The Cipher Garden by Martin Edwards

Author:Martin Edwards [Edwards, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery
ISBN: 9780749040758
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2011-05-18T04:00:00+00:00

‘Am I disturbing you?’

‘No, it’s fine.’

He felt guilty because it wasn’t yet five o’clock and she was a busy woman, while he was free to roam the fells. Miranda and Louise were back at the cottage and he’d been seized by the urge to hear her husky voice again. Talking to her was a treat, like an extra glass of Chablis. It would be all too easy to overindulge.

He’d gone for a walk up Tarn Fell, halting by the stone cairn to take out his phone. The mobile signal from this point was better than usual on the slopes of Lakeland. His new boots were pinching and he sat on the rocky ground to ease them off. In the distance a buzzard hung motionless in the air. It seemed so calm that it was hard to believe it had murder on its mind. He imagined its small dark eyes, scanning the landscape for prey.

‘I wanted to let you know I’ve met Peter Flint. As well as the dead man’s son.’

‘Is your garden sorted now, then?’

‘Far from it. But you might be interested in what Peter told me.’

‘You didn’t prise a confession out of him, by any chance?’

‘No such luck. All the same, he talked freely enough and I found out a few things. Have you got five minutes?’

As he recounted his discussions with Peter and Sam, Daniel pictured her closing her eyes as she listened. As he answered her questions, he guessed she was sifting through the answers, assessing whether there was anything she didn’t know already. He liked the way she concentrated her full attention upon him whenever they talked. She didn’t disapprove, she took him seriously. He couldn’t help finding it flattering.

‘I spoke to Tina Howe on the phone and Peter Flint told me the daughter is a waitress at a restaurant called The Heights.’

‘The woman she works for, Bel Jenner, was an old flame of her father’s.’

‘Small world. My sister offered to take Miranda and me out for a meal. I might suggest The Heights.’

Through the crackling, he could make out her laughter. ‘You’re incorrigible.’

‘’Fraid so.’ Any minute the line would go dead. Time to take a chance. ‘I wondered. Would you like to meet up for a drink one evening?’

As he held his breath, the buzzard moved. First it soared into the air, and then it swooped down towards an unsuspecting victim in a patch of gorse. For a long time Hannah didn’t speak. Shit. Had the signal gone, or had he simply overplayed his hand?

Then he heard her voice again. Faint but clear.

‘Yes, why not?’

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