behind him in the shadows? He reached down to pick up a stick. Just as he moved he saw a shape on the track. His heart missed a beat. The stick rose in his hand.
A black animal ran towards him in a spray of leaves. For a split second Neil felt a scream rise in his throat. A voice rang out through the trees.
‘Here, boy!’
The labrador wagged its tail and barked playfully. Neil sighed with relief.
‘Here, boy. Don’t worry, Neil. He’s harmless.’ It was Mr Fenby from The Manor House. He bent down to pat the dog and clipped a lead on its collar. ‘He’s a bit excited. He saw something back there. Something big. I’m pretty sure it was the big cat. It made me panic, I can tell you. We’ll soon flush it out. The hounds will sort it out.’
Mr Fenby was Master of the Hunt. He was a good horseman. He and his wife kept racehorses, although village gossip said she’d just left him.
‘You can’t this week, Mr Fenby. Don’t forget it’s the big shoot.’
Mr Fenby didn’t seem to like being told what he couldn’t do.
‘Shame. I see there are a few trees down, Neil. A nasty storm, eh?’
Neil looked curiously at the bag in Mr Fenby’s hand.
‘Oh, I hope you don’t mind. I’m just getting some breakfast. Don’t worry. I’ve kept to the public path. I haven’t gone into Jeff’s private wood. There are lots of chestnuts and mushrooms this year. Just the job. By the way, how is Jeff these days?’
‘Not too good, I’m afraid. He had a nasty shock last night. Someone hurled a brick through his window. There was a note with some sort of code. Jeff said it might be a car registration number. “JOE L231.” Odd.’
‘There are some strange people about, Neil. But if it said JOE, I bet he knows something about it. He’s got an odd streak, that one. In fact, they don’t come much odder than him!’
Neil was sure Joe was behind all of this; the vandalism in the wood and the brick through Jeff’s window. He felt the anger rising. It was time Joe met his match, and Neil would be the one to sort him out. The stick still in his hand might come in very handy.
SEVEN
There was a lot to be done for the shoot at the weekend. Neil had to phone the beaters, peg out the drives and work on the tractor. The shoot had to be a success. If they had one more bad season, they would have to close. Others were already trying to buy the land.
The sun spilled into the wood andsparkled in the stream. The bridge lay sprawled on the bank, just as it had fallen when Jeff had his accident. Neil stood by the broken timber. He looked over his shoulder, feeling uneasy. There was a strange feeling around here. He shivered.
Smashed wood lay on both sides of the stream. But the posts were still firm. Two weren’t splintered like the others. They had clean cuts. Someone had sawn through the supports deliberately. Someone who wanted to hurt Jeff. Neil was furious.
But worse was to come. Just ahead of him on the path, Neil glimpsed a sickening sight. The body of a large bird lay limply in a pile of leaves. The red kite was dead. It had been shot. Neil stroked its head and swore. His anger exploded. There was no doubt in his mind: this was Joe’s work. It was time to hit back. Now.
Neil stormed into the kennel yard. Dogs yelped and barked. Joe was cleaning out one of the dog pens.
‘I want a word with you, Linsey.’ Neil waved the stick above his head.
Joe looked up. ‘Keep your hair on, mate. And watch who you’re shouting at or I’ll jump this wall and show you who’s boss round here.’
Neil brought the stick down on the wall with a crack. Blood rose in his cheeks and his eyes flashed with fury.
‘First you smash stuff in our wood. Then you saw through the bridge. You’ve torn up badger setts. Now you’ve shot the kite. You just want to scare us out, don’t you? You want to get rid of us so you can get your hands on our woods.’
Neil was seething with anger. He spat his rage into the wind.
Joe jumped the wall as
A black animal ran towards him in a spray of leaves. For a split second Neil felt a scream rise in his throat. A voice rang out through the trees.
‘Here, boy!’
The labrador wagged its tail and barked playfully. Neil sighed with relief.
‘Here, boy. Don’t worry, Neil. He’s harmless.’ It was Mr Fenby from The Manor House. He bent down to pat the dog and clipped a lead on its collar. ‘He’s a bit excited. He saw something back there. Something big. I’m pretty sure it was the big cat. It made me panic, I can tell you. We’ll soon flush it out. The hounds will sort it out.’
Mr Fenby was Master of the Hunt. He was a good horseman. He and his wife kept racehorses, although village gossip said she’d just left him.
‘You can’t this week, Mr Fenby. Don’t forget it’s the big shoot.’
Mr Fenby didn’t seem to like being told what he couldn’t do.
‘Shame. I see there are a few trees down, Neil. A nasty storm, eh?’
Neil looked curiously at the bag in Mr Fenby’s hand.
‘Oh, I hope you don’t mind. I’m just getting some breakfast. Don’t worry. I’ve kept to the public path. I haven’t gone into Jeff’s private wood. There are lots of chestnuts and mushrooms this year. Just the job. By the way, how is Jeff these days?’
‘Not too good, I’m afraid. He had a nasty shock last night. Someone hurled a brick through his window. There was a note with some sort of code. Jeff said it might be a car registration number. “JOE L231.” Odd.’
‘There are some strange people about, Neil. But if it said JOE, I bet he knows something about it. He’s got an odd streak, that one. In fact, they don’t come much odder than him!’
Neil was sure Joe was behind all of this; the vandalism in the wood and the brick through Jeff’s window. He felt the anger rising. It was time Joe met his match, and Neil would be the one to sort him out. The stick still in his hand might come in very handy.
SEVEN
There was a lot to be done for the shoot at the weekend. Neil had to phone the beaters, peg out the drives and work on the tractor. The shoot had to be a success. If they had one more bad season, they would have to close. Others were already trying to buy the land.
The sun spilled into the wood andsparkled in the stream. The bridge lay sprawled on the bank, just as it had fallen when Jeff had his accident. Neil stood by the broken timber. He looked over his shoulder, feeling uneasy. There was a strange feeling around here. He shivered.
Smashed wood lay on both sides of the stream. But the posts were still firm. Two weren’t splintered like the others. They had clean cuts. Someone had sawn through the supports deliberately. Someone who wanted to hurt Jeff. Neil was furious.
But worse was to come. Just ahead of him on the path, Neil glimpsed a sickening sight. The body of a large bird lay limply in a pile of leaves. The red kite was dead. It had been shot. Neil stroked its head and swore. His anger exploded. There was no doubt in his mind: this was Joe’s work. It was time to hit back. Now.
Neil stormed into the kennel yard. Dogs yelped and barked. Joe was cleaning out one of the dog pens.
‘I want a word with you, Linsey.’ Neil waved the stick above his head.
Joe looked up. ‘Keep your hair on, mate. And watch who you’re shouting at or I’ll jump this wall and show you who’s boss round here.’
Neil brought the stick down on the wall with a crack. Blood rose in his cheeks and his eyes flashed with fury.
‘First you smash stuff in our wood. Then you saw through the bridge. You’ve torn up badger setts. Now you’ve shot the kite. You just want to scare us out, don’t you? You want to get rid of us so you can get your hands on our woods.’
Neil was seething with anger. He spat his rage into the wind.
Joe jumped the wall as
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