Murder at the Bridge (Detective Inspector Skelgill Investigates Book 20), page 32
DS Jones chuckles. She inhales to speak – and hesitates for a moment.
‘I missed something really obvious.’
‘Who didn’t?’
‘No – I mean about Fenella Mansfield.’
Skelgill shifts his position, uncrossing and recrossing his feet under the table. He waits for her to elaborate.
‘The entry in the hotel register – for Mr and Mrs Smith. The house number and street address given doesn’t exist, of course – but the town was Mansfield.’
‘Notts.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Nottinghamshire.’
‘Ah – yes, I see. Remember – we thought there might be a clue – maybe in the mobile number. It was more obvious than that.’
Now, however, Skelgill seems untroubled. He sinks back against the wooden settle.
DS Jones continues.
‘I should also have noticed – when we first spoke to Charlie – he said something like, Sir Montague’s secretary made the bookings for the DAA committee. Of course, he meant Fenella Mansfield. But because he used the term secretary and not PA I took it he was referring to Georgina Graham – DAA Secretary.’
Skelgill seems to sigh, though it may be simply that he exhales after taking a drink.
‘I reckon you and Leyton had it worked out – what happened.’
‘On the night of Kyle Betony’s murder?’
‘Aye.’
She narrows her eyes reflectively.
‘Well – maybe we were close – but not who.’
‘It’s not easy – when someone’s not who they say they are.’
DS Jones glances again at the site of the missing photograph.
‘To think that picture was there all these years.’
Skelgill casts a hand randomly.
‘It becomes like wallpaper – no one pays attention to the detail. Betony was sharper than most folk.’
DS Jones looks a little perplexed.
‘But not quite sharp enough to realise the risk he was running.’
Skelgill shakes his head.
‘Happen he just thought it were a funny coincidence. And talk of the merger – it gave Jubb an excuse to pull him aside – discuss it in private.’
‘Do you think Kyle Betony challenged Jubb directly?’
‘Not in hearing, if he did.’ He sips rather delicately at his beer. ‘But – now I’ve seen him – seen Jubb – and what we know about him. I don’t reckon it would take that. Even mention of the fishing match might have been enough. Look how easily he got spooked after our second interview with him.’
DS Jones nods, though she makes a brief face of regret, as though she feels they suffered a near thing. But Skelgill is on her side.
‘You never gave a hint that we might be onto him. Ten minutes later he’s rolling out his same MO to silence Jasmine Betony.’
DS Jones seems to appreciate his support; it perhaps prompts more introspection.
‘I was wrong about her.’
But Skelgill frowns.
‘What’s to say you were? Stuck in a foreign country with a Billy Liar character like Betony.’
DS Jones turns with her eyes widened. There could be much to unpack in his uncompromising assessment.
‘She is resilient, that’s for sure. I actually think almost the biggest shock to her is being tricked by Tobias Jubb’s impersonation.’
Skelgill shrugs.
‘Her and all the committee – his employers – a qualified doctor –’ He pauses, however. ‘Chaudry, mind – I reckon he suspected something. Remember when he was lecturing us on tracking mobile phones. He’d noticed that Goodman had left his handset on the table in the Snug. So that he couldn’t be traced going to Ouse Bridge.’
DS Jones does not answer, and Skelgill leans forward to look round at her.
‘Chaudry – the eligible bachelor, remember?’
She starts a little – and looks at him with surprise – as though he might indeed have jumped somewhere on board her train of thought. She gestures towards the main door of the bar.
‘They’re taking a while bringing the menus. Aren’t you starving?’
That Skelgill does not immediately agree seems a little out of character.
‘The bistro’s packed – there’s a new girl in charge – she said she’d let us know when a table’s free.’
‘I’m surprised you didn’t suggest the Taj Mahal.’
‘What?’
DS Jones pulls at a tress of hair that has fallen across her cheek.
‘Well – it’s – an anniversary of sorts. Isn’t it?’
Skelgill looks baffled. Then an idea seems to strike him. He produces from a pocket a small package wrapped in cellophane, lilac in colour and jazzy in design.
‘I didn’t get chance to wrap it.’
‘Perfume! You shouldn’t have. This is expensive. Thank you.’
There are complex nuances in DS Jones’s rejoinder – perhaps including a hint of suspicion – but she half rises and catches him defenceless with a peck on the cheek – he is holding his beer and unable to take evasive action other than sway sideways a little.
‘Howay, lass.’
But their contretemps is interrupted by the approach of a young woman in staff uniform – although more striking is that she holds a bunch of lilies. They might imagine she is looking for a suitable vase, were the flowers not gift-wrapped. And, indeed, she seems to know to hand them to a confounded DS Jones.
‘From a Mr Leyton.’
DS Jones gives a quizzical half-smile – she reaches for the tag, and looks doubly perplexed.
‘But – these are not for me – it says – Mrs –’
There might, however, just be the first small hint of realisation in her tone.
