The Willow Marsh Murder by Karen Charlton

Author:Karen Charlton [Charlton, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Famelton Publishing
Published: 2020-01-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

As Lavender and the two men walked through the smoky tap room at the front of the tavern, Waterbeach promised to keep Lavender informed of developments. He seemed competent and dedicated; he and his men would be more familiar with this unforgiving watery terrain. This left him and Woods free to search for the heartless cove who’d tried to maim or kill young Susanna.

Before they reached the door, he heard a familiar, warbling old voice. ‘Well! If it in’t Detective Lavender!’

Jack Abbot’s crinkled, watery eyes peered at him through a haze of tobacco smoke. He had an empty tankard in his hand and his clay pipe clamped between his toothless gums. ‘An’ if I recall roight,’ Abbot continued, ‘ye swore to stand me a tankard of ale in The Lamb last time we met.’

Lavender was about to make an excuse to leave, then changed his mind. ‘I did make that promise, Mr Abbot. Please allow me to honour it.’ Another half an hour and a quick bite to eat wouldn’t hurt and Abbot may have some information that would throw light on the Delamere family mysteries that still perplexed him.

He said goodbye to Kester and Waterbeach, ordered a jug of ale and led the elderly man to a small rickety table beneath the bay window. ‘How is Mrs Abbot? Does her rheumatism plague her in this damp weather?’

The old man’s eyes widened with delight that Lavender had remembered him, and he rewarded him with a grin. ‘No, my Martha be in fine fettle today, so I brought myself out for a while,’ he said. ‘So, have ye solved yer murder, Detective?’ he added. ‘And who were it that were killed? Yer didn’t say yesterday.’

No, I didn’t say, and yesterday no one was actually dead. Lavender’s brain raced, and he decided to merge the events of the past two days. ‘Alas, no – we don’t know the killer – at least, not yet. The victim was Matthew Mabberley, the steward at Willow Marsh. He was stabbed in cold blood beside the Willow Marsh lode.’

‘Mabberley!’ The old fellow’s pipe dropped from his mouth and there was a moment of panic as both men reached to extinguish the burning tobacco that fell onto his stained waistcoat.

‘Did you know him?’ Lavender asked.

‘Yes, I knew him well – we all did round ’ere. My Martha is kin to the Hawkes who live at Willow Marsh. That ent roight. ’E were a decent fella and will be sorely missed.’

‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ Lavender let him grieve for a moment. He gestured to the barmaid to top up their tankards and fetch him a platter of bread and cheese.

‘’Tis a shockin’ state of affairs,’ said Abbot, shaking his head sadly, ‘when decent men like Mabberley are slain in cold blood.’ He sought solace in his pipe and had soon surrounded them both in voluminous clouds of smoke.

Eventually he sniffed, wiped his mouth and nose with the back of his coat sleeve and sat up a bit straighter.

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