The Biscuit Barrel Murder by Geoffrey Start

Author:Geoffrey Start
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cosy Crime
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
Published: 2023-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Wednesday, 26 April 1922

Tisbury

We arrived in the hamlet of Lower Chicksgrove shortly before seven-thirty. Libby had made a reservation at the Compasses Inn, a fourteenth-century hostelry which was two miles away from Tisbury Manor.

The landlord, Gabriel Musselwhite greeted us. ‘A very warm welcome to our inn, Mr and Mrs Springate. I’ll take you to your room where you can refresh yourselves, and I’ve set a table for you in the snug for supper. My wife Betty is renowned for her shepherd’s pie and she has prepared one for your supper, and can I recommend you wash it down with my homemade cider?’

‘That sounds absolutely mouth-watering Gabriel. Now I have a request. My wife and I are keen ornithologists and a good chum of mine called this morning and informed us of a rare sighting of a short-eared owl near Tisbury Manor and to get ourselves down here. He said the weather tonight was set fair with a full moon, perfect conditions for owl watching.’

‘Really, well I’ll be jiggered!’

‘And we are too Gabriel, we’ll venture out shortly before midnight. I promise we will be as quiet as a church mouse on leaving and returning, but my request is can we have a key to let ourselves out and back in?’

‘That won’t be necessary Mr Springate, nobody in these parts ever locks their doors. I’ll make sure I leave some lights on for you.’

‘Thank you, we’re most obliged. We’ll be down for supper shortly.’

The shepherd’s pie lived up to its billing and we had just mopped up the gravy with Betty’s cottage loaf when Gabriel informed me there was a telephone call for me.

‘Excuse me darling.’

‘Excused.’

I returned in a state of both excitement and utter confusion and related my conversation with Strangely. Libby looked at me wide-eyed in amazement.

*

We left the inn and it was indeed a beautiful night, the moon shone brightly and it was an easy drive to the Manor. I parked the Bentley in a little wood about six-hundred yards from the Manor and we slowly picked our way through the trees. I managed to trip over a tree root but broke my fall by grabbing a branch which promptly snapped with a large crack. ‘For goodness sake Wispy you’ll wake up the whole house.’

‘Awfully sorry darling.’

We emerged out of the woods and there it was, the Manor house bathed in moonlight. We had come out on the right-hand side of the building and my plan was to go around the back and try to get in through the French windows. We worked our way around, avoiding the gravel paths and finally we climbed the steps up to the French windows. I carefully pulled the handle down and Gabriel was right, people in these parts didn’t lock their doors.

We both switched on our torches and the room was as I remembered it. Making our way across the room, switching our torches off we found ourselves in a hall, which had various doors leading off. I gestured to Libby to take the right-hand side and I took the left.

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