Death on the River: A gripping and unputdownable English murder mystery (A Tara Thorpe Mystery Book 2)

by Clare Chase

  Blake looked across at Kemp, trying to keep his voice steady. ‘How come you’ve got these?’

  He shrugged. ‘I do PI and security work. When I’m investigating, I specialise in errant partners, but I decided to use my skills for other purposes whilst I’m here in Cambridge. Tara Thorpe on your team’s an old mate. She mentioned Patrick Wilkins. I could tell he was a thorn in her side, and she doesn’t need another one of those.’

  Blake couldn’t help but agree.

  ‘When I turned up at her house a couple of weeks back I was mighty curious to know more about the case she’s been working on.’ He laughed. ‘She warned me off, of course, but I needed something to occupy me. In the end, I figured I’d set myself the challenge of finding out more about this Wilkins. In my experience, his sort always have skeletons in their cupboards. Even so, I ended up with more than I bargained for. Talk about hitting the jackpot.’

  ‘You know who his companions are then?’ Blake said, indicating Shona Kennedy and Giles Troy.

  ‘I do now,’ Kemp said. ‘I followed them into the pub, once I’d taken the photos outside.’ Then his grin broadened. ‘The other USB stick’s got the recording I made of their conversation. It’s a bit muffled in places, I had to put the microphone on the seat behind me, half under my coat. But I think you’ll get the gist. Makes it quite clear where the magazine got its recent scoop.’

  Blake had still been reeling over the information on Wilkins – torn between fury and satisfaction at the fact that he’d finally got something on his DS – when he got his second visitor of the day. It took him over an hour to hear Dr Monica Cairncross’s grievances. Tara had kept her partially up to date with the investigation into her brother’s death, and of course she’d seen the latest highlights on the news. Now she wanted to make a formal complaint about the way Wilkins had handled the case back in the autumn. After she’d left, Blake added it to the list of matters to discuss with DCI Fleming the following day.

  But Dr Cairncross’s complaint was the least of Patrick’s worries. As Blake left the station he enjoyed wishing the man a good evening, knowing that in less than twelve hours they’d be hauling him over the coals.

  As he made his journey back to Fen Ditton, Blake finally had enough headspace to think properly about his personal life. It seemed like an eternity since he’d had dinner with Agneta and Frans, just two nights earlier. He’d told Agneta that he didn’t know what to do, but in that moment he’d realised that he’d have to take action of some kind. He and Babette couldn’t go on as they were. For the four years since they’d got back together he’d refused to even think about the possibility of ending the marriage. If it crossed his consciousness, the image of Kitty immediately filled his head: the thought of her crying as her parents once again broke apart. She wouldn’t understand. How could he do that to her?

  But as he cycled back towards Fen Ditton, past Tara’s empty house (he’d heard they were keeping her in an extra night), he knew in his heart of hearts that he wasn’t doing Kitty much good as a father in the current set-up. So long as he could retain the right to spend time with her, it might be better for all of them if he and Babette called it a day.

  The thought of the upset he’d cause still weighed heavy in his mind, but he also felt a lightening inside. It was the answer. It was a mess, but one he hadn’t made, and if the status quo wasn’t working, it was better to make a decisive move. It would be the quickest way towards a new settled future for Kitty. Years of rows and prevarication were hardly going to help.

  He’d wait until after Christmas and then he’d have a heart-to-heart with Babette. The new year would be tough, but the decision felt right.

  He felt different as he entered his house. The constant tension he’d dealt with had lifted and he could breathe more easily. After he’d been to hug Kitty – who was doing some colouring before bed – and greet Babette, who was reading a book, he went upstairs. He wanted to have a shower, to wash away the previous thirty-six hours, and then just to sleep.

  But inside the bathroom he realised the day hadn’t finished with him yet.

  There was a used pregnancy test on the side of bath. And there, in the window, was a strong, blue line. Positive. He picked it up and looked at it more closely, as though it might suddenly disappear. He turned back towards the door and realised Babette was standing there.

