I was a bit grumpy at aunty Gwawr’s suggestion. “I wasn’t messing around. And I didn’t FALL in. I was PUSHED”.
Aunty Gwawr encouraged me to tell her everything about the day, and the things that I had found out.
“Show me that bell again will you” aunty Gwawr asked. “Did you get samples from all of the sheep?”.
I nodded my head as I ran to my bed and pulled out the bell from under the padding. I had hidden it like aunty Gwawr had suggested, so that Briallen didn’t get accused of murder. “Here we go”. I handed the bell to aunty Gwawr. “Look, just here, there’s some wool stuck to it, and it isn’t Briallen's. It’s the wrong colour for a start. It’s not Seren’s either. I reckon that it must be the killer’s wool, all we have to do is to match the wool on the bell with the wool from today’s samples”.
Aunty Gwawr had gone silent. A look of horror across her face. “What is it aunty Gwawr? What’s wrong? Should I get Mr Shepphard for you?”
“No, I’m OK”. Aunty Gwawr lied. “Quick. Hide this Beau. Mr Shepphard is coming, he mustn’t see the bell, no matter what”.
21
I quickly hid the bell, just as Mr and Mrs Shepphard came back into the kitchen. Mr Shepphard still looked rather glum, but Mrs Shepphard was doing her best to lift his spirits.
“Come now love, you look frazzled. You’ve had a heck of a day by the sounds of it”. Mrs Shepphard stroked the back of her husband’s head and pulled out a bottle of wine from the pantry. She pulled out the cork and placed a glass in her husband’s hand pouring him a glass, before pouring one for herself.
“Lechyd Da”. They said at the same time, chinking their wine glasses together and taking a sip. They sat back on their seats and were cwtching for a while.
Mrs Shepphard smiled at her husband. “Don’t you falling asleep on me now. I’ve not seen you all day. Tell you what why don’t you get a bosch whilst I put the tea on. And then you can tell me all about it?”.
“Good idea” Mr Shepphard agreed.
Mr Shepphard tidied his knife and form together on his plate, and patted his full belly. “I don’t know” he sighed. “Everything’s a cawl cabbage right now. Sheep murdering sheep. And then Beau falling into the sheep dip. I could have lost him and the twins today. Imagine that”.
“I know dear. I know. But you didn’t lose them. They’re all fine. No harm done”. Mrs Shepphard consoled.
Mr Shepphard smiled very slightly as he recalled Taffy’s attempts to get a dip in the bath. “Aww you should have seen Taffy though. He does love a good dipping. He looked so sad when I turned him away. But I think he understood”.
I looked at aunty Gwawr. “Why wasn’t Taffy allowed to take a dip?” I asked her.
“Taffy? Oh, he was under the doctor. Silly thing got himself caught on some barbed wire during a fight with Wynn a few days back. The vet says he needs to keep the wound dry until it has healed properly”. Aunty Gwawr was watching me as my thoughts progressed.
“No, I don’t think that Taffy is the murderer” aunty Gwawr laughed, working out my thoughts as they happened. She really could read me like a book.
“But…” I was about to say
“But nothing. It wasn’t Taffy OK”. Aunty Gwawr told me firmly.
How come aunty Gwawr was so sure, I thought to myself as aunty Gwawr decided it was probably better to just give me the details, than have me go off doing my own investigations. “I know it wasn’t Taffy, because firstly, he was in love with Seren and he didn’t like the way that things were between her and Wynn…..and secondly…..he has an alibi”.
I wasn’t sure about aunty Gwawr’s information, Taffy seemed to have a motive and means for murder, but aunty Gwawr was insistent. “There is absolutely no way that it could have been Taffy alright. I know because he was with me and Mr Shepphard. The vet will confirm everything, because we had to call him out to look at Taffy’s wounds. He was with us for the whole evening, and was in no fit state to go off to the river to kill anyone. It was touch and go to be honest, He had quite a fever and a nasty infection”.
“Oh, OK then” I replied, feeling a little bit over zealous at having suspected Taffy in the first place.
Aunty Gwawr looked at me seriously again. “But I do think I know who the real killer is, and the more I’ve thought about it over the evening, the more certain I am. I just need to see those wool samples first”.
I was eager to find out what aunty Gwawr knew about the murder, and it didn’t take me long to lay out all the samples I’d collected at the dipping baths today. I pointed to each sample, and named the sheep that each one had come from. “That one is from Meredith. That one is Fflur. That one is Delyth, and that one there is Bevan….”
“Stop. tell me who that one belongs to again” aunty Gwawr said agitated.
“Which one, this one?” I asked puzzled.
“Yes, this one here” aunty Gwawr pointed to a speckled sample of wool.
I picked it up and examined it closely. Surprised that I hadn’t noticed it before. “Wait a minute. This is the sample that Delyth gave me. But it doesn’t look like her wool at all. She’s the only sheep that I didn’t take the sample from myself, because she put it in my hand before I had even asked her for it”.
Suddenly everything was falling into place. Aunty Gwawr looked at me very seriously. “How would you describe Delyth to me Beau?” she asked.
