The Dartmoor Murders by Stephanie Austin

Author:Stephanie Austin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

‘And she just happens to have one?’ Carol asked uncertainly the following afternoon. ‘A llama?’

‘It’s amazing what people will abandon at your gate when you run an animal sanctuary,’ I told her. ‘Loopy the llama, she’s very good with sheep.’

Carol looked fraught. She’d been working on her laptop when I arrived, busy with her accounts, papers spread all over the kitchen table. I’d arrived unannounced and I had the feeling that she was still adding up money with half of her brain. She was too polite to tell me to go away. For one thing it had been raining heavily all day and showed no sign of letting up. And for another, little Amy thought the accounts were for crayoning on and needed entertaining. I think she could see there might be an advantage in keeping me around for an hour. Dutifully, I pulled a blank sheet of paper and her pot of crayons towards me. ‘What shall we draw?’ I whispered to her, although as my drawing’s hopeless, it didn’t really matter what she said.

I was only telling the truth. Llamas live very happily alongside sheep. Although they are usually docile, Pat told me, they become aggressive if threatened and will place themselves between the flock and dogs, foxes or other intruders. Their long-necked height makes them intimidating; Loopy reminds me of a dowager duchess peering down her long nose. And if staring an intruder down doesn’t work, llamas will chase, kick and spit. I don’t believe dowager duchesses usually go that far, but llamas have also got a truly ear-splitting alarm call. ‘She’s halter-trained,’ I added, in an attempt to make her sound more enticing, ‘and she’s very pretty.’

Carol was still in maths mode. ‘How much do they want for her?’

‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘A donation to Honeysuckle Farm would be appreciated, but basically you’d be doing them a favour. The cost of looking after all these strays is crippling. They’re always grateful to find an animal a good home.’

She sighed, considering. ‘Well, there’d be no harm in taking a look at her, I suppose.’

‘Pat could bring her over in the trailer. She’d want to see this place, anyway.’ I grinned at her. ‘She’d want to make sure you were suitable owners.’

Carol flipped the lid of the laptop. She’d had enough of accounts. ‘Oh, for God’s sake, let’s make a cup of tea! We’ll take one out to poor Daddy, shall we, Amy,’ she asked, smiling down at her daughter, ‘and ask him what he thinks?’

‘Is Neil out there in this downpour?’ I turned to glance out of the window but all I could see were raindrops running down the foggy glass. ‘I know farmers have to work in all weathers but—’

‘He’s trying to fix the digger.’ She shook her head at his folly. ‘He wanted to drive it over the field today to start work digging his ramparts, but the thing won’t go. I told him to get the tractor and tow it under cover, but he wouldn’t listen.

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