Murder in the Fens: An utterly gripping English cozy mystery novel (A Tara Thorpe Mystery Book 4)

by Clare Chase

  ‘Thank you for speaking out. We might need to come back to you for a formal statement. Would that be okay?’ She didn’t have proof, but her words would still carry weight if they were part of a body of evidence.

  There was a moment’s pause, but then the young woman nodded. ‘It would. When the others told me they were interviewed earlier, I made up my mind to contact the police.’

  Blake took her details, and then walked off, away from the staircase across the court, ignoring the rule about the grass. As he went, he dialled Bella’s number again, and wondered. An affair with Balfour would give her a lot of power over her tutor, if she’d got concrete evidence of what had gone on. I know what I’m doing…

  Where the hell was Bella now?

  He walked through the college to the front entrance without taking in his surroundings. It was time to get back to the station.

  Fifty-One

  Tara was beyond the end of the Master’s Lodge’s driveway and partway across the grounds when she heard footsteps behind her.

  It was Douglas Lockwood again. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I don’t mean to keep you, but we haven’t heard what’s going on. We pride ourselves in carrying on with our duties, but it doesn’t mean we’re not consumed with what’s been happening underneath the veneer. I wondered if you were able to give me any news? I didn’t want to ask when we were right outside the house. There are too many listening ears.’

  Tara looked into the man’s eyes. Was he trying to judge what was on her mind? Or was the question as straightforward as it seemed? She spent a few minutes explaining as much as she could, but her focus wasn’t really on the conversation.

  At last, he left her in peace and she continued her walk, glancing over her shoulder periodically, to make sure she was alone. She googled ‘felt’ on her phone as she went. According to Wikipedia it could be made out of natural or synthetic fibres. If it was made from the former, then wool or animal fur were given as examples…

  She thought again of the green wool found under Julie Cooper’s fingernails. There were many possible ways the material could have got there. The theory that she’d been trapped in a packing case containing clothes or a blanket would also work. And lots of the students had trunks or large, hard cases. But still she couldn’t get the harp case out of her head – not when she put it alongside Julie’s links with the Lockwoods.

  Veronica said she’d been at the house the night Julie died, but that she’d taken a sleeping tablet before bed. Tara thought of her slender stature and height – around five foot three inches, she guessed. Julie had been of a similar build. Lifting a dead weight of your own body size was no mean feat. Sir Alistair was meant to have been in London, and now claimed to have a friend who could alibi him. Was there really an innocent explanation for the way he’d produced a witness at the last minute?

  And then there was Douglas – alibied by Selina, who’d come forward to help the police…

  She’d reached a dark path now, which led towards the side road that ran next to the college. The students were all headed in the opposite direction, making for their rooms on the St Oswald’s site.

  She glanced behind her again. All was quiet. In the far distance, she could still see the logistics guys, packing the harp case into the back of a lorry. The wind whistled through the trees and she shivered.

  The shout came from somewhere near the road; the sound of her name made her jump. She turned and saw a shadowy figure hurtling towards her – running at full pelt. Bella Chadwick.

  ‘Detective Thorpe! Oh God. Someone told me there were police on site.’

  ‘What is it? What’s happened?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Her eyes were huge. ‘I was with Stuart earlier – before the drinks at the Master’s Lodge.’ She gulped for breath. ‘He was acting strangely. He’s been terribly short-tempered since we heard about Julie’s death. I was cutting him some slack. It’s not surprising – we’re all on edge. But today, he – well, I don’t know – he was looking at me oddly. And then asking weird questions. He wanted to know if I’d spoken to Julie on the day she died. I did talk to her briefly on the phone. It wasn’t about anything important, but the look in his eye frightened me. I lied, and told him I hadn’t, but he kept asking, over and over. And now…’

  ‘Now?’

  ‘Now he’s asked me to go and meet him at Wandlebury Ring. At the spot where Julie was found.’ She paused. ‘He explained to me how to find the precise place.’

