Death Rider (The Rider Series Book 2)

by Samantha Bassett

“Now, please Kate drink up and get out. Leave me alone. I beg you.”

  I slurped more of the tea. “God Sally that’s really sweet!” I swigged the final mouthful, feeling my tongue becoming strangely numb.

  “Yes, it needs to be sweet. The sugar masks the taste of the sedative.” Sally sat down opposite me gazing into my eyes. She was no longer crying, in fact, now she was grinning. and shaking her head.

  “What?” I looked down at the last dregs of tea in my mug, realising my mouth was now totally numb, my speech slurred.

  “Yes, there’s enough Sedaline gel in your mug to knock out a Shire horse. Certainly enough to make sure you will pose me no further risk.

  I stuttered, my tongue seemed to be large in my mouth. I blinked, trying to focus my eyes. Sally leaned in close to my face.

  “You see Kate, I wish you could have just left things alone. But no, you had to try and find me, and then despite everything you manage to turn up even when I give you a chance to get lost and give up. That little voice in your head said ‘leave it alone Kate’. You should have listened to it. Your husband will be convicted, as he should be. You could have moved on without getting hurt.”

  “Oh…” I tried to stand up but my legs buckled beneath me, the mug slipped from my fingers and smashed on the tack room floor.

  “Whoops… Well, that is acting rather quickly on you… I really wish you had left things alone. If you had just left things be then this wouldn’t have had to happen to you…”

  Sally grabbed hold of my arms, dragging me out of the tack room, I tried to resist but my muscles were loose, my body felt like a ragdoll. She dropped my body into a wheelbarrow she had placed outside the tack room. “You must understand, I didn’t want to do this to you. This is all completely your own fault; you have brought this upon yourself, Kate. Please remember there is nobody else to blame but you!”

  I struggled, but my body was refusing to answer my commands, my limbs were numb and my mind was clouding. I looked up helplessly as Sally stared down at me. I mumbled ‘Adam?’ but my words were slurred and confused.

  “You sleep now Kate; you’re going on a little journey.”

  * * *

  I woke with a splitting headache, I struggled to my knees, initially unable to open my eyes with the urge to vomit at the forefront of my mind. I opened my eyes slowly, the room was misty, dark and damp. There was an earthy, damp smell in the air. I reached out, touching a stone wall that ran with rivulets of water. I was aware of someone in the room with me. Fearfully I struggled towards the wall, leaning my forehead on the stone. I could feel the chill, the dampness. I reached out, trying desperately to stand, but it was impossible.

  “Kate. Take it slowly.”

  I recognised the voice but my mind refused to tell me where from. It was a woman. Was it her, the one who had done this to me? I lurched forward, knocking my shoulder into the wall, I fell heavily onto the floor, my mouth open, I could taste mud as I lay there. I blacked out.

  26

  Lost or Found

  “I’m worried.”

  “Mandy, Kate is an adult. You can’t report her as missing just because she hasn’t called you for a couple of days. She does have a hell of a lot on her mind after all.”

  “But Dan, her phone is going straight to voicemail. She hasn’t called me back.”

  “As I said, she’s under a lot of stress. She may just not want to speak to you. ”

  “But that’s why I’m worried. She is under a lot of stress, maybe too much. Look I’m ringing the main yard number.”

  Dan sighed and walked back into the kitchen where he was preparing dinner. I dialled the stables phone number which rang for a long time, I expected this however as everyone would be busy on the yard. I was about to hang up my phone when Jacqueline came on the phone sounding out of breath.

  “Hello Glebe Farm Equestrian Centre, how can I help you?”

  “Jacq’s it’s Amanda. Is Kate there?”

  “Amanda, oh hi… No, she’s not been around for a few days.”

  “Not around? What do you mean? Not on the yard or not around at all…”

  “Amanda, her car’s gone and she certainly isn’t in the farmhouse. To be honest, we’ve all been a bit worried.”

  “Shit! Okay, I’ll look into it. Thanks, Jacq’s.”

  I hung up the phone. Dan stepped back into the living room. He could tell from my face that there was a problem and as I explained what Jacqueline had said he immediately took out his mobile phone and called for a welfare check on Kate.

  “Mandy, she’s probably okay, but as you are concerned…”

  “Okay Dan, now say she’s okay like you mean it.”

  “I can’t lie babe… It seems you may have been right to worry.”

  * * *

  “Kate…” I felt my shoulder being rocked. “Wake up Kate.”

