A Village Murder (The Ham-Hill Murder Mysteries) by Frances Evesham

Author:Frances Evesham [Evesham, Frances]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2020-06-22T16:00:00+00:00

21

Suspicion

Harley careered round the hotel garden, stopping to sniff at every hedge and marking the occasional tree with his own scent. Imogen’s face glowed with pleasure. Her cheeks were a healthy pink, whether from the walk or from excitement, Adam could not tell.

His plan had worked perfectly. If ever he’d met a woman in need of a dog, Imogen Bishop was that woman.

He’d miss Harley. The Plough seemed oddly quiet in the mornings, before the hurley-burley of a busy working day began, but a dog had been one responsibility too many.

‘I don’t want to waste your time,’ she said, ‘but I’m at my wit’s end with finding Greg’s killer. I’ve discovered that investigation isn’t as easy as I expected. I went to visit one of Greg’s contacts, but I got nowhere with him; in fact, he showed me the door. I didn’t know what to ask.’ She bit her lip. ‘I know you’re busy…’

‘No more than you, with a hotel to run,’ he pointed out.

‘I have plenty of staff.’

Adam broke into laughter, and after a moment, Imogen joined in.

‘Sorry, that sounds so grand,’ she spluttered.

‘I can’t think of a better way of spending my time than solving a murder,’ Adam remarked. ‘So, while Harley destroys your grounds, let’s sit down and run through our progress so far.’

Imogen led the way to a bench overlooking the stream.

Adam cleared his throat and bought time, pulling out his battered notebook and searching pockets for a pen.

Time for the conversation he was dreading. ‘You told me Julian died, that evening at school. His death bothers me.’

She flinched, as though surprised. ‘You and me, both. It was a terrible thing to happen, but what does it have to do with Greg?

‘Indulge me for a moment. You never know what connection one thing may have to another – even after thirty years.’

She pushed her hair back from her face, still frowning. ‘Greg was killed because of his shady business deals, I’m sure of it. Honestly, Adam, you should see that restaurant owner, Georgiou. He gave me the creeps.’ She shivered at the memory. ‘I bet he’s involved.’

Adam took a deep breath. ‘There’s something I haven’t told you. Something I haven’t proved, yet, but my gut feeling tells me I’m right. If I am, Greg’s death is not the only one we need to look at. We can’t ignore Julian’s, either.’ He paused, watching her face. ‘And then, there’s the other death.’

Imogen’s face drained of colour. ‘What – what on earth do you mean. The other death? Who else died? I mean—’

Her eyes darkened as realisation dawned. ‘Not, not my father? No.’

She rose from the bench and took a stumbling step backwards. ‘That’s nonsense. You’re making it up. Dad’s death was an accident.’

Adam waited for her to calm down and slide back onto the bench.

It was the first time he’d heard her call her father ‘Dad’. That was good. It showed there was affection there, despite the years of bitterness towards her father.

While she sat frowning as though collecting her thoughts, Adam reflected on her behaviour.

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