Cherringham--The Last Puzzle Read Online Free Page B

through the puzzles … doing their best to follow Quentin’s dying wish.
    That would satisfy the ‘official’ remit from Tony to monitor and supervise the ‘competition’.
    But with Jack’s suspicions in the air, beyond that she and Jack both wanted to meet the four individuals — and, for want of a better word … interrogate them.
    Solving the clues now should give them an advantage in tracing the four as they moved across Cherringham.
    And she and Jack could follow them.
    But with tackling what seemed like easy clues, it was fast becoming clear that neither she nor Jack had a natural ability with crosswords.
    She put a bit of milk and sweetener in each coffee and then heard Jack’s mobile ring. And when she took the cups back through to her office he was just finishing a call.
    “Okay, Tony, thanks. Sure. Will let you know.”
    Sarah handed Jack his coffee. “Something up?”
    “Tony just had an interesting chat with one of his partners who remembered a conversation he’d had with Quentin’s brother last year about inheritance tax. Tony looked up the notes and it seems Patrick raised the issue of whether particular mental states might — and he quoted here — ‘affect the validity of a will’.”
    “Wow … interesting,” said Sarah. “This from the man who thought his brother might only have a few thousand to pass on.”
    “Yep. Exactly what I thought …”
    She sipped her coffee. Behind her she heard footsteps on the stairs, and she turned as the office door opened, to see Grace come in.
    “Hi there — oh, hi Jack! How are you?”
    “I’m good, Grace. You’re just in time for coffee.”
    Sarah watched Grace take off her winter coat and put down her bag before noticing what was on the whiteboard.
    “Ooh — what’s this? A puzzle?”
    No harm in telling Grace about this, thought Sarah.
    Her assistant knew that Sarah and Jack had a side-line in detective work. And though Sarah made sure to keep Grace out of anything dangerous or remotely illegal, she was happy to get her young assistant’s take on a case whenever she showed an interest.
    Grace was sharp and sometimes could be gold dust.
    “Kinda crossword puzzle — though with a slightly higher prize than usual …” said Jack, as Grace read the clues.
    “Funny,” she said. “Looks like they’re all connected to Cherringham.”
    Sarah looked at Jack, then back at Grace.
    “How did you know, Grace?”
    “Sort of obvious, really …”
    Jack caught Sarah’s eye.
    “What way?” he said.
    “Well … ‘Noble New Englander’ — that’s got to be Harry Marshall.”
    “Harry Marshall?” said Sarah, smiling. “Who’s he?”
    “Come on Sarah, everyone knows about Harry Marshall! Came to Cherringham from Boston in 1912 to teach out at Cherringham Hall, then joined up with the Gloucesters when war broke out and got killed at Gallipoli.”
    “American, huh?” said Jack.
    “That’s right,” said Grace. “He didn’t need to fight — just said … he had to. There’s a plaque in the church all about him.”
    “There you go,” said Jack.
    “And this one here … ‘Good place for a ditch’ , twelve letters, well that’s got to be Wykeham Field where that plane did an emergency landing. I was still at school then!”
    “Thinking you should be tackling this puzzle,” Jack said.
    “Oh I am a fan. Love ’em!”
    “Okay then. Charlie’s head?” said Jack, and Sarah watched him nod to the whiteboard.
    “Five letters — hmmm … right! Angel. The old pub. Has to be. King Charles slept there the night before that big battle, but he didn’t get a wink of sleep and they reckon next day it cost him the battle and the war and his life — Sarah, do you seriously not know this?”
    Sarah shrugged. “I feel totally ashamed. If I had any more money I’d promote you.”
    She watched Grace grin back at her. “You heard that, Jack, sounds like I’m the new boss round here.”
    “Don’t take the job, kid, too much stress,”