The girl stands patiently, unmoved by DS Jones’s bewilderment. She turns to address Skelgill.
‘That’s the champagne on ice – in the Skiddaw suite – as you ordered, Mr Smith.’
***
Next in the series ...
Murder at Caldblow Farm is scheduled for publication in July 2023. In the meantime, books 1-19 in the Inspector Skelgill series can be found on Amazon. Each comprises a stand-alone mystery, and may be read out of sequence. All DI Skelgill books can be borrowed free with Kindle Unlimited, and also by Amazon Prime members on a Kindle device.
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Books By This Author
Murder in Adland
WHEN A HIGH-FLYING ADMAN is stabbed to death on a company weekend in the English Lake District, local detective Daniel Skelgill finds himself wrenched from his rural Cumbrian comfort zone.
As the investigation unfolds, DI Skelgill is led a merry dance between London and Edinburgh, at every turn confronted by uncooperative suspects – colleagues, wife and lovers of the deceased – each of whom is possessed of motive and opportunity.
Is this a crime of passion, a professional hit, or a cleverly calculated killing borne out of greed and jealousy?
In this traditional-style whodunit, the case can only be solved by carefully piecing together the essential clues – but Skelgill is running out of time. The patience of his superiors wears thin, while the actions of an anonymous agent provocateur serve only to advance the moment when the killer must strike again.
Murder in School
WHEN A LONG-SERVING MASTER at one of England’s most prestigious public schools drowns in Bassenthwaite Lake, Detective Inspector Skelgill is summoned to investigate his apparent suicide.
It soon becomes clear that senior members of staff are not all that they seem. As the school closes ranks, Skelgill realises he is pitted against a sinister power struggle for control of its highly lucrative operation.
A second violent death threatens to throw the police off the scent, and the sudden mysterious disappearance of a VIP pupil sows panic in their ranks. In a race against time Skelgill is faced by the unthinkable consequences of a third tragedy on his watch.
Murder on the Edge
WHEN A MAN IS FOUND STRANGLED by a climbing rope beneath the Lake District's notorious Sharp Edge, it is assumed he is the victim of a tragic accident.
But Detective Inspector Skelgill suspects otherwise, and his fears are borne out when a second corpse is discovered close to Striding Edge. Soon it appears that a ritualistic serial killer stalks Cumbria's fells.
As the body count increases, Skelgill must determine the connection between the seemingly randomly selected targets – for it is the only hope of ending the reign of terror and unmasking the perpetrator.
Murder on the Lake
BY THE TIME Detective Inspector Skelgill becomes the tenth person to be stranded on secluded Grisholm (Pigs’ Isle in Old Norse) where a writers’ retreat is taking place, one of the assembled literati is already dead.
Though natural causes may provide the explanation, a second ‘accidental’ death and a raft of curious experiences convince Skelgill that a cold and calculating killer is at large. But where is his evidence?
Set around Derwentwater in the English Lake District, this traditional whodunit sees Skelgill striving both to fathom the mystery and convince his superiors that it is not merely his imagination at play.
Murder by Magic
A SPATE OF VICIOUS ATTACKS upon valuable Herdwick sheep, the sudden disappearance of a foreign hiker, and the unexplained drowning of a woodland hermit – a series of apparently unconnected events – draw Detective Inspector Daniel Skelgill to the white-knuckle passes and isolated dales of deepest Lakeland.
As straws in the wind suggest there is sorcery afoot – and a connection to an equally sinister trade in human traffic – Skelgill and his team risk dire consequences as they strive to infiltrate the secretive ring and expose its evil perpetrators.
In the fifth Inspector Skelgill novel, the maverick British detective faces what is his greatest challenge yet, as he wrestles with an error of judgement that could leave his career – and his life – in tatters.
Murder in the Mind
SUMMONED TO AN ISOLATED maximum-security hospital, DI Skelgill inadvertently catches the eye of a notorious female serial killer. Does she read his censorious thoughts? Is this the trigger that turns a routine investigation into a rollercoaster of murder, mayhem, escapes and hostage taking?
And what of the establishment? Are these crises purely coincidental, or is some conspiracy afoot? Could it be blackmail, corruption, a power struggle... or something altogether more sinister?
In this, the sixth stand-alone Inspector Skelgill mystery, search teams comb the moorland for clues, while the maverick Cumbrian detective finds his mental sinews stretched to their very limit.
Murder at the Wake
ONE WEEK AFTER THE DEATH of his 93-year-old twin brother, the reclusive Declan Thomas O’More is found murdered in his study at the ancestral family estate, rambling and isolated Crummock Hall.
Suspicion immediately falls upon his five great nieces and nephews, who between them stand to inherit the considerable proceeds of their grandfather’s will - along with a valuable library of antiquarian books, a collection that is Declan’s lifetime work.
And yet each member of this generation - which includes a famous actor and a successful author - is apparently wealthy in their own right. Why would any of them murder their great uncle?
