A Cotswold Christmas Mystery

idly.
‘That Blackwood chap, lives up at Crossfield. I guessed it might be him, and I heard them saying his name just before they brought me home.’
Mrs Turner began to take more interest. ‘Good heavens! That’s going to make a good story, isn’t it! Especially if somebody deliberately killed him.’

Chapter Eight
Thea was not in the kitchen when the girls and spaniel got back, which Jessica appeared to think was a dereliction of duty. ‘Shouldn’t you be peeling chestnuts or something?’ she said.
‘Probably. But I’ve just had a phone call that made all that seem rather beside the point.’
Stephanie wasn’t sure what that meant, but it definitely had ominous implications for the lovely magical Christmas she was anticipating. Her stepmother was on the sofa, a weird blank look in her eyes.
‘So who phoned?’ asked Jessica impatiently. ‘It’s not Drew, is it?’
Stephanie could feel her insides go cold and her chest turned to iron. They had been talking about Thea’s first husband, who died in a car crash. Surely that couldn’t possibly happen to her second husband as well? Stephanie’s own beloved daddy.
‘Oh God, no.’ She met Stephanie’s gaze. ‘No, no. Nothing like that. Don’t panic, Steph. It’s nothing you need worry about.’ She turned to Jessica. ‘It was Gladwin who phoned. You know – the police detective. She’s been called out to Crossfield, and thought I might be able to help. She knows I’m friendly with the Frowses. There was a case last year … well, that’s not relevant now. The thing is …’ She paused and glanced at Stephanie. ‘The thing is, they’ve found a body over there.’
‘So?’ said Jessica, refusing to be drawn into feeling anything like excitement.
‘So Antares phoned me yesterday and said his mother had gone missing. This could be her. Gladwin didn’t say anything about an identity. It’s all just happened, half an hour ago. All hell’s breaking loose as we speak, I shouldn’t wonder. Everybody’s going to be hopelessly distracted with Christmas.’
‘Did you tell Gladwin about yesterday’s phone call? Does she want you to identify your friend’s mother – or what?’
Thea shook her head. ‘She was in a tearing hurry. Just said there was a body at Crossfield and I might turn out to be useful, because I know them there. Barely gave me time to say a word.’
‘Hasn’t this exact same thing happened before?’ asked Jessica suspiciously. ‘Probably more than once. Why does it have to be you and how does it make getting ready for tomorrow “beside the point” as you put it?’
‘Jessica – these people are my friends. Stephanie and I go there all the time. We were there last weekend, in fact. Ant’s got his hands full fending off an extremely unpleasant landlord and his wife. They harass and intimidate the Frowses constantly. I can’t just ignore them now there’s trouble. Especially not when Gladwin thinks I can be useful.’
Stephanie had heard it all, her eyes darting from face to face, trying to reconcile the two positions. ‘They’re really nice,’ she said now. ‘It’s not Ant’s mother who died, is it?’
‘I honestly don’t know, darling,’ said Thea. ‘Let’s hope not.’
‘From what you say, she’s more likely to be the killer,’ said Jessica with a little laugh. ‘In any case, it sounds as if the landlord needs to be interviewed pretty soon. Where does he live?’
‘Right there. It’s a big fancy estate with a fence all round it and electric gates and security lights. The Frowses have got a ramshackle tied cottage in the middle of the whole property and the landlord wants to get rid of them.’ Thea was pulling on her trainers and barely thinking of what she was saying. ‘We’ll have to go in your car. Steph – you’d better come as well.’
‘Hey – hang on!’ Jessica objected. ‘We can’t just barge into a crime scene, if that’s what it is. I can’t believe that’s what your detective person was suggesting.’
‘We can go to the cottage. They’ll be in a state. They’ll be glad to see us.’
‘Go by yourself. You can drive my car easily enough.’
Thea hesitated. ‘No,’ she decided. ‘I don’t want to leave you two without knowing how long I’ll be, or what exactly happened. If it’s bedlam over there, you can just drop me and come back again.’
Jessica stood with her back to the door, preventing her mother from leaving the house. ‘This is ridiculous,’ she said firmly. ‘You’ve got no idea what’s been found, or what possible part you might have to play. You can’t take a child into that. What’s the hurry, anyway? I don’t imagine anybody’s going anywhere. Let the dust settle a bit, and at least find out who’s dead. Even your precious Gladwin must realise that’s the least she should be telling you.’
Thea gave way with reasonable grace. ‘You’re probably right,’ she said. ‘Gladwin was a lot less coherent than usual, I must admit. She was banking on having the whole Christmas holiday off work, so this must have thrown her.’
‘Well don’t let her offload it all onto you,’ snapped Jessica. ‘Which I get the impression she’s rather inclined to do at times.’
‘I’m useful,’ said Thea, with a lift of her chin. ‘But she’s perfectly professional. She’s not going to duck out of anything important.’ She sighed. ‘Thank goodness Drew’s not here. He’d go mental.’
‘Which leaves me to take his part, then,’ said Jessica, throwing a smile at Stephanie. ‘I can see his problem now. You must be a nightmare to live with.’
‘It’s not that bad,’ said Stephanie. ‘And the Frowses really are our friends.’
‘So let’s sit down and talk it over for a bit. You can tell me all about them,’ Jessica suggested, moving cautiously away from the door. ‘And we can think it out sensibly before rushing off anywhere.’
They all moved into the kitchen, and Thea absently made a pot of tea. She repeated everything she could think of concerning the Frowse family. ‘The landlord really has been harassing them for ages,’ she insisted. ‘Beverley’s a bit of