Adrian Magson - No Tears for the Lost

‘Didn’t you sleep either?’

He shook his head. ‘Not much.’

‘Any news?’

‘Of Myburghe?’ He shook his head. ‘Nothing yet.’

They sat and deliberated on the events of the previous evening. There had been nothing in the tabloids, which was hardly surprising. By the time Palmer’s anonymous tip-off had been acted on, it would have been too late for the morning editions. The evening editions and broadcast media, however, would probably have a field day, and Colebrooke would be awash with reporters and film crews for days.

‘Something’s bothering me,’ said Palmer finally, as if he’d been tapping into her thoughts, ‘about the stable block.’

‘Is that all?’ The whole place had bothered Riley, especially the bit with the body in it.

‘The microwave — it smelled odd. Did you notice?’

‘Spicy food, you mean?’

‘Yes. I thought they were abandoned weeks ago. It smelled fresher, somehow.’

Riley shrugged.’Rockf- sorry — Hilary said the place was used by the grooms.’ She was having trouble thinking of the man by his proper name. Not that it mattered any more. ‘They must have cast iron constitutions, all those early mornings and cold saddles.’ She remembered the piece of magazine paper she had found on the floor, and rummaged in her pocket. She’d stored it away without giving it further thought. ‘I found this in one of the stable block rooms, the night of the wedding party.’ She handed it to him.

Palmer studied the few words of text. ‘Could be nothing,’ he commented. He stood up. ‘But you never know. I’ll just be a minute.’ He drifted out, tapping into his mobile as he went.

It gave Riley time to think about what to do next. Tracking down Myburghe was a priority, but for that, they needed somewhere to begin — a jumping-off point. And without a single clue as to where he could have gone, the world was far too big a place. She found her thoughts drawn towards Weller, and whether he would even give them the time of day once he found out what had happened at Colebrooke House.

When Palmer came back he was looking pensive. ‘The grooms employed by her father,’ he said, ‘spoke Spanish.’

‘Her?’

‘Victoria Myburghe.’ He gave her a sideways look as if to forestall any further comment.

‘Isn’t that what we thought?’

‘True. Except Victoria says they arrived after the horses had been sold.’

‘Oh.’

‘So what were they there for?’

‘Sir Kenneth would know,’ Riley said. Stating the blindingly obvious may not have been original, but it filled a gap in their line of thought. But where the hell was he? The unsettling thought was that they hadn’t had time to look around the rest of the estate, and he could still be there somewhere lying dead or seriously hurt. On the other hand, if the place was besieged by reporters, it wouldn’t be long before one of them stumbled over the body.

Hell of a way, she thought, to get an exclusive.

‘What about Myburghe’s daughters? Do you think they know where he is?’

Palmer shook his head. ‘I asked. They don’t. Anyway, he’d be dragging them further into his troubles, and I can’t see him risking it.’ He stood up and stared at the ceiling, eyes narrowed in thought.

‘You’ve thought of something,’ Riley said, seeing the signs.

‘There’s one person who might know,’ he said at last. ‘Come on.’

‘Palmer,’ Lady Myburghe greeted him with a faint smile as they were ushered into the sitting room by the diminutive Jenny. ‘How nice to see you. And Miss Gavin.’ In spite of her courtesy, the dullness in her eyes seemed more pronounced than ever, leaving her drained of colour.

When Jenny finished serving tea, Palmer looked pointedly at Riley.

She caught the signal and said, ‘Lady Susan, your husband once kept horses at Colebrooke House.’

‘Yes. He bought them years ago, when he was flush for once. God knows why — his interest in horses was and still is limited to how long they take to run round a race track. I doubt he’s ridden one in fifteen years. I’m sure he only kept them because it was the thing to do. Why do you ask?’

‘Did he hire some Spanish grooms to look after them?’

She frowned. ‘Hardly. He had a couple of local lads from the village. Until the wedding, I hadn’t been there for months, of course — not since… well, since returning from South America. But Victoria and Annabel told me about some men he’d brought in with some silly explanation about giving work to people who needed it. It was just a few weeks ago, I believe. But he no longer had the horses — he’d sold them all — and he’d got the local lads work in other stables. So what he was doing bringing in foreign grooms, I’ve no idea. They left, too, in the end.’ She looked at them in turn, lingering on Palmer the longest. ‘Why?’

‘We were puzzled, that’s all,’ said Palmer. ‘It seemed… odd to us, too. Do you know who they were?’

‘No idea. But according to Annabel, they weren’t Spanish.’ She had developed a sudden gleam in her eye as if pleased at being able to get something off her chest.

‘What made her think that?’ Riley was developing a faint throb of confusion.

‘Like Victoria, she spent some time in South America with us, before coming back here to boarding school. Then there were holidays, of course. Being younger, she picked up the language remarkably quickly — especially the local slang, which is particular to the region where it’s used. Annabel said the three men spoke Spanish, but like born-and-bred Colombians, most probably from the countryside around Bogotá. She didn’t like them. She found them rather crude.’

Palmer and Riley exchanged a look. Why hadn’t Lady Susan made any kind of connection between the country her husband used to work in, and the nationality of the men who had been staying in his stables? Or was it that she hadn’t wanted to? Fortunately, she had gone back to staring into the distance and didn’t appear to notice the silent questions bouncing back and forth over her head.

Questions like, If the ‘grooms’ were Colombians, where were they now?

‘Do you have any idea,’ Riley said hesitantly, feeling a knot forming in her stomach, ‘where your husband might be?’

‘No, I don’t.’ The older lady stared down at her hands. Had she been anyone else, Riley would have accused her of lying, but she held herself in check.

Palmer wasn’t quite so tactful.

‘Really?’ His tone was gentle, but it was clear he didn’t believe her, either. If she had any doubts, the look on his face was confirmation.

‘I do not,’ she insisted firmly. But her eyes told a different story.

‘David Hilary,’ Riley asked, choosing her words with care. ‘He’s been with your husband a long time, hasn’t he?’

‘That’s right. When Kenneth was promoted, he was advised to take protection for the family. There weren’t always official people available, and someone recommended David… I don’t recall who.’ Then her aura of rigid self-control seemed to collapse in on itself, and she sank back into her chair like an elegant beach ball slowly deflating. ‘I… I’m sorry. I’d like to be alone for a while — would you mind?’ She closed her eyes and touched a hand to her cheek.

Riley frowned. If the older woman was feeling faint, it had come on rather suddenly — and conveniently. Then, as she stood up to join Palmer, the realisation came to her: Lady Susan still loved her husband. The split was all an act.

Jenny appeared as if by magic, before Riley could say anything, and they left, leaving behind them a host of unanswered questions.

‘That wasn’t so good,’ Palmer observed as the front door closed behind them. They walked down the steps and stood on the pavement. ‘She’s hiding something. Those grooms have been around fairly recently — I’d bet money on it.’