‘Yes, of course. Now, there’s one other small matter to see to. There was this enclosure with the letter.’ He held up a sealed envelope. ‘It’s addressed to someone called Pepita – perhaps you would arrange for it to be delivered.’
‘Of course, sir.’
Epilogue
‘Roddy’s dead, isn’t he?’ said Nina.
‘Yes,’ Sukey replied. She held out the envelope she had been asked to deliver. ‘This was enclosed with a long letter he wrote to the police in Gloucester. Superintendent Sladden asked Jim to see that it reached you and we – Jim and I – thought it would be easier for you this way.’
‘That was kind.’ Nina took the envelope in both hands as if it was something precious and liable to break if carelessly handled, but made no move to open it. ‘What did the other letter say?’ she asked unexpectedly.
‘I haven’t actually seen it, but Jim told me the gist of it. You were absolutely right; he was taken to a clinic in South America and underwent plastic surgery before being given a false identity and sent back to Europe to carry on where he left off. He obviously felt he couldn’t go through with it, realised there was only one way to escape from the people who were manipulating him and decided to blow the whistle on them before he—’
‘Bowed out,’ Nina finished in a surprisingly calm voice as Sukey broke off in embarrassment. ‘How did it happen?’
‘I don’t know any details – all I can tell you is that he was found in a room in a Madrid hotel after having apparently taken an overdose. The letter he sent to the police – or a copy of it – has been passed to the Spanish authorities and I gather it contains some valuable information about people they’ve had their eye on for a long time but haven’t been able to touch for lack of evidence.’
Nina’s eyes dropped to the envelope in her hand. ‘Well, good for Roddy,’ she said softly.
‘Would you like me to go?’ Sukey offered. ‘I expect you’d like to be alone when you read that.’
‘No, please don’t go yet,’ said Nina quickly. ‘You’ve come all this way… the least I can do is offer you a cup of tea.’
For the first time, Sukey detected a tremor in Nina’s voice and guessed that to be left alone was the last thing she wanted. ‘Never mind the tea, but I’ll stay a bit longer if you like,’ she said quickly. ‘Why don’t I go and sit out there while you read your letter?’ she went on, nodding across the little sitting room of Nina’s Oxford flat towards the open French window, which gave on to a balcony just wide enough to accommodate a couple of garden chairs.
‘Yes, all right.’
In ordinary circumstances it would have been very pleasant to relax in the late spring sunshine and enjoy the view while thinking of nothing in particular. The balcony overlooked a small, well-tended communal garden bright with early roses and bordered by a stream where a pair of swans paddled majestically up and down, stopping now and again to dip their beaks into the gently flowing water or preen their snow-white feathers. The light was strong; after a few minutes Sukey closed her eyes and reflected sombrely on the contrast: outside, all was peace and tranquillity; in the room behind her the curtain was falling on the final act of a human tragedy.
The sun was warm on her skin; there was no sound but the drone of a distant aeroplane; she felt herself drifting away. She was aroused by the rattle of china as Nina deposited a tray on a small table beside her and sat down in the other chair. ‘I often drop off when I’m sitting out here,’ she said. ‘It’s surprisingly quiet in spite of being so close to the main road.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—’
‘There’s no need to apologise.’ Nina poured tea, handed a cup to Sukey and pointed to a plate of biscuits. ‘Help yourself.’ For a few moments they drank their tea and nibbled biscuits without speaking. At last, Nina put down her empty cup and said, ‘There’s one bit of information in Roddy’s letter to me that might help with the police enquiry.’
‘Oh?’
‘It’s the answer to a question I was always dying to ask him – but of course I never could because I wasn’t supposed to know he was up to anything criminal – which is, how did he get mixed up with that mob in the first place?’
‘That’s something I’ve often wondered.’
‘It was so typical of him… I’m afraid he was a bit big-headed in some ways.’ Nina gave a gentle, almost indulgent smile, like a mother excusing a harmless shortcoming on the part of a favourite child. ‘He was at a reception being held in some stately home; the owner was holding forth about his ‘impregnable’ security system and Roddy remarked to someone standing nearby that anyone with the right knowledge of electronics could easily get past it. Then he got a phone call from a man who claimed to represent the firm that installed the system and asked him if it was true. Knowing Roddy, I suspect he boasted a bit about how he could do it; anyway, this guy asked for a demonstration – so that steps could be taken to rectify possible weaknesses in the system, he said. Roddy couldn’t resist a challenge like that, so he did it… and was then asked to repeat the performance at a private house while the owner was away. The next day he read that the house had been robbed and realised that he’d got himself mixed up in a scam.’