  ‘When?’ It was all he could say. They hadn’t had sex since she’d mentioned wanting to have another child. He managed to refrain from asking her if it was his.

  She bit her lip. ‘Sorry, Garstin. We conceived about three months ago.’ She sighed. ‘I had a feeling it wasn’t what you wanted, so instead of telling you straight away, I thought I’d sort of pave the way by raising the subject, suggesting we go for it, you know? And then you really backed off, so I know you’re not going to be pleased. But I thought I’d better tell you before I started to show.’

  He felt an immediate heavy sinking in his chest. It was a minute before he could take it in. And that was the thing about Babette. She was never straightforward. Never one hundred per cent honest. She was always managing information – and whether she meant to or not, manipulating him.

  ‘But you were taking the pill, weren’t you?’ he said at last. ‘I mean, I offered to be the one to take responsibility for contraception way back, but you said it was all covered.’

  She was looking at the floor now. ‘Guess I must have missed a dose,’ she said. And now her eyes met his. They were slightly damp. ‘I made a mistake, Garstin.’

  A mistake. It wasn’t the first time she’d looked at him with sad eyes and told him she’d messed up.

  ‘Say you’re pleased now?’ she said, walking towards him slowly. ‘It’s Christmas in a few days. By next year we can be a proper family of four.’

  At that moment, Kitty appeared just behind her, her eyes dancing. Blake had a feeling he wasn’t the first person to hear Babette’s news – or to have that seemingly perfect vision of the future held up before them.

  Fifty

  After the year Bea had had, Tara had never expected Christmas day to be so much fun.

  ‘Blimey, Bea,’ Kemp said. ‘I don’t know how you do this on a regular basis.’

  Tara’s mother’s cousin threw a tea towel at him and laughed. ‘Wimp. Look at you, all muscle and cunning, but you struggle with serving eight guests a Christmas lunch!’

  ‘Come on, you two,’ Tara said. ‘No fighting in here. I’ve just put out the flutes. It’s our turn now they’re all sorted. And against the odds, there are no lumps in Kemp’s gravy, so I think we’re all set.’ She glanced from one of them to the other. They were both rosy cheeked and grinning. Not unusual for Kemp but nothing short of a miracle for Bea, on today of all days. He’d worked wonders since he’d shown up and thrown her routine out of kilter.

  Earlier in the day Tara had wondered what would happen when he moved on again, but Kemp tended to have a lasting effect. There was a new look of purposefulness in Bea’s eye, and she’d seen her drawing up plans to streamline her operation.

  It was after they’d eaten, and were sitting round sharing cracker jokes, that a text came in on her phone. She’d already exchanged messages with her mum, and Matt from Not Now. She glanced at the screen.

  Blake.

  Thought I’d save this news for Christmas day, unless Kemp’s already stolen my thunder. Patrick’s suspended, pending an investigation.

  She’d just turned to Kemp, ready to insist he fill her in, when a second text came through.

  Blake again. It was shorter than the last.

  Happy Christmas

  And suddenly, in her mind’s eye, she was back on the outbuilding roof, just after she’d escaped the fire. She remembered dimly the feeling of Blake’s arms around her, holding her tight.

  She fumbled over her reply, trying to work out what to say. How could it take so long to settle on You too?

  In the end, it was a good five minutes before she remembered to ask Kemp wha
t he’d done to scupper her DS.

  If you were gripped by Death on the River, make sure to check out Murder on the Marshes. Tara Thorpe and Garstin Blake must team up to solve a grisly local murder… but are they working together or against each other?

  Get it now!

  Murder on the Marshes

  A Tara Thorpe Mystery Book 1

  Get it now!

  ‘Wow what a book!… One of the best mysteries I have read! Loved it from start to finish and couldn't put it down! A masterpiece!’ Renita D’Silva, 5 stars

  As the sun rises, a wealthy young woman – Samantha Seabrook – is found drowned in the ornamental fountain of a deserted Cambridge courtyard, the only clue – an antique silver chain wound tightly around her throat.

