Murder in the Cotswolds Read Free Page A

won’t be back till this afternoon,” said Farrow.
    “They? The groom and his wife, you mean?”
    “That’s right, ma’am. Ted and Linda West. When I couldn’t get an answer at the Grange just now, nor at the estate manager’s house, I went to their cottage. I had to get Linda out of bed, and she sent me round to the stable yard to find her husband. He was giving the horses their first feed.”
    “I’ll talk to them myself. I might be able to jog their memory. You come with me, Constable. Sergeant, I’d like you to go and question the cowman who found the body.”
    A car was approaching along the lane, and Boulter said, “This’ll be the doc, ma’am.”
    “Good morning, Doctor,” she greeted the man who climbed out of the immaculate Rover. “We haven’t met before. I’m DCI Maddox.”
    He pretended not to notice her outstretched hand, and reached back into the car for his bag. Then he straightened slowly, all five foot four of him. Like so many short men, he seemed to imagine that an air of self-importance would compensate for a lack of stature.
    “Well well, what have we here? A member of the fair sex.”
    Kate stood tall to make her extra four inches appear even more while she unhurriedly looked him up and down. “I didn’t catch the name, Doctor.”
    Sergeant Boulter masked a grin with his hand. “Er ... this is Dr. Meddowes, Chief Inspector.”
    Bag in hand, the police surgeon walked to the body and crouched over it. Watching him, Kate had to approve of the way he avoided making any disturbance that wasn’t strictly necessary. He knew his job—but that didn’t excuse him for being bloody rude. When he rose to his feet again, she said, “Well, Dr. Meddowes? Do you have any comments that might be useful to me?”
    “The woman’s dead, if that needs saying. In my opinion she’d have been killed instantly. Not so the dog, I fear.”
    “That’s what I’d imagined. Would you have any views about the time of death?”
    “I’d have thought that was obvious.”
    “Obvious?”
    “Observe that her wristwatch stopped at just after ten o’clock. Don’t tell me your trained police eye failed to detect that clue.”
    Why don’t you pick up the little man and shake him, Kate?
    “To the trained police eye,” she said sweetly, “nothing is ever taken as obvious. It would assist me, though, if you could confirm that ten o’clock last night as an estimated time of death would not be inconsistent with the medical evidence.”
    “Not inconsistent, no, but that means very little.”
    “Thank you, Doctor. That’s all I can ask of you. Most helpful.”
    He grunted acknowledgement and stalked off to his Rover. Kate walked with PC Farrow to the patrol car. It was only a few moments before they turned in at the gates of Hambledon Grange. A hundred yards up the drive a track led off to the stable yard, which was set well apart from the house. Their arrival was watched by half a dozen interested horses, their heads protruding above the half doors of the loose boxes.
    Farrow stopped the car outside a small stone cottage that was a short distance from the stable block. He and Kate got out and Farrow rapped loudly on the door. The man who opened up to them looked unkempt, unshaven, his dark hair uncombed. He wore dirty jeans and a checked woollen shirt.
    “Can’t you let a man have a cuppa tea in peace?” he grumbled. “What is it now?”
    “This is Detective Chief Inspector Maddox,” said Farrow. “She wants a word with you and your wife, Mr. West.”
    He shot Kate a startled glance. “Chief Inspector? Her?”
    “That’s right, Mr. West.” She displayed her warrant card.
    He still addressed Jack Farrow, saying sourly, “It’s no good you bringing top brass round. We don’t know anything.”
    Kate laced her voice with listen-to-me authority. “A fatal accident is a very serious matter, Mr. West. I need to talk to you and your wife.”
    “Suppose you’d better come in, then.” Grudgingly, he