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week that
she had to get rid of one of the stable boys from the riding school.”
    “Do you think he might be responsible for the
vandalism?” Donna asked. She was just reaching into her pocket for her pad and
pen so she could take notes when her mobile phone rang. “Excuse me,” she
apologised for the interruption. “Constable Harp,” she answered the phone. “How
can I help?”
    “Constable, it’s Hannah Gottlieb, at the
Water House,” the housekeeper said.
    “Hello, Mrs Gottlieb, how can I help you?”
Donna wanted to know.
    “I thought you should know; there is a
journalist here.” Her agitation made Hannah Gottlieb’s German accent thicker
than usual, but Donna was able to make out what it was she was saying, just.
“He arrived about five minutes ago, wanting to talk to Mrs Water about Miss
Emma and the other girls. I was going to shut the door on him but he told Mrs
Water that Michael Davis has escaped and she insisted on speaking to him.”
    Donna wasn’t happy to hear that there was a
journalist in the village, especially since he knew about Michael’s escape from
police custody. She was sure that if he knew enough to go to Patricia Water for
information, he would know of others to talk to in the village, all of whom
would be distressed by a journalist asking questions about recent events.
    “I’ll be over just as soon as I’ve finished
here, Mrs Gottlieb,” she said. “If he causes any problems, please call again
and let me know, I’ll be right there.” Donna ended the call then and returned
her attention to the man across from her. “I’m very sorry about that, Mr Dean,”
she apologised, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “Do you think the
stable boy your wife let go might be responsible for the damage to your
vehicles?”
    “I honestly couldn’t say, I didn’t know the
boy, he worked for my wife, not me; you’ll have to ask her if you want to know about
him,” Leonard Dean told Donna. “I couldn’t even tell you his name.”
    “Is your wife around?” Donna suspected that
Claire Dean wasn’t around, she was sure she had seen the riding instructor on
her way out of the village a while before, but it was possible she had
returned.
    Leonard Dean shook his head. “Not at the
moment; she’s gone to town, but she’ll be back later. You’ll have to speak to
her then.”
    “Okay, Mr Dean, I’ll come back and speak to
your wife, if you could let her know that I’ll need to know whatever she can
tell me about the stable boy she let go.”
     
    *****
     
    “Is that journalist still here, Mrs
Gottlieb?” Donna inquired when the housekeeper answered the door.
    Hannah shook her head. “You missed him; he
left about five minutes ago.”
    “Is Mrs Water alright?” She was a little
disappointed to have missed the journalist, not that she had the first clue
what she would have said or done if he had still been there.
    “Yes.” The housekeeper nodded. “As well as
can be expected, anyway. I don’t think he said or did anything to upset her but
I can’t say for certain, they spoke in Mrs Water’s office.”
    “I’d better check she’s alright, do you mind
if I come in?” Donna asked, moving forward to step past the housekeeper as
Hannah Gottlieb stood aside.
    When she reached the office where Patricia
worked, hot on the heels of the housekeeper, Donna moved inside. “Good
afternoon, Mrs Water, it’s Constable Harp,” she said, not certain the older
woman had even realised anyone had entered the office.
    “What do you want?” Patricia asked after a
few moments, her voice hovering between annoyance at being disturbed, despite
the fact that she didn’t appear to be doing anything, and indifference.
    “I’m very sorry to intrude; Mrs Gottlieb
called and said you were being bothered by a journalist, I thought it a good
idea to come over and make sure everything is alright.” The barest hint of a
smile of gratitude crossed Patricia Water’s face. “Can you tell me