  It’s Tara Thorpe’s job to discover what happened to Miss Seabrook – but the case becomes personal when she learns that Samantha had been receiving death threats… rather like the one that landed on Tara’s doorstep the night the woman died.

  Together with Detective Inspector Garstin Blake, Tara tracks the killer to the dank and dangerous fens on the outskirts of the city. But there’s something Tara can’t quite admit to Blake about her past – and it could make all the difference to whether they live… or die.

  An absolutely gripping page-turner that will keep you hooked until the very last page. Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, LJ Ross and Joy Ellis.

  The first in a series of unputdownable Cambridge mysteries featuring Thorpe and Blake.

  Available now!

  Hear More From Clare

  Want to keep up to date with Clare’s latest releases?

  Sign up here!

  We promise to never share your email with anyone else, and we’ll only contact you when there’s a new book out.

  Also by Clare Chase

  Murder on the Marshes

  Death on the River

  A Letter from Clare

  Thank you so much for reading Death on the River. I do hope you enjoyed it – it was great fun to write. If you’d like to keep up to date with all of my latest releases, you can sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Sign up to find out about Clare’s latest releases.

  My idea for this book came to me after rereading Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie. If you haven’t read it, I don’t want to spoil the plot. However, it’s not giving too much away to say it got me wondering how a perpetrator in a modern-day setting could get away with orchestrating a series of deaths without making people suspicious. As ever, I’ve used Cambridge and the surrounding area as the backdrop. The Fens provide the perfect remote, atmospheric location for a murder mystery, and Cambridge’s mix of artists, writers and academics was useful for this story too. (Though the ones I’ve met in real life aren’t a bit like the ones in this book, thank goodness!)

  If you have time, I’d love it if you were able to write a review of Death on the River. Feedback is incredibly useful, and it also makes a huge difference in helping new readers discover my books for the first time.

  Alternatively, if you’d like to contact me personally, you can reach me via my website, Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram. I love hearing from readers.

  Again, thank you so much for deciding to spend some time reading Death on the River. I’m looking forward to sharing my next book with you very soon.

  With all best wishes,

  Clare x

  www.clarechase.com

  Acknowledgements

  As always, very much love and huge thanks to my wonderful family, Charlie, George and Ros, for their good humour, encouragement, patience and understanding. Love and thanks also to my parents, Penny and Mike, and to Phil and Jenny, David and Pat, Helen, the Westfield gang, Andrea, Shelly, Mark, my lovely colleagues at the RSC, as well as my wider family and friends. Special gratitude to Margaret for taking the time to show me round areas of the Fens I hadn’t visited before, and also to Nigel Adams, fire forensic consultant, for sharing his expertise so generously. His input was fascinating and any mistakes I’ve made are my own.

  In addition, I’d like to say how much I appreciate the writer friends I’ve made, including the truly wonderful Bookouture gang – I really enjoy being part of such a friendly and supportive group. Thanks as well to the wonderful book bloggers I’ve got to know, whose generosity, kindness and enthusiasm has been amazing. I’m also hugely grateful to my readers. Getting messages via my website, Twitter and Facebook page is truly special.

  Lastly, but very importantly, massive thanks to my inspiring and insightful editor Kathryn Taussig, whose ideas, advice and encouragement have been second to none, as well as to Maisie Lawrence, whose thoughts and ideas have been so valuable. I’d also like to relay heartfelt thanks to Peta Nightingale, as well as to Alexandra Holmes, Fraser, Liz, and everyone involved in the book production and marketing process. And massive thanks as ever to Noelle Holten and Kim Nash, who do the most incredible amount to publicise our books and support us. I feel so lucky to be published and promoted by such a wonderful team.

  Published by Bookouture in 2018

  An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Clare Chase, 2018

  Clare Chase has asserted her right to be identified

  as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-739-6

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.