CHAPTER ONE
Thank you for choosing this book. Please join our mailing list for free Kindle crime thriller, detective and mystery books, and new releases.
CLICK HERE TO GET MORE LOVELY BOOK DEALS
Matt Ballard allowed a smile of satisfaction to spread across his face. He turned to his partner. Liz Haynes was smiling too.
‘We did it! Our first case solved! And paid for!’ Liz squeezed his leg. ‘We really cracked it, didn’t we?’
It had been a gamble, but in the end, turning private had been the only course the two of them could take. Liz had been forced to give up working in the police force after an attempt on her life had left her unable to meet their medical requirements. As for Matt, he had served his full time, but at fifty-three years old he was still fit, and far from ready for the allotment and the bowling club. Opening a private investigation business seemed wholly appropriate. They could pick and choose their jobs, and Liz could adjust her work according to the requirements of her condition.
Now they had a cheque in their hands, a happy client, and the man they had been investigating was with their former colleagues in the custody suite at Fenfleet police station, waiting to be charged.
‘Textbook, wasn’t it?’ He chuckled. ‘Not that I think all the cases we get will be that clear-cut.’
‘Very satisfying,’ said Liz, then added almost wistfully, ‘but in a way, I’d like a bit more of a challenge.’
‘Be careful what you wish for, my darling!’ Matt warned her. ‘We used to say things like that when we were on duty, then the next shout would see us up to our elbows in one of the shittiest cases we’d ever had.’
‘True, but . . . oh, you know what I mean. That was a bit tame, wasn’t it?’
Before Matt could answer, his mobile phone rang.
‘Will! How’s tricks, my friend?’ He switched to loudspeaker so that Liz could hear. They had both worked alongside DI Will Stonebridge and had been saddened when a severely damaged elbow had seen him step away from the job he loved.
There was a long silence, then Will’s voice filled the car. ‘I have to admit things have been better. Any chance of me popping round for a cuppa and a chat? I’m beginning to think living on this fen is making me mildly neurotic. I need a dose of Ballard and Haynes’s common sense, if you have some to spare.’
If he was trying to make light of something, he wasn’t doing very well. Matt glanced at Liz. She was frowning.
‘We are on our way home right now. How does half an hour suit you?’
‘Kate’s in her studio so she’ll be working until late,’ Will said, ‘so that’s perfect. I’ll see you soon.’ He hung up immediately, as if he were afraid they’d change their minds.
Matt took a deep breath. ‘Well, that sounds rather ominous.’
‘I hope Kate isn’t slipping back,’ said Liz softly. ‘That girl has suffered enough.’
They had become close friends over the years, so Matt and Liz were among the very few people who knew the Stonebridges’ true story. Kate Stonebridge was a very successful children’s book illustrator. She had been working on a series of books called Fairy Dreams, featuring fairies and elves, and other magical beings. They had been so popular that now the accompanying merchandise was outselling the books. Kids all over the globe were wearing T-shirts, using pencil cases and sleeping under duvets that featured Kate’s creations. She and the author had cleverly introduced a new character into each latest publication, which had kept sales of the books and merchandise at record levels. Along with Will’s glittering career in the force, they seemed to be living a charmed existence. However, beneath the surface, there was little magical about their life.
Will and Kate had lost their baby. Kate had almost died in labour. She survived only after a life-saving hysterectomy robbed her of the chance of giving birth again. Naturally, Will had been devastated but he held on to the fact that he still had his beautiful wife. Kate, on the other hand, had been terribly affected, needing countless months of counselling. Depression had followed, culminating in a short period in a psychiatric unit, and then a regime of drugs whose side effect was a debilitating ennui that made doing the work she loved impossible. Just as Kate was starting to improve, reduce the medication and begin painting again, Will had been attacked by a crackhead and his arm had been badly broken in two places.
As soon as he had recovered enough to drive again, they had decided it was time to move away from their old home and all its bad memories. They hoped, in new surroundings, they could move forward. They could hardly believe their luck when they found Holland House, an old property on Whisper Fen. They had now lived there for almost six months.
‘I’m not sure fen life is suiting our Will, are you?’ said Liz thoughtfully. ‘He’s alone so much when Kate is working. Perhaps it’s getting to him.’
Matt agreed. ‘Will has always been active and, let’s face it, suddenly having to leave the career you’d been expecting to follow until you were pensioned off is very hard to swallow.’ He looked at her. ‘Well, you know all about that, don’t you, my love?’
‘It’s certainly a shock, but you can’t go back and change the past, so you just have to move forward.’ Liz winked at him. ‘And sometimes things turn out better than you ever expected — huh, Mr Ballard?’
‘You’re so right, but we’ve been lucky. Even though we went through some very dark times, we aren’t as fragile or sensitive as Kate. She was always delicate, and as Will is the first to admit, she has never really got over losing their baby. Probably she never will.’ Matt eased the car into the lane that led to Tanners Fen and home. ‘I wonder why Will wants to talk to us so urgently? I’m beginning to get a bit anxious.’
‘Me too.’ Liz stared out over the miles of lush green fields of vegetable crops. ‘Matt, what do you think of their new home, Holland House?’
He exhaled. ‘Well, I’ve known it all my life, so I’ve never really thought about it. It’s in a beautifully remote spot, and it was an absolute steal at the price they paid. I’ve always thought it an imposing sort of place. It still needs a lot of updating, probably hasn’t been touched since old lady Holland was younger, but—’
‘No, I don’t mean the practical things. What do you feel about it?’
Matt shrugged. ‘I don’t feel anything, really.’
‘Mmm. Maybe that’s what I mean,’ Liz mused. ‘Our home always makes me want to smile, but Holland House seems, well, lifeless.’
Matt laughed out loud. ‘You didn’t smile when you first saw the old Ballard family pile. As I recall, you told me it looked like a museum — no, mausoleum.’
Liz tried to look contrite and failed. ‘True, but I didn’t hate the place. It was simply that I could see what it was crying out for. We’ve stamped our mark on it now, and it’s warm and welcoming.’
Matt pulled into the drive of Cannon Farm. ‘Well, they haven’t really been at Holland House long enough to make it theirs, have they? Will is still restricted by that damaged arm, and Kate spends every waking hour working, or so it seems. Give them time. It will be their dream home one day, you’ll see.’