The Stabbing in the Stables Read Online Free Page B

Unwins, had its own stabling, which had accommodated Chieftain and the children’s pony Conker for some years. But the departure of Sonia’s twin daughters to boarding school and the increasing amount of travel undertaken by her and her husband Nicky had led to putting the horses into Long Bamber Stables. Returning them to their home stabling until the police investigations were complete was the obvious solution. And also meant that Jude’s visit of potential healing to Chieftain could be easily rescheduled.
    She fixed to go to the Dalrymples’ house at three-thirty on the Friday afternoon and that morning invited Carole to Woodside Cottage for a cup of coffee.
    â€œCan I give you a lift to Sonia’s?”
    â€œBless you, but it’s no distance. I can walk. I need the exercise.”
    Carole’s tightening mouth showed her disappointment. She didn’t want to be excluded from any part of the potential investigation. Jude could feel her unease, and also sensed that there was something else troubling her neighbour. There was a secret Carole wanted to confide. Knowing better than to prompt, Jude waited for the revelation to be made naturally.
    â€œThere’s something I have to tell you.”
    â€œOh, yes?”
    â€œIt concerns Walter Fleet’s murder.”
    â€œMm?”
    â€œWell…”
    Jude looked evenly at her friend, a smile playing round the edges of her lips.
    â€œYou know, after you’d found the body…”
    Jude nodded.
    â€œâ€¦you went off to the Fleets’ house…”
    Another nod.
    â€œâ€¦and I stayed by the body…”
    â€œYes. Because, as you had pointed out to me, it would have been very irresponsible for either of us to do any investigation of the crime scene.”
    â€œMm.” There was a long, awkward silence. “Well, I’m afraid I did.”
    â€œDid what?”
    â€œA little investigation of the crime scene.”
    â€œOh, Carole, brilliant!”
    â€œI know I shouldn’t have done but—”
    â€œNever mind that. What did you find out? Did you go into the tack room or whatever it was?”
    Carole nodded, her shame now giving way to excitement. “Yes. And I reckon it was a tack room. Full of bridles and halters and bits of leather and rope and what-have-you. But there was a second level too. Not quite a second floor, but one half of the space was boarded over, and there was a wooden ladder leading up to it.”
    â€œDid you go up the ladder, Carole?”
    This time the nod was defiantly proud. “There was a little lamp switched on. A sleeping bag, a few other oddments. It looked as though someone had been camping out up there.”
    â€œAny sign that whoever-it-was had been there recently?”
    â€œThe sleeping bag was half unzipped and crumpled. Looked as if someone had just leapt out of it.”
    â€œI suppose you didn’t feel as to whether it was still warm?”
    â€œAs a matter of fact I did, Jude. Hard to tell, though. The night was cold, any warmth would have dissipated pretty quickly.”
    â€œHm…I wonder who’d been up there.”
    â€œWell, unlikely to have been Walter Fleet, given the fact that his house was right next door.”
    â€œUnless he was up there on guard.”
    â€œHow do you mean, Jude?”
    â€œWell, going back to the Horse Ripper theory…”
    â€œOh, I see what you mean. The Fleets were worried about someone breaking into the stables at night, so Walter would be up there, keeping watch for intruders?”
    â€œIt’s a possibility.”
    â€œYes. But it was a quarter past six in the evening when you found his body. He wouldn’t have been in his sleeping bag at that time of night.”
    â€œTrue. So the more likely scenario is that someone else was upstairs in the tack room…Walter surprised them…an argument and a fight ensued…and he got killed…by