  Tara caught her breath. But he could know that from looking at the newspaper coverage. There’d been maps showing the layout of the Ring. ‘He’s there already?’

  The student shook her head. ‘He had to do something first but then he’s going to pick up his brother’s car from outside that house where he stayed over the summer. You can’t park by his college. He wanted to give me a lift, but I got scared. I made an excuse and said I’d meet him there.’ She gave Tara a look. ‘He knows I’ve got money, so I don’t think he was suspicious when I said I’d call a cab. But really, I’m scared to go on my own.’

  ‘I’ve got my car. I’ll head over there. I’ll call my team too, we can go in quietly, just have a word with him.’

  ‘But what if it’s not something bad at all? Maybe he’s found something out. Perhaps he’s got a theory, or a clue or something.’ She started to cry. ‘He wouldn’t do anything. Not really.’ And then she spoke quietly. ‘I love him. He’ll never forgive me if he thinks I’m on my way and a load of police turn up instead.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Can I come with you? Just the two of us, so we can see what’s up, and decide what to do next?’

  Tara paused. ‘I’ll do you a deal. You can come with me, but only if you swear not to get out of the car, unless I say it’s okay.’

  ‘All right. I’ll text him to let him know I’m on my way.’

  And Tara was definitely calling for backup – no matter what Bella said. She’d learnt her lesson. Sometimes it was worth remembering you were part of a team.

  As she and Bella slammed the doors of her car shut behind them, she put the call in. The thought of the green felt flashed through her mind, but that would have to wait, at least briefly. The harp case wouldn’t cross the Channel before they’d caught up with Gilmour.

  Fifty-Two

  Blake watched Jez exit his office, the DC’s updates on Tara’s whereabouts – and also those of Bella Chadwick – racing round his head. A moment earlier, he’d been anticipating going back home, and the conversation he might have with Babette. He’d allowed himself a minute to consider his words – his best chance of getting her to tell the truth about her relationship with Matt Smith. Jez’s news banished those thoughts. Why the hell hadn’t Bella answered her phone?

  He grabbed his jacket. Fleming wouldn’t want him going to give backup. And it was appropriate to send Max and Jez, given Megan was otherwise engaged. One of her contacts was in the station now with some crucial information about a manslaughter case.

  He walked out of the room. It was bad timing. The DCI was just down the corridor, holding a coffee. ‘Blake? What’s going on? I understand Tara’s requested backup as a precaution.’ She peered at his coat. ‘You’re not going, I presume. I know she’ll want people who know the case, but you can send Max and Jez and a couple of uniformed officers if you think it necessary. That ought to be enough for one jumped-up twerp, don’t you think?’

  She’d read the transcripts of the interviews with Gilmour. She was nothing if not diligent. She minded – but it was being on top of her team and all their activities, big and small, that was paramount from her point of view.

  ‘I’d like an update. We seem to be following several leads, all pointing in different directions. If this business with Gilmour is a false alarm, then we need to get some perspective on where to focus our efforts. Why was Jez googling Alistair Lockwood’s parents?’

  He sighed. She was due an update, but sitting there talking, whilst everyone else drove off to Wandlebury, wasn’t what he’
d had in mind.

  Max was in the corridor with Jez at his heels. ‘Let’s get over to Gilmour’s summer lodgings. If his brother’s car’s still there we can tail him. If not, we’ll make straight for Wandlebury.’

  Blake had to watch them go. ‘Keep me updated.’

  Jez’s eyes were knowing. ‘Boss.’

  Fifty-Three

  Tara was driving Bella up Babraham Road. It was a dark evening and the trees to either side of the single lane disguised the fact that they were on a dual carriageway.

  As she looked for the track that led to Wandlebury Ring, by the back route, her mobile rang. Jez.

