Death at Burwell Farm

by Betty Rowlands

  He returned with her drink just as a waiter appeared with their sandwiches. When they were settled, Jim said, ‘So, how did it go this morning? Did all the punters show up?’

  ‘Surprisingly, yes. The atmosphere was pretty subdued at first, which was only natural, but—’ Suddenly aware that she was hungry, Sukey broke off to take a hearty bite from her sandwich. When she was free to speak again, she said, ‘Freya was amazingly composed – you really have to hand it to her. She started off with a short, obviously prepared address, beginning with a sort of lament for Xavier’s death followed by an assurance that his spirit was reaching out to each and every one of us from the Unlimited. She ended with an impassioned plea for our support in carrying on his work. It was awesome, mesmerising. I might never achieve the famous Inner Wheel, let alone the Unlimited, but I couldn’t help being affected by it.’ Sukey gave an involuntary giggle. ‘All this talk about wheels makes us sound like a load of hamsters, doesn’t it?’

  Jim responded with a wry smile, then grew serious again. ‘It sounds as if they’d already established a pretty powerful hold over everyone’s mind – yours included.’ He looked at Sukey with a troubled expression in his greenish eyes. ‘I’ve noticed a change in you, Sook, and it bothers me.’

  ‘You don’t have to worry. I’m not spooked, as you call it, although I’m sure what I learned over the past few days has helped me cope. At the same time, I find I’m taking a more philosophical view of things that have troubled me over the years. As for the present, and the future’ – she raised her glass and leaned towards him – ‘as far as you and I are concerned, there’s been no change at all,’ she whispered.

  He put out a hand and gently brushed her cheek with his fingers. ‘That’s a mighty big relief,’ he said huskily. After a moment, he sat back and continued in a more matter-of-fact tone; ‘Well, I suppose we’d better get down to business. Tell me about the rest of the morning. There must have been some changes in the programme – isn’t Friday the day when you’re supposed to get your one-to-one assessments and be shown the therapy department?’

  ‘You mean, the Rejuvenation Suite!’ Sukey corrected him, unconsciously echoing Edith’s air of reproach. ‘Yes, we saw that shortly before we left, after the police had finished checking in there. It’s just a series of small rooms with couches where they do various treatments – they call them by fancy names but I’m pretty sure they’re things like aromatherapy or reflexology dressed up to make them appear different. The set-up is very much like a natural healing centre I once had to attend in Gloucester after a break-in.’

  ‘What about the interviews? I suppose Freya did those?’

  ‘I had mine with Serena. She explained that normally I’d have seen Freya or Xavier and that she’d stepped into the breach because of the tragedy, but if I wanted to discuss anything “deeply personal” as she put it, she’d arrange for me to speak to Freya. I can’t answer for what she said to the others, but as far as I was concerned it wasn’t so much a chat as an opportunity to ‘assess my progress towards the Inner Wheel’, bearing in mind that I wasn’t one of the enlightened souls who claimed to have already reached it.’

  ‘And what did you say to that?’

  ‘I said – quite sincerely – that I felt I’d derived considerable benefit from their teaching and went on to express my condolences, said how much I admired Freya’s courage and wished them well for the future. She thanked me and that was more or less it.’

  ‘No sales talk about signing on for a further course?’

  ‘No. Come to think of it, that’s a little surprising,’ Sukey added after a moment’s thought. ‘You may recall my saying I had the impression at first that Xavier was the true believer, as it were, and that Freya and Serena were in it solely for the money. Maybe I was doing them an injustice.’

  ‘Maybe. Anyway, it’s your impressions that I’m after now. You’re in the unique position of having been able to observe everyone’s reactions from the time the body was discovered.’ Jim sat back and renewed his attack on his sandwiches. ‘Take your time.’

  Sukey glanced at her watch. ‘I haven’t got all that much time. I’m supposed to start work at two.’

  ‘It’s all right, I’ve told George Barnes you’re likely to be late. Mandy’s mother’s out of danger so she’s back.’

