Cherringham--The Curse of Mabb's Farm (12 page)

“But why not just go to the police, own up? If it was an accident,”

“You see — that’s
it
. He’d never get the farm, that way,” said Jack. “No, Charlie had wanted that place since he was a lad, ever since his dad preferred his brother over him. Lucky Ray — Unlucky Charlie. Imagine living with that? It had been an accident — but it was also a chance for him.”

“And he just digs a hole in the woods, dumps his brother in and forgets all about him?” said Sarah.

“That’s the trouble,” said Jack. “He couldn’t forget. Could you? Whole thing was eating him up.”

“So the Curse … became real.”

“Exactly.”

“And Caitlin? You think she really didn’t know?”

Jack considered this.

“Not consciously,” said Jack. “Least, I don’t think so. She just wanted help, wanted her old life back, her old Charlie — unlucky or not.”

“Pretty dramatic way of getting it.”

“It worked though, didn’t it?” said Jack. “Charlie won’t be charged with murder. It’ll be manslaughter. Maybe a couple of other charges. But I’d bet he’ll be out in less than five. Maybe half that.

“And Caitlin?”

“No-one’s going to prosecute her for setting fire to her own property. And the Wicker Man stunt in your garden …?”

Sarah shook her head.

“They’ll be back in the flat together — as a family,” said Jack.

“Unlucky Charlie goes back to being Happy-Go-Lucky Charlie.”

“Winners all round,” said Jack.

“Except for Tamara,” said Sarah. “No more curses to keep the shop going.”

“Oh, I’m not so sure about that,” said Jack. “She and her Gifted Ones were pretty damned sure there was something bad going down in the woods.”

“You’re right. The souls of the witches …”

“Yep,” said Jack. “I’ve also been putting the word around how great her massages are,” he said grinning. “Can’t see her being out of business any time soon.”

“You’re all heart, Jack,” said Sarah.

“You know — I guess I am,” said Jack, propping his backpack against the bench next to Chloe. “Now, where’s that hot chilli and rice you promised me?”

He watched as Sarah started to unpack the food. Then she turned:

“Not just chilli,” said Sarah, taking a bottle out of her backpack. “Iced Bud, too.”

“You’re kidding me?”

He took the bottle, opened it, and drank a mouthful. Then he sat down and leaned against his pack.

“How about that,” said Jack, breathing in deep and taking in the view. “That tastes so good.”

And not for the first time, he thought:
This is the life.

Cherringham parish council has invited Laurent Bourdain, mayor of a French village on the Brittany coast, to a gala reception to join the two villages in a mutually beneficial ‘twinning’. The venue: Lady Repton’s manor house, which her grandson hopes to turn into a world-class conference center. An elaborate dinner worthy of the French dignitary has been prepared. But as the night wears on, and the wine flows, the mayor will vanish from the celebration, only to be found floating dead in the nearby lake. An accident it would appear, until Jack and Sarah start to piece together what really happened to the body in the lake.

Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series
The Body in the Lake
by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

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