I thought about it for a second, realising my error. “I would say she was the whitest of all the sheep, with perfectly groomed wool, not a grass seed in sight”.
“And does that fleece look as white as snow to you?” aunty Gwawr asked me, lifting up a stern eyebrow.
I had a flashback to my dip in the baths, Delyth had been there when we fell, AND she had been there in the stand off when I told aunty Gwawr that I knew who the murder was.
“Oh no” I howled. “It’s all my fault. I think it’s because of me that Blodwen and Heddwen got pushed into the dipping baths. How could I be so stupid?”.
Aunty Gwawr looked at me a little confused. “What do you mean Beau, how could it be your fault?”.
I chewed irritably on my paw for a moment, annoyed that I had been such an idiot. “You remember when you were having a show down with Delyth, and I ran over to you and said that I knew who the murder was, even though I didn’t know?”.
Aunty Gwawr nodded, her eyes becoming suddenly very small and dark.
“Well, I said that I had worked it out, with help from Blodwen and Heddwen didn’t I?”. I felt terrible for putting the twins at risk.
Aunty Gwawr had a flash of inspiration as she listened and processed my conversation. “And Delyth was there and heard you, so she tried to bump the three of you off at the dipping baths. Yes I see now. Oh Beau, you poor dab. Don’t worry, I promise we’ll fix everything”.
“Oh aunty!” I sobbed. “What are we to do now? She was there in front of our very eyes the whole time”.
22
“What’s wrong with you tonight Gwawr? You seem very unsettled. Are you ill?” Mr Shepphard was puzzled by aunty Gwawr’s suddenly need to go outside and check on the sheep, but he knew better than to ignore his loyal friend.
I ran up to him with his coat, and followed with the silver bell that Briallen had lost and pulled out the wool from between the silver sections of the bell. Mr Shepphard turned the bell over. “Well what have you brought me Beau? What ARE you doing with Briallen’s sheep bell?”. I tugged again at the snow white wool, hoping that he might catch on.
Aunty Gwawr shook her head at Mr Shepphard, and gave him a loud bark to follow her. I urged him to put on his coat and boots, and together, aunty Gwawr and I led him out to where the sheep were resting in the field. It was dark and the stars were twinkling bright, the field lit by the shine of a large, and very white full moon.
“Where are we going Gwawr?” Mr Shepphard asked, scratching his head with confusion. We urged him to hurry up and follow us, as we silently entered the field, and made our way
down the slope to the farthest corner.
“Something is wrong” I called to aunty Gwawr. “Quick, we need to go to the river”.
Aunty Gwawr looked at me in surprise. “You don’t think Delyth…would she….she couldn’t…could she?”.
I wasn’t a hundred percent certain, but I wasn’t prepared to wait and find out either. But we needed to act fast. I quickly led the way, wishing that Mr Shepphard could run a little bit faster. We were never going to get there in time, and I wasn’t prepared to lose any more sheep from the flock. Mr Shepphard was panting hard and stopping every few hundred metres, to relieve a stitch in his side.
“Slow down you two” he panted “where’s the fire?”.
I spotted the sheepy figures in the moonlight. “Over there aunty Gwawr. Hurry”. We pelted towards the river bank, where Seren had been murdered, and there teetering on the edge of the river bank was a terrified family of sheep. Meredith, Fflur, and two little lambs, Blodwen and Heddwen. “Help us. Please” they cried as they spotted us approaching behind an evil looking Delyth.
Mr Shepphard stopped for a moment, fighting for his breath. “What is going on? Delyth?”. His face changed from red to white to blue as it dawned on him what was going on here, and he looked at the little sample of snow white wool still gripped in his palm.
“No”. Mr Shepphard cried. “Not Delyth? Surely?”. All of us nodded our heads at him, happy that he had finally worked things out.
Mr Shepphard grabbed Delyth by the scruff of her neck, as she let out a deep and echoing “BAAAA”.
“Oh thank you. Thank you”. Meredith, Fflur, and the twins cried. aunty Gwawr gave them all a good lick as they nestled into her fur. “Oh thank you Gwawr, for saving us”.
23
M Shepphard led the little family of sheep away from the river and back to the relative safety of the flock, not letting go of Delyth’s scruff for a second. “I’ll deal with you later” he scolded, as Delyth tried to bite him. Gwawr came to give him some assistance, and snarled through her teeth, she wouldn’t be taking any more trouble from Delyth that was for sure.
The sleeping flock, stood up to greet the wanderers. Surprised to see Mr Shepphard out and about so late at night. They usually only saw him at night in lambing time, or when someone was sick. They looked at each other a bit baffled.
“It’s alright. It’s alright. No need to be alarmed” Mr Shepphard reassured them. “I’ll see you guys in the morning, alright. You’re safe now”. Mr Shepphard gave Fflur a little rub of her wooly head and left the family to explain to the rest of the flock what had happened.
“As for you Delyth, I’ll decide about you in the morning. For now you can sleep in the barn on your own, and think about what you’ve done”. Mr Shepphard led the sheep back towards the farm yard, and tied her up inside the barn, with some hay and water.