  ‘Gilmour’s brother’s car is still in the street near his summer lodgings. We haven’t seen him approach. We’ll wait a bit longer, but it could be that he’s changed his mind. Or found another way to get to the location. Watch out. We’ll follow you over soon, just to be on the safe side. We’ve called his mobile but he’s not answering.’

  Tara heard Bella take a sharp breath and glanced round at her as she made the turn towards the woods.

  ‘Maybe it was all a trick,’ the student said. ‘Maybe he wanted to frighten me. Get me out here on my own.’

  ‘We’ll see.’ The dirt track the killer must have used was rutted and slippery after all the rain. ‘I don’t want to go in too far. If he is here already, he might hear the engine. It’ll be very quiet in the woods.’ She found a place to pull over in a small clearing to one side of the track. The space was relatively tight; in the end she reversed the car in, so that they could drive away again fast if needs be. ‘I’ll get out and listen. I want you to stay where you are.’

  For a second it looked as though Bella was going to argue, but at last she nodded. ‘Okay.’

  ‘I presume Stuart never replied to your text.’

  It took her a moment to answer. ‘No. He didn’t.’

  Tara opened the door quietly. What was going on? She’d seen evidence of how clingy Bella was, and how she’d followed both Julie and Stuart around. Maybe he had got angry with her, but Bella’s theory that he was trying to get her out there on her own to wind her up didn’t wash. He’d wanted to give her a lift; if she’d said yes, they’d be together.

  She walked a few paces in the direction of the place where Julie Cooper had been found, peering through the trees into the darkness. The night wasn’t as quiet as she’d thought. The wind tugged at the trees around her, making the leaves rustle. Those that had died floated to the ground to join the ones already at her feet.

  She put one gloved hand on the trunk of the tree next to her. Had she heard something else – above the wind in the trees? She held her breath.

  The sound came again. It was behind her. ‘Bella,’ she said turning, ‘you need to stay—’

  She didn’t get any further. The night was dark with clouds and she only had a split second to react. It wasn’t enough. Whatever Bella had been holding came crashing down, striking the side of her head. The pain was all-encompassing, but it was the force of the blow that made her fall.

  She was on the ground and the student was standing over her, the object held high. She tried to focus. The 6D Maglite flashlight from the car. Tara always had it in the back of her mind as a possible improvised weapon, if the need should arise – it was the length of a baton. She hadn’t imagined she’d be on the receiving end.

  Bella was hesitating. She looked torn. Tara tried to struggle up but she felt sick. As she moved, the student brought the torch down again. A last-minute twist meant it was Tara’s shoulder that took the blow from the aluminium. If it had struck home…

  But it wasn’t the end. She could see the torch descending again. It would do the job as well as any bespoke weapon – especially now Tara was down. It caught her on the side of her head again this time, and her vision blurred. She closed her eyes and lay still. Would the student give up?

  Tara felt Bella’s fingers on her neck. She knew how to check for a pulse, then. There was no way she’d mistake her for dead. Tara strained against the pain and fear, listening to try to get an idea of what Bella was doing. A moment later she felt the woman reach into her coat pocket for her mobile. And then she heard a step, landing on the fallen leaves. Had she moved back a little? Tara risked opening her eyes a crack.

  The student was getting into the car. She was in the driver’s seat. The keys Tara had been using were still in her pocket – under her hip, the other side to where her phone had been. But there was a spare set in her handbag. She’d left it in the car. Would Bella find it and escape? She wouldn’t get far. She allowed herself a breath and closed her eyes again.

  But then suddenly, through her lids, she registered light. Even though the car was facing away from where she was lying. The noise of the engine came to her in the same millisecond that she opened her eyes.

  But the car was already lurching towards her. Bella was in reverse.

  Fifty-Four

  ‘Excuse me, ma’am.’ Blake clicked to accept the call on his phone. It was Jez.

  ‘We’re on the move towards Wandlebury now. No sign of Gilmour. We’ve asked the porters to check his room. He’s still not answering his phone.’

  ‘Okay. Thanks for the update.’

