Murder at the Old Abbey
Page 27
“And you’ll have to have another go at Delma, won’t you, and that vet?”
“Yes, Fabia, we will,” he said, eyebrows raised.
“I know, sorry.” She grinned. “I’ll shut up. Go on.”
“Nonna – I can’t think of her as anything else – obviously felt she’d planned it all rather well. She seemed to think it would be a perfect solution for Delma Mansell to be accused of the killing, to punish her for helping her brother steal ‘our precious possessions’, and she insisted that Delma had never been ‘one of us’ as if that made it okay.”
“And what about Mike?”
“He told her he’d seen her with the tranquiliser. There’s no knowing if he actually had, but I think he was shrewd enough to suspect she might be involved, maybe he saw her searching around the stables’ office and chanced his arm. He tried blackmailing her, said if she paid up, he’d keep quiet about it all. She was certainly vocal about that, what an insult it was and how he deserved everything he got. We haven’t managed to get her to confess to drugging him yet, but the use of sleeping tablets on Caradoc as well should give us something to work on there. I don’t think it’ll take long before she’s boasting about getting rid of Mike Cotter as well. It’ll probably be manslaughter in his case, but I’d say we can get her for first degree murder when it comes to the old man. It was premeditated and well planned.”
Fabia gave a gusty sigh. “So Garan is in the clear?”
“Looks like it.”
“Bella will be so relieved. She was convinced he was going to be arrested for drugging Mike.”
“I certainly thought he was more deeply involved at one point.”
At last there was silence in the kitchen. Matt leant back in his chair, pushed his hair off his forehead, and looked across at Fabia, his eyes intent and full of warmth. Glancing away from him, she got up rather quickly and took another bottle of red wine from the rack, twisted it open and refilled their glasses. He smiled and kept looking at her.
“Is that displacement activity?”
“What do you mean?” She could feel her cheeks getting warm.
“You always have to be doing something when you’re embarrassed.”
“I’m not embarrassed.”
“Well, unsure of yourself.”
“Shut up.”
But he was serious now. As if to give himself courage, he took a generous gulp from his glass, then he took a deep breath. “Fabia. You’re pouring a lot of wine down my throat.”
“You’re doing that, not me.”
“Okay, but it was you that opened another bottle. There’s no way I can drive tonight.”
Fabia said nothing, just waited.
“Since Anjali’s not here,” Matt said, “I could sleep in your spare room, or on the sofa.” He got up, came round the table, took her hands and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t protest. “But Fabia, my love,” he said softly, “I’d much, much rather sleep with you.”
He didn’t try to kiss her, just studied her face as if he was trying to commit each feature to memory. The minutes ticked by, then Fabia smiled, kissed him and, taking his hand, she led him up the stairs.
Acknowledgements
A few thank-yous, to my writing gurus, Jeannie and Dallas, and to all in the Guernsey Writers’ Group, particularly Linda for her help with getting the Welsh place names right. To all at The Book Folks for their eagle-eyed editing and sticking with Fabia, Matt and me. And most of all, yet again, thank you to Niall for listening and contributing, for his unfailing encouragement, and for never grumbling when he’s left with all the shopping and cooking.
Other titles of interest
If you enjoyed MURDER AT THE OLD ABBEY why not try out the first book to feature ex-detective Fabia Havard?
Having left the police following a corruption investigation, ex-superintendent Fabia Harvard is struggling with civilian life. When a girl is murdered in her town, she can't help trying to find the killer. Will her former colleague Matt Lambert stop her, or realize the value of his former boss to the floundering inquiry?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JYH46VW
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JYH46VW
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