Guardians Of The Haunted Moor (8 page)

It was
only a small patch. “What are you talking about, Darren? That’s
just a dead hare, or a...” He took a few steps into the field,
careful not to harm any more of the grain. Then he stopped, looking
down. “Oh, Jesus.”

“
I told you. I told you. And that patch there, and there,
and—”

He was
tipping back into hysterics. Gideon turned him sharply round and
shoved him towards the stile. A strange huffing sound from the
track caught his attention. Leaning through the hawthorns, he saw
Bill Prowse lumbering up the hill towards them, bright red in the
face and as incongruous in this landscape as a hot-dog stand.
Gideon had never in his life thought he’d be pleased to see him.
God only knew what had gone through Bill’s mind on seeing his
eldest pass by the house in company with the village bobby, what
grassings-up he’d imagined. “Bill,” he yelled, hoisting Darren
bodily over the wall. “Take him home. Do it now, and for once in
your life look after him.”

“
What’s happened? What’s he been telling you?”

“
Nothing. I just want you to...” Gideon had to stop to take a
deep breath. He’d seen quite a lot in his time as a copper, but
he’d never encountered one of his neighbours as nothing more than
an arm in a chequered sleeve, expensive wristwatch still
attached.
Motive not robbery,
then...
“I want you to get out of here, and
Darren, you keep your mouth shut.” That was a hopeless request, but
Gideon had to try, or he’d have the whole village up here gawping.
“Do you both hear me? Go!”

Chapter Three

At half
past six in the morning, Gideon made his way back home. Behind him
on the peaceful hillside, as much of John Bowe’s cornfield as
practicable had been marked out with crime-scene tape. He could
still hear it fluttering in the early breeze, a festive sound for a
Lammas dawn. First of August, he thought distractedly. Lughnasadh.
The beginning of the Guldize festival that would continue here in
Dark across the barley and wheat harvests and on to Allantide. The
day was going to be a scorcher—he need not have worried about the
sulphurous cast to the sunset after all. The honeysuckle swayed,
and he inhaled its untainted freshness. Once the morning wind from
the moorlands died, the village would roast on its harvest-time
anvil.

Ezekiel’s car was parked outside the flat. That didn’t seem
odd, by comparison with everything else Gideon had seen over the
last few hours, and he entered quietly, closing the door behind
him.

Voices
were coming from the kitchen. He identified his mother’s. Rubbing
his eyes, he walked into the sunny room, where Zeke and the old
lady were seated at the little breakfast bar, and Lee—pale, almost
translucent in the brilliant light—was handing round toast and tea.
He took one look at Gideon. “Morning, love,” he said, came up and
kissed him on the cheek. “Your breakfast’s ready. Or would you like
to go and have a shower first?”

Gideon
was covered in soil-dust and bits of corn. He’d spent all night
under arc lights, picking his way up and down Farmer Bowe’s furrows
along with the forensic and SOCO team. “No, I’d love some
breakfast. But you don’t look as if you should be on your
feet.”

“
I’m fine.” Lee pulled out a stool opposite Ma Frayne and Zeke.
“Here, sit down.”

“
Do you see?” the old lady said wonderingly. The question was
aimed at Zeke, who was as unshaven and dishevelled this morning as
the world was ever likely to see him. He turned to look at
her.

“
See what, Mother?”

“
This is what marriage is. Men with women, men with men, women
with women—anything. The people live together, love each other,
care for each other.”

“
Yes, Mother, but—”

“
But nothing, Ezekiel, ever again. Do you see how your brother
and your brother-in-law watch out for each other, even though
Gideon has been working all night, and they both are plainly sick
with exhaustion and grief?”

Gideon
wondered if he’d curled up in a corner of the cornfield and
accidentally fallen asleep. His mother, in comparison to poor
Zeke—reddening under the onslaught—looked fresh as a daisy, and
full of business. “You’re a tremendous ally, Ma,” he said. “But
Zeke didn’t say anything to the contrary. And although we’re
pleased to see you...”