‘So why didn’t he go to the police?’
‘He admits he should have done, but he was afraid he might end up in jail himself and anyway he reckoned that so long as no one got hurt, it was OK. As I told the police in my report, part of him lived in a fantasy world and I can imagine how he must have seen himself… a kind of romantic thief, always one jump ahead of the law. He got a cut from every job, but he didn’t need the money, it was the thrill of the thing that appealed to him. Then he found out what he’d really become involved with – the drugs, the murders, the utter ruthlessness of the people running the show – and the knowledge was just too much for him.’ Nina’s voice, which had been strong and steady throughout the recital, suddenly cracked, her face crumpled and tears welled up in her eyes. ‘The final straw was the knowledge that, so long as he was alive, my life would be in danger. I could have identified him, you see, despite the plastic surgery, so I had to be eliminated. And he would have tried to find me, they knew that…’ This time, her voice failed completely.
‘I’m so very sorry,’ said Sukey gently.
After a few moments, Nina wiped away the tears. ‘Don’t be sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m thankful it’s over, and proud that he had the courage to end it the way he did. I can grieve for him in peace now.’ She put a hand on Sukey’s arm. ‘Thank you for coming. It would have been much harder to face it alone.’
Did you love the twists and turns in Death at Beacon Cottage? Don’t miss Sukey’s next case in Death at Burwell Farm. Could the crumbling beauty and perfectly manicured lawns of this peaceful place be hiding a sinister crime?
Find out here!
Death at Burwell Farm
A Sukey Reynolds Mystery Book 4
A rambling old house, surrounded by a gorgeous rose garden with an elegant fountain, looks too perfect to be true. But could this beautiful place be the link between a string of peculiar deaths?
Sukey Reynolds is photographing the scene of a burglary at Burwell Farm for the police, when she finds herself drawn to the crumbling building and peaceful surroundings. Burwell Farm doesn’t grow crops or raise animals, but as a retreat, the owners do make some extraordinary claims about healing the soul…
But before Sukey can get too intrigued, she’s called to another break-in at the house of a young widow, whose husband spent a great deal of time at… Burwell Farm. Sukey starts to wonder if there is something more sinister going on behind the perfectly manicured lawns…
After her police colleagues refuse to take her suspicions seriously, Sukey decides the time has come to do some sleuthing on her own. But who is the thorn in the rose garden? Is it the beautiful receptionist, the gardener with a secret to hide, or perhaps the leader who inspires such devotion?
Then someone is murdered in the g
arden of Burwell Farm while she is there and Sukey realises she has landed herself in deep water. Can Sukey solve the mystery that has blighted this stunning house? And can she catch the killer before they turn on her?
A completely addictive murder mystery for fans of P.D. James, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis that will have you hooked from the first page!
Get it here!
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Books by Betty Rowlands
THE SUKEY REYNOLDS SERIES
Death at Hazel House
Death at Dearley Manor
Death at Beacon Cottage
Death at Burwell Farm
THE MELISSA CRAIG SERIES
Murder at Hawthorn Cottage
Murder in the Morning
Murder on the Clifftops
Murder at the Manor Hotel
Murder on a Winter Afternoon
Murder in the Orchard
Murder at Larkfield Barn
Murder in Langley Woods
Murder at Benbury Brook
Murder at the Old House
Murder in the Dining Room
Murder in a Country Garden
AVAILABLE IN AUDIO
Murder at Hawthorn Cottage (available in the UK and the US)
Murder in the Morning (available in the UK and the US)
Murder on the Clifftops (available in the UK and the US)
Murder at the Manor Hotel (available in the UK and the US)
Murder on a Winter Afternoon (available in the UK and the US)
Murder in the Orchard (available in the UK and the US)
Murder at Larkfield Barn (available in the UK and the US)
Murder in Langley Woods (available in the UK and the US)
Murder at Benbury Brook (available in the UK and the US)
Murder at the Old House (available in the UK and the US)
Murder in the Dining Room (available in the UK and the US)
Murder in a Country Garden (available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Betty
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Death at Beacon Cottage, I hope you enjoyed it! If you’d like to stay in touch with news about my future publications, then please sign up to my newsletter here:
Sign up here!
After I had written half a dozen or so Melissa Craig mysteries it occurred to me that there might come a time when it would be difficult to devise feasible situations when an amateur sleuth might become involved in murder. Also, I felt like a change from the traditional village mystery. My editor at the time was not keen on the idea, despite my assurances that I wasn't abandoning Melissa altogether.
