Murder in the Sunflower Field (The Wootton Windmill Mysteries Book 3) by Izzie Harper

Author:Izzie Harper [Harper, Izzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farthingloe Publishing
Published: 2023-07-19T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

9pm

In midsummer, the back garden of the Blix’s windmill was a mixture of heavenly sights and smells. A mature honeysuckle trailed up the fence on the left of the garden. Jasmine was in full bloom on a frame by the back door. It was one of Ellie’s favourite times of year, when they could sit out late in the garden and watch the swifts swoop and soar.

She, Sylvia, Zoe, Finn and Jake were having a barbecue. Jake had arrived half an hour earlier to show Ellie some of Tara’s notes. Finn stood at the barbeque, sipping a beer and intermittently turning sausages and steaks with tongs.

‘That food smells amazing,’ Ellie shouted over. ‘I’m drooling.’ She was sitting at the garden table with Jake, studying a document on the laptop. On the table in front of them was an open bottle of wine and two glasses.

Zoe was sitting next to her with her own laptop open in front of her, sipping a bottle of beer. ‘Mum, I’ve been looking up the financial records of East Kent Circus.’

‘And?’

‘It doesn’t fit with Billy Collins asking for credit on the sand for the Big Top. Their turnover is massive and so are their profits. Why would he be asking for credit?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe they’ve got cash flow problems. Perhaps that’s how they manage their finances, by paying everyone else late.’

‘I suppose. Seems odd though. When you do that, you destroy goodwill. Why do it when you’ve got the money to pay straightaway?’

‘Without access to their bank accounts – which the police have, but we don’t – we’re not going to know.’

‘We need to find someone who’s prepared to dish the dirt,’ said Zoe. ‘If there is anyone. Who hates Billy Collins?’

‘At the moment, all of Tara and Bob’s family. Disgruntled employees, past and present. Andrew, her ex-boyfriend.’

Jake drew Ellie’s attention to a document of Tara’s on the laptop. ‘This is where she first mentions the thing everyone’s been keeping quiet about. Look.’

He highlighted a section for her to read.

‘When Henry Collins dropped Rose, he hadn’t told anyone he’d developed Multiple Sclerosis.’

‘So, Rose didn’t fall,’ Ellie told them all what she’d read. ‘She was dropped – by Billy’s brother, who had MS.’

‘You’re kidding?’ said Sylvia from her reclining chair.

Zoe stopped what she was doing and shifted her attention on what Ellie was reading.

Ellie read Tara’s notes aloud. ‘Worried about losing his job, Henry had kept his condition to himself while he decided what to do.’

‘This is scandalous,’ said Jake.

‘On the day of the accident, several colleagues noticed Henry’s muscles and joints were weak. He dropped Rose and afterwards told everyone she was hungover and careless. This was the account that his father, Derek, amplified.’

‘This is it. This is what Tara was going to go public with,’ Ellie explained. ‘She wanted to tell everyone her great-aunt wasn’t to blame. Henry Collins was.’

‘That is the sort of information that could get you killed,’ Jake said sadly. ‘My poor, darling daughter.’

‘Any mention of where Henry is?’ Sylvia asked.

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