DI Skelgill and his team must unravel a mystery that not only harks back to the tragic drowning of the children’s parents in Crummock Water in the 1980s, but may also have its roots in the despicable Triangular Trade that enriched so many British and Irish merchant families in the eighteenth century.
Murder in the Woods
WHEN A DOG WALKER discovers a decaying corpse in Harterhow Woods it is surely just a matter of time before the police will close in upon the murderer. But despite a nationwide appeal the distinctive remains defy identification.
Skelgill believes he knows the perpetrator – but his team have other ideas. As they unearth contradictory clues Skelgill becomes impatient – an arrest is made. But when the victim is finally named a new prime suspect emerges.
Skelgill is determined to prevail – but the facts don’t fit his gut feel. And yet, as they search for a vital witness it dawns on him that there may be not one but two killers at large. And one of them may be compelled to strike again.
Murder at the Flood
WHEN LATTER-DAY LOTHARIO and expert kayaker Roger Alcock disappears on the night of the ‘Great Cockermouth Flood’, his attractive wife Maeve takes 24 hours longer than might reasonably be expected to notify the authorities. But when Roger’s corpse washes up on the Solway coast, a post mortem suggests his death may legitimately be classified as misadventure.
Yet as the floodwater recedes, reasons emerge for Roger’s associates to celebrate his demise. Could spurned lovers and fleeced creditors and others who might benefit be acting in silent concert? Jealousy, revenge, greed... these are sentiments that trouble investigating officer DI Skelgill.
In his quest to divine a motive Skelgill enlists a visiting TV reporter, and the sister-in-law of the late Roger Alcock. But is this alluring duo simply playing him for their own devices? Can his famous ‘sixth sense’ come to his rescue in time – or will a second murder erase forever all trace of the killer?
Murder at Dead Crags
WHEN THE TWISTED CORPSE of elderly zoo-owner Antonia Crow is found beneath the precipitous jaws of Dead Crags, and her twin Vivienne narrowly survives a life-threatening ordeal, locals invoke the legend of the Black Dog – a curse upon the controversial Crow family.
Unearthly baying hound there may be, but it takes a finger to pull a trigger, and when a long-serving zoo hand falls victim to a rifle bullet, DI Skelgill senses there prowls a far more sinister adversary.
For human predators circle the ailing zoo and its valuable land. A property tycoon with bulldozers at the ready. A titled aristocrat who covets ancestral hunting grounds. Volatile animal rights activists that protest malpractice.
Dark clouds gather above the isolated Northern Fells – some great storm is brewing – but to divine its nature defies all logical investigation. Skelgill is drawn inexorably to Dead Crags – where presentiment prickles at his skin. But will his legendary intuition read the signs before the curse makes its final destructive strike?
Murder Mystery Weekend
WHEN BEAUTIFUL YOUNG SOCIALITE Scarlett Liddell apparently commits suicide during a ‘Murder Mystery Weekend’, extravagantly staged at a Lakeland castle, the coroner calls in DI Skelgill to tie up the loose ends. Post mortem results, however, cast doubt upon the provisional verdict – and circumstantial evidence begins to point to one obvious suspect – the woman’s multi-millionaire husband, Will Liddell. And when Will Liddell is accused of a separate offence, it seems the noose is tightening around his neck – but as Skelgill delves beneath the surface of the wealthy couple’s exclusive circle, increasingly he realises there may be complex motives afoot. In this psychological drama Skelgill cannot so easily rely upon his roughhewn intuition. To expose the truth he must penetrate an echelon of society beyond his comfort zone, and a tangle that might almost be the plot for a murder mystery weekend itself.
Murder on the Run
WHEN DI Skelgill takes under his wing a talented fell-runner – his underprivileged cousin, Jess – little does he realise in what jeopardy he places her. For Cumbria is being targeted by the infamous ‘county lines’ drug gangs. As turf wars break out, Jess inadvertently finds herself in the crossfire – but family ties blind her to the danger of her association with Skelgill. As the body count increases, Skelgill finally recognises the threat to his young protégé – but is it too late to save her?
Murder at Shake Holes
MURDER ON THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS? When the exclusive London-to-Edinburgh sleeper plunges into a snowdrift deep in the Cumbrian fells, DI Skelgill awakes to discover one fellow passenger dead and another missing.
Through a blinding blizzard Skelgill leads a daring evacuation – but even before they reach the sanctuary of an isolated coaching inn, a third traveller suffers a life-threatening mishap.
As suspicion pervades the elite group of apparent strangers, Skelgill has to face an uncomfortable question. Could it be that the dead man - a world authority on money laundering - has been silenced? And is a ruthless conspiracy afoot to gain possession of his incriminating memoirs?
Cut off without communications, surrounded by treacherous moorland, Skelgill must conduct a clandestine investigation. He faces a race against time – and the knowledge that, if he shows his hand, more innocent lives will be at risk.
