by K E O'Connor
The woman’s eyes narrowed. She was pretty in a pale and interesting way. Her pale skin was framed by messy red hair. “I’m Emma Temple. I’m looking for Will. He’s not with the horses, and I wondered if he was sneaking a cup of tea.”
I shook my head. “He’s not here. How do you know Will?”
She ignored my question. “I need to talk to him. Where do you think he’ll be?”
“I have no idea. Are you his girlfriend?”
“No. My boyfriend introduced us.”
“Does he also work here?” Helen peered over my shoulder.
Emma eyed her suspiciously. “He used to. He died.”
“You were dating Johnny?” I asked.
Emma’s lips pursed. “How do you know Johnny?”
“I don’t,” I said. “I only know what I’ve been told since I started work here. Why don’t you come inside? You can wait for Will. We’re having dinner if you’d like to join us.”
Emma looked over her shoulder. “I have to see Will.”
“Wait with us,” said Helen. “He’ll be around somewhere. He turned up yesterday evening when we were eating. Maybe he’ll come back again.”
Emma sniffed. “He does love his food. He had that in common with Johnny.”
I stood back and opened the door wider.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Emma stepped inside. “I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea.”
“One cup of tea coming right up.” Helen made the tea, and the three of us sat around the kitchen table.
“I was sorry to hear about what happened to your boyfriend,” I said.
Emma studied the wood grain on the table. “As was I.”
“Had you been dating long?” asked Helen.
“About a year.”
“It’s so sad,” said Helen. “You must miss him.”
“I do.”
“At least you can talk to Will,” I said. “He said he was close to Johnny. You can share memories with him.”
Emma shrugged. “Not really. And the family doesn’t like talking about Johnny. It’s as if they’re embarrassed about what happened. They don’t want their good name sullied.”
“No one will think less of the Ponsonbys because of what happened. Accidents occur anywhere,” I said. “It couldn’t be helped.”
“That’s just it. It wasn’t an accident.”
I exchanged a startled glance with Helen. “What makes you think that?”
“Because Johnny’s not that stupid,” said Emma. “He wouldn’t have simply fallen.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to,” said Helen. “He could have underestimated how strong the wind was or slipped on a damp patch on the roof.”
Emma shrugged again. “Doubtful. How long have you both worked here? I’ve not seen you before.”
“This is our first day,” I said.
“Then you don’t know the family.”
“They seem decent.”
“They like to keep their secrets close.”
“What sort of secrets?” asked Helen.
Emma glanced around the kitchen. “These rich families are all the same. They don’t like anyone to question what they’re doing.”
“What are they doing that you don’t agree with?” I asked.
Emma shifted in her seat. “They don’t let outsiders in.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean, Johnny was becoming a problem, and they did something about it.”
“What problem was he causing?”
Emma’s gaze slid to the side. “I’m not sure. He told me he was worried about his job. He thought he might get fired.”
“Everyone speaks fondly of him,” said Helen. “What did Johnny do that was so wrong?”
“I have no idea. He’d begun shutting me out before he died and stopped telling me what was going on. I was worried. I tried to get him to talk to me, but it was no good. It was as if he didn’t want me in his life anymore. We used to share everything. Then he got this stupid job, and it all changed.”
“Do you think there was somebody else?” My thoughts went to the comment Tilly had made. She said Johnny was a ladies man. Maybe there was more to that idea than I’d first realized.
“There’d better not have been,” snapped Emma. “He was my boyfriend.”
“You were having problems, though?” asked Helen. “If he’d stopped talking to you, that suggests something was wrong.”
“No. Well, nothing serious. He was being a typical man, refusing to open up. There was something on his mind, but he refused to share what it was.”
Helen sighed. “I know all about that. My Gunner is terrible at talking about his feelings. I have to force them out of him and bribe him with cookies to get him to tell me what’s on his mind. That’s men for you.”
“Johnny wasn’t always like that,” said Emma. “He was normally great. We could chat for hours about things. But a couple of months before he died, he changed. It was as if he had a problem but didn’t know how to talk about it. Whenever I asked him, he’d brush me off and tell me I was being ridiculous. But when you know someone, you know when something is wrong. I just wished I’d found out what it was before he died. Maybe he’d still be alive if I’d kept nagging him.”
“From the way you’re talking, it sounds as if you don’t think Johnny’s death was an accident,” I said.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense to me,” said Emma. “He was young, fit, and strong. There’s no way a puff of wind would have knocked him over the edge of the turret.”
“Who would want your boyfriend dead?” asked Helen.
“I’ve got a few ideas,” said Emma. “It’s tricky for me to be around here, though. The family hates me. Charlotte told me not to come here again after she caught me asking Will questions. She said I was trying to ruin the family’s name. I don’t give a fig about this family. All I want to know is what happened to Johnny.”
“Didn’t the police rule it an accident?” I asked.
“They did. They said there was no evidence to suggest anything bad happened. It was dark, the weather wasn’t great, and Johnny had alcohol in his system. That was all the information they needed. They closed the case.”