  ‘That’s good.’ Sukey finished her own sandwiches, picked at the side salad and took a few mouthfuls from her glass of cordial. ‘Reactions,’ she said reflectively. ‘Well, Freya went to pieces completely, which was only natural. Serena had left earlier through the alcove at the back of the meeting room where the cast make their entrances and the next time I saw her she was in the courtyard with Freya. The others sat sort of mesmerised. Then one of the men who gave his name as Dan Foster said something about going to investigate.’

  ‘And I noted from the statement you gave Radcliffe that you said everyone was to wait there while you went to see what was going on. How did they take that?’

  ‘Foster was a bit stroppy at first. No one else objected at the time and as soon as I showed my ID his attitude changed and he offered to come with me.’

  ‘And you asked him to stay and keep an eye on the other four. How did he react then?’

  ‘He seemed quite chuffed at the suggestion, as if he welcomed the chance to show off his leadership qualities.’

  ‘And the others?’

  Sukey contemplated her glass, trying to recreate the scene in her mind’s eye. ‘Pretty much as you’d expect, I suppose. I mean, they all looked shocked and apprehensive. Jennifer particularly so,’ she went on, as a flash of memory recalled the closed eyes and the clenched hands, followed by the look of sheer terror. ‘Then the other lady broke down and started wailing about losing her grip on the Inner Wheel and Jennifer went over to comfort her. That was when I had the idea of asking Foster to stay and keep an eye on everyone. He rose to the bait immediately. You know,’ Sukey went on reflectively, ‘I have my doubts about him.’

  Jim raised an eyebrow. ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘I think it’s because he reacted so quickly when we heard Freya yelling. The others sat there looking gobsmacked for several seconds as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but he was on his feet straight away.’

  ‘So were you.’

  ‘Yes, but I’ve had police training.’

  ‘You’re implying that Foster wasn’t quite so carried away as the rest of them?’

  ‘I’d say not, although’ – once again, a flash of memory – ‘he was one of the two who claimed to be approaching the Inner Wheel; I remember seeing him put a hand up when Freya asked. In the light of what happened next, I’m seriously wondering whether that was genuine. It might be worth a bit of probing into his real motive for being there.’

  ‘I’ll pass that on to Radcliffe. Anything else you recall that might be significant?’

  ‘Well, Loveridge certainly kicked up a great fuss about having to stay put until the police arrived – carried on about having a business to attend to, even though he’d have been there till midday if things had been normal.’

  ‘And the others?’

  ‘The man who was the first to say he’d reached the Inner Wheel – I’ve no clear impression of him…’

  ‘Let’s call him the Hamster,’ Jim suggested slyly.

  ‘Yes, why not? Well, as far as I remember he stayed in his seat with his eyes shut the whole time. The weepy lady had calmed down and was sitting there beside him.’

  ‘What about Jennifer?’

  ‘She was looking at Loveridge as if she couldn’t believe her ears. She seemed really shocked at the way he was going on. No,’ Sukey said after a moment’s thought. ‘Not so much shocked as terrified. Up to that point, she’d kept her cool pretty well, all things considered.’

  ‘That could be a kind of delayed shock, but I’ll mention it anyway.’

  ‘Then there’s Jarvis, of course – the gardener. I’m surprised you haven’t asked about him
. He got very stroppy about being made to stay with the others.’

  ‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ said Jim with a chuckle.

  Sukey eyed him suspiciously. ‘You’ve been holding out on me,’ she accused him. ‘What’s Jarvis been up to?’

  ‘There’s quite a large greenhouse tucked away behind the Rejuvenation Suite. He uses it to raise plants for the garden and the house. He’s also raising a very healthy crop of cannabis – far too much for his own use. We suspect he’s been supplying quite a sizeable clientele.’

  ‘And I suppose his first thought was to try and hide his merchandise before the police began poking around.’

  ‘It seems likely.’

  ‘Do you reckon Xavier found out and threatened to shop him, or burn his plants or something?’

  ‘That’s one possibility we’re considering. You probably recall mentioning in your statement that he didn’t turn up to ask what the fuss was about until several minutes after Freya began screaming. What does that suggest to you?’