“
It’s six in the morning, and you want to know why we’re here.”
Zeke flashed Gideon a grateful look. “I went to see Mother last
night, to tell her what had happened before she heard it from
anyone else. And it seems she had an... inspiration of some sort in
the night, and I’m afraid she wouldn’t rest until she’d phoned me
and persuaded me to drive her out here to see you. Still, we
wouldn’t have come if we’d known...”

This was
going to be interesting. “Can I ask what you do know?”

“
Well, that there’s been a murder. One of your local
farmers.”

“
And is that because Mystic Meg grilling sausages over there
told you, or—”

“
No. I’m afraid some of your neighbours were already out on the
streets when we arrived, despite the early hour. They were rather
agitated, and deeply embroiled in gossip.”

“
I swear, one day I’m gonna swing for Darren
Prowse.”

“
Is it a problem? Is there anything we can do?”

Gideon
released a sigh. “No. Everything’s under control up there. Darren
found the body, and I got the Truro and Bodmin lads over straight
away. The scene’s secure. They just sent me off to shave and have a
shower, because...”

“
Because the poor sod’s on duty in an hour.” Lee placed an
aromatic plate of sausages, toast and tomatoes in front of Gideon,
his usual ladies-first courtesy overruled by the impulse to feed
his weary husband. “Isn’t that right?”

“
Oh, surely not,” Ma Frayne protested. “Hasn’t he been on duty
all night?”

“
Not officially, Ma.” Gideon flickered her a reassuring smile.
“Got to put on my uniform and tour the streets of Dark like an
old-fashioned beat bobby. My constable took one look at the bits of
poor John Bowe and decided she didn’t want to be a copper
anymore.”

“
That’s ridiculous.”

“
I’m not so sure. The forensics assistant fainted, and he’s
been on the job for years. She’ll be okay. Just needs a bit of time
off.”

“
But what about you, Gideon?”

“
Oh, I’ve got my other half to protect and serve me.” Gideon
caught Lee’s hand in passing, pulled him gently down to sit next to
him. “Where’s your breakfast?”

“
I’m okay. Not much of an appetite this morning.”

“
Share mine. Please.” Gideon speared a piece of tomato, and was
about to pop it into Lee’s mouth on the fork before deciding the
spectacle might be too much for his ma. He loved her advocacy, but
poor Zeke was getting his arse kicked for the perceived lack of it,
a punishment he these days scarcely deserved. In his stiff-necked
way, he’d become a good friend to their relationship, and this
morning looked as bereaved as anyone could wish. Gideon let Lee
take the fork for himself. “So, Ma, I’ve got to know. What’s the
big idea?”

“
Ezekiel and I will follow Elowen to France. He’s a church
minister, and I’m Tamsyn Elizabeth’s grandmother. I’m sure she
won’t refuse to see us.”

She was
fragile today, underneath her valiant uniform of cashmere and
pearls. Gideon wondered if she’d spent a sleepless night hatching
her plans. “I’m sure she won’t. But what are you going to do
then?”

“
Well, in some of the police dramas I like to watch—you’ll know
about this, son—they sometimes do a thing called
good cop, bad cop.
Ezekiel will take a very stern approach with Elowen, and tell
her that because Tamsyn lived alone with you and Lee for five
months, that established a precedent—you know, like when you have a
job but no contract, the employer still has certain duties to
you.”

“
Is there any such law?” Lee asked, ignoring Gideon’s second
quarter of tomato. His face had gained a faint wistfulness during
the old lady’s speech. “Gid?”

“
Not that I know of, but...”

“
But that’s just the beginning,” she went on. “If we can make
her just a little bit afraid—nothing dreadful, Lee, just Ezekiel
pretending to be the bad cop—then I can tell her how much it’s
breaking my heart to lose my granddaughter. That I’m a poor old
lady who doesn’t know how much time she has left. Which is a great
exaggeration, of course, but, you see, at this point...”

She
pulled out a handkerchief. The exaggeration wasn’t a very great
one, now she’d heard herself say it. “At this point you’re being
the good cop,” Gideon finished for her gently. “Yes, I
see.”

“
Well, what do you think?”

