the subject of publicity. Oliver Drew obviously felt he had some sort of grievance against them, but his problem was of a very intimate nature and the emotional effect—’ Sukey broke off, flushing in embarrassment; it was the first time she had admitted to the Masters that she had some idea of what lay behind Drew’s suicide.

  Adrian pounced. ‘You’ve been holding out on me!’ he accused her. ‘You never said you knew who Ollie was.’

  ‘That’s because I wasn’t sure at first that it was the same man.’

  Adrian’s naturally high colour deepened. ‘The same man as who?’ he demanded. ‘What’s been going on that you haven’t told me about?’

  ‘Do let Sukey tell us the story in her own way,’ Cath interposed. ‘You’ll put her off if you keep interrupting.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Adrian made an impatient gesture. ‘Carry on, Sukey, I’m listening.’

  ‘When you told me what Vera had written, the name rang a bell. Perhaps you didn’t see the report in the local paper—’

  ‘Never read the local
rag – takes me all my time to—’ Catching his wife’s steely look of reproof he gave an apologetic grin and left the sentence unfinished.

  ‘A man called Oliver Drew committed suicide a week or so ago by gassing himself in his car,’ Sukey explained. ‘By chance, his house had been burgled the night before his body was found and I was checking it out when the police called to break the news to his widow.’ Cath and Adrian listened in growing amazement as, without mentioning the attempts to enlist her active cooperation, Sukey recounted how Jennifer had confided the history of matrimonial problems that had led to her late husband’s association with RYCE, culminating in her wild assertion that someone there was directly responsible for his death and her determination to prove it. ‘As you can see,’ she finished, ‘her suspicions are based on one very flimsy piece of circumstantial evidence.’

  ‘You mean the money he drew out without telling her? That surely suggests he was in some kind of trouble.’

  ‘Not necessarily, and in any case not the kind you’re thinking of. There could have been any number of reasons why he wanted that amount of cash. The Drews collected antiques, which is why they were targeted by burglars. Maybe someone wanted cash for an item he fancied – a surprise present for his wife, for example. Or he could have incurred a gambling debt. He might even have been into drugs – we simply don’t know.’

  ‘So how do you account for the way he spoke to Vera the minute she mentioned RYCE?’

  ‘Bearing in mind the very sensitive and personal nature of his problem, it could have been acute disappointment at realising that the improvement was only temporary and he’d shelled out quite a lot of money to no purpose,’ Sukey suggested. ‘There’s no proof that the money was to pay off a blackmailer, and even if it was, there’s nothing whatsoever to suggest the blackmailer was anyone at RYCE.’ To her surprise, she found herself playing the devil’s advocate. Jim’s arguments were lining up in her head in opposition to her instinctive feeling that Adrian was right and there was something to be investigated. She was being pulled in two directions; the decision could go either way.

  Adrian must have read her doubts. ‘Are you saying you won’t give me any more help, then?’ he demanded.

  ‘I didn’t say that. It’s just that there’s so little to go on.’

  ‘If it’s a question of money, I’ve already made it clear I’ll pay all your expenses.’

  Sukey shook her head with a smile. ‘It’s nothing to do with money – although, if I wasn’t such a shiningly honest person, I could make quite a tidy sum out of this adventure.’ Adrian’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment as she told him about Jennifer Drew’s offer. ‘She’s being even more pressing than you are.’

  Cath spoke for the first time in several minutes. ‘That girl shouldn’t be allowed out alone,’ she declared. ‘She sounds thoroughly unbalanced to me.’

  ‘She’s obsessed with the notion that something that happened at RYCE caused her husband to commit suicide,’ said Sukey.

  ‘Having failed to convince the police that there’s any reason to investigate, she’s determined to do it herself. How she plans to go about it – apart from getting inside the place by enrolling as a potential “initiate” – I’ve absolutely no idea and I’m not sure she has either.’

  ‘From what you tell me, she’s hardly the temperament to carry it off,’ said Adrian. ‘Her cover would probably be blown in the first half hour.’

  ‘That’s been worrying me,’ Sukey agreed. ‘I have to admit, I’m not happy about the thought of her poking around there on her own. She won’t have a clue what to look for or how to set about finding it, and if they do have anything to hide, she could find herself in serious trouble.’

  ‘Then she needs a minder,’ Adrian said firmly. ‘Tell you what,’ he added with a flash of inspiration that for the first time brought a smile to his face. ‘I don’t know the lady, but I’ll pay you to take on the job.’

  ‘I’ve already explained—’ Sukey began, but he waved the objection aside.

  ‘No problem – let Jennifer pay your fees. I’ll chip in with the same amount to watch her back and keep your own eyes open. Is it a deal?’

  The temptation was almost overwhelming and Sukey felt her misgivings melting away. Just in time, she stopped short of committing herself on the spot. ‘Police employees aren’t supposed to do any moonlighting,’ she protested, but without conviction.

  ‘Who’s to know about it?’

  ‘I’ve already told Jim about Jennifer’s offer—’

  ‘She’s not paying you, she’s simply covering your expenses. My contribution’s strictly between you and me.’

  ‘I’ll think it over,’ Sukey promised. ‘No, please don’t ask me to decide now,’ she added as he opened his mouth with the evident intention of pressing for an acceptance of his offer on the spot. A thought occurred to her. ‘Just how far back in Vera’s diary did you go, by the way?’

  ‘Not very far – as I told you, I was looking for any recent reference to her feeling unwell. Then I came across the entry about her chance meeting with Ollie and it set my mind going in a different direction altogether. That was when I phoned you.’

  ‘He immediately put two and two together and made half a dozen,’ said Cath. ‘He’s known as “Bull-at-a-gate Masters” at the golf club,’ she added with an ironic twist of her mouth.

  ‘Would you mind if I borrowed it?’ Sukey asked. ‘She may have made earlier references to RYCE that could come in useful when… that is if—’ she hurriedly corrected herself.

  ‘Of course you can – it’s in my study, I’ll go and fetch it.’ Adrian hurried from the room and the house echoed to the sound of his footsteps as he went bounding upstairs.

  The minute the door closed behind him, Cath said earnestly, ‘I do hope you’ll agree to do what he asks. It’s not that I go along with all his wild assumptions,’ she went on before Sukey had a chance to speak. ‘It’s just that he’ll give us no peace until it’s been settled one way or the other. You see,’ she lowered her voice as a door slammed above their heads, ‘he’s been to see Vera’s solicitor and she did leave some money to the RYCE Foundation… not a fortune, but enough to fuel his suspicions. He doesn’t want that generally known, so please don’t let on that I’ve told you.’

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘Here we are,’ said Adrian as he re-entered the room with a leather-bound book in his hand. ‘It’s one of those five-year jobs and she began it getting on for four years ago. I never thought to look any further back…’ His expression was sheepish as he handed the diary to Sukey; glancing across at Cath she caught her mouthing the word ‘typical’ but managed to keep a straight face.

  ‘I’ll take great care of it.’ Sukey stood up and said politely, ‘Thank you for the coffee. I have to go now and get ready to start my shift. I’ll speak to you later.’

  When she returned home she found Anita’s bicycle propped against the garage door. Fergus and Anita were seated at the table in the kitchen surrounded by prospectuses from half a dozen universities. ‘Anita’s trying to decide what uni to apply to,’ Fergus explained. ‘She’s hoping for straight As, so she can go pretty well anywhere she likes,’ he added proudly with a fond glance at the girl, who responded with a shy smile. She was fair-haired like her father, but she had inherited her mother’s slender build and finely chiselled features.

  ‘You’re going to read modern languages, aren’t you?’ Sukey picked up one of the prospectuses and began flipping over the pages. ‘’Have you any preference?’

  ‘Oxford would be my first choice, but competition’s pretty keen, so I haven’t decided yet.’

  ‘My father used to say, “Always aim a little higher than you expect to reach and you stand a better chance of achieving your goal,”’ said Sukey. ‘My advice would be, make what you really want your first choice.’

  ‘That’s what my dad keeps telling me.’ Anita glanced at her watch and began clearing the table. ‘I’d better be going. Fe
rgus says you’re on at two o’clock so you’ll be wanting to get lunch.’

  ‘Would you like to stay and have something with us?’

  ‘No thank you, I promised Mum I’d go shopping with her this afternoon.’

  Fergus leapt to his feet. ‘I’ll get out my bike and ride home with you,’ he said with the air of youthful gallantry that his mother found so endearing.

  When he returned twenty minutes later he said eagerly, ‘Well, how did it go? I didn’t tell Anita where you’d been, by the way, that’s why I didn’t ask before.’

  ‘That was very discreet, but her parents are almost certain to tell her.’

  Sukey opened the refrigerator and began taking out cheese, ham and various salad items. She gave him a brief run-down of the way the conversation had gone, including Adrian’s offer of payment, ending with, ‘I said I’d let him know.’

  ‘But you will do it, won’t you, Mum? It sounds really cool.’

  ‘I’m not sure that “cool” is the word I’d have chosen, but… yes, I think I will, as much for Jennifer’s sake as anything.’

  ‘Brilliant!’ said Fergus enthusiastically. Then his expression of delight changed to one of consternation. ‘What about Jim – are you going to tell him?’

  ‘I think I’ll have to – except for the bit about Adrian’s offer to contribute. He’s not going to like it, but I don’t want him to find out from anyone else. In any case, you never know what dark secrets I might uncover. I might even need police back-up.’ The remark was not intended to be taken seriously, but Fergus reacted with alarm.

  ‘Are you saying you think there might be danger?’ he asked.

  ‘No, of course not, I was only kidding. Whatever they’re up to, even if it’s something with a whiff of the unethical, it’s hardly likely to lead to murder or mayhem. To be honest,’ Sukey continued as she went to the sink and began washing lettuce, ‘There are two reasons for agreeing; one is to keep an eye on Jennifer and the other is curiosity. I’m dying to find out what goes on during these “touchy-feely” sessions, as you called them.’