Bamburgh: A DCI Ryan Mystery (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 19) by LJ Ross

Author:LJ Ross [Ross, LJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

They spent more time interviewing the remaining archaeological team, all of whom confirmed more or less exactly what Professor Soames had told them at the start of the interview process: they’d all left by eight-fifteen, the previous morning; nobody knew of anything concerning relating to the late Angela Bansbury other than her recent reports of having a daily visit from the Pink Lady; nobody had seen anything suspicious, and nobody had slipped away at any time, each of them having been present on castle grounds throughout the day, a fact corroborated by one or more of them.

Which meant they were each in possession of a rock-solid alibi.

“Well, that’s that,” Phillips said, as they made their way back down towards the village, around midday. “Couldn’t have been any of them who pushed her.”

“We don’t know that Angela was pushed,” Ryan said. “But we know she was serious about having seen the Pink Lady. At first, when she told me about it, I thought it was some sort of marketing ruse to cash in on the myth. However, she’d have no need to perpetuate the myth to people she knew very well, and who weren’t a target audience, so the only logical conclusion is that she truly believed she’d seen the ghost.”

Phillips agreed. “So, we’re back to our theory about someone dressin’ up as the Pink Lady to give the old woman a fright?” he said. “If it wasn’t one of these lot, it had to have been one of her staff.”

“Process of elimination,” Ryan agreed. “Let’s go and chat to them, now.”

“Ah, now, just hold your horses there, son.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Look around you,” Phillips said, gesturing towards the picture-perfect village up ahead. “Tell me what you see.”

“Ah…” Ryan shrugged, not quite sure where the conversation was heading. “I see tourists, sunshine…”

“You see ice cream and tea rooms,” Phillips informed him, bluntly. “In tea rooms, there’s tea cakes and scones, quiches and cakes aplenty.”

Ryan folded his arms across his chest. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Even if we did have time—which we don’t—Mac would have my guts for garters if she found out I’d let you loose in The Copper Kettle.”

Phillips had already caught the scent of freshly baked goods, and was following it like Winnie-the-Pooh might have followed a honey pot.

“She doesn’t have to know,” he whispered, a bit manically. “I’ve got strong breath mints in the car…”

Ryan took his friend’s shoulders in a firm hold and gave him a shake. “Frank, you don’t know what you’re saying, it’s crazy talk—”

Phillips grabbed Ryan’s shirtfront and clung on. “It’s the cabbage,” he wailed. “I can’t take it anymore, I need sugar—”

“Look,” Ryan said, glancing to either side, as if he expected MacKenzie to sneak up on the pair of them. “We’ll make a bargain, just this once.”

Phillips nodded, eyes half-mad with sugar fever.

“We’ll have lunch in the tearoom, if you promise never to wear Lycra ever again.”

Phillips made a show of thinking about it, then stuck out his hand.

“Deal.”

Phillips made as if to run off, but Ryan held him back.

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