But I went ahead anyway and created Sukey Reynolds. She is a Scene of Crime Officer in her thirties with a rapidly maturing teenage son, a boyfriend in the CID and an ex-husband in the background who causes problems from time to time. Naturally, her work routinely brings her into direct contact with crime at various levels and her official remit is limited to the collection of evidence.
However, before her marriage, Sukey was a police officer with ambitions to join the CID, and when it comes to murder she finds herself irresistibly drawn into the hunt for the killer. This tendency leads her into dangerous situations and incurs the active disapproval of DI Jim Castle. I do hope you’ve enjoyed this Sukey Reynolds mystery – there are more to come!
If you really loved the book and would like to spread the word to other readers, I’d be so grateful if you would leave a review. You can also follow my fan page on Facebook and Twitter via the links below.
All very best,
Betty
Death at Hazel House
A Sukey Reynolds Mystery Book 1
Available now!
Meet Sukey Reynolds: proud mother, wonderful cook… and police photographer turned amateur detective.
Years ago, Sukey was hoping to become a detective but life took a different turn. Now she’s happy to be involved with the local police force, as long as she still gets to work the occasional murder case...
When Sukey arrives to photograph the body of Lorraine Chant, the beautiful wife of a wealthy businessman, she’s baffled. At first, it looks like a botched burglary, as the huge family safe has been left wide open and empty. But why does Lorraine’s rich husband claim nothing was taken? And what is he not telling the police?
Deciding to do a little investigating of her own, things take a darker turn for Sukey when she is set upon by a shady figure. What do they think she knows? As Sukey finds herself in the firing line, can she expose the true killer before it’s too late?
If you love murder mysteries by Agatha Christie, Faith Martin or Joy Ellis, then this unputdownable novel from the bestselling queen of cozy crime will have you hooked!
Get it here!
Death at Dearley Manor
A Sukey Reynolds Mystery Book 2
A gorgeous country house, surrounded by sweeping lawns, is warmed by the rising sun. But inside, the lady of the manor will not see the morning…
Police photographer Sukey Reynolds is called to investigate a seemingly routine break-in at the beautiful Dearley Manor estate, but when she arrives, she is shocked to find the body of someone she knows all too well. The owner of Dearley Manor is none other than the wealthy woman whom Sukey’s husband, Paul Reynolds, left her for… And she has been brutally murdered.
With her close personal connection, Sukey is officially pulled off the case. But as the police close in on Paul, convinced he is guilty, Sukey realises she has no choice but to try and prove his innocence. He may not have been the world’s best husband, but he’s no killer.
As she starts to dig around the dead woman’s history, Sukey realises she was certainly no saint, and many of her neighbours might have wanted the late owner of Dearley Manor out of the way…
When yet another woman on the Dearley Estate is found dead, Sukey fears that anyone who knows too much about the troubled family is in danger from a ruthless murderer. Can she prove Paul’s innocence before it’s too late? And will she be able to nail this brutal killer before another life is taken?
An absolutely unputdownable murder mystery for fans of P.D. James, Joy Ellis and Faith Martin from the bestselling queen of cozy crime.
Get it here!
Murder at Hawthorn Cottage
A Melissa Craig Mystery Book 1
Get it here!
Meet Melissa: cat lover, caring mother… daring detective?
Melissa Craig is absolutely delighted with her new life in an old crumbling cottage, spending her days pruning the primroses and getting to know Binkie, the ginger cat next door. She only wishes she had made the move to the countryside sooner.
But when a knock at the door brings news of a shocking discovery, she suddenly finds herself thrown in to the middle of a baffling mystery: the bones of a young woman have been found in the woods just behind her new home.
Perhaps the little village of Upper Benbury is not as idyllic as it first seemed?
Strange phone calls in the night convince Melissa that the police are barking up completely the wrong tree, so she can’t resist doing a little digging of her own. From the bingo hall to the beauty salon and beyond, her search ruffles a few feathers and uncovers many of the village’s most scandalous secrets, but gets her no closer to finding the culprit…
The discovery of a tatty old photograph in a drawer is the final piece of the puzzle she needs, but as a newcomer in this close-knit community, does Melissa have what it takes to get to the bottom of this extraordinary murder mystery alone?
A joy to read! An absolutely unputdownable whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, P.D. James and Faith Martin.
Published by Bookouture in 2019
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Ca
rmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Betty Rowlands, 1999, 2019
Betty Rowlands has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
Originally published as Copycat by Severn House Publishers Ltd, 1999
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.
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