Ann Granger Read Online Free PDF Page B

as they were about to get out of the car, she suddenly exclaimed, ‘No, not here!’
    ‘What not here?’
    ‘We can’t, or I’d prefer not to drink here. Look, see the BMW? That’s Markby’s car.’
    ‘Are you sure?’ Simon peered through the windscreen.

    ‘I recognize the number plate. One thing we coppers are trained to do is remember number plates. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not drink my tomato juice under the eye of the superintendent.’
    ‘Perhaps he’s in there with this woman he’s going to marry? Aren’t you curious to see her?’
    ‘No,’ Jess said. ‘I’m not. And I didn’t think you were such an old busybody! We’ll stop at the next decent pub, I promise.’
    ‘I didn’t know,’ her brother complained, ‘that being a copper made life so difficult.’
    There’s a lot you don’t know about being a copper, Jess thought, but didn’t say aloud.

Chapter Three
    Meredith wasn’t prepared for her first sight of Overvale House. They drove up hill and down dale through wooded countryside before suddenly emerging at the top of a steep rise to find an open panorama spread out below them in a flat-bottomed valley. Here and there the landscape was dotted with the virulent yellow patches of rape fields. The rape seeds had escaped and established themselves by the roadside, where they nodded lemon flower heads at passing cars. In a sheltered low-lying spot an orchard of cherry or plum trees was a riot of pink blossom. But they turned aside from all this, following Toby’s pencilled road map, on to a badly surfaced lane which was little more than a track. This took them away from the bright open vista back into the shadows of overhanging trees.
    They rattled and shook their progress over potholes until, suddenly, they burst out into the open again and an equally arresting sight. Overvale House was before them, on rising land on the other side of the valley, a square white Georgian building among steep green fields and dark patches of woodland. In one field horses grazed peacefully and on the valley floor an irregular oval patch glittered in the sunlight, sending out flashes of bright light. Meredith gasped. Alan drew into the side of the track and they both got out, crossing the road to stand on the narrow verge, overlooking the scene.
    ‘That’s the lake,’ said Alan, pointing down at the oval of dancing lights. ‘It’s not very large, as you can see, and it’s artificial. It was
created early in the nineteenth century as a boating lake, to amuse guests, I suppose.’
    ‘You know the house and grounds, of course. I’m longing to see them.’The wind whipped up her hair as she spoke and she put up a hand to smooth it down.
    ‘Ask the Jenners. I’m sure they’d be delighted to show you the property.’There was a dry note in his voice.
    She glanced at him. ‘I’m sorry, Alan. I shouldn’t have landed you with this.’
    He shook his head and grinned at her. ‘Don’t, please, apologize. It isn’t like you and makes me nervous. Anyway, it’s not necessary. If this turns out to be blackmail, then it would probably end up on my desk. In a sense, I’m quite pleased to be in on the action early. As I was saying to you last night, we usually get called in far too late.’
    She was gazing at the view again. ‘It’s such a lovely house, the whole setting, everything. It’s – it’s like coming on an enchanted palace in a fairy tale.’
    Markby asked gently, ‘Is it a good or an evil enchantment?’ Then, when she turned a surprised face towards him, he smiled and added teasingly, ‘It’s not like Bamford vicarage.’
    ‘No, we couldn’t afford this – or afford to keep it up if we had it. Nor would it be suitable for us. Wildly over the top. But his cousin’s made a lot of money, Toby says. If I were a millionaire, which I gather is Jenner is, I’d buy this. Wouldn’t you? Anyway, when we’ve finished with the vicarage, it will be pretty good too. Though not, I