  I pried my eyes open, wishing this was just a dream, but instead found myself in the same dark dank room. Hands helped me sit up, my back against the rough stone wall. I looked around, blinking, adjusting my eyes to the darkness. There was someone in front of me, she was dishevelled and dirty with dark rings around her eyes, her hair was matted and lank. I gasped as I realised how it was.

  “Hilary? What are you doing here? Sally said you’d gone to Germany for work. I thought you might have… Well, I thought it may have all been too much for you.”

  “No. I wish I had got away.” Hilary coughed, grasping her chest in pain. “Sorry. She broke some of my ribs.”

  “Who did this to you? What the hell is happening?”

  “Sally… Sally did this. She brought you in yesterday unconscious. I’m so glad you are alive.”

  “Sally… What? Sorry, Hilary, you’re making no sense.”

  “Kate this doesn’t make any sense. Sally hit me. She knocked me out and then, as I was coming round she drugged me. I woke up here. I don’t know how long I’ve been here but it’s been days, weeks? Maybe longer. She’s gone mad. I don’t know what’s happened but…”

  “What?”

  “Kate, I think it was Sally who killed Olivia, and I think she’s going to do the same to us.”

  * * *

  “So…”

  “Look Mandy, please try not to worry…”

  “Dan, fucking tell me. Kate is my sister-in-law… What the hell has happened to her?”

  “I spoke with the national vehicle data centre. They’ve traced her vehicle with ANPR, that’s the national number plate tracking system. That shows that she went down the motorway, her car was last picked up in Devon.”

  “Devon? What the hell was she doing in Devon? Do you know where specifically?”

  “No. There was a trace off the M5 motorway, and then a couple of hits but it is so rural down there. The local force has her details…”

  I stood up, grabbing my coat and car keys.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Cumbria and then, if I have to Devon.”

  “Mandy, what do you think you can do?”

  “Dan, I know what I can’t do and that’s to sit here on my arse doing nothing. She may have left a note, she may have said something to one of the girls… Please, I need to help her. She’s not in a fit state of mind to be going off by herself.”

  “I can’t stop you, can I? Okay. I realise how important this is to you. Honestly, I do understand. Just please, be safe, and tell me what is happening. For God’s sake, don’t go off and disappear yourself. I love you, babe!”

  * * *

  I didn’t have a clue what I was doing as I drove away, with Dan waving from the top of the stairs and Annie peering out of the farmhouse kitchen window. I was about to drive for hours in the wrong direction, but I couldn’t just go to Devon and randomly hope to find her. She must have left some clue, someway of me finding her. It was almost totally pointless, but if I just sat and waited and something happened to her. I couldn’t face myself, let alone Adam who was lost and alone himself.

  I pulled onto the mai
n road and started my long journey north.

  * * *

  It was well after midnight when I arrived at the stables. The main gate squeaked as I pushed it open. I soon saw a light come on in the grooms’ flat. As I was parking the car Jacqueline came down the stairs from the flat and stood beside my car in her dressing gown and wellies.

  “Oh, I’d hoped it might have been Kate.” Her disappointment was palpable. I hugged her tightly, feeling her tension. They’d all been through so much.

  “I’m trying to find her. I need to see if she left any clue as to where she’s gone. Did she say anything to you or to any of the girls?” She shook her head. “Okay. Do you have a key to the farmhouse?”

  Jacqueline nodded, reaching into her pocket she pulled out a large bunch of keys, singling out a silver key.

  “That’s the front door. Not that we ever used that, we’d always go in through the kitchen when we go to see Kate.” She sniffed.

  “We’ll find her. I promise.”

  I said goodnight and made my way to the darkened farmhouse. It was strange to be there again alone. The front room was quiet, with papers and files scattered on the sofas. I walked towards the kitchen, the hub of the house. Flicking on the light I could see Kate’s laptop open a cold mug of coffee sat beside it. As I touched the mousepad the screen came to life asking for a password.

  “Christ Kate…” I tried ‘Adam’, but it was refused. ‘AdamandKate’, No, still drawing a blank. ‘GlebeFarm’, nothing. It was then something she had said at their wedding struck me. It seemed to be unusual, it was an unusual phrase she had used, saying they were stronger as a pair, that this gave them a powerful advantage. Just like a game of chess, it had seemed strange at the time so it had stuck in my mind. I typed, B..i..s..h..o..p..P..a..i..r and hit return. The screen came to life.

  * * *

  “Kelly…”

  “Dan, look, I’ve told you, I can’t speak with you about the case.”

