Cherringham--The Last Puzzle Read Online Free Page A

was at the cutting edge in technology on both sides of the ocean. And quite a few took advantage. Quietly, secretly, they could use that insider knowledge to amass a fortune for when their spying days were done.”
    Sarah watched Jack turn to Tony.
    “Let me guess — Quentin’s ten million comprises of a large stock in Microsoft and Apple, yes?”
    “Good Lord,” said Tony, nodding slowly at Jack.
    Sarah could see that Jack was spot on.
    “The crafty beggar,” said Michael, laughing. “He bought the stocks early …”
    “Nothing illegal about it, as far as I know,” said Tony.
    “Right place at the right time,” said Jack. “We’d all do the same.”
    “But Jack — when all’s said and done …” said Michael, “… what are you driving at? Quentin worked in intelligence and had pots of money. So what?”
    Sarah watched Jack consider this.
    “Well, here’s the ‘so what’. What if Quentin always knew there might be … vultures … hanging over his estate at the end? And what if he set up this little puzzle as a way of ensuring that nobody took a share that wasn’t rightfully theirs? I’m not sure how. Just an idea. Or worse — what if he set this up so that anyone who couldn’t wait for the pay-out, who maybe wanted Christmas to come early, would be found out before they made off with the cash?”
    Sarah looked around the table: Tony and her father were motionless.
    Gobsmacked is the word the kids would use, she thought.
    “Hang on. Are you suggesting that Quentin Andrews might have been … murdered ?” said Tony.
    “With a prize of ten million pounds,” said Jack. “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
    “But Quentin died of a heart attack …” said Tony.
    Sarah watched Jack shrug — as if to imply heart attacks might not be heart attacks …
    “We’ve got spooks involved,” said Jack. “One dead, one alive. So, I think we should all be very careful over the next forty-eight hours. Who knows who — or what — we’re really dealing with?”
    Sarah looked around the table. She could see from her father’s face — and from Tony’s — that Jack’s words were being taken seriously …
    Very seriously.

5. Let the Games Begin
    “ ‘Where Charles lost his head from above’ .”
    “How many letters?” said Jack.
    “Five.” Sarah turned from the whiteboard in her office, put down the marker pen and crossword and stared at Jack. He stared back at her.
    “That doesn’t make sense,” he said. “King Charles lost his head in London — not in Cherringham. Everyone knows that. Even a NY cop.”
    Sarah picked up the crossword again.
    “Give me another one,” said Jack. “I’m feeling lucky.”
    “Okay. Three down. ‘Noble New Englander’ . Eight letters.”
    She wrote the clue on the board and eight dots for the letters.
    “That the easiest one you could find, huh?”
    “They’re not grouped according to how easy they are, Jack.”
    She watched him sink back into his chair and fold his arms.
    “I thought you’d be good at crosswords,” she said. “Being an investigator and all …”
    “And I thought you’d know the history of Cherringham. Being a local and all …”
    She smiled at that. “Touché! You want another coffee?”
    “Great …”
    She went through to the little kitchen at the back of her office, switched on the light and started pouring the coffee. She heard the bells of St. James chiming just the other side of the line of bare oak trees, and out of habit counted … Four o’clock.
    She and Jack had come straight from lunch to her office on the High Street, so they could plan their next steps.
    She’d cleared the whiteboard and written up the four puzzle chasers — Tricia, James, Emma, and Patrick, alongside their mobile numbers. Then, she’d put up some of the clues that Tony had handed to them both in sealed envelopes.
    The idea was that through regular calls and texts they’d be able to keep track both of the players’ locations and their progress