‘She was nice,’ said Thea, hearing echoes of the Hampnett experience and recalling the sudden terror she had felt in that house. ‘But I wouldn’t want to go through that again. Maybe I’ll just leave it and see if she calls back.’

Drew nodded absently, then said, ‘Oh − by the way, did you find the Barnsley murderer?’

She flinched. ‘Sort of. The dreadful thing is, if I hadn’t been there in the first place, the murder would probably never have happened. I was a catalyst, of the most malign sort. It just shows I should stay at home from now on and try to mind my own business.’ She stopped. ‘No, I won’t talk about it any more. It wasn’t an adventure, Tim, and I wasn’t brave. I was just messing about for no good reason, and did a lot more harm than good. I promise I won’t do it again.’

Drew and Stephanie gave identically fond snorts. ‘We don’t believe that for a moment,’ said Drew.

350

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Jennifer Margrave, who, as always, offered generous advice on the legal aspects of the story.

We hope you enjoyed this book.
Do you want to know about our other great reads, download free extracts and enter competitions?
If so, visit our website www.allisonandbusby.com.
Sign up to our monthly newsletter (www.allisonandbusby.com/newsletter) for exclusive content and offers, news of our brand new releases, upcoming events with your favourite authors and much more.
And why not click to follow us on Facebook (AllisonandBusbyBooks)
and Twitter (@AllisonandBusby)?
We’d love to hear from you!

About the Author

Rebecca Tope is the author of three bestselling crime series, set in the stunning Cotswolds, Lake District and West Country. She lives on a smallholding in rural Herefordshire, where she enjoys the silence and plants a lot of trees, but also manages to travel the world and enjoy civilisation from time to time. Most of her varied experiences and activities find their way into her books, sooner or later.

rebeccatope.com

By Rebecca Tope

The Cotswold Mysteries

A Cotswold Killing • A Cotswold Ordeal

Death in the Cotswolds • A Cotswold Mystery

Blood in the Cotswolds • Slaughter in the Cotswolds

Fear in the Cotswolds • A Grave in the Cotswolds

Deception in the Cotswolds • Malice in the Cotswolds

Shadows in the Cotswolds • Trouble in the Cotswolds

Revenge in the Cotswolds • Guilt in the Cotswolds

Peril in the Cotswolds • Crisis in the Cotswolds

Secrets in the Cotswolds

♦

A Cotswold Casebook

The Lake District Mysteries

The Windermere Witness • The Ambleside Alibi

The Coniston Case • The Troutbeck Testimony

The Hawkshead Hostage • The Bowness Bequest

The Staveley Suspect • The Grasmere Grudge

The West Country Mysteries

A Dirty Death • Dark Undertakings

Death of a Friend • Grave Concerns

A Death to Record • The Sting of Death

A Market for Murder

Copyright

Allison & Busby Limited
11 Wardour Mews
London W1F 8AN
allisonandbusby.com