“Is Will helping you get answers?” I asked. “Is that why you’re here to see him?”
“I’m trying to get him on my side. Johnny and Will were good friends. But he won’t listen to me. He keeps telling me to leave it alone. Will said it’s none of my business. He’s almost as bad as the family.”
“Maybe he’s worried about keeping his job,” said Helen. “Will might not want to cause trouble.”
“If that’s the case, he is a coward.” Emma drained her mug and slammed it down. “Johnny was his friend. He should stick up for him. Will must want to know the truth as much as I do.”
Helen glanced at me. “I’m sure he does.”
Emma pushed back her chair. “I’m going to find Will. I’ll make him see sense.”
“Stay! Have more tea,” I said. Emma’s argument intrigued me. And having seen Johnny on the turret and then hovering around looking so miserable, I had to assume there was something to what she said. But if it was true, and Johnny was pushed off the turret, I’d have to include Emma on the list of suspects. She had manic, possessive girlfriend written all over her.
“No, I’m wasting my time.” Emma stomped to the kitchen door and walked out.
“She was... nice,” said Helen. “A bit intense.”
I poked at my dinner with a fork. “She was, but I think she’s onto something. When I saw Johnny, he wasn’t happy.”
“Because he died in his prime, leaving behind all the local ladies pining for him?”
“Or because he was shoved off the turret and murdered.”
“You believe the crazy girlfriend and her theory?”
“It’s not just that. We need to look into his death more closely.”
“If anyone pushed Johnny off the turret, it was Emma. She’s got that bunny boiler
vibe.” Helen pointed to my plate. “Ready for more food?”
Chapter 6
After my conversation with Emma the previous evening, my curiosity was working on overdrive. I needed to do more digging about Johnny and find out what people really thought about him. I decided to start with his best friend, Will.
I finished cataloging the silver from the cabinet I was working on, grabbed a bag of carrots from the kitchen, and headed to the stables. With a bit of luck, I’d find Will there.
When I’d met him the other night, he’d been friendly. Hopefully, he’d open up and tell me what he knew about Johnny and Emma. She’d been prickly and defensive, but I could tell she was worried about what happened.
I’d thought there was more to Johnny’s death than a tragic accident. I should see Emma as an ally, as well as a suspect.
Just before I turned the corner to the stable yard, I slowed. I could hear two people arguing.
I poked my head around the corner. It was Emma and Will, standing almost toe to toe. Emma’s cheeks were bright pink as she jabbed a finger against Will’s chest. He didn’t look happy about it, a scowl on his face as he was prodded.
I caught hold of Flipper’s collar, so he wouldn’t give the game away that we were eavesdropping, and listened in to their conversation.
“You’ve got no business being here, Em,” said Will. “Leave it alone. You’re making things worse.”
“For you,” snapped Emma. “Johnny was your friend. Why aren’t you sticking up for him?”
“Because there’s no need to. He’s dead. We can’t do anything to bring him back.”
“He was killed.”
“You don’t know that. You assumed something bad happened because you weren’t talking to him.”
“More like he wasn’t talking to me. You know what was wrong. Why don’t you tell me?”
I eased the bag of carrots to the ground and continued to listen.
“It’s all in the past. You can’t do anything to change things now,” said Will.
“What do you know?” Emma’s tone was both pleading and angry.
I glanced around the corner and saw Will throw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Nothing that will do you any good. You need to get out of here before Charlotte or Ralph spot you. You know you can’t come around here anymore.”
“You’re on first name terms with the Countess and the Earl now? That sounds very cozy.”
“It’s not cozy. It’s how they prefer things,” said Will.
“What did they bribe you with? Do you get to pretend to be buddies with nobility if you stop asking questions about Johnny’s murder?”
“You’re getting this all wrong. Calm down. You’re only thinking like this because you’re upset.”
“I have a right to be. My boyfriend was killed!”
“Come on, Em. See sense about this. Johnny’s been dead six months. If anything dodgy had happened, the police would have found out.”
“They barely did an investigation,” said Emma. “Probably because this lot have got the police in their pockets. Just like they have you.”
“They haven’t,” said Will. “And I won’t be bribed by anyone. Besides, you were around when the police interviewed everybody. They did a good job. They’d have sussed if anything was wrong. I know you miss Johnny, and I know how hard this is. I miss him as well. I wish my friend was still about, laughing and joking with me, sharing a beer after work and telling me all about his troubles.”
“What troubles did he talk to you about?”
“There you go again, jumping to conclusions that he was hiding a secret from you. He had the same problems as everybody else; that’s all.”
“Did he ever tell you I was a problem?”
“He barely mentioned you.”
I winced. That was not the right thing to say to a grieving, hysterical girlfriend who had boyfriend troubles.
“Which is in itself odd. We’d been together for ages. We were serious. He’d even taken me to look at rings.”
“I’m sure you were serious,” said Will. “But Johnny was a typical guy. He didn’t talk about girl stuff. And never about buying you a ring.”
“What did he talk to you about?”
Flipper nudged me with his nose.
“We’ll just listen a little longer,” I whispered to him.
