Hey Diddle Diddle, the Runaway Riddle by P.C. James

Author:P.C. James [James, P.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-30T00:00:00+00:00

The local police officer who answered the phone, however, had never heard of Inspector Ramsay and wanted to speak to his colleagues in Keswick before investigating kidnappings and attempted murders.

“Do that,” Ramsay said, “but after you’ve come to the crime scene and gathered up the evidence still lying where it fell after they hit me.”

The man agreed to meet him at the spot after Ramsay described it to him.

After Ramsay hung up the phone, he drove back to the cottage, wincing as every bump in the road sent stabbing pains up his back. At one particularly bad pothole, Ramsay winced and Bracken, sitting in the passenger seat, whined in sympathy.

Ramsay grinned. “It’s thanks to you Bracken, I can feel the pain in my back. Without your quick thinking, I’d be a corpse right now.” He rubbed Bracken’s head and ears affectionately. “You know,” he added, “saving your life from the farmer that day, saved my life today. It’s funny how things work out.”

He parked the car beside the cottage and made his way inside, where Sophia and Alastair were making breakfast for themselves.

Sophia asked, “What was that all about?”

Ramsay explained, and added, “This time I think we have enough to get them finally taken into custody.” He grabbed Bracken’s leash and headed for the door.

“What about breakfast?” Sophia asked. “The police won’t be here for half an hour or more.”

“I’m going to sit where it happened to be sure no one comes back and destroys or removes the evidence.”

“We’ll come too,” Sophia said. “If they know we’re here, they may come to the cottage while you’re sitting up there waiting.”

“Good point,” Ramsay said, “though I don’t think they necessarily know you’re here.”

“If they’ve watched this place for any time last night,” Alastair said. “They know.”

“Fine, but you need to disappear when the police arrive,” Ramsay said. “They don’t need to know you’re here, as well.”

Sophia’s guess about the time was correct. It was forty minutes before they saw the police car crest the hill. Sophia and Alastair quickly stepped onto the trail that Ramsay and Bracken had come from earlier to join the road, disappearing into the bushes. As agreed, they were heading back over the summit of Gummer’s How and the return path to the cottage.

The officers were efficient, Ramsay noted approvingly. Almost as methodical as his own team had been back in Newcastle.

The officer bagging the broken mirror asked, “This hit you on your back?”

“It did,” Ramsay said. “By now I can show you the bruise.” He began to remove his jacket until the sergeant in charge said, “Not now, sir. We’ll have the police doctor look at your back at the station.”

Ramsay nodded, replacing his jacket. He didn’t want to leave Sophia alone at the cottage while he was at the station and replied, “I have my daughter and her boyfriend staying with me. We need to take them along in case the men come back.”

“You think these are the people you suggested kidnapped that young woman a week or so ago?” the sergeant asked.

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