  Sukey thought for a moment. ‘That he already knew Xavier was dead?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  Twenty

  Sukey?’ Jennifer’s voice sounded thin, nervous. ‘I’m sorry to be calling you so late. I spoke to your son earlier and he told me it would be all right.’

  ‘No problem – I’ve only just got in. How are you feeling? I was hoping to have a word with you before you went home today, but by the time I’d finished talking to Serena you’d left.’

  ‘I couldn’t get away fast enough after what happened yesterday. Such a terrible thing to happen… I just wanted to say… that is… I thought it was splendid the way you coped.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘And to thank you for agreeing to come with me. You must think me an awful fool to have got so worked up, imagining all that nonsense about blackmail, but at the time I—’ Jennifer broke off with a faint, humourless laugh.

  ‘There’s no need to apologise. Until the tragedy, I was finding it a most enlightening experience, something I wouldn’t have missed for the world.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really. It seemed to be doing you some good as well. I thought you seemed much more at peace with yourself until—’

  ‘Oh, I was, I am. Much more at peace.’ Jennifer broke in with another high-pitched laugh that did not sound quite natural. ‘Or at least I was until that dreadful attack on poor Xavier – I can’t imagine who would want to kill a kind, gentle soul like him. Just the same, I’m sure his teaching is helping me… will help us all get over the trauma much more quickly. And I’m quite convinced now,’ she hurried on, ‘that no one at RYCE had anything to do with my husband’s death. Just the same, I don’t think I’ll be taking up Serena’s offer. I couldn’t bear to go there again. I didn’t really want to go this morning, but he said, that is, I…’

  ‘Who said what?’ asked Sukey, after Jennifer failed to continue after an interval of several seconds.

  ‘Why, Xavier, of course.’ There was another feeble attempt at a laugh. ‘That might sound crazy,’ Jennifer buried on, ‘but I’m sure you’ll understand. Do you know, I really felt he was calling me from the Unlimited, like Freya said. Didn’t you feel that too?’

  Had she been strictly truthful, Sukey would have admitted to feeling nothing of the kind, but having no intention of being sidetracked into a discussion of metaphysics she said, ‘I suppose I did, in a way.’ Either Jennifer’s mind had been seriously disturbed, or she was hiding something. Suspecting from her manner that the latter explanation was the more likely, Sukey determined to glean as much information as possible. ‘This offer from Serena you spoke about a moment ago,’ she said. ‘What was that?’

  ‘She said if I ring the office one day next week Josie will arrange for me to have a free treatment. Didn’t she say that to you?’

  ‘No, she didn’t.’

  ‘How strange. I’m sure it was an oversight. It’s not surprising, really. The poor girl must still be in a state of shock, even more than the rest of us.’

  ‘I expect that’s the reason,’ said Sukey mechanically while mentally searching for a possible alternative explanation.

  ‘She’ll probably get Josie to call you when she realises. Will you accept?’

  ‘I might.’

  There was another silence. Sukey was trying to think of a polite way of ending the call when Jennifer said, ‘Do you know if the police have any idea yet who killed Xavier?’

  ‘Not really. I don’t know much more than what they say in their official statements.’

  ‘But I thought… I mean, you work for them.’

  ‘Yes, but in this case I’m only a witness. I’m not involved in the actual investigation.’

  ‘Oh, I see. I hope you didn’t mind me asking.’

  ‘No, of course not. Take care, and don’t hesitate to call me if you want a chat.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Jennifer’s voice had fallen to a whisper. ‘Goodbye.’

  Sukey frowned as she replaced the handset, asking herself if she had imagined the artificial quality in the apparently casual question about the progress of the police inquiry.

  ‘Was that Jennifer?’ Fergus, who had been watching a football match on the television, entered the kitchen and went straight to the sink to fill the kettle.

  ‘It was.’

  ‘She phoned earlier. She sounded pretty uptight – what did she want?’

  ‘The excuse was to give me a pat on the back for the way I handled the situation after the murder and to thank me for agreeing to go with her.’

  ‘Why do you call it an excuse?’