He gave me an I’m-so-bored-and-want-to-chase-a-pheasant look, before sitting down.
“Enough! We’ve been over this a dozen times. I have no reason to think anyone had it in for Johnny. He made a mistake and paid for it. I wish he hadn’t, but he climbed to the turret in bad weather, slipped and fell. Those are the facts.”
I heard a muffled sob from Emma.
“Come on. It’s going to be fine.” Will sounded uncomfortable. “Emma, you have to move on. You have to stop coming here and going over old ground. It’s not good for you. It’s not good for anybody.”
“I’ll keep coming back until I have answers.”
“All you’ll get is arrested,” said Will. “You heard Charlotte the last time she caught you skulking around the gardens. She wasn’t joking. She’ll take out that restraining order. The next time you come here, you’ll end up in the back of a police car and get yourself a criminal record.”
“Good. Let them arrest me. I want to talk to the police again about what happened and the evidence they have.”
“They have no evidence. Neither do you. You’re being paranoid. You must let this drop before you make yourself ill.”
Flipper nudged me again with his nose. He let out a gentle whine.
“Not now,” I whispered. “They’ll know we’re here if you make a noise.” I petted his head, my focus on the argument.
He grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.
That got my attention. I looked down at Flipper. “What’s wrong?” He was acting as if a ghost was around, anxious and alert.
Flipper tilted his head to the side as if gesturing back into the stable yard.
I risked a glance around the corner. Emma and Will had been joined by Johnny.
I petted Flipper’s head again. “Good boy. Our ghost has come to join in the fight.”
Several horses in the stables made distressed noises as they also became aware of Johnny.
Some animals didn’t get too bothered when a ghost appeared. Others always freaked out and panicked. Horses were the worst.
I saw Will glance over his shoulder. “What’s wrong with the horses? They’ve been fed.”
“Never mind the horses,” said Emma. “Tell me you’re going to help me.”
Will looked back at Emma and shook his head. “I can’t. There’s nothing to help you with. And I don’t want to lose my job.”
“That’s what this is all about,” snapped Emma. “You don’t care about what happened to Johnny. You want to keep your cushy life here.”
“Believe me, looking after half a dozen horses is anything but cushy. But you’re right; I love this job. I won’t lose it because of your paranoid delusions.”
“I am not paranoid.”
Johnny drifted around Emma in a slow circle. I saw her shiver.
The horses made more noise, and I heard hoofs make contact with stable doors.
“Em, I have to go. Something is upsetting the horses. It’s most likely you and your arguing. They pick up on things like that. It’s not good to stress these animals out.”
“Stress! You want to hear about stress. I’ve barely slept since Johnny died.”
“Now is not the time.” Will strode toward the nearest stable and stroked his hand down the long muzzle of the gray horse poking its head out.
Johnny followed Will to the stable. Big mistake. The horse reared up, its hooves almost connecting with Will’s head. He ducked, staggered out of the way, and landed on the ground.
Emma hurried over and helped him up.
“You see! These horses can’t handle trauma.” Will brushed hay off his pants.
“I didn’t mean
to upset the horses.” Emma took a step back. “I’m just looking for answers. I wish you would too.”
“And I wish you’d give yourself a break.” Will plucked a piece of hay from his checked shirt. “I know you miss Johnny, but you have to move on. Maybe start dating again. You’re a pretty girl.”
Emma’s shoulders slumped. “I’m trying. But it’s hard.”
Johnny swirled around them both, causing the horses to panic and kick their hooves against their doors again.
Will turned to the stables. “I’ve got to get back to work and calm these horses down.”
“That’s all you care about.”
Will shrugged. “Most days it is.”
“You’re such a selfish pig!” Emma stomped through the stable yard and hurried away. A moment later, I heard a car engine start and the tires squeal.
Johnny kept circling Will as he checked each horse. The horses hated it and backed away every time the ghost got too close.
The end stable door burst open. A black stallion shot into the yard, rearing onto its back legs, before turning and cantering away toward a nearby field full of crops.
“Stop!” Will raced to the gate to try to close it, but the horse slipped through and galloped away.
A second horse kicked its stable door open. A smaller brown mare emerged, the whites of her eyes showing. She turned and cantered straight toward my hiding place.
I grabbed Flipper, and we shrank against the wall. There was nowhere to hide as I heard Will dash toward us.
“What’s the matter with these horses?” he muttered under his breath as he slowed and surveyed the retreating rump of the horse. He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head.
Will turned, and his eyes widened as he saw me standing by the wall. “Lorna! What are you doing out here?”
I pointed to the bag of carrots. “I like horses. I thought I’d make some new friends.”
Will smiled broadly. “You’re just what I need. They need something to calm them down.” His gaze drifted around the stable yard.
“It looks like the horses are being a handful today.”
“They are. It’s good you’re here with all those carrots.” Will held out his elbow for me to take. “The horses will love you for bringing them treats. I make them stick to boring green stuff, so they don’t get too much of a sweet tooth. It never works. Show them a carrot or an apple and they’ll be your friend for life.”