“
Does Ezekiel mind doing his part?” Gideon looked up and found
his brother’s eyes already on him, saying more clearly than
words,
Gid, if you’d just spent the night
with her I have, you’d agree to anything.
“Okay. I’m probably just tired, but this doesn’t sound as
crazy to me as it should. Lee, what do you reckon?”

“
No.”

All
three Fraynes turned to him in surprise. His hands were clenched
together on the table. He had taken on what Gideon had come to
think of as his winter-sea look—silvery and distant. It was often
the sign of an oncoming vision. Gideon took hold of his wrist. “Are
you all right?”

“
Fine. Just... no.”

Ezekiel
shifted uncomfortably. “Look, Lee, I know she’s your sister. And I
don’t think we’ll be able to manage it exactly as my mother says,
but it has to be worth a try. I’m willing to, anyway—”

Lee
shoved his chair back. He banged down one palm among the breakfast
dishes, the sharp gesture so unlikely from him that everyone
started back, and Isolde gave a frightened yelp from her basket. “I
said no. It isn’t the right thing to do. Isn’t it enough that I’ve
spoken?”

Gideon
got up to follow him out of the room. “Oh, Gideon,” his mother
wailed, clutching at his sleeve. “Do try to persuade him! I thought
it such a good idea.”

“
Sorry, Ma. If he’s this set against it—yeah, it
is
enough that he’s
spoken.”

“
Don’t
you
get
a say?”

Gideon
wheeled back to face his brother. A hot snake of pain was rising in
his throat, devouring justice and sense. “Don’t you dare try to
drive a wedge in there, Zeke. Don’t you dare.”

“
Oh, Gideon, he isn’t! I know he hasn’t been good to you in the
past, but—”

“
Mother! Please stop apologising for me. I’ve done my best to
make amends to Gideon and Lee for the way I expressed my
convictions, but...”

This was
all going downhill fast. Gideon took his mother’s hand—reached out
and awkwardly grasped Zeke’s shoulder. “Sorry. Sorry, okay? He’s a
mess this morning, and so am I. I have to go after him.”

He found
Lee in the nursery, huddled up in the armchair where he and Gideon
had taken turns to bottle-feed Tamsyn. Gideon knelt in front of
him. He set aside the little girl’s favourite blanket, as if that
would make any difference in this bombed-out city of memories. “Oh,
sweetheart.”

Lee took
fierce hold of him. He pressed their brows together. “I was rude to
your mum. I love her, and... I was rude to her.”

“
I love her too, but she rucked up here at half six in the
morning on the day after we lost our kid. She can expect to feel
the edge of our temper.” Gideon kissed him, let his eyes close in
the sunlight streaming through the window. “And quite a temper it
is—get you, all sexy and assertive, putting your foot down. I think
Zeke thinks you’re oppressing me.”

“
Ugh. There was nothing sexy about that. I just miss Tamsyn,
Gid. I
miss
her.”

“
I know. It feels like a hook in the gut. Is there no way you’d
let Zeke and Ma try out their crazy plan?”

“
I can’t. It’s a wrong thing to do, and not because I’m
frightened of upsetting my bloody sister. I can’t explain it—not to
them, not to you.”

One hook
at a time was enough. Gideon let him off this one in silence,
rocking him. When his death-grip eased and his breathing quieted,
he said, “All right. Look, are you okay? I really do have to go
back to work.”

“
I know. I have to go with you.”

Gideon
sat back. “Oh, no. Not this time, sunbeam. This is a bad one. And
all I’m gonna do is go back up to the field to see if they need me
for anything more there, and then I think I’d better call a meeting
at the village hall, see if I can talk everyone out of whatever
panic Darren Prowse is trying to start.”

“
The thing is, I’ve been invited.”

“
What?
Please
don’t tell me John Bowe’s disembodied soul is summoning you
to—”

“
No, no. I just had a phone call this morning, even earlier
than our early-bird visitors. It was your HQ at Truro. They want me
to go and have a look at the scene once it’s been cleared up, see
if I can get any read on what’s happened.”