what you need to here?”
“Why?”
“Surely you don’t want to spend another night up here on your own?”
Why didn’t Tyman Gallimore want her staying at the cottage?
“It doesn’t bother me.” Much. Lexy remembered the loudly ticking clock and imagined cold draught.
There was another silence. Again, Lexy was the one who broke it. “Did you know Elizabeth?”
“Yes.” His voice was guarded. “Didn’t you?”
She shook her head.
“But you live locally?”
“Clopwolde. Although I’ve only been there three months.” She pressed on with her original line. “I guess it must have been quite a shock for you when Elizabeth died the
way she did?”
“Of course it bloody was.”
Lexy raised her eyebrows.
“Sorry. It’s just that it was actually me who found her. You know... just after the accident.”
“Oh.” For a brief, crazy moment Lexy wanted to ask him if he had spotted an ancient robed deity fleeing the scene. “Guess that must have been pretty awful.”
“Just a bit.” His expression made Lexy wonder what sort of state Elizabeth must have been in. “It’s something that’s happened to me twice, now. I saw... someone
else... fall like that, too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It was a while ago. But Elizabeth...” Tyman launched into the story as if he had been desperate to tell someone ever since it happened.
“I was coming down the hill for breakfast after I’d been checking on the sheep. I go up there every morning.” He broke off, his eyes roving up the path again.
“It was just on nine o’clock. It all seemed pretty quiet when I came to the cottage, which was a bit unusual. Elizabeth was normally up and about well before that time in the
morning. I went to the kitchen door and knocked, then I went round the corner of the house to the front door.” His eyes became unfocused.
“Found her on the rockery. She was lying at an odd angle. I knew immediately she was dead. Guessed she’d fallen from the balcony.”
Lexy gave him an enquiring look.
“You don’t get injuries like that from just tripping over.”
She winced.
“Must have just happened, she was barely cold. But there was nothing I could do. Like the kiss of life, or anything.”
Lexy digested this. “I wonder if she died straight away, when she fell?”
“Oh, yes. It was immediate. At least, that was what the doctor said.”
“Right. So she didn’t...”
He caught her drift. “Suffer. No.”
Lexy nodded. At least she could put Rowana’s mind to rest on that count.
“Thing is, I feel really guilty about it.” There was a terrible sadness in his voice.
“Guilty? Why?”
He stammered slightly. “W... what I mean to say is that I could probably have prevented it.”
Lexy’s tawny eyes narrowed. “Do you know how it happened, then?”
“What?”
“I mean, what caused her to fall?”
“No.” He shook his head, face pale. “But perhaps if I’d been there earlier...”
Lexy let up. After all, she herself knew what it was like to stumble on a recently dead body. Something you don’t forget in a hurry.
Tyman glanced at his watch.
“Can you tell me a bit about Elizabeth?” Lexy said quickly. “I mean, what she was like as a person? I didn’t know her, and... well... I guess I’m just
curious.”
He seemed to consider this, squinting down the hill towards Pilgrim’s Farm.
“Elizabeth was quite intense,” he began. “Mad about our four-footed friends...” He gave a nod at Kinky. “And well into her causes. Animal charities and the
like.” A humourless laugh escaped him.
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
“Generally, yes.” Tyman shaded his eyes against the sun. “Trouble is, she was a little on the over-zealous side. Especially where we were concerned.”
“Why?”
“Oh, there was this... misunderstanding about six months ago. Elizabeth was under the impression that we were mistreating the animals on the farm.”
“Which you weren’t?”
“God, no – they
“Why?”
“Surely you don’t want to spend another night up here on your own?”
Why didn’t Tyman Gallimore want her staying at the cottage?
“It doesn’t bother me.” Much. Lexy remembered the loudly ticking clock and imagined cold draught.
There was another silence. Again, Lexy was the one who broke it. “Did you know Elizabeth?”
“Yes.” His voice was guarded. “Didn’t you?”
She shook her head.
“But you live locally?”
“Clopwolde. Although I’ve only been there three months.” She pressed on with her original line. “I guess it must have been quite a shock for you when Elizabeth died the
way she did?”
“Of course it bloody was.”
Lexy raised her eyebrows.
“Sorry. It’s just that it was actually me who found her. You know... just after the accident.”
“Oh.” For a brief, crazy moment Lexy wanted to ask him if he had spotted an ancient robed deity fleeing the scene. “Guess that must have been pretty awful.”
“Just a bit.” His expression made Lexy wonder what sort of state Elizabeth must have been in. “It’s something that’s happened to me twice, now. I saw... someone
else... fall like that, too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It was a while ago. But Elizabeth...” Tyman launched into the story as if he had been desperate to tell someone ever since it happened.
“I was coming down the hill for breakfast after I’d been checking on the sheep. I go up there every morning.” He broke off, his eyes roving up the path again.
“It was just on nine o’clock. It all seemed pretty quiet when I came to the cottage, which was a bit unusual. Elizabeth was normally up and about well before that time in the
morning. I went to the kitchen door and knocked, then I went round the corner of the house to the front door.” His eyes became unfocused.
“Found her on the rockery. She was lying at an odd angle. I knew immediately she was dead. Guessed she’d fallen from the balcony.”
Lexy gave him an enquiring look.
“You don’t get injuries like that from just tripping over.”
She winced.
“Must have just happened, she was barely cold. But there was nothing I could do. Like the kiss of life, or anything.”
Lexy digested this. “I wonder if she died straight away, when she fell?”
“Oh, yes. It was immediate. At least, that was what the doctor said.”
“Right. So she didn’t...”
He caught her drift. “Suffer. No.”
Lexy nodded. At least she could put Rowana’s mind to rest on that count.
“Thing is, I feel really guilty about it.” There was a terrible sadness in his voice.
“Guilty? Why?”
He stammered slightly. “W... what I mean to say is that I could probably have prevented it.”
Lexy’s tawny eyes narrowed. “Do you know how it happened, then?”
“What?”
“I mean, what caused her to fall?”
“No.” He shook his head, face pale. “But perhaps if I’d been there earlier...”
Lexy let up. After all, she herself knew what it was like to stumble on a recently dead body. Something you don’t forget in a hurry.
Tyman glanced at his watch.
“Can you tell me a bit about Elizabeth?” Lexy said quickly. “I mean, what she was like as a person? I didn’t know her, and... well... I guess I’m just
curious.”
He seemed to consider this, squinting down the hill towards Pilgrim’s Farm.
“Elizabeth was quite intense,” he began. “Mad about our four-footed friends...” He gave a nod at Kinky. “And well into her causes. Animal charities and the
like.” A humourless laugh escaped him.
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
“Generally, yes.” Tyman shaded his eyes against the sun. “Trouble is, she was a little on the over-zealous side. Especially where we were concerned.”
“Why?”
“Oh, there was this... misunderstanding about six months ago. Elizabeth was under the impression that we were mistreating the animals on the farm.”
“Which you weren’t?”
“God, no – they
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