05 - The Dark Fear - DCI Dani Bevan by Katherine Pathak

Author:Katherine Pathak [Pathak, Katherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Garansay Press
Published: 2015-09-10T23:00:00+00:00

*

It was a mild evening. Dani changed into an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt, deciding to do some work on the flower borders at the front of the lodge.

Running along the path were a tangle of interconnected rose bushes. Dani put on gloves to prize them apart and prune the foliage back. She felt sweat spring to her upper lip and was amazed at what good exercise the process was.

Dani became aware of a presence at the end of the path. She looked up to see Tilly Newton standing at the gate. The woman was wearing walking gear and an expensive looking fleece.

‘Hi, Dani. I’m glad to find you here. I’ve been walking in the woods and I picked these mushrooms. I promised to drop some in for James to try, if I was passing. He expressed an interest at our shooting weekend.’

Dani stood up. ‘Great, thanks. Come inside.’

Tilly retrieved a plastic bag from her backpack, placing it on a worktop in the boot room. ‘There are a few chanterelles in there and the rest are wood urchins. Nothing poisonous, I swear. Give them a good wash and they’ll be ready to cook.’

‘It’s very kind of you. Would you like a drink?’

‘I’m dying for a cup of tea.’

Dani put the kettle on. ‘James has gone to the shops. I thought I’d surprise him by having a go at the garden.’

‘Those rose bushes flower beautifully in summer. Now they’re established, you won’t have to do much to keep them in order.’

‘Which is just as well. I’m not really a gardener. The plot at my place in Glasgow is the size of a postage stamp.’

Tilly sat down. ‘Will you keep the flat on, now that you’ve got this place?’

‘My work is in Glasgow.’

Tilly went quiet for a few moments. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.’

Dani carried the teapot to the table. ‘It’s okay. James has clearly bought a property which isn’t intended to house just one person.’

‘How do you feel about that?’

The detective smiled. ‘We’ve been dating for less than a year. I don’t have an opinion to share just yet.’

‘How long does it take? I’d only been with Aiden a few months before I knew I wanted to marry him.’

‘How did the two of you meet?’

‘You’re thinking that we’re quite an ill-matched couple. Don’t worry, my family thinks so too. Actually, Aiden and I have a number of things in common. We both love nature and the great outdoors. When I was living in Haddington, I joined a local walking group. Aiden had been a member for several years. We fell in love whilst rambling through the countryside. Quite romantic, really.’

‘Yes, it is. What year was that?’ Dani refreshed her guest’s mug.

‘It must have been 2002, because we got married the following year. I was only twenty two back then.’

‘Did you know the family who lived here at Oak Lodge at one time – the Gascoignes?’

Tilly shook her thick bob of chestnut brown hair. ‘No. It was a middle-aged man who was renting here when I came to live at the cottage.

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