Read Online Cherringham--A Lesson in Murder by Neil Richards - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Neil Richards
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know’.
“Okay, switch tack. How does Emily’s suicide fit into all this? You think somehow the split with Freya was enough to push her over the edge?”
“Not sure ‘split’ is the right word,” said Sarah. “Sounds like Emily ended it. Ready for her next victim. These kind of relationships, they’re deep, but not like two lovers …”
“I dunno. Maybe there’s no connection at all,” said Jack. “Could have been other issues in Emily’s life. Other reasons to commit suicide.”
“Such as? You should see her place. Looks like she enjoyed her life quite a lot.”
“One of the few things I got out of Weiss was that Emily went to London yesterday for a medical appointment.”
“You think she got bad news — really bad news, and …?”
“Yeah. It’s possible.”
“What about the tyres though — why did Weiss and Gavin lie about that?”
“Weiss says the other cars were repaired by the main dealer in Oxford. Of course, he didn’t tell me who that was. Only Emily needed her car urgently. Wasn’t much I could say to that.”
“We can check with the dealer,” said Sarah.
“We’ll need to track him down,” said Jack.
He stared out of the window. A group of older girls in hats and coats stood under a tree, sheltering from the rain. As Jack watched, a familiar figure broke away from the huddle, jumped on a bicycle and pedalled away up the drive.
Tahir.
He nudged Sarah, motioned her to watch.
“That allowed?” said Jack. “Guy his age chatting up the girls?”
“I doubt it.”
“You think he lives here on campus?”
“I saw a small house on the way in marked Caretaker. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking … maybe you’re right. If Freya’s the bad guy — she’d need help from a pal who knew the layout of the pool.”
“Tahir?”
“He’s certainly no stranger to the girls.”
“So what now?”“Why don’t you see what impact Emily’s death has on with Sophie? She may open up about how these ‘relationships’ work …”
“Right. While you have another go at Tahir?”
Jack grinned. “Yup. Looking forward to it. He was all-evasion yesterday. Today — we’ll see about that.”
Jack looked at the rain, unrelenting.
“Meet you back here when done.”
“Great. And now,” Sarah turned and looked out the window, “a mad dash.”
And she popped open the door to the Sprite and raced back across the gravel to the doors of Florence House.
While Jack started the Sprite; his destination … the Caretaker’s cottage.
Where Tahir was about to be surprised.
12. Hannah and Tahir
Sarah knocked at the door to Sophie and Hannah’s room. No taunting picture was stuck on the door today.
It took a few minutes before the door was opened by a sleepy-eyed Hannah.
“Huh?” she said.
“Sorry, Hannah. I was hoping to talk to Sophie again.”
“Um. She’s at the library. Some project …”
Hannah drifted away from the door, leaving it open.
“Oh. I wanted to tell her what happened to Ms. Braithwaite.”
And suddenly the sleepy Hannah stopped, and turned around.“What? What happened?”
Hannah — wide awake now.
“Last night, it seems …”
Sarah wondered whether she should even be telling the young girl the dark news.
“Ms. Braithwaite jumped in front of a train.”
Hannah’s eyes went wide, lips tight. For a moment she didn’t say anything. Then:
“God.” She shook her head.
“I felt Sophie should know … since she was looking after the Minnows for her, and—”
And then Hannah took a step forward.
“Do they … do you know that it was suicide?”
“It looks like it. Jumped in front of an oncoming train.”
Then, with an edge to her voice. “Are you sure?”
Sarah decided to take a chance.
“Hannah, do you know something about all this? Do you think what happened to Ms. Braithwaite … could it involve Sophie?”
Hannah seemed frozen, unsure whether to say nothing … or maybe say … everything.
“If you know something,
“Okay, switch tack. How does Emily’s suicide fit into all this? You think somehow the split with Freya was enough to push her over the edge?”
“Not sure ‘split’ is the right word,” said Sarah. “Sounds like Emily ended it. Ready for her next victim. These kind of relationships, they’re deep, but not like two lovers …”
“I dunno. Maybe there’s no connection at all,” said Jack. “Could have been other issues in Emily’s life. Other reasons to commit suicide.”
“Such as? You should see her place. Looks like she enjoyed her life quite a lot.”
“One of the few things I got out of Weiss was that Emily went to London yesterday for a medical appointment.”
“You think she got bad news — really bad news, and …?”
“Yeah. It’s possible.”
“What about the tyres though — why did Weiss and Gavin lie about that?”
“Weiss says the other cars were repaired by the main dealer in Oxford. Of course, he didn’t tell me who that was. Only Emily needed her car urgently. Wasn’t much I could say to that.”
“We can check with the dealer,” said Sarah.
“We’ll need to track him down,” said Jack.
He stared out of the window. A group of older girls in hats and coats stood under a tree, sheltering from the rain. As Jack watched, a familiar figure broke away from the huddle, jumped on a bicycle and pedalled away up the drive.
Tahir.
He nudged Sarah, motioned her to watch.
“That allowed?” said Jack. “Guy his age chatting up the girls?”
“I doubt it.”
“You think he lives here on campus?”
“I saw a small house on the way in marked Caretaker. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking … maybe you’re right. If Freya’s the bad guy — she’d need help from a pal who knew the layout of the pool.”
“Tahir?”
“He’s certainly no stranger to the girls.”
“So what now?”“Why don’t you see what impact Emily’s death has on with Sophie? She may open up about how these ‘relationships’ work …”
“Right. While you have another go at Tahir?”
Jack grinned. “Yup. Looking forward to it. He was all-evasion yesterday. Today — we’ll see about that.”
Jack looked at the rain, unrelenting.
“Meet you back here when done.”
“Great. And now,” Sarah turned and looked out the window, “a mad dash.”
And she popped open the door to the Sprite and raced back across the gravel to the doors of Florence House.
While Jack started the Sprite; his destination … the Caretaker’s cottage.
Where Tahir was about to be surprised.
12. Hannah and Tahir
Sarah knocked at the door to Sophie and Hannah’s room. No taunting picture was stuck on the door today.
It took a few minutes before the door was opened by a sleepy-eyed Hannah.
“Huh?” she said.
“Sorry, Hannah. I was hoping to talk to Sophie again.”
“Um. She’s at the library. Some project …”
Hannah drifted away from the door, leaving it open.
“Oh. I wanted to tell her what happened to Ms. Braithwaite.”
And suddenly the sleepy Hannah stopped, and turned around.“What? What happened?”
Hannah — wide awake now.
“Last night, it seems …”
Sarah wondered whether she should even be telling the young girl the dark news.
“Ms. Braithwaite jumped in front of a train.”
Hannah’s eyes went wide, lips tight. For a moment she didn’t say anything. Then:
“God.” She shook her head.
“I felt Sophie should know … since she was looking after the Minnows for her, and—”
And then Hannah took a step forward.
“Do they … do you know that it was suicide?”
“It looks like it. Jumped in front of an oncoming train.”
Then, with an edge to her voice. “Are you sure?”
Sarah decided to take a chance.
“Hannah, do you know something about all this? Do you think what happened to Ms. Braithwaite … could it involve Sophie?”
Hannah seemed frozen, unsure whether to say nothing … or maybe say … everything.
“If you know something,
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