  “No… I just want to keep you in the loop, it’s Kate Bishop. She’s gone missing, last seen on ANPR in Devon.”

  “And, what of it? Look Dan, I have enough on my plate without the accused’s wife going on holiday. I’m sure she’ll send me a postcard, or maybe I’ll look up the photos on her Insta.”

  “Okay, Kelly. I thought the fact you have two people involved directly with an ongoing murder case who have now gone missing just might be of interest to you? I can assure you this is no holiday, nobody knows where she has gone, she just drove off and has vanished somewhere in Devon, it seems.”

  “Okay, as you put it like that, it is a bit strange. I’ll speak with Devon and Cornwall.”

  “That’s all I ask… Thank you, Kelly… I owe you.”

  “Good night Dan. You certainly do!”

  * * *

  The only window open on Kate’s computer was Facebook and more specifically a direct message window showing a conversation about Sally and where she might be. They were discussing a hunt in Devon and that to me seemed to be too much of a coincidence. A quick web search found the hunt’s website and where they met.

  Grabbing my phone, I dialled Dan. “I think I know where she went.” I went on to tell him of the messages and the hunt.

  “That’s a bloody long shot.”

  “It’s the only shot I have. I’m going to rest and then drive to Devon in a few hours. I love you, Dan…”

  “Crap!”

  “What?”

  “You never tell me you love me over the phone. Be safe… I love you so much, all I ask is you stay safe.”

  * * *

  “Hilary, you think your groom killed Olivia? But Sally, she’s, well she couldn’t do that surely?”

  “Well, it’s the same Sally who drugged us both and locked us away, so I do think it’s a distinct possibility! I got suspicious as I was watching the CCTV, I had it playing on repeat and I suddenly realised, the person who fetched the pitchfork just couldn’t have been Adam.”

  “No, the person shown in the images was too short for the doorway…”

  “Yes! Exactly and there was one other thing. The person on the video was limping. Sally had been kicked that afternoon. She was turning out one of the youngsters and it caught her knee. It absolutely ballooned, I told her to rest up as she could hardly walk. It suddenly clicked, that was when I tried to call you but ended up here.”

  “In Devon…”

  “Sorry, Devon? What do you mean?”

  “I found Sally, or Elizabeth as she now calls herself. She’s working on a big country estate in Devon. She drugged my tea. Oh Christ, Hilary, I’ve been so stupid. Shit! What do we do now?”

  “Well, I tried to escape, but she just stopped my food and water for a few days. We can’t break down the door, we’re in some sort of cellar. Did you tell anyone where you were going?”

  I shook my head.

  “Shit! Well, we are in deep trouble then.”

  * * *

  I was exhausted as I pulled up in the pub car park. This was supposedly where the hunt met, however this afternoon it was quiet and deserted. I pushed open the door and stepped inside. The landlady smiled and greeted me.

  “Hello there, what can I get you?”

  “Oh, I’d love a coffee please.” She made a fresh pot of coffee, pouring me a cup which she passed across the bar. I sipped the warm liquid. “Oh, thank you. This is lovely. I’m trying to find out about the hunt.”

  “Ah, I’m sorry you’ve missed them, they met yesterday. It was a busy old day too. Barbara may come in later; she knows all about the hunt. You can ask her about them if you wish.”

  “Well, really it’s more about a friend of mine. She came down a few days ago looking for a friend.”

  “It wasn’t that nice Mrs Bishop was it.”

  I gasped, the cup slipping from my fingers and smashing on the floor. “Oh, goodness. I am sorry. Yes, it is… Do you know where she went?”

  The landlady smiled, stepping around the bar, cleaning up the broken crockery. “Never mind. You look shocked, but yes, that lovely lady stayed with us overnight before going to the big house. She said she was going to see an old friend. Funny thing was, that person had given her a totally different address, it was almost as if she didn’t want to see her. But I put her straight and told her where to go.”

  “And where is the big house?”

  “Just through the village, there are the two big gatehouses, you can’t miss them.”

  “Oh, thank you! You’ve been amazing, thank you!”

  I walked out to my car. It seemed I had managed to trace Kate’s footsteps, but what had happened next? Had she found Sally? I pulled out my phone, I knew Dan would be busy working so sent him a text telling him what I had done and where I was. Two people had vanished, I didn’t want to become the third. The journey to what the landlady had called the big house only took a few minutes. I couldn’t miss the gatehouses or the imposing gates which were open, leading to a long driveway through parkland and forest towards the manor house which I could see below.