“Come by Gwawr. Beau. Let’s go home. See if Mrs Shepphard has got something nice for us as a treat. Clever dogs like you deserve a little something yummy as a thank you for your great detective work”.
Glossary
After: later. ‘I’ll see you later’ (I’ll see you after).
Alright or wha: hello.
Beyond: very, extremely. ‘He’s rude beyond’. He’s very rude.
Bosh: quick wash. ‘Taking a quick bosh before tea’.
Butt: term of endearment, a bit like mush. ‘How’s it going butt?’.
Butty: a friend. ‘We’ve been best butties since we were kids’.
Buzzing: unpleasant or something really exciting.
By there/by here: over there/over here.
Cawl cabbage: a terrible mess. ‘What a cawl cabbage this room is’.
Chopsing: when you’re getting an ear bashing from someone. Arguing, getting an earful.
Chwech: six
Coopy down by here: squat down.
Cowin’ (mega) lush: when something is really good or ‘sick’. ‘This is cowing lush’.
Cwtch: to cuddle or hug. ‘The two lovers were cwtching on the sofa.
Cymru am byth: ‘Long live Wales’. ‘Wales Forever’.
Dab: ‘poor dab’. Someone having bad luck that you feel sorry for.
Daps: pair of trainers/sneakers.
Dau: two
Deg: ten
Drive: person who drives. The bus driver. The car driver. ‘Cheers, drive’: thanks driver.
Dwt/dwtty: when something or someone is very small. ‘Awe, you are so dwti’.
Fair do’s: fair play. Fair do’s to you on getting that new job.
Frazzle: to the limit. ‘I’m frazzled’: I’m exhausted.
Grizzle: to complain or moan. ‘She’s constantly grizzling’.
Gyp: grief, annoyance, pain. My back is giving me some gyp.
He’s a hambon: he’s a farming kind of guy.
Hanging: really drunk. ‘I got absolutely hanging last night’.
Hi-ya, Eye-ah: hello, greeting.
I’m not being funny: what you say before you say something serious that the other person may not like. ‘I’m not being funny, but you really smell today’.
I’m not gonna lie to you: I’m about to tell you something you won’t like.
It’s nobbling out: it’s really cold outside.
I’m only saying: I was just pointing something out.
Joking: artificial or pretend. I wanted some flowers but they only had joking ones.
Lechyd Da: cheers.
Like: ‘I was riding my bike like’.
Lump: big. ‘He’s a lump of a boy’.
Minging: disgusting. ‘That’s absolutely minging’.
Mitching: to skip school. Play truant.
Mush: a term of endearment. ‘Alright mush’.
Naw: nine
Never: a sign of disbelief. No way! ‘He never passed his exams?’.
Now in a minute: in a minute, later on, in a bit. ‘I’ll do it now in a minute’.
Pack it in you sledge: stop it right now, you’re being an idiot.
Pedwar: four
Picking: when it is spitting with rain. ’it’s picking’.
Pump: five
Right enough: definitely right.
Saith: Seven
Scram: to hurt oneself. ‘I fell off my bike and scrammed myself. I got a scram on my hand too’.
Shook rigid: shocked.
Tamping: to be disgusted by something. I’m tamping: ‘I am so angry right now’.
Tapped: a bit crazy, unstable, or unreasonable. ‘She’s tapped’.
Tawch: nasty taste. ‘There’s a funny tawch on this bread’.
There you are then/there we are then: problem solved.
Tidy: brilliant, fantastic, great. ‘Thats tidy’. ‘Tidy, man’.
Tidy darts: that’s great.
Tosh: rubbish. Lies. ‘What a load of old tosh’.
Tri: three
Twp: stupid. ‘You’re a bit twp’.
Twp cloi: thick but quick.
Un: one
Under the doctor: unwell. ‘She’s under the doctor’.
What’s occurrin’: greeting.
Where to are you: where are you? ‘Where you to?’.
Wyth: eight
Ych-a-fi: an expression of disgust, like when a child comes rushing at you covered in mud and you shout ‘ych-a-fi’.
Recipes
Welsh Rarebit
Head back to the 18th century with this Welsh classic, perfect served with larverbread and a drop of ale! Posh cheese and toast anyone?
Ingredients
4 thick slices of bread
25g of butter
225g mature Welsh cheddar cheese
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp Welsh beer
1 tbsp laverbread
freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Grate the cheese and add it to a saucepan, along with the butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, and flour.<
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2. Mix well and heat gently.
3. Gradually add the beer to the saucepan but don’t let the mixture get too wet.
4. Stir the mixture until everything has melted.
5. When the mixture forms a thick paste, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool a while.
6. Toast the bread on one side only and then spread the larverbread on the untoasted side of the bread.
7. Spread the cheesy mixture on top of the laverbread.
8. Place under the grill until the cheesy mixture has started to brown.
9. If you don’t want to use up all the cheesy paste, you can always store it in the fridge for a few days until you are ready to use it.
Baa'd to Death: A Cozy Mystery Novella (Cozy Mystery Dogs Book 1) Page 5