  ‘We’re a bit concerned. We can’t get hold of Tara.’

  ‘What?’ He was up and out of his seat. Why the hell had the DC left that bit of the update until last?

  ‘No answer from her mobile. If Gilmour’s over there she might have engaged with him – or simply switched her phone to silent so that incoming calls don’t give her presence away.’

  Blake had worked all that out without being told. The guy must think he was a fool. He was at the door now. ‘I’ll meet you there.’

  Fleming raised an eyebrow.

  ‘I think there might be a problem at Wandlebury.’

  Fifty-Five

  Bella Chadwick had told them she couldn’t drive but she knew enough to get into reverse and put her foot down without stalling. Tara only had a split second to react. She couldn’t scramble beyond the trees – there was no time.

  Glancing to one side she saw a root that stuck up, well above the ground. She rolled towards it so that her upper body was protected. She yanked her legs out of the car’s path as far as she could. As she did so, one of her feet came half out of the boot she’d been wearing. The car hit the sole of the boot first. Then Tara felt pain in her toes. If the vehicle carried on reversing it would crush her other ankle. She tried to pull it clear, but Bella had stopped now. Tara couldn’t see anything from where she lay, just behind and to one side of the vehicle. What was Bella up to? She must have felt the car connect with something. How long did Tara have before she realised the job wasn’t finished?

  Bella had cut the car’s engine, but Tara hadn’t heard her open the driver’s side door. Suddenly, she remembered the car keys in her pocket. Her hands were shaking so hard she could hardly manage to hold them. Through the panic, and the excruciating pain in her foot and her head, she tried to engage muscle memory. One click on the lower left-hand side of the remote to activate central locking. One on the upper right to set the alarm.

  It was only a second before her actions had the desired effect. Bella must have heard the car’s central locking and panicked. It would have been automatic to wrench the driver’s door open and, as soon as she did, the car’s security system was breached.

  Suddenly the woods were filled with noise and light. The vehicle’s hazard lights flashed, fast and bright, and the horn sounded. Loud, repeated and insistent.

  Bella was out of the car. Through a haze of nausea brought on by pain, Tara could just see the top of her head. For a moment, the student stood stock-still next to the vehicle. Tara wasn’t sure anyone would come. Alarms went off all the time and they weren’t close to the nearest house. She could only hope that it was enough to make the student run instead of continuing her attack. If she wasn’t a regular driver, she might not know how to deactivate the security system.

 
; Her head pounding, foot in agony, Tara slithered her way between the trees, beyond the reach of the car if Bella used it as a weapon again.

  A moment later, the girl followed her. She must have left the flashlight behind. She’d swapped it for something that looked more deadly. A wooden post, sharpened to a point at one end. Tara swallowed. It looked like something that had once held up fencing – chicken wire, perhaps, to keep walkers away from private land.

  The stake must have been shaped to make it easy to drive into the ground. Pushing it through human flesh would be almost effortless…

  Fifty-Six

  Blake arrived at the Ring neck and neck with Jez and Max. Jez’s driving clearly left a lot to be desired. The man stopped his car when he saw Blake appear – didn’t he realise the urgency? Blake pulled past them on their inside, pausing just a second when he realised Max had his window down.

  ‘The porters at St Bede’s managed to track Gilmour down. He was in the college bar. Denied having made any arrangement to meet Bella Chadwick here. Says he thinks someone’s nicked his phone.’

  Blake swore. He might be lying, if he’d set the whole thing up as a prank. But if not… if not then Bella herself had lured Tara to this deserted place, whilst his team sat in the backstreets of Cambridge, twiddling their thumbs.

  The delay in following Tara had been considerable. Why wasn’t she answering her phone?

  ‘Come on!’ He put his foot down and sped away from Max and Jez down the narrow track, scraping his car on the tree branches that closed in around him.

  At that moment, off ahead and to his right, he saw a flash of light. Repeated flashes. A second later he heard an alarm, blaring out into the night.