The Tower Grave (6 page)

John turned just in time to
catch Chris’ expression of joy as the tyres spun on the dust and bounced across the field towards one of the barns. They pulled up outside the most distant outbuilding in moments as the large door slowly eased open and Jane stepped out dressed once more in her riding clothes. The air from the coast was cool on John’s face but the heat of the summer sun had already left Jane with a glow of exertion as they gathered around her.

             
“Welcome to the Equestrian Unit,” she said, smiling. “Come through and see what awaits you.”

             
The newly formed team stepped inside as the sound of eight wheels spinning across the turf faded outside and they were faced with six large horses standing calmly in their riding equipment. Behind them was a large open sandy area with what looked like show-jumping hurdles pushed to one side.

             
“Is that for us?” David asked, pointing at a pile of weapons and armour beside the hurdles.

             
“Eventually it will be,” Jane replied, turning and buckling a saddle that sat atop one of the horses. “Has anyone ridden before?” she called over her shoulder.

             
John raised his hand, trying to remember what he had learned from taking Holly to riding lessons when she was ten years old. He’d only made a few lessons himself, taking them when she did before having to stop when he was deployed on a job. She soon gave up the lessons when he stopped.

             
“I did about eight lessons, five years ago,” he said.

             
“Ok, and you, Charlotte?” Jane replied seeing Charlotte’s hand was also raised.

             
“All my life,” Charlotte said. “We had horses at home and I’ve grown up on them. My mum used to compete.”

             
“Excellent! Then it’s just you three from scratch.”

             
Jake snorted.

             
“Surely it’s not too bad?” he said. “I mean, I haven’t been on one before but I can ride a bike!” he said, laughing arrogantly.

             
“A bike, Jake? Wow, ok,” Jane replied loudly. “Well we’ll get saddled first then you can show us how it’s done eh, hard nut?” She smiled as she spoke but showed a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Everyone pick a horse and stand by it, please. If you want to mount, you two, then go ahead.”

             
“We’ll just stick to the horses for now, if that’s ok?” Charlotte said, laughing. “He is the boss after all!”

             
The entire team chuckled as Charlotte found a mare and sprang up into her saddle, soothing the beast’s neck gently. John picked a young gelding and slowly climbed into the saddle, feeling slightly unsteady while the other three found a horse and stood nearby.

             
“Are you ok?” Jane asked quietly as she passed John’s horse.

             
“Yeah, I should be,” he said, awkwardly as it shifted about uneasily beneath him.

             
“Just relax your legs, ok? Keep your toes firmly in the stirrups and push your heels down to stay comfortable rather than squeezing your legs to stay still. You’re making him want to go,” she said, touching his thigh and loosely squeezing his leg muscles with her hand. “You’re too tense, John. Relax,” she added, grinning as he tried to relax but shifted nervously under her hand on his thigh.

“You’re putting me off,” he said quietly and smiled
.

             
“We’ll work on it,” she said, and grinned before turning away.

             
“Now, Jake. Hands on the saddle, left foot in the stirrups, pull yourself up and take your right leg around the back to the other side.” She frowned as he laughed at her blunt teachings and shrugged her away to grip the saddle and step up by himself. Seeing his grin as he stepped up with his second foot, she slipped behind him and slapped the mare’s rump making it lurch forward a few paces.

             
“Fuck!” Jake exclaimed fearfully as he barely regained his footing without falling over, and skimmed across the floor before stopping and clinging on to the saddle tightly. “Oh, ok. Have a good laugh,” he said blushing, then quickly stepped up and mounted the horse the way he’d been told to.

             
Chris and David followed suit, with David’s horse snorting softly at the arrival of its rider, while Chris’ began to circle slowly backwards making his knuckles turn white and his jaw clench.

             
“Stop pulling the reins so hard, Chris,” Jane shouted at him. “Are you ok?” she asked, stepping in and finally bringing him to a stop.

             
“Just a bit nervous up here, that’s all,” he replied. “I haven’t ridden before.”

             
“Ok, I’ll stay by you. Charlotte can you take John and Jake through some drills outside and I’ll lead Chris and David through some basics in here?”

             
Charlotte nodded and led the two men out of the barn doors and began to circle with them in the field.

             
“Right,” she said. “Give a gentle squeeze with your legs and try to move into a trot.”

             
They both did as they were told and John found himself enjoying the small, circular ride.

             
“This is fine, Char,” said Jake. “Let’s go faster.”

             
“One, don’t call me Char. And two, you’ve never ridden before. I can see by the way you sit that you’re not ready to move into a canter. Stay at a trot.”

             
“Nonsense, this is easy,” he said arrogantly as he kicked his heels into his horse’s flank.

             
“No!” he heard Charlotte shriek as his horse tensed and bolted below him. Still on a turn, Jake instantly lost balance, making him pull even harder on the left rein and turn the horse even more tightly while it whinnied and stamped its feet all over the place. Jake finally let go of the reins as the horse bolted forwards a few paces and he rolled backwards over his head past the rump to land flat on his face on the hard dry ground behind him.

             
“Shit!” Charlotte said as she leapt from her horse and ran over to Jake on the ground.

             
John too readied himself to step down from his horse, but another commotion sounded behind him making him turn in worry.