  ‘I think the real reason was to pump me over the police investigation. She sounded disappointed when I explained I wasn’t part of it and couldn’t tell her more than had already been made public, yet earlier she’d been at great pains to say that she was sure her suspicions about blackmail were unfounded.’

  ‘So why the questions?’

  ‘Exactly. She also referred to a mysterious “he” who I gather insisted that she went along to this morning’s session even though she didn’t really want to. She broke off at that point as if she realised she’d slipped up, and then tried to turn it into a reference to Xavier calling from the Unlimited.’

  Fergus, busy with the tea-things, cocked an eyebrow. ‘Did you tell her to pull the other one?’

  ‘I was tempted, but I thought it best to let her think I’d swallowed it. She could be in quite a delicate mental state or—’

  ‘Or she was on a fishing expedition,’ Fergus remarked shrewdly. ‘Any idea who “he” might really be?’

  ‘Possibly.’ He eyed her expectantly, but she shook her head. ‘My ideas are pretty nebulous at the moment. I need to think. Tomorrow, perhaps, when I’m less tired.’

  ‘By the way, I forgot to mention – Jim phoned earlier to say he’s probably going to be tied up most of tomorrow and he’ll give you a call as soon as he has a spare moment.’

  ‘Thanks. What are your plans for the weekend, by the way?’

  ‘I’m going to watch Anita play tennis tomorrow afternoon. She’s reached the final of her club tournament.’

  ‘Good for her – wish her luck from me.’

  Fergus glanced up in the act of pouring out the tea. ‘Perhaps you’d like to come along as well, as you won’t be seeing Jim,’ he suggested.

  ‘That sounds like a nice idea, I might just do that. Thanks, love,’ she added with a grateful smile as she took the cup he handed her. ‘Just what I needed. Do you fancy a pizza for supper? There’s one in the freezer.’

  ‘Sounds fine. With chips and salad?’

  ‘Sure. There’s some apple pie left from yesterday. We could have that with ice cream.’

  There was no further reference to the murder of Percy Burrell that evening, but several unresolved questions were buzzing away in Sukey’s head and she made several notes before settling down for a much-needed night’s sleep.

  Early on Saturday morning
Sukey called Jim in the hope of catching him before he left home. There was no reply, so she tried police headquarters in Gloucester. On being told he was in the building but unavailable, she asked to be put through to DS Radcliffe. He greeted her request with some surprise, appeared doubtful that Serena’s ‘oversight’ had any particular significance, but agreed to check with the other witnesses. ‘It’ll take a while to get through all the follow-up interviews, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can,’ he promised. She was about to go on to refer to Jennifer’s reference to an unidentified ‘he’, but as he indicated politely but firmly that he was pressed for time she thanked him, put down the phone and turned her attention to breakfast.

  The day was fine and warm with a light breeze, ideal for tennis. Anita won her match amid ecstatic applause from her friends and parents, who invited Fergus and Sukey to join the celebratory barbecue in the evening. Fergus accepted immediately, but Sukey declined on the pretext of having domestic chores to attend to. After congratulating Anita and admiring the trophy, she said her goodbyes and was on her way back to her car when she felt a touch on her arm. Turning, she came face to face with Adrian Masters.

  ‘You won’t forget your promise, will you?’ he said in a low voice. ‘About Vera,’ he went on, glancing over his shoulder as if suspecting an eavesdropper although there was no one within sight. ‘I’m sorry to keep banging on about it, but worrying about the poor old dear is keeping me awake at night. I daren’t mention it to Cath again, she’d hit the roof,’ he added with a rueful half-smile, ‘It’s just that the thought of her dying alone in her car like that haunts me. I can’t rest until I know the whole story.’

  Seeing the signs of strain round his eyes, Sukey was tempted to drop a hint that she might have the germ of an idea, but swiftly decided against it. To raise his hopes over something that might turn out to have no connection whatsoever with Vera’s death seemed pointless at this stage. So she repeated her undertaking to remain on the alert and to let him know immediately if anything relevant emerged during the police inquiry, and then thankfully made her escape.