             
“Chris!” shouted David’s voice at a volume John hadn’t heard him reach before.

             
“Relax your legs, Chris,” sounded Jane’s voice straight after. “Relax them now!”

             
John faced the barn and looked on at the sound of voices before Chris’ grey mare burst from the barn doors and shot off at a full gallop across the grass. Chris was clinging to her back like a bush-baby as she hurtled past John and away from the barn into the distance.

             
“Bollocks,” John exclaimed as he dug in his heels and galloped after Chris. At first it seemed like he was sitting atop an uncontrollable ride with all four corners of the animal bouncing independently of each other, but then he seemed to catch the rhythm of the feet and realised that the ride was surprisingly smooth between the rhythmical poundings of the steps. Keeping loose and propped up, he found he could stay relatively still as the horse moved beneath him and he smiled as he began to pick up pace. Looking ahead to Chris, though, he saw that he had not gained on him and was merely chasing at the same pace. Afraid to turn his head and only guessing at how far they must’ve ridden from the others, John began to worry that he’d never catch up with his young technician and only the fear and adrenaline pulsing through him stopped him from panicking about how fast he was moving himself.

             
As if answering his silent prayers, he felt relief flood his body as Jane shot past him atop a huge and shining black horse. With her legs tucked up beneath her, she rode with her bottom high in the air and almost made John fall from his mount as she stole his attention from the rhythm of the ride for a moment. She quickly caught up with Chris and rode effortlessly alongside him as she tried to calm him ahead of John. He couldn’t hear what was said, but both horses began to ease up and ever so slowly came to a stop before him. John gained ground quickly and slowly pulled his reins to come to a halt next to them, feeling nauseous and shaky at the adrenaline still rushing through him.

             
Both John and Jane jumped down and ran to Chris as he moved to his belly and slipped from his own horse’s back to land flat on his feet then collapse to the floor.

             
“Are you ok?” Jane asked him as he lay flat in a star shape, panting through the small whimpering noises of imminent tears.

             
Nodding, he smiled and sat up as the tears finally brimmed in his eyes. He caught sight of John and straightened himself, trying to blink away the moisture but instead caused them to spill over to run in single drops on each cheek.

             
“I’m sorry, Gov,” he said quietly. “I’m not actually crying, it just got me, you know?”

             
“Don’t be silly, Chris. It’s easily done. And it’s scary too.”

             
John felt Jane’s hand on his shoulder as she smiled up to him. They looked around at the sound of an engine and scattered dust coming closer as a shiny, black Range Rover bounced over the field towards them and skidded to a stop a few feet away.

             
“All ok?” asked Derek from the driver’s seat as he threw open the door.

             
“We’re good,” Jane answered. “Chris could do with a lift back, though.”

             
“No problem,” Derek answered, smiling at Chris as the young man jumped up and nodded his thanks to both Jane and John.

             
“Thanks,” he said to them. “Guess I’ll try again tomorrow.”

             
“Of course,” said John. “See you back in the briefing room later.”

             
Chris jumped in the car and they sped off back across the field.

             
“Thanks, Jane,” John continued. “I don’t think I would’ve caught up with him then. I guess I owe you one.”

             
“Yeah you do, Inspector,” she said with a teasing smile. “I drink vodka and lime and I’m in Room 4; if you ever decide you want pay me back.”

             
She jumped onto her horse and took the reins of the other while John stopped still, stuck for something to say and unsure of whether to take notice of the underlying message he thought he’d heard.

             
“Come on then, don’t just stand there,” she said. “I’ll race you back, but don’t go getting distracted by the view if I’m winning.” She grinned and kicked in her heels, trotting away and encouraging the other horse along with her.

             
Smiling to himself at her forwardness and wit, John mounted his own horse and trotted along behind her making no effort to overtake.

*              *              *

Having followed Jane the short distance back to the riding barn,
John found David and Jake alone and waiting in a Range Rover after Charlotte had ridden her horse back to the house, handed the reins to Geordie Pete and stormed inside without saying a word.

“So, tell me again, w
hy didn’t Charlotte wait for a lift back?” John asked as he closed his door and leant back in the comfortable back seat of the car.

“We don’t know,” David answered. “She just got up and got on her horse once she’d helped
Jake off the floor. She rode off without saying a word and never came back. It was Jake that saw her hand her reins to Pete in the distance. I was still stuck on my horse inside the barn.”

             
“That just doesn’t seem like her,” said John. “At least not going by what I’ve seen so far.”

             
“It’s not exactly true,” Jake sighed as he turned in the passenger seat. “John, I thought she’d take it as a joke.”

             
“Take what as a joke?”

             
“Ok, here it is.” He took a deep breath. “I was fine after I fell but kept my eyes closed on the floor and waited for her to come and see if I was ok. When she bent down to check my face…I kissed her.”

             
“You kissed her?” asked David.

             
“I
properly
kissed her.”

             
“Jesus, Jake, it’s the second day!” John said, half annoyed, half amused. “You better not have pissed her off.”

             
“I think I have.”

             
“Yeah I think you have too, mate.”

             
“Well that’s not exactly it. I was expecting her to jump back and slap me in the face or laugh or something. But she